how to lose fat and maintain muscle
Are you having trouble getting stronger and losing fat at the same time? You’re not by yourself! This is a common goal among athletes. It is physically difficult to gain muscle mass while losing body fat, especially in thin people, but more and more research shows that it is possible for busy people.
First things first, make sure you lift heavy things several times a week. To get your muscles to make more protein, you need to keep adding bigger weights to your workouts.
Second, diet is used to make the most of these changes that happen during training so that muscle mass is gained faster and more efficiently. It also helps the body adapt and heal in the best way possible.
Periodized nutrition is one of the most important ideas for growing strength and losing fat at the same time. To do this, you need to change what you eat based on your exercise plan. Body re-composition is a goal that can be reached in a number of basic ways:
Increase the amount of protein you eat.
A lot of protein is important for changing the shape of your body. On days when you don’t do strength training, aim for about 2.2 g/kg of protein per day, which is on the higher end of what your body needs. For instance, a person who weighs 80 kg should eat 176g of protein every day. This will help you keep your muscle mass when you’re eating less and help your muscles grow faster.
Eat the same amount of protein at different times of the day.
More muscle protein synthesis happens when protein is eaten at different times throughout the day rather than when the same amount of protein is eaten at two different times. This means that you should try to eat a good source of protein at breakfast, lunch, and dinner! Also, eating 20 grams or more of protein within 30 to 60 minutes of working out will help you.
Give training enough fuel
It’s important to eat a snack high in carbs before working out so that you have energy during the workout. It is very important to do this if you want to give your body the energy it needs to perform well and lift heavy weights!
This will help you get the most out of your training! For a good pre-workout snack, think of carbs that are easy to stomach and can be used right away. A banana, white toast with honey, or a handful of dried fruit are all great snacks to eat before working out.
Keep a small amount of extra energy
Getting stronger and dropping fat can be hard because they may seem to go against each other. As we already said, to build or keep lean muscle tissue, it’s important to eat enough calories around workouts. You need to be in a calorie shortage, though, if you want to lose fat. This means that you are eating fewer calories than your body burns.
Body burns calories from both food and movement. To improve your chances of losing fat while avoiding muscle loss, focus on being in a SMALL calorie deficit and making sure you get enough protein (see an Accredited Sports Dietitian for a personalized nutrition plan that fits YOU and your goals).
Other things to think about
Make your goals attainable! It is possible to gain 0.25 to 0.5 kg of muscle per week, but genetics, living, and training can all affect how well someone can do it. Body makeup at the start, metabolic rate, stress levels, hormones (like testosterone and growth hormone), getting enough rest and sleep, and other factors all affect how much muscle you gain and how your body changes. When you try to gain muscle mass and fat mass at the same time, it will take longer for both to happen.
You can see that there are a lot of things to think about if you want to build muscle and lose fat. It’s possible to change the makeup of your body, but it can be hard to do. You can get through this process and reach your goals with the help of an Accredited Sports Dietitian.
Putting everything together
If you want to gain muscle growth and lose body fat at the same time, you should make sure you eat enough before and after your workouts, stick to a high-protein diet, and create a SMALL calorie shortage that works for you.
On days when you don’t train, you should eat the same amount of protein. The amount of energy you take in should match the amount of energy you use. For example, you can fuel your muscles and efficiency with extra carbs during and after training. This will help you gain muscle mass and keep lean muscle tissue from being lost.
