Re: Ernst & Robin Castle: Lean Mass?

December 30, 2002

People with a lot of weight to lose (50-100 pounds or more) often have a very

large lean mass. There are a couple of reasons. The biggie is that when your %

body fat is that high, the readings are very, very inaccurate. So, just because

someone (supposedly) has 140 pounds of lean mass when they weigh 210 doesn't

mean they will still have it when they weigh 160. It's partly because the

readings are funky, partly because lean mass includes water weight, and partly

because the body puts on a lot of muscle to support the weight of the added body

fat.

So, when these people lose lean mass, it doesn't necessarily mean they're losing

muscle. Their original lean mass estimates could have been way off. They could

have dropped a lot of bloat and excess water weight. Or, lastly and least

likely, they could have actually lost some muscle. BUT, that's not necessarily a

bad thing. If you're no longer carrying around 100 extra pounds, you don't need

all that lean mass to support your extra weight. Keeping the extra muscle is

great, especially if you intend to compete in bodybuilding (think Pam Brown).

Not everybody wants to be that muscular though, in which case it's ok to lean

out a little.

Ernst & Robin Castle: Lean Mass?

I'm browsing the bodychangers website listening to interviews, and

there is a woman named Ernst who says her ultimate goal is to

weigh 115 pounds. If I remember correctly, didn't she start with a

lean mass of 130 pounds? If that is true, isn't 115 pounds an

unrealistic goal " unless " she loses muscle?

http://www.bodychangers.com/eernst_inter.shtml

If someone starts with a certain lean muscle mass shouldn't there

total weight be heavier than their lean mass or at least in that

range? I'm trying to determine if I should reevaluate my goal weight?

There is another woman also on the bodychangers by the name of Robin

Castle who has a lean mass of 150 pounds. Couldn't she get away with

160 pounds and still look great once she reaches her goal?. I wish I

had that much lean mass.

http://www.bodychangers.com/rcastle_inter.shtml

Thanks, Tia

December 30, 2002

Hi , I understand what you're saying, but going from 130 pounds

lean mass to under 115 of lean mass still seems a bit drastic. Isn't

there a range of lean mass that one can play with before it becomes

unrealistic to drop below a certain level based on your starting mass?

However, your explanation explains a lot, should I be eating enough

protein based on my current lean mass, or based on the lean mass I

hope to have after weight loss? Also, if my current lean mass allows

me to lift very heavy poudage,will my strength levels decrease as my

lean mass lowers or will that remain the same

> People with a lot of weight to lose (50-100 pounds or more) often

have a very

> large lean mass. There are a couple of reasons. The biggie is that

when your %

> body fat is that high, the readings are very, very inaccurate. So,

just because

> someone (supposedly) has 140 pounds of lean mass when they weigh

210 doesn't

> mean they will still have it when they weigh 160. It's partly

because the

> readings are funky, partly because lean mass includes water weight,

and partly

> because the body puts on a lot of muscle to support the weight of

the added body

> fat.

>

> So, when these people lose lean mass, it doesn't necessarily mean

they're losing

> muscle. Their original lean mass estimates could have been way off.

They could

> have dropped a lot of bloat and excess water weight. Or, lastly and

least

> likely, they could have actually lost some muscle. BUT, that's not

necessarily a

> bad thing. If you're no longer carrying around 100 extra pounds,

you don't need

> all that lean mass to support your extra weight. Keeping the extra

muscle is

> great, especially if you intend to compete in bodybuilding (think

Pam Brown).

> Not everybody wants to be that muscular though, in which case it's

ok to lean

> out a little.

>

> Ernst & Robin Castle:

Lean Mass?

>

> I'm browsing the bodychangers website listening to interviews, and

> there is a woman named Ernst who says her ultimate goal is to

> weigh 115 pounds. If I remember correctly, didn't she start with a

> lean mass of 130 pounds? If that is true, isn't 115 pounds an

> unrealistic goal " unless " she loses muscle?

>

> http://www.bodychangers.com/eernst_inter.shtml

>

> If someone starts with a certain lean muscle mass shouldn't there

> total weight be heavier than their lean mass or at least in that

> range? I'm trying to determine if I should reevaluate my goal

weight?

>

> There is another woman also on the bodychangers by the name of Robin

> Castle who has a lean mass of 150 pounds. Couldn't she get away with

> 160 pounds and still look great once she reaches her goal?. I wish I

> had that much lean mass.

>

> http://www.bodychangers.com/rcastle_inter.shtml

>

> Thanks, Tia

December 30, 2002

She may not have had 130 pounds of lean mass to begin with. Or she may have

dropped 15 pounds of water weight along the way. She would have to re-evaluate

how much lean mass she actually has once she's near her goal and the readings

are more accurate. The number she started with doesn't really mean anything 60

or 70 pounds later.

Also, remember that she's only 5'2 " . Having 130 lbs of lean mass at that height

would make you a little super freak indeed. We're talking tiny linebacker. :-)

I'm 5'8 " and I only have 115 pounds of lean mass even with all my buggy muscles

and turbo metabolism. So, no, her drop in lean mass doesn't seem drastic or

unrealistic to me. Think about bodybuilders who switch to fitness (Kim Chivesky,

Mia Finnegan). They drop pounds of muscle intentionally to achieve a different

look. I think it's more of a personal decision about how you want your body to

look than something unrealistic or dangerous. The only time I would freak is if

someone already had a low lean mass for their height and wanted to lose more,

like 99 lbs of lean mass on a 5'8 " frame. I had that once, and I wanted to be

thinner! Duh! :-)

Your strength levels won't necessarily change if your lean mass decreases. Lean

mass is too many other things besides muscle (bone, skin, teeth, water, internal

organs). You could get a haircut and technically, that's lost lean mass.

Because lean mass readings are fairly inaccurate, you kind of have to guess on

your protein. I actually go by one gram per pound of *total* body weight (or

more). At 135-140 lbs, I usually eat 140-160g of protein. If someone has a lot

of weight to lose, I would probably have them go by one gram of protein per

pound of their goal weight. You kind of have to see how you feel and how your

body responds though.