Will I Lose Muscle Intermittent Fasting?

Summary When you lose weight, you typically lose both fat mass and lean mass, especially if you do not perform regular exercise. Intermittent fasting does not appear to cause more muscle loss than other weight loss diets.

Do you lose muscle while fasting?

You don't need to burn muscle instead of fat, nor will your body automatically burn muscle while fasting. It's possible to lose a bit of muscle mass when you fast, as you also lose water weight and visceral fat. However, it's more likely you'll maintain muscle mass rather than lose or gain it.

How long into a fast do you start losing muscle?

If you are still able to move around, true muscle loss can occur after about 3 weeks of skipping your workouts. The easiest way to tell if you are losing muscle is through body composition testing. Outside of this, pay attention to your strength, physical measurements, and body weight to help indicate any muscle loss.