Size loss when cutting across different body parts

[RzSco]

I’ve been tracking my measurements through my cut that I started at beginning of December.
After losing 7 kg that’s about 8% of my body weight, I have lost:

5 cm from belly
4 cm from thigh
4 cm from hips
3 cm from waist
3 cm from chest
2 cm from bicep
1 cm from forearms
1 cm from calves

Does this sound about right or am I losing too much from areas that shouldn’t really have fat? I was about 20% to start with I guess. I have abs now in down lighting.

 

[malomkarom]

am I losing too much from areas that shouldn’t really have fat? I was about 20% to start with I guess. I have abs now in down lighting.

Wherever you have skin, you have fat. If you were around 20%, you probably had a decent chunk of it everywhere. No, 20% is not fat, but consider how much there would still be left to be lean-lean if you were 10%. The rest of it still has to come from somewhere.
The definition is hiding under something on your entire body, not just your ass and abs.

 

[adrenalytic]

I’ve been tracking my measurements through my cut that I started at beginning of December.
After losing 7 kg that’s about 8% of my body weight, I have lost:

5 cm from belly
4 cm from thigh
4 cm from hips
3 cm from waist
3 cm from chest
2 cm from bicep
1 cm from forearms
1 cm from calves

Does this sound about right or am I losing too much from areas that shouldn’t really have fat? I was about 20% to start with I guess. I have abs now in down lighting.

Fat distribution varies from person to person. Spot reduction is a myth. You cannot selectively remove fat from an area of your choosing. Your body is constantly burning and storing fat at the same time. You burn fat from everywhere. It's not compartmentalized like "oh hey, we ran outta ass fat, time to pull from the stomach". Your body liberates fat stores from everywhere and it gets released into the blood stream to be used as fuel. Anything that doesn't get used gets restored as fat.

The reason you're seeing various measurement reductions is simply because you have less fat in the places that shrank the least and more fat in the places that shrank the most.

So, your question is confusing or misguided. You are losing weight and I congratulate you. Be happy with that.

 

[RzSco]

If I did a skin fold test with my fat caliper in each area would that give me an approximation of how thick the fat is in each area? I assume it would reduce proportionally to its thickness so a thick fat like the belly might go from 1” to 1/2” while thin fat like the forearms might go from 1/4” to 1/8” in the same amount of time giving the illusion of a spot reduction.

if all subQ fat cells are basically the same then my idea above would be valid, I’m not sure if hormones influence the NUMBER of fat cells in an area or how “full” they are. I know once they are created they can never actually be destroyed without liposuction. Which really sucks.

I am just worried I’m losing a lot of muscle. My forearms are very vascular now and bicep veins are connecting but I don’t have the shoulder veins or daylight-visible abs I did last time I was at this weight.

 

[malomkarom]

I am just worried I’m losing a lot of muscle.

You lost 7 kilos. You are fine.

You'd be surprised how hard you gotta fuck things up to lose any contractile tissue losing just 7kg (15lbs or so) of bodyweight. You can lose double that and have the same lean mass after a single cheatmeal to fill glycogen stores.

 

[RzSco]

You lost 7 kilos. You are fine.

Keep going then? I am ectomorph but 14 inch arms flexed is pretty depressing. I just feel like I’m trying to cut to muscles that aren’t there now. Can still grab a handful of my lower belly though…

I suppose it may come back with glycogen once I stop the deficit but still feel like maybe I should stop and just maintain until the event I need to be very lean for has passed.

 

[malomkarom]

I am ectomorph

Ecto trying to get lean. What am I missing here?
Calipers are for skin AND subq fat thickness and are only to be used if you've been using it consistently for a long time as to put it in context.

You are fine. You lost 7 kilos of bodyweight. I lost 40kg when I started training at 5'6. I'm perfectly alive.

Nothing bad happened to you. Bodydysmorphia is a terrible thing.
14" arms at around 70kg bodyweight is perfectly fine. Way above average in most gyms actually.

If muscles aren't there, you wouldn't have 14" arms depleted.

Just to put things into perspective, most 145-155lbs UFC fighters lose around 20-30lbs in 12-48 hours before stepping on the scale and gain 90% of it back in the same amount of time, 100% of it, usually more a couple hours after the fight.

If losing 7kg-15lbs was a big deal, people wouldn't be going from 500 to 170lbs and I most certainly wouldn't have gone from a 100 to 60 kilos in 3,5 months while getting stronger, faster and better at skill based movements.

7kg seems a lot to you cause you are an ectomorph and it took you a lot of effort to put on.
You are still human and 7kg is a huge shit and a 6 hour fast in the morning for an average male.

If you want to stop, just stop. YOu are WAAAAY overcomplicating single digit weightloss.

 

[RzSco]

Ecto trying to get lean. What am I missing here?
Calipers are for skin AND subq fat thickness and are only to be used if you've been using it consistently for a long time as to put it in context.

You are fine. You lost 7 kilos of bodyweight. I lost 40kg when I started training at 5'6. I'm perfectly alive.

Nothing bad happened to you. Bodydysmorphia is a terrible thing.
14" arms at around 70kg bodyweight is perfectly fine. Way above average in most gyms actually.

If muscles aren't there, you wouldn't have 14" arms depleted.

Just to put things into perspective, most 145-155lbs UFC fighters lose around 20-30lbs in 12-48 hours before stepping on the scale and gain 90% of it back in the same amount of time, 100% of it, usually more a couple hours after the fight.

If losing 7kg-15lbs was a big deal, people wouldn't be going from 500 to 170lbs and I most certainly wouldn't have gone from a 100 to 60 kilos in 3,5 months while getting stronger, faster and better at skill based movements.

7kg seems a lot to you cause you are an ectomorph and it took you a lot of effort to put on.
You are still human and 7kg is a huge shit and a 6 hour fast in the morning for an average male.

If you want to stop, just stop. YOu are WAAAAY overcomplicating single digit weightloss.

That’s true. Also only on 150mg TRT so can’t expect bodybuilder results.

I’m probably going to need to be around 75-77kg at 188cm to be truly shredded. I don’t want to lose that hard gained muscle mass to get there because I know it will take forever to grow back. My lifts dropped when I started cutting but they stabilised so I’m hopeful it’s just depletion.

 

[the_pope]

Losing 7 kg is good. I don't think measurements are any good indication for cutting tho, as some people have already said.

You're on the good path. Judging by your stated weight and approximated body fat, I'd say you can comfortably shed other 5 kg of fat without losing much muscle. Even 8 if you take it slow and with a low deficit. Keep it up, your cut is working fine.

 

[shredded.lyfe]

That’s true. Also only on 150mg TRT so can’t expect bodybuilder results.

I’m probably going to need to be around 75-77kg at 188cm to be truly shredded. I don’t want to lose that hard gained muscle mass to get there because I know it will take forever to grow back. My lifts dropped when I started cutting but they stabilised so I’m hopeful it’s just depletion.

You're anorexic if you're 77kg at 188cm.

Put the callipers away and start focusing on getting some actual size.

 

[malomkarom]

You're anorexic if you're 77kg at 188cm.

Put the callipers away and start focusing on getting some actual size.

I didn't want to point it out but yes, him being fairly skinny only helps this case, not enough muscle to be worried about losing any of it. The closer to your limit, the harder to maintain it while in a deficit.

He's currently around 70kg at around 12-15% bodyfat. Nowhere near enough size to be worried about catabolism.
That's newbie at home calisthenics level for a guy that tall with decent+ arms for his weight.

 

[RzSco]

He's currently around 70kg at around 12-15% bodyfat. Nowhere near enough size to be worried about catabolism.
That's newbie at home calisthenics level for a guy that tall with decent+ arms for his weight.

84kg at 12-15%, I think you misread something.
I do need more muscle mass but for now I must cut and in future try not to go past 15% again.

 

[malomkarom]

84kg at 12-15%, I think you misread something.
I do need more muscle mass but for now I must cut and in future try not to go past 15% again.

Well then it's less than 8% bodyweight you just lost. I have trouble understanding how that would change anything. That can be done on a 4 week minicut without losing close to no lean mass. Think not visible, barely measurable if you were cut up and analised. Probably not even that.

You aren't losing muscle cutting 7kg.
84kg barely lean at 190cm. You are nowhere near big enough to have to worry.
That's not a bad thing, I'm not trying to insult you, I'm just slowly getting annoyed that you are still on this topic. You haven't lost muscle, especially on 150 test.