Fact or Folly: "If you lose weight too quick, you will be losing muscle instead of fat." Please provide proof

Question

I am not an anatomy buff, or understand physiology perfectly, but I cannot see this statement as being true. If anyone could help me to understand whether or not it is, and see the research, I would appreciate it. I do understand that if you lose weight rapidly, it is easier to put back on. I hope someone out there knows the answer to this. Thanks in advance for your help. Sunshine

Answer 1

SUNSHINE,
AS SOMEONE WHO UNDERSTANDS HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY I CAN TELL YOU THAT THE LAST TISSUE THAT THE BODY LOSES IS MUSCLE. THE FIRST JUST HAPPENS TO BE FAT.
DID YOU EVER SEE PICTURES OF HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS OF WW2? THEY WERE BONY THIN SKELETAL HUMAN FIGURES --MUCH WORSE THAN THE ANOREXIC PEOPLE YOU'VE SEEN.
SO,THIS IS A FACT. FAT BEFORE MUSCLE, AND UNDER EXTREMES, LIKE STARVATION - BOTH, BUT FAT FIRST.

Answer 2

At first, it may seem logical that drastically reducing calories would be the key to successful weight loss -- and it's true, you must reduce your calories to lose weight. However when you reduce calories too much, you've got a problem.

Since lean muscle mass requires calories at times of rest, the amount of muscle mass you maintain directly affects your metabolism in a positive way. The more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism. Unfortunately, the converse is also true -- as you lose muscle mass, your metabolism drops. Fat on the other hand, being inert, has no effect on your metabolism.

Say you've lost 20 lbs. Unfortunately, the bathroom scale doesn't tell you how much fat or muscle you've lost... just the weight. A good guess would be a 50-50 split -- 10 lbs. of fat, and 10 lbs. of muscle. Now you've finished your diet and achieved your goal. Naturally you start to eat normally again, and what happens?

Back comes the weight, even faster than before! Why? Because without those 10 lbs of muscle around to require calories at rest, your metabolism has taken a serious downturn. Now you're really going to have to battle to keep from gaining back twice the weight! Of course, since "quick fix" diets focus on weight loss (as measured on your scale), and not tracking your body fat percentage (which provides an accurate indication of how your weight loss program is really progressing), you'll never know just how much fat you actually lose.

Answer 3

Find the right diet for your individual body because there are many ways are there to lose weight just find what works for you