Isn't weight loss supposed to make me weaker?

[squats3xWeek]

Here I am 7 pounds lighter and I'm still pretty much pulling the same weight I was before. The only difference I've noticed is I get winded a lot faster and I can't pull or squat as many reps as I used to.

Isn't it supposed to be the other way around? You lose weight you lose fast twitch muscle, but maintain slow twitch?

 

[ghettostudmuffin]

Losing weight doesn't necessarily have anything to do with losing fast twitch fiber.

Now if you were losing weight and stopped focusing on high intensity exercise and did alot more endurance work then your muscles would adapt and your slow twitch would probably become more dominant. That doesn't mean you actually lose fast twitch fibers though.

IF you are losing weight on purpose through diet and/or increased exercise you will likely lose strength at some point depending on how much weight you lose.

That said 7lbs is nothing and if you have lowered your carb intake at all half that could just be lost water. I fluctuate a couple pounds in weight throughout the day just off food/water intake and activity and the amount I have sweated.

I would guess by the time you have lost 12+ pounds you will notice a strength loss, but if you are still training hard, eating good and getting enough protein in to repair the muscle adequately then the loss of strength and muscle doesn't have to be that bad.

Keep training hard. Sounds like you are doing it right.

P.S. Not sure why you are getting more winded, but you may be too low on carbs while working out. Losing weight too fast I have heard can cause wind issues too because of the stress it places on the system. I will be harder to push hard if calorie/ exercise output is dropping you below maintenance requirements. I know when I have dieted that my strength absolutely tanks and I place alot of that on lowered carb intake and loss of water in the body.

 

[squats3xWeek]

Losing weight doesn't necessarily have anything to do with losing fast twitch fiber.

Now if you were losing weight and stopped focusing on high intensity exercise and did alot more endurance work then your muscles would adapt and your slow twitch would probably become more dominant. That doesn't mean you actually lose fast twitch fibers though.

IF you are losing weight on purpose through diet and/or increased exercise you will likely lose strength at some point depending on how much weight you lose.

That said 7lbs is nothing and if you have lowered your carb intake at all half that could just be lost water. I fluctuate a couple pounds in weight throughout the day just off food/water intake and activity and the amount I have sweated.

I would guess by the time you have lost 12+ pounds you will notice a strength loss, but if you are still training hard, eating good and getting enough protein in to repair the muscle adequately then the loss of strength and muscle doesn't have to be that bad.

Keep training hard. Sounds like you are doing it right.

P.S. Not sure why you are getting more winded, but you may be too low on carbs while working out. Losing weight too fast I have heard can cause wind issues too because of the stress it places on the system. I will be harder to push hard if calorie/ exercise output is dropping you below maintenance requirements. I know when I have dieted that my strength absolutely tanks and I place alot of that on lowered carb intake and loss of water in the body.

I think you're right. It's getting harder and harder for me to squeeze out the last few reps for my squats. I'm down another 2 pounds since I posted this thread. I'll be heading in today to see how I do on the squats.

I'm getting less than 50 carbs a day. Probably lower than 25. Only carbs I'm getting comes from Brocolli, flax seeds and onions. I've noticed myself getting winded by trying to take off a sweaty shirt after coming home from the gym.

 

[ghettostudmuffin]

Eating 25-50grams of carbs a day is retarded. Stop doing that.

Only seriously competitive bodybuilders like a week out from a show should consider that.

You'd be far better off eating moderate-high carb, moderate/high protein and low fat.

When I say low fat I don't mean less than 50grams a day. I mean like 20-25% of your caloric intake.

When roughly maintaining weight that's like 130grams fat a day for me.

I would turn into a zombie at 50grams carbs or less a day.

 

[squats3xWeek]

Eating 25-50grams of carbs a day is retarded. Stop doing that.

Only seriously competitive bodybuilders like a week out from a show should consider that.

You'd be far better off eating moderate-high carb, moderate/high protein and low fat.

When I say low fat I don't mean less than 50grams a day. I mean like 20-25% of your caloric intake.

When roughly maintaining weight that's like 130grams fat a day for me.

I would turn into a zombie at 50grams carbs or less a day.

I totally feel like a zombie. Been low carbs for a full week now. I still do heavy compounds each day though. It seems to be working for me though. Dropped from about 230 to 222(this morning) all in a week.

 

[ghettostudmuffin]

You aren't supposed to lose 8 pounds a week.

A good goal is 2 pounds a week imo.

If you want to feel like a zombie keep it up. Expect a pretty large drop in strength soon at this rate though.