not eating enough protein causes muscle shrinkage?

[streetlawyer187]

Why do muscles shrink when you stop lifting weights? Is it because your not eating enough protein and your body is basically eating itself?
Someone told me to try whey protein shakes,, i dont think the drink itself made me bigger, but it seems to help you stay big once you do add muscle.,,thats why im thinking all this...
thanks.

 

[prometheus]

because your body being what it is, it would like you to carry as little muscle as possible, from your body's point of view, that is more efficient, unless you give it a very good reason to stay heavily musled, it'll attempt to get rid of it

 

[FrankShamrock]

If you want to retain your muscle, eat regularly and maintain your workout routine.

The trick is to get your protein in numerous meals per day...a steak and a protein shake once a day won't cut it.

Depending on your metabolism, your muscle mass will diminish without working out.

 

[Kennethguye]

After your workout (usually within 24-48 hours), that muscle re-builds itself. It repairs those fibers, building them stronger, more resilient and then builds new tissue on top of them (thus, the increase in muscle mass). This is the body's way of ready-ing itself for more "work" (you're doing something it's not normally accustomed to, so it builds and prepares itself). When you keep working that muscle regularly, you gradually keep increasing muscle mass and strength. A larger muscle can handle more work.

When your workouts cease, the reverse starts to happen. All of the muscle you built is no longer required for your decreased level of activity, so the fibers begin to shrink, and your muscles eventually shrink back to the size and strength-level they were before you started working out.

 

[guilineseguy]

Just gorge on food all day long, like I do. Keep up the routine, and eat some more. I did mention pigging out as much as you can right? I thought i was eating enough before, but now I KNOW I am eating an adequate amount. Helps I live here in China where I can get a whole chicken/goose/duck for cheap as fuck. And all sorts of meat and veggie dishes...and oh my god the bao zi they are wonderful.

 

[guilineseguy]

After your workout (usually within 24-48 hours), that muscle re-builds itself. It repairs those fibers, building them stronger, more resilient and then builds new tissue on top of them (thus, the increase in muscle mass). This is the body's way of ready-ing itself for more "work" (you're doing something it's not normally accustomed to, so it builds and prepares itself). When you keep working that muscle regularly, you gradually keep increasing muscle mass and strength. A larger muscle can handle more work.

When your workouts cease, the reverse starts to happen. All of the muscle you built is no longer required for your decreased level of activity, so the fibers begin to shrink, and your muscles eventually shrink back to the size and strength-level they were before you started working out.

Really? I do not know a whole lot about lifting. Seriously it will just go back to it's original size?

 

[D4rthKitty]

If you want to retain your muscle, eat regularly and maintain your workout routine.

The trick is to get your protein in numerous meals per day...a steak and a protein shake once a day won't cut it.

Depending on your metabolism, your muscle mass will diminish without working out.

It happens to me and it sucks! Some of my friends can work out for a couple months, get in shape, and only have to work out like once a week to do that

Whenever I stop working out i start losing muscle in about a week

 

[ben236]

Why do muscles shrink when you stop lifting weights? Is it because your not eating enough protein and your body is basically eating itself?
Someone told me to try whey protein shakes,, i dont think the drink itself made me bigger, but it seems to help you stay big once you do add muscle.,,thats why im thinking all this...
thanks.

No, muscles shrink because you are not using them (ie. muscle atrophy). Bigger muscles require extra blood flow and calories in order to fuel them. Now if you have these huge muscles and don't use them (ie. don't lift weights), your body will ask itself: "Why am I spending all this energy on these huge muscles that I'm not even using?" In response, muscle atrophy will occur.

Eat all the protein you want, if there is no muscle tissue that needs to be repaired (ie. through lifting weights) then that protein won't be going to your muscles.

 

[Hamsterdam]

Not eating enough protein isn't likely to make you lose muscle, not working out will. The amount of protein you need isn't as high as people in the supplement industry would have you believe.

 

[Butler]

Whenever I stop working out i start losing muscle in about a week

I don't think you lose muscle because you haven't lifted for a week. It's probably psychological.

 

[tightlypackedco]

It happens to me and it sucks! Some of my friends can work out for a couple months, get in shape, and only have to work out like once a week to do that

Whenever I stop working out i start losing muscle in about a week

Same here. I have denser, smaller muscles to begin with (I'm lean, on the lanky side) and if I don't work out about 4-5 times a week you'd think I never did. My strength doesn't deplete quite so fast, but I feel like I look "frail" when I lose my pump.

 

[dropshot001]

Really? I do not know a whole lot about lifting. Seriously it will just go back to it's original size?

yeah, basically. your body likes to operate at a certain "set point" which is pretty much the weight you can be without doing much in terms of dieting or lifting/cardio. if you say gained 5lbs of muscle, if you were to stop training and eating right then that 5lbs of muscle would be lost over time and you would go back to your original weight/size

 

[streetlawyer187]

where did the muscle go? was it eaten by red blood cells or something?

 

[uzbekistanian]

Skeletal muscle is 25% protein - 1 lb will have 115 grams.

So for every pound of muscle inside your body you have to eat 115 grams of protein daily to keep your body from devouring it any chance it gets. Seems very straightforward to me. The fact that you're even asking this question indicates your complete inexperience, genetic inferiority and extreme unlikelihood of attaining any quantity of muscle tissue above the measly amounts you possess currently.

But since I am very helpful in addition to being knowledgeable, I will give you this answer. Please read it again or else my efforts will have been wasted.

 

[mophoplz]

Skeletal muscle is 25% protein - 1 lb will have 115 grams.

So for every pound of muscle inside your body you have to eat 115 grams of protein daily to keep your body from devouring it any chance it gets. Seems very straightforward to me. The fact that you're even asking this question indicates your complete inexperience, genetic inferiority and extreme unlikelihood of attaining any quantity of muscle tissue above the measly amounts you possess currently.

But since I am very helpful in addition to being knowledgeable, I will give you this answer. Please read it again or else my efforts will have been wasted.

Your logic doesn't quite follow. If the human body is 60% water, that doesn't mean a 100 lbs male has to drink 60 lbs of water a day to keep from dehydrating. :icon_neut

[EDIT] D'oh. Never mind. Fell into the trap...

 

[MKashew]

I haven't worked out in two years but I look the same. Same with another friend of mine who used to work out a lot. Another friend of mine is 5'6" 130lbs and is extremely lean, he doesn't work out whatsoever yet he is toned, and we all lose strength of we don't work out but we do keep our muscle.