You Are Losing Muscle, Not Fat
5 Signs You Are Losing Muscle, Not Fat
A beautiful body should be slim, but not emaciated. Muscles are called upon to create the desired relief - not overdeveloped, but in good shape. Therefore, diet and exercise should burn fat without affecting muscle tissue. How do you know that something has gone wrong and your muscles are rapidly decreasing?
Let's look at 5 signs that you are losing muscle, not fat.
Even elementary exercises are difficult for you.
If you've always been hardy enough, but suddenly feel weak and tired, this could be due to muscle loss. It is important to support the bone structure, activate energy metabolism, and keep the body in good shape.
A person who has reached a certain degree of exhaustion cannot walk for a long time, climb stairs and do ordinary household chores, they are forced to constantly interrupt and rest.
This condition can be caused by an extreme diet that is minimal in protein and fat. You lose weight, but the figure takes on the recognizable shape of skinny fat - skin with a small layer of fat that does not fit tightly to the bone.
2. Sudden weight loss.
To lose 1 kg of fat, you have to burn 7000 calories. This is a long process, even with restrictions on nutrition and training, it will be possible to lose a kilogram no earlier than in 1-2 weeks. If you are rapidly losing weight, it can mean one thing - your muscles are burning. They are heavier than fat and the loss is more noticeable on the scales.
A sharp decrease in muscle mass occurs with minimal physical activity, accompanied by significant restrictions in the diet - for example, mono diets. It is very difficult to restore muscle tissue, but you can bring yourself to atrophy in a matter of weeks.
3. Training is no longer a pleasure.
Have you worked out with enthusiasm in the gym, achieved some results, but suddenly felt disgusted with training? Loss of muscle mass forces the body to engage in economy mode. Energy will be spent on maintaining basic body functions, and motivation to exercise will drop.
If you can't bring yourself to go to the gym or go for a run, analyze your condition. It may be worth revisiting the exercise schedule: taking regular breaks to restore muscles. The optimal schedule is 2 intensive or 3 more moderate loads per week.
4. You have stopped building muscle.
If you exercise with sufficient load, but no longer see the results in the mirror and on the scales, this may indicate a plateau effect. It's time to revise the training program and do a little test. Try to do one exercise as many times as possible in one repetition and analyze how you feel at the beginning and end of the set.
The inability to perform movements with the usual amplitude or to do another exercise should be alarming. Muscles lose their tone, in the future their mass may decrease. Talk to your coach: they will select a program that suits your fitness.
5. Intellectual fatigue, memory problems.
Periodic clouding of consciousness and memory failure can indicate a lack of energy in the body. Our brains need up to 20% of the incoming calories, otherwise they will go into energy saving mode. In this state, our brains are incapable of solving complex problems, you quickly feel tired, drowsy, possibly dizzy.
When you notice the first signs of mental fatigue, pay attention to your body condition. The body that has switched to economy mode will draw energy from all possible sources, including muscles. If the brain lacks nutrients, muscle mass is likely to be in critical condition. Take urgent action: a balanced diet and dosed physical activity will restore muscles and ensure mental clarity.
