People are telling me it's next to impossible to lose muscle mass?

Question

Apparently the word on the street is that muscle cells wont dissappear until you starve yourself. I don't want to starve myself...but I'd like to be slim. I'm just curious how Hilary Swank gained 20 lbs in muscle for Million Dollar Baby and then got rid of that weight in a month. I'm not fat, I'm muscular and a woman. I weigh 135 and am 5'6" but have weighed between 115 and 140. Is my only option to quit excercising those muscles and cut down on my calorie intake? Just shrink those cells?

Answer 1

Or not using them will do it too

Answer 2

No You your muscles can begin to atrophy as soon as 48-72 hours after exercise. The phase use it or lose it is exactly right in terms of muscles in the body. Try not to compare yourself to hollywood celebrities. They have the time money and resources to make extreme transformations that are usually impracticable for the average working american. Know that muscle is about 70% water so when you gain or lose 1lb of actual muscle protein you also gain or lose about 3.3lbs of water. But unless you are so extremely lean that it is to the point where you may be losing your periods I would not try to lose weight by losing muscle. Its very unhealthy in many ways. If you where to focus 75% of your exercise on cardio and 25% on high repetition weight training you will get your desired physique

Answer 3

Nobody likes the idea of surgery. The possible outcomes for your condition are (1) the mass disappears on its own; (2) the mass grows large enough to cause problems due to its size; (3) cancer spreads to other cells in you body where it cannot be contained; (4) surgical removal; or (5) radiation treatment. If i were in your shoes, i would ask the doctor to send me to an expert on sarcomas, and find out if a shrinking tumor means that cancer cells are unlikely to spread. If the answer is yes, i would wait a few more months to see if the tumor keeps shrinking. If the answer was no or maybe, i would go with the surgery. You have only one shot at catching cancer before it spreads. Once it spreads to other tissues, surgery is no longer an option, and months or years of chemotherapy are much worse than a surgical procedure that can remove 100% of the cancer.

Answer 4

If a person starves themselves the body will catabolize the lean tissue (muscle) to feed the brain and major organs first while trying to preserve fat stores as a last resort fuel source. Sadly, most people don't realize that the heart is a muscle as well and can suffer tremendous (irreparable) damage from starvation...good luck

Answer 5

for those that practice extreme dieting practices that are unhealthy it's very easy to lose muscle mass when the body is an extended catabolic state.

personally I train and consult many a actor in Hollywood and with out naming names I can say that human growth hormone is absolutely HUGE in Hollywood right now and has been for many years.

you need to stop focusing on your total bodyweight but change the focus to reducing your body fat to well below average levels for optimum short and long term health.

Answer 6

To lose muscle mass, cut back calories and do long cardio. Long cardio eats up muscle. This is especially true if you're not eating a lot.

Answer 7

You need to move to a different street. If you don't use them muscles will shrink in size, with or without starving yourself.

Answer 8

You can still exercise, but use lighter weights or your own body weight (as in pushups) also the foods you eat have something to do with it.
Here are some good ideas:
1. Do something that gets your heart rate up a bit like, walking, running, biking, and swimming.
2. Eat Whole, Organic foods like: Broccoli, Cabbage, Organic Brown Rice, Beans, Spinach, Sweet Potato, Apples, and other fruits and vegetables in their Natural State.
3. Avoid eating corn, white bread, white rice, candy, sodas, chips, and anything else that you already know you shouldn’t be eating.
4. Drink clean water as your beverage of choice. Avoid Fruit drinks and fruit juices (unless YOU juice them yourself)
5. Stop smoking, drinking beer & wine, and drinking coffee.
6. Get 8 hours of sleep each night.
7. Hang out with people who want to be healthy.
8. Avoid anything with High Fructose Corn Syrup.

Tone up the muscles:

1. Join a gym and get a trainer.
2. If you’re short on cash, start a light stretching & yoga regimen.
3. Do push-ups, and light dumbbell curls for the upper body.
4. As I said above, walk, run, swim, and or bike
5. Take an aerobics class, a yoga class, or some other fitness class.
6. Join the local YMCA..

Mental Health:

1. Get a friend to talk to each day about your feelings.
2. If you have some money or insurance, get a counselor to talk to.
3. Learn how to meditate.
4. Join a support group for the issue you’re dealing with.
5. Ask your Higher Self (or God) for guidance.
6. Start keeping a diary or journal about your feelings & thoughts.
7. Write a ‘gratitude’ list every night.
8. Do something that makes you happy each day like: listen to your favorite music, draw, paint, write, or anything creative.
9. Do something for someone else who needs help.

Answer 9

really..

its easy to lose muscle for most ppl.

just be lazy.



the trick is..



you take your fat..

and you turn it into muscle..

then you neglect the muscle..


which just essentially gets eaten by your body


then you look worn out and skinny.




ppl like me do have a problem tho.



im in perfect shape.

im a rock climber.

i have a fantastic body..


the body of a rock climber.... or a runner..



but i cant put ON muscle..


no matter how hard i try..


my body gets harder, firmer, toner...


but no muscle.

:(

Answer 10

You can lose muscle mass if you don't use the muscles