didn't go to the gym for a week and lost 7 lbs.?

Question

i usually go to the gym almost every day, and i do about one hour of cardio, and then go on the weight machines. last week, i didnt go to the gym at all, and when i went back today, i had lost 7 lbs. i'm pretty sure that it was 7lbs of muscle and not fat. but, is there a way to go to the gym less and still loose those couple pounds of FAT? my clothes usually feel tight, but when i didnt go to the gym for that week, they became looser. i know it was because i wasnt working on the weight machines for a few days though. is there a way to go back to the clothes being looser, but still lift weights? should i do cardio every day but just lift weights every other day instead of every day? or will that cause my muscles to become smaller over time? i want to loose the fat and keep my muscle. i was what to do so my clothes are looser while maintaining my muscle mass. the thing is that its so hard for me to loose the fat...any suggestions?

Answer 1

Hi, the good news is you did not lose 7 pounds of muscle. You might have lost a few ounces of muscle but the rest of it was water or fat. Your body does not burn muscle for kicks and giggles. It burns muscle when it has nothing else handy. So your body burned muscle during that week only to the extent that you did not feed it.

Did you know that giving your muscles a week off occasionally can actually be a good thing? It's true. If you are lifting weights regularly, the added time off gives your muscles extra time to rebuild.

Do not worry about gaining so much muscle that your clothes get tight. This is very unlikely. You gain muscle very slowly. If you actually did build enough muscle to increase your clothing sizes, believe me you would have plenty of time to notice it and change your workouts.

Gaining muscle is very difficult and takes a lot of hard work, including proper nutrition and plenty of sleep. Professional bodybuilders are happy to put on just a few pounds of muscle per year. Per year! So unless you have really special genetics, building muslce is a slow and intensive process.

If you do cardio only then, yes, you will lose muscle bulk as your body's muscles adjust to the type of work they do. If you want to maintain muscle mass then continue to do some muscle building activities like free weights, universal, etc.

If you want to go to the gym less but still lose a couple pounds of fat then eat fewer calories per day. Eat foods that are lower in saturated fats. Get at least 8 hours of sleep. Cut out sugar. And instead of the traditional 3 meals, eat 6 smaller meals per day.

Answer 2

When you work out, especially everyday, your muscles will retain water to nourish and replenish. It's basically a relaxation day for your muscles in a pool. Seeing as you're supposed to work one half of the body every other day (to not retain as much water and give your muscles a break), not doing so may tire your muscles and cause you excess water gain. It's possible you can feel bloated from this. After a week off, I'd say all your muscles let go of the water they were carrying. You most likely just didn't notice the feeling before because you were going just about everyday.

Answer 3

Sopunds like you were gaining weight by building muscle. So you gain weight too by building muscle and when you didnt go you lost the rest of your fat that didnt turn into muscle yet.

Answer 4

Same here, i gain muscle mass easily, and as a girl, that obviously means i work at it. But losing fat doesn't seem to come as easily. recently I've been running. it really helps, You may have just experienced a random body change, your body can be overworked, a rest is good for it. And you didn't lose muscle, you may also have lost water weight, but there was some fat in there grunted. That's awsome that you are trying to lose it, so just keep it up.

Answer 5

sounds like u lost ur muscles