Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Thoughts on losing lean body mass

Right now I am having a internal debate about how hard I want to keep from losing lean body mass. The personal trainer at the gym wants me to keep as much muscle as possible. I understand that to a point,but the facts is that my current lean body mass is higher then it has ever been in my life. I think I could stand to lose a few pounds of LBM and not notice it at all. Then again the personal trainer has some serious credentials including being one of the top bike racers statewide in her age class. So, who am I to argue with her. I just thought I would kick out the subject, to see if anybody else take LBM into consideration as part of their weight loss.

What is your current height and weight?

On a side note I believe most of the muscle you lose when you lose a good chunk of weight is skeletal muscle that is no longer needed since you are lighter. Although if you are not losing large amounts of weight it is possible to lose functional lean body mass.

I lost quite a bit as my weight dropped. Many years ago, I was skinny (at 5'7") with a 54" chest. Very much the barrel. Now my chest is something like 36" and I'm skinny again. Weight is down to 143 this morning (though I ate a huge dinner in prep for a 90 mile ride tomorrow).

My neck went from 18" to 15.25. Another big change, and indicative of what happened.

To be honest, it doesn't bother me at all that I lost so much LBM. It's better for cycling. I don't need the muscle any longer. I'm not rock climbing, nor am I moving a mess of band equipment as I used to (I was in a wedding/bar-mitzvah band for several years).

I would keep as much lean muscle mass as I could if it were me. I feel so much better since I have lost body fat and replaced it with LBM.

I agree that you can probably be fine to lose some LBM. However, the higher your LBM, the more calories your body will use at rest to maintain itself.

Several years ago I went into a hospital setting for maximal treadmill testing, bodyfat testing, etc. The docs told me that losing some LBM with weight loss is OK since a lighter person just doesn't need the muscle it used to just to get around.

The bottom line is that you WILL lose SOME lean body mass if you're in a calorie deficit. The faster you try to lose the weight, the more LBM you will lose. I'm not sure why anyone would want to lose more LBM than they have to. LBM is the difference between looking/feeling lean and healthy VS the "skinny-fat" look.

What is your reason for not wanting to do what the trainer says in order to keep most of your LBM?

Some of the LBM lost would otherwise be dead weight. It would need specific exercises to keep it on since it wouldn't be needed for normal daily activities nor typical exercise activities. If not used, the muscle may not be particularly conditioned or strong.

What is your reason for not wanting to do what the trainer says in order to keep most of your LBM?

It's not that I am not wanting to do what she says, I just was wondering if there was any value in trying to keep more LBM then when I was at the most fit point in my life. Right now she has me doing circuit weight training twice a week and wants me to keep my calories up to maintain my LBM. My LBM now is about where it was at last year before I lost all my weight. So, I am going to try to do things her way, but honestly, I did not seem to miss the 4-5 pounds of LBM that I lost last year.