Dr.SportsMedIN said:There is also a quality change that the scan cannot see.
Filing a mild objection. Mild because I might be wrong; an objection because nobody has addressed the case that does not fit. I think this board over-worries about lean mass. Some lean loss is obligatory — you need less muscle to move a smaller body, and preserving mass you no longer need is not a health outcome. The question is whether strength and function held, and mine did.
MarkLI_maint said:I lifted three times a week throughout and still lost lean mass.
Body composition tracking via bioimpedance on lean mass (InBody scan every 3 months):
| Metric | Baseline | Month 3 | Month 6 | Month 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skeletal Muscle (lbs) | 72 | 70 | 69 | 74 |
| Body Fat (lbs) | 89 | 78 | 56 | 44 |
| Body Fat % | 42% | 35% | 25% | 21% |
| Visceral Fat (cm²) | 149 | 114 | 84 | 59 |
Note: skeletal muscle mass dipped initially then recovered with consistent resistance training + high protein. The visceral fat reduction is where the metabolic magic happens.
Dr.KarenChen said:I think this board over-worries about lean mass.
Bone density monitoring on lean mass: DEXA bone density at baseline and month 12.
Lumbar spine T-score: -0.10 → -0.9 (stable to slightly improved)
Femoral neck T-score: -0.10 → -0.10 (stable)
No significant bone loss despite 57 lbs of weight loss. Key factors: adequate calcium (1200mg/day), vitamin D (5000 IU/day), resistance training 3x/week, and adequate protein. Weight-bearing exercise is critical for maintaining bone density during rapid weight loss.
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Shop Reference StandardsFollowing on from anna.melb_AU — and this may be the naive question:
What fraction of loss being lean mass is actually normal, because the numbers quoted here range from 10% to 40% and cannot all be right?
Closing the loop on my own question.
Second scan under matched conditions, six months apart, same time of day: the lean number came back nearly a kilo higher than the panic scan. Strength was up throughout.