5 signs that you are losing muscles instead of fat

Losing weight is no joke. From making some strict diet changes to pushing yourself to work out regularly, losing weight requires some serious work.

The goal while trying to lose weight is increasing the muscle mass and decreasing body fat. But in some cases, you might start losing your muscle mass, instead of fat, which can be quite unhealthy.

Losing muscle mass affects our strength and endurance negatively and leads to decreased functional performance.

It’s unnatural for the body to go for muscles and not fat first. This happens when someone trying to lose weight does not eat enough protein, over trains, doesn’t sleep well or do not give themselves time to recover, that they lose muscle mass instead of fat.

Here are five indicators that you are losing muscle mass and not fat.

Though it’s also a little obvious to feel that your workout is tough. But if you feel to the extent that you often prefer skipping it altogether, it can be a sign that you are losing muscle mass.

Feeling less strength while working out. Not able to do the same number of reps or not able to lift the same weight can be a sign that you are losing muscle mass.

Not eating properly and losing muscle mass can lead to impaired function. This happens due to energy deficiencies and sometimes overtraining.

In some cases, if a person is losing weight along with a decrease in their performance, overtraining might be the reason behind that.

If the number on the scale is changing but your body fat percentage isn’t budging, it’s a sign that you are losing muscle mass.

Also, when you lose muscle mass, your body doesn’t shape the way you want. You will notice shrinking circumferences but fat (you can pinch and check) still remains the same.

While you might be really happy seeing the numbers on the scale moving so fast, it’s probably not good for your muscle mass. Losing weight rapidly is not sustainable either.

Weight loss is like a marathon and not a sprint race. And that is why we say, weight loss is not a cakewalk, as it takes a lot of time and effort to see visible and sustainable results.

If you cannot pick up more weights than you did when you started, or if you cannot do more reps than when you started, it’s a sign that you are losing muscle mass.