←back to thread

372 points Eumenes | 3 comments | | HN request time: 0.422s | source
Show context
crazygringo ◴[] No.42203302[source]
I'm always so baffled by warnings about losing muscle when losing weight.

Of course you do! If your body is tens of pounds lighter, then you don't need the extra muscle to lug it around. This paper is about reduction in heart muscle, and of course your heart doesn't need to be as strong because there's less blood to pump and less tissue to fuel.

When you gain weight, you also increase the muscles needed to carry that weight around. If you see someone obese at the gym doing the leg press, you may be astonished at how strong their legs are. When you lose weight, you don't need that muscle anymore.

Our bodies are really good at providing exactly the amount of muscle we need for our daily activities (provided we eat properly, i.e. sufficient protein), so it's entirely natural that our muscles decrease as we lose weight, the same way they increased when we gain weight. Muscles are expensive to keep around when we don't need them.

Obviously, if you exercise, then you'll keep the muscles you need for exercising.

But this notion that weight loss can somehow be a negative because you'll lose muscle too, I don't know where it came from. Yes you can lose muscle, but you never would have had that muscle in the first place if you hadn't been overweight -- so it's not something to worry about.

replies(13): >>42203416 #>>42203438 #>>42203634 #>>42203687 #>>42203797 #>>42203837 #>>42203958 #>>42204206 #>>42204628 #>>42205478 #>>42206588 #>>42206865 #>>42207576 #
lee ◴[] No.42203958[source]
From the article: "...explains this rate of muscle decline is significantly higher than what is typically observed with calorie-reduced diets or normal aging and could lead to a host of long-term health issues..."

The warning isn't that you're losing muscle during weight-loss with these drugs. It's that the ratio of muscle vs fat loss is much greater with the drugs compared to traditional weight loss methods.

It's been well studied that if you exercise and eat enough protein while losing weight, you can retain more muscle.

Losing a lot of lean mass is incredibly detrimental to your longevity and quality of life.

replies(4): >>42204043 #>>42204045 #>>42204741 #>>42205273 #
1. IG_Semmelweiss ◴[] No.42204045[source]
>>>Losing a lot of lean mass is incredibly detrimental to your longevity and quality of life.

While true, its also true that if you manage to lose substantial fat in the process, it leads to longer and better quality life

replies(2): >>42204770 #>>42205225 #
2. ◴[] No.42204770[source]
3. mathgeek ◴[] No.42205225[source]
> it leads to longer and better quality life

This needs a slight change in wording or clarification, depending on what you meant.

Losing substantial fat when overweight increases your chance of a longer and better quality life than if you had maintained high levels of fat. Losing substantial muscle in that process reduces your chances of the same. It's statistics and never guaranteed.