Keeping Muscle While Losing Weight
Two things are well established: enough protein, and something heavy to lift a few times a week. The equipment for the second is short, a set of fabric resistance bands and one kettlebell, and the numbers belong to a dietitian, a coach or whoever is supervising the weight loss.
Last edited · written by PepPrep · not medical advice
Fast weight loss takes muscle with it unless you give the body a reason to keep it, and the reason is well established: enough protein, and something heavy to lift a few times a week. Everything on the Move & Recover shelf exists for the second half of that sentence. This page is about the equipment each half asks for, and about who to ask for the numbers.
1. Protein first, every day
Protein is the thing people on a small appetite run short of first, which is why the whey, clear whey and casein tubs sit at the top of the supplements section. How much you need is a question for a dietitian or whoever is supervising the weight loss; this page is about the tubs, not the target. The supplements guide describes what each tub is.
2. Lift something a few times a week
It does not need to be a gym. A set of fabric bands and one kettlebell between them cover squats, hinges, rows and presses, which is why the equipment list is that short. How often, how heavy and how many is a question for a coach, a physiotherapist or whoever is supervising the weight loss. What the equipment decides is whether the sessions are easy enough to actually happen.
3. Walk
Walking needs no equipment at all, which is why none is listed for it. A smart scale and a tape show the trend better than the number on any single morning.
4. Recover on purpose
Five minutes on a foam roller after a walk or a session, a heat pack on anything that is stiff, and sleep. Soreness that stops you training is worse than a lighter session. Creatine is the gym supplement most people doing strength work already buy, and it is cheap; it is in the catalogue as what it is, not as a promise.
5. Measure the right thing
The scale number goes down when you lose muscle too, so it is a poor guide on its own. Use it alongside the tape, the way your clothes fit, and whether the band or the kettlebell got easier. Photos every few weeks beat daily weigh-ins for morale. How fast is too fast is a question for a dietitian or whoever is supervising the weight loss, not for a scale and not for this page.
Supplies mentioned: Move & Recover · Vitamins & Supplements
Equipment only: nothing on this page is advice about what to inject, how much, or whether a product is fit to use. That comes from the product's labelling and whoever supplied it.