Thank you all have taken the time to reply. I am 78. a pensioner. Since I have started having pain in my neck and the upper spine( due to arthritis) I have stopped going to the gym. I was very good in shape despite my age. But With in stopping going to the gym in 8 months, I have lost all my good mass of muscles. I sometimes also wonder having been on certain medications might be the cause for this. I do use some weights at home but no improvement. I also have another problem which is so-called IBS( irritable bowel syndrome) which makes me get bloated after immediate eating!! It is so depressing and annoying. My digestive system has been impaired for some time. I stopped eating...properly because of this ailment . Could it be the reason that I have been losing weight and the muscle mass?? Knees hurt too.!!I just hate to be like this!

Regular weightlifting, push-ups, jogging and passionately hiking. In the winter, I keep going on snowshoes and micro spikes. At 64, that has been my exercise routine for 42 years.

"For someone so small, you are deceptively strong," a man in the weight room said last month.

Use it or lose it.

With all due respect NOTAndrew, protein is not comprised of essential fatty acids. If you eat grass fed beef, there will be some fatty acids in the meat, but protein is comprised of amino acids.

I suggest a row machine, low impact, works nearly all muscle groups, quick workout and the equipment is cheap. Tone you up in a couple of months while you watch TV.

Healthy diet. Exercise. Sleep.

So the lack of fat is actually what produces or results in the weakness and muscle wasting.

I do this for a living. Am a cyclist and have been a soccer and wrestling coach. Protein is important, but if your essential fatty acids are low or out of balance or you are taking an essential fatty acid supplement that is not appropriate for your body, the protein you have may not be utilized correctly. Cell membranes are 60% fat and 40 % protein. The fats and protein have shapes that interlock like a puzzle. I'm guessing your issue is with too little fat. Vegetable fat doesn't cut it. Eating organic grass fed beef a couple times per week will help, but you probably need an omega 3 supplement that matches your biopreference.

Are you eating enough protein? Exercising?

In my case it's age. Even though I cycle a lot my muscles are getting smaller, but! I seem to be getting a little stronger in the legs