I lost weight on a low carb diet (a dramatic amount), but lost muscle mass. I’ve gone back to counting calories, watching the fat, and exercising. I now make my own meals exclusively and freeze them for a month so I’m not tempted to go to fast food restaurants or eat processed foods. I also exercise for at least an hour five days a week(aerobic and weights) and I’ve not only lost weight, but my figure’s finally beginning to look sorta cute! :-D At 51, I’m glad I can say that!!!
It isn’t really too bad to consume fats. Remember, a number of nutrients, including vitamins A and K, etc, are fat-soluble, meaning that the body needs the vitamins along with fat.
Muscle-loss is bad because it makes it much easier for the body to gain weight if the muscles aren’t present to burn the fat. Thing is, muscles are “twitched” by a minuscule, almost unnoticeable amount by the body each and every moment of existence, just so that the muscles may be ready to make larger moments on command or otherwise. Those minuscule oscillations help the body generate heat, which in turn, uses up energy.
Weight training improves muscle mass. Each time the muscle is strained beyond its ability, micro-trauma results on the muscle fibres. When the necessary rest is provided to those muscles, the body repairs them, but this time, makes them slightly larger than before. That’s how muscles “grow”. The only way to allow this growth is by weight training, with consistently increasing weights. Long durations of aerobics do almost nothing to gain muscle mass. Aerobics is good for fat loss. Weight training is essential for muscle gain. Together, the body can replace the fat mass with muscle mass, and continue losing fat even while resting. Overall, it helps keep body fat at a healthy percentage.