Losing weight means you want to maintain a proper body physique and also keep your muscle mass intact. Yet, why do you lose muscle so fast?
Well, the answer is pretty straightforward. You end up losing your muscles because of the lack of proper protein consumption. Since your muscles are composed of proteins, when your body doesn’t get sufficient protein intake, it starts sourcing from your muscles, making them look lean.
Moreover, not letting your muscles rest and heal after a workout can also result in muscle loss. Even unhealthy eating habits can be bad news for both your body and muscles.
So, in this blog post, we have covered all the necessary facts that’ll let you know the reasons you lose muscle mass so fast and the possible ways you can regain them.
The Reasons You Lose Muscle Fast
Here, in this section, we’ll let you know all the reasons you are losing your muscles so fast, and you’ll also know the possible solutions that can help you keep your muscles bulked and tight.
Consuming Too Little Protein
Muscles require protein to grow and maintain. There are a large number of trendy diets which promote muscle loss and water weight reduction.
In short, these fad diets lead your body to a muscle-destruction starvation stage known as catabolism.
Various research found links between muscle loss and insufficient protein intake. Researchers found that a high-protein diet helped young people and elite athletes to lose weight while retaining muscle mass.
This is the reason why, when trying to lose weight, you should aim for a calorie deficit while eating foods with enough and sufficient protein. Nutritionists always recommend these foods to include in your diet for high-quality protein consumption:
- Fish
- Egg
- Lean Beef
- Chicken
- Beans
- Oats and whole grains
Not Strengthening Your Muscles
Muscles die away if not strengthened or utilized properly, so make sure you perform proper and effective muscle-strengthening exercises. So, exercises like aerobic and resistance activities can help build muscle and burn fat. Some of these muscle-strengthening exercises include:
- Pull-ups
- Deadlifts
- Bench press
- Intensive cardio
Moreover, your muscles burn more calories than fats, so strength training is important to keep them bulked. So, regular and consistent exercise will help you gain muscle and even help you to lose body weight.
Not Letting Your Muscles Heal
Too much cardio is generally blamed for muscle loss. This is because too much exercise with no time for healing and proper break can tire the muscles, leading to muscle wasting.
So, to prevent this from happening, experts and nutritionists suggest eating protein-rich foods during cardio recovery at least two to three times a week. If you follow this regularly, there won’t be any muscle strength issues or any other physical difficulties.
Therefore, even to build and keep your muscles healthy, you may need to take a long break from cardio.
Not Having Sufficient Sleep
Getting enough sleep is important for recovery. Insufficient sleep boosts cortisol levels. This imbalance can disrupt growth hormone production, increasing the chances of carbs being stored as fat. It also decreases muscular growth, leading to extra fat.
So, it’s pretty much crucial that you have enough and sufficient sleep to let your muscles heal and grow.
Lack of Omega-3s
You may be losing muscle mass faster due to a lack of omega-3 fatty acids. The significant benefit of this fatty acid is it can boost the insulin sensitivity of your muscle cells, which can then improve your muscle group.
Moreover, improved insulin sensitivity reduces the body’s need to break down muscle, resulting in longer-lasting gains.
Protein supplements or sports medicine aren’t necessary if you include the following omega-3s foods in your diet:
- Fish
- Tofu
- Walnuts
- Leafy greens
Not Drinking Sufficient Water
You risk dehydration and muscle loss if you don’t restore electrolytes lost during exercise. So, to repair and improve muscle damage, you need to drink a sufficient amount of water.
Water is so important for your muscle mass because it energizes muscle cells, preventing them from losing weight. Experts recommend drinking 8 to 9 glasses of water every day, but remember that you may need to drink more if you sweat a lot.
Symptoms of Muscle Loss
Muscle loss can be pretty painful to watch, and you may even feel frustrated to see your muscle losing bulk. Here are some of the associated symptoms of muscular mass reduction.
- Slimming
- Weakness
- Diarrhea
- Intense urination
- Appetite loss or gain
Further Causes of Muscle Loss
Below are some more reasons and causes that may deteriorate your muscle mass. However, if you see any severe signs of muscle loss, we highly recommend you consult with a physician.
Habits and Lifestyle Issues
Certain habits and even aging might cause muscle loss
Aging
It causes the loss of muscle mass, and fat tissue starts accumulating. Over a period of time, muscle strength and muscle size start to deteriorate.
Exercise
Bringing a regular fitness routine into your lifestyle can aid you in strengthening your muscle tissue and increase your muscular strength. Even jogging, running, or aerobic fitness are effective exercise methods that can keep your muscles in better shape and prevent lean mass.
Diseases and Illness
Systemic causes of muscle loss include disease or illness.
Cancer
Advanced cancer or tumor requires a lot of energy and might even use muscle as a fuel source. Cancer cachexia, also known as cancer wasting, can cause progressive fat, muscle, and weight loss. It contributes to 20 to even 30 percent of cancer deaths.
Chronic Diseases
Chronic disorders of the heart, lungs, or even kidneys can cause muscle loss.
Neurological Conditions
Neurologic deficiencies can cause hunger and weight loss due to altered cognition and movement issues.
Metabolic Conditions
The following are examples of metabolic muscle mass loss.
Malnutrition: It causes muscle loss as the body breaks down muscles for energy consumption.
Endocrine Disease: Damage and imbalance to hormone-producing glands may induce muscle loss along with severe weight loss. Diabetes and hyperthyroidism are two examples of endocrine diseases.
Thermogenesis (Inflammatory)
These are some of the inflammatory reasons for muscle loss.
Autoimmune Condition: When the immune system gets misled and attacks your body tissues, it can cause muscle mass loss due to increased energy drain.
Infections: Infections can also contribute to weight and muscle loss as the body breaks down the tissues for energy intake.
HIV/AIDS
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a virus that spreads through unprotected sex with an infected individual, sharing drug needles, or blood contact. AIDS happens when the immune system becomes weak and cannot fight off additional illnesses.
This disease can also break down your body’s fats and muscles for energy sources.
Can Rapid Muscle Loss Be a Factor in the Inability to Feel Chest During Bench Press?
Can rapid muscle loss be one of the reasons for no chest sensation in bench press? When performing a bench press, the lack of sensation in the chest could potentially be attributed to muscle loss. It is essential to maintain muscle mass to ensure optimal performance and feel the desired activation in the chest muscles during this exercise.
How Can You Regain Muscle Loss?
So, you have lost considerable mass of your muscles, but there’s nothing to worry about as there are ways by which you can get your muscle mass back. Here are some of the most effective ways to regain muscle loss.
Maintain and Follow-Up Your Calorie Intake
Calorie restriction causes weight reduction. Moreover, inactive people who consume too many calories can also gain excessive fat. So, getting enough calories each day and maintaining this calorie count can help you regain your muscles.
That’s not all; calories provide you with energy, and keeping intake records can help you maintain weight. In short, you must have the right calorie proportions to have a better body physique and muscle growth since caloric deficit can have adverse effects
Carry Out Lifting and Resistance Training
Heavy lifting and strength training can help build muscle, but you don’t need to do high-intensity cardio to get your muscles bulked. Regular training and simple cardio would be enough to prevent lean muscle and help your muscle fibers get strong.
Moreover, when you start training, tell your personal trainer your goals and how you can build your muscle groups without being intensive. According to muscle-building industry experts, being consistent with your training can also bulk up your muscles and even help to lose fat.
Even limited workout sessions for 3 to 4 days each week can maintain your body weight and reduce body fat percentage to a considerable amount.
Take in Proper Protein
Your muscles are composed of proteins, so if you don’t take in enough protein from your food, your body will start replacing it from your muscles. So consuming proper protein is essential for effective muscle gain.
In fact, studies show that consuming more protein can help you keep muscle mass intact even while losing body fat.
Bottom Line
If you are a fitness enthusiast, it can be pretty hard for you to watch losing your muscles. However, after going through this blog, you won’t need to worry about muscle mass loss as you know the reasons behind it and also the most effective methods to counter this problem. So, make sure you follow these guidelines to get your muscle bulk back.
