The Relationship Between Body Fat and Muscle Maintenance
I succeeded in losing 35kg from 85kg.
I am MAYUMI, representative of the diet specialty salon BIJOU QUEEN.
For women who hate themselves, have zero confidence, and couldn't lose weight no matter what they tried,
I share methods to achieve a 10kg loss in 3 months.
As women reach their 30s, 40s, and 50s, many struggle with diet issues such as "I can't lose weight even with the same calorie restriction as before" or "Even though I lost weight, my body shape looks out of balance."
In this article, based on the provided source, I will explain in detail the "numerical trap" that women of this generation often fall into, and a new approach to changing the body at the cellular level.
1. Are you being swayed by numbers like "weight" and "body fat percentage"?
When you start a diet, it's easy to get caught up in the daily numbers on the scale. However, what is truly important is not "how many kilograms you lost," but "how the contents (composition) of your body have changed."
The truth about body fat percentage
Body fat percentage is the "ratio" of fat weight to total body weight.
In other words, even if the amount of body fat does not change,if muscle mass increases, body fat percentage decreases. Many women think, "I want to reduce body fat and look slim," but in reality, there is not necessarily a correlation between a "feminine body" and "low body fat." For example, among Brazilian women with beautiful, toned body lines, it is not rare for some to have a body fat percentage of over 30%. This is because it is a matter of "how fat is distributed" and the "foundation of muscle," where there is fat on the breasts and buttocks, but the waist is toned.
The horror of "starvation diets" that cause muscle loss
After your 30s, it is extremely dangerous to rush into a "starvation diet." If you lose weight solely through calorie restriction, you will lose not only fat but alsomuscle mass. What is terrifying is the subsequent"rebound."
Lost 5kg on a diet (e.g., 3kg of fat and 2kg of muscle lost)
Returned to normal eating and gained 5kg back
At this point, the 5kg that returns is "all fat"
Building muscle requires hard training, but simply returning to your normal diet will not increase muscle. If you repeat this, even if your weight is the same, your body will be rebuilt into one that is "low in muscle, high in fat, and even harder to lose weight from."
2. Why does it become harder to lose weight with age?
There is a clear reason why you feel "it's harder to lose weight than it used to be." It is because as you age,muscle mass naturally decreases.
If we compare the decline in basal metabolism to cars... "Foreign cars" vs. "Prius"
When muscle decreases,basal metabolism(energy consumed 24 hours a day even when sitting still) drops.
Foreign car (gas-guzzling car): A body with high muscle mass that consumes fuel (energy) rapidly even when doing nothing.
Prius (fuel-efficient car): A body that can move efficiently with little fuel and does not consume much energy.
In dieting, the ideal is toaim for a body like a "foreign car." This is because people with high muscle mass can consume more energy just through daily activities like operating internal organs or thinking with the brain.
The Reality Faced by People in Their 40s and 50s
Once you reach your 40s and 50s, the rate of muscle loss accelerates due to hormonal changes and decreased activity levels. If you follow the same "starvation diet" you did when you were younger, you will only accelerate this muscle loss at a "double speed." This is the true nature of the phenomenon where it becomes harder to lose weight as you age.
3. What You Should Be Conscious of Starting Today: "Mitochondria"
You might hope that "if I build muscle and increase my basal metabolism, I can eat a lot without gaining weight!" However, it is said that the amount of muscle you can realistically gain in a year is, even with considerable effort, about 2 kilograms at most. The amount of basal metabolism that increases with that level of muscle gain is actually not that significant.
Therefore, the most important keyword for dieting from your 30s onwards is "mitochondria," the energy factories inside your cells.
The Stage Where Energy is Created
Even when we talk about basal metabolism, what actually creates energy (ATP) is the mitochondria within your cells. A body where mitochondria are working actively efficiently converts what you eat into energy and generates heat. Mitochondria are most abundant in muscle. Therefore, increasing muscle is directly linked to increasing the "number" of mitochondria.
Habits to Energize Your Mitochondria
Rather than a distant goal like "gaining 1 kilogram of muscle in a year," thinking about "how to activate my mitochondria today" will lead to better daily motivation.
Provide appropriate nutrition: Consume the "fuel (nutrients)" that mitochondria need to create energy, and create a good environment by not overeating.
Stimulate your muscles: Mitochondria are activated by using your muscles.
Create time for not eating: Surprisingly, creating "time for not eating" also leads to an increase in mitochondria.
4. Mindset to Avoid Failure
For women in their 30s, 40s, and 50s to succeed in dieting, it is necessary to update the concept of "losing weight" that you have held until now.
Don't forget to "exercise": Small things like "doing a few squats" or "walking a little" are fine. If you don't use your muscles, your body will decide that "this muscle is no longer needed" and discard it. To prevent that, it is important to stimulate your muscles daily.
View results as "secondary": If you make "losing weight" your primary goal, you will be more likely to give up when the numbers don't change. Instead, value the process of "I ate well and exercised for my mitochondria again today."
Imagine the breakdown: If your weight has dropped, try to think, "What is the breakdown of that?" Was it just water loss, or did you lose muscle? Once you can imagine the changes happening inside your body, you will understand how dangerous simple dietary restrictions can be.
Summary
Dieting after your 30s is not just about weight loss, but "the work of adjusting the inside of your body". It is more difficult and time-consuming to "maintain or improve muscle" than it is to "lose weight." However, by not being swayed by short-term numbers and by accumulating meals and exercise that focus on activating your cells (mitochondria), the ideal form of dieting is a state where "you notice your body fat and weight have changed when you least expect it."
Why not start today by doing a few squats at home to energize your mitochondria?
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MAYUMI | Representative of Diet Specialty Salon BIJOU QUEEN
Helped 3,500 women lose 10kg in 3 months through diet coaching that combines molecular nutrition, anatomy, slimming esthetics, and mind coaching | Over 20,000 slimming treatment sessions performed.
I once weighed 85kg and hated myself. Since then, I've lost 35kg. Dieting isn't about losing weight; it's about reclaiming yourself. For women who couldn't lose weight no matter what they tried, I write about the essential way to lose weight that changes your life, based on my own real-life experience.