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Old 07-21-14, 10:29 AM  
SandyT
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Can you lose 3 lbs of muscle in a week?

Due to a minor injury I decided to take a week off of dvd's and just do walking for a week. I was amazed to find that I dropped 3 pounds during that week. Prior to this I hadn't really lost or gained since menopause. I didn't need to lose the weight, wasn't really trying, and didn't change my eating at all.
I was wondering...is it possible to lose 3 pounds of muscle by not working out for a week??? Just curious...
Thanks,
Sandy
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Old 07-21-14, 10:51 AM  
knitter_mom
 
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That seems pretty quick to me, 3 pounds of muscle would still require a calorie deficit of 10,000kcal, and that doesn't seem right. Water retention going away? Going from a more stressful exercise routine to a less stressful one so your cortisol levels are down and weight dropped more quickly? (Stress in this case doesn't mean the "bad" kind of stress, just that weight-lifting and more extreme exercise is a kind of short-term stress on the body that has a good result in the long run).

Menopause can really change your reaction to different kinds of exercise, so it is good to experiment; I would personally keep walking and see what happens :-)

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Old 07-21-14, 11:22 AM  
laurajhawk
 
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Water was my first thought as well. I don't think it is muscle loss.
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Old 07-21-14, 11:36 AM  
mspina
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by workingjoe2001 View Post
Due to a minor injury I decided to take a week off of dvd's and just do walking for a week. I was amazed to find that I dropped 3 pounds during that week. Prior to this I hadn't really lost or gained since menopause. I didn't need to lose the weight, wasn't really trying, and didn't change my eating at all.
I was wondering...is it possible to lose 3 pounds of muscle by not working out for a week??? Just curious...
Thanks,
Sandy
No way, that makes no physiological sense at ALL. It's likely predominately fluid.
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Old 07-21-14, 11:37 AM  
SandyT
 
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I think you are both probably right. Water weight seems more likely than muscle It was a good break for my body as far as stress goes. I might have to plan these "walking weeks" into my schedule in the future!
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Old 07-21-14, 12:36 PM  
bzar
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i would agree w/what everyone has posted - water.

after prolonged (don't know the threshold) disuse, you lose a mix of muscle, fat and water. same thing with gaining. you don't gain pure muscle - there's a mix of muscle, fat and water.
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Old 07-21-14, 01:56 PM  
slysam
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by workingjoe2001 View Post
Due to a minor injury I decided to take a week off of dvd's and just do walking for a week. I was amazed to find that I dropped 3 pounds during that week. Prior to this I hadn't really lost or gained since menopause. I didn't need to lose the weight, wasn't really trying, and didn't change my eating at all.
I was wondering...is it possible to lose 3 pounds of muscle by not working out for a week??? Just curious...
Thanks,
Sandy
I agree water weight. I weigh 2-3 pounds more when I regularly do vigorous exercise--especially strength training. If I take a week off, that weight suddenly drops. I can still lose weight while retaining 2-3 pounds of workout related fluid weight--I only see the gain when I first get back into the routine. So I forget it is there, until something causes me to take a week off and I see the sudden loss. I don't continue to lose beyond that point though unless I am eating a lot less than usual. I don't know whether you would quickly lose muscle without dieting or undereating for some other reason. Over time, perhaps but I usually find if I take a week off (for reasons other than injury or illness), I am stronger than ever when I go back to it. Just a week off, longer I would lose a little fitness. With an injury it is a bit different since it usually takes me longer than a week to fully recover.
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Old 07-21-14, 02:44 PM  
Jane P.
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I gain about 4 lbs after a weight workout. It goes away if I don't do weights for a while. I don't worry about it because I know it's fluid retention and my muscles probably need it. Sorry about your injury, but you probably haven't lost much in the way of muscle.

Even Cathe says to take a week off between each of her mesocycles in STS
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Old 07-21-14, 05:13 PM  
macska
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When I"m off lifting I lose pounds real fast. It is all water and glycogen.
If you eat enough calories I don't think you would lose muscles that fast. On very little calories you may lose muscles faster.
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Old 07-21-14, 05:31 PM  
SandyT
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by slysam View Post
I agree water weight. I weigh 2-3 pounds more when I regularly do vigorous exercise--especially strength training. If I take a week off, that weight suddenly drops. I can still lose weight while retaining 2-3 pounds of workout related fluid weight--I only see the gain when I first get back into the routine. So I forget it is there, until something causes me to take a week off and I see the sudden loss. I don't continue to lose beyond that point though unless I am eating a lot less than usual. I don't know whether you would quickly lose muscle without dieting or undereating for some other reason. Over time, perhaps but I usually find if I take a week off (for reasons other than injury or illness), I am stronger than ever when I go back to it. Just a week off, longer I would lose a little fitness. With an injury it is a bit different since it usually takes me longer than a week to fully recover.
That is really interesting...that workouts make you retain fluid. I had never thought of that but it really makes sense from a biological stance.
My weight usually doesn't fluctuate more than 1 lb...but I only weigh myself once in a while and always in the morning. So this was a surprise. It is good to know though so that when I go back to my usual routine I won't be surprised when I gain a few pounds
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