Question about Lean Body Mass
 

Hi all.

I work with a personal trainer once a week. This past session we took measurements to see how I was progressing. I had lost 7 lbs in 3 weeks and most of my body measurements went down or stayed the same (this is the tape measurements).

He took my BF also and that went down. However, he was a tad concerned because my lean body mass (LBM) went down as well. He mentioned that I should make sure I'm getting enough protein.

I'm wondering, should my LBM always be going up even if my main goal is weight loss?

Currently my workout routine looks something like this:

Monday: off
Tuesday: 30 minute weight training (on my own/less rigorous), 30 minute cardio
Wednesday: 45 minute cardio
Thursday: off
Friday: 45 minute rigorous weight training with PT
Saturday: 45 minute cardio
Sunday: 45 minute cardio

Should I be doing more weight training or up my protein? Or do I need to even worry about my LBM going down as I lose weight as long as my body fat mass is also going down?

I'm a bit confused! :?:

I just want to make sure that I continue to lose but also come out with a fit body when I reach goal.

If anyone has some advice or thoughts please pass them my way. :)

Thanks!

Mine has also gone down. But at a very slow rate compared to the fat. Mine is going to continue to go down since it's only a little under my end goal weight!!

If I were you I would not be overly worried about the numbers. You are doing everything right! It's not a bad suggestion to eat some protein after you workout though. If you're not already. I do a fair bit of exercise - basically 5-6 hours of cardio/wk and 3 hours of weight training/core work. And I attempt to eat a healthy diet. I've been losing kinda slowly, 45 pounds since the end of November 2007. But of those 45 pounds, approx 3 of them have been lean muscle mass. The rest has been fat. I'm happy with that. No one believes that I weigh as much as I do. I've goen from a 22W to a 16W during these months. Even my fat is certainly not as "flabby" as in the past. I can go awhile without seeing a loss on the scale, and yet see changes in my body. Weight-training ROCKS!

LBM is much more than muscle so you would expect your LBM to go down even if you gain muscle as you lose weight.

I'm not an expert, but one thing to keep in mind is that the lean body mass figure is usually a calculated figure based on body fat percentages, and there are errors inherent in the measurements (more or less depending on how they are measuring BF). I wouldn't sweat this one measurement too much, but perhaps watch to see if there is a trend over time, and then adjust if necessary.

I don't know what kind of eating plan you are following, but it also doesn't hurt to reassess your protein intake and verify that you are getting an appropriate amount for your age, weight, and activity level. If you are, then you should be fine!

Thanks, everyone!

I'm not going to worry to much about it, but I may try to bump my protein up a little. I haven't really been watching my protein/fat/carb % much so I need to do that.

Nori - Thanks! I know a couple of women at the gym who have a protein shake after their workout. Maybe this is something I should consider.

Nelie - That was my thought too.

MBN - No specific plan, I just count calories. I'm going to start tracking my protein % now I think.

Yup, yup.

One measurement is no biggie. Keep an eye on the trends, but I'd work on getting more protein anyway, if you can. I found that my weight loss goes better if I eat more protein and my*shape* changes faster. :)

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