Expert: Ken Alan - 8/9/2006

Question
Hi! Thanks for taking the time to consider my questions. I have long been an avid athlete and even though I am currently not involved in team sports I maintain a consistent workout regimen. My workouts consist primarily of cardio exercises including running, walking quickly, elliptical trainer, stairmaster, and treadclimber. I am 5'5" and I currently weight 136 pounds. Here is my question:

How much of my weight could be due to muscle gain and not fat? When I look at myself in a mirror I do not look like I have excess fat. I have maybe 5 pounds that could be lost and that loss would give me a very sleek appearance in the stomach area (the only area I really have excess fat). In the past I have weighed between 125 and 128 for a consistent period of time and I do not look too much different from that time, only I weigh more. I work out three days a week with a varied workout depending on the machine I am using. I try to do a medium-high to high intensity for 20-30 minutes. How much weight could I expect to lose before muscle weight causes a plateau or starts increasing the weight? Do you think it is reasonable to try to get back to a 125-128 weight or is muscle really a large factor? I eat a balanced diet high in fresh, unprocessed foods and I try to limit my alcohol and sugar intakes to just a moderate consumption on weekends only.

Your advice is greatly appreciated. I have long been curious about this muscle weight to fat weight comparison and wonder how it affects me personally. Hope to hear from you soon!

Answer
Hi,

Glad you're working out and glad you're interested in keeping yourself together.  Keep on eating well and keep up the activity.  If there's a bit more fat on you than you want, you can do three things:
1. Up the activity level.  
2. Consume less calories.
3. Do some of both.

Fat is stored calories.  If you do more activity, you burn more of those calories.  If you take in a little bit less calories than you're now consuming, you'll use some of those fat calories.

It's not unreasonable to get back to your goal weight.  Understand as you get older, it is harder to maintain your [ideal] weight, even if your diet never changed and activity level never changed; because metabolism changes.  

You need to have a body composition assessment done to know your percentage of fat and muscle that you carry.  Perhaps the core issue for you to decide is how important it is to you to have a little [extra] fat around midsection compared to the stress it's causing you wanting to get it off.  Instead of letting a number on a scale dictate what your mood is going to be, I'd suggest to consider how your clothes fit and how your feel (energy levels, moods, stresses). These may be the thing to focus on.   

Do one of those three options above, and the fat (weight) will take care of itself.

Hope this helps.  Keep up the good habits, too.