Muscle Evolved

How To Build Muscle And Lose Fat At The Same Time

By Keenan Walsh · · Updated

Contents

Whether you are looking to get a more shredded appearance or lose a lot of fat, you want to keep that muscle and build it while simultaneously working to lose that fat. But many things can make you lose muscle while also losing fat, so you might want to choose your approach carefully.

Diets That You Should Use And Diets That You Should Avoid

Many diets will help you lose fat, but some of them can also make you lose muscle. There are so many trending diets out there that promise fast weight loss, and some of those cost you muscle mass. One trending weight loss diet is water fasting.

Water fasting means only drinking water for a certain amount of time and cutting out food completely. It can make the scale drop fast, but part of that is water and muscle, not just fat.

Water fasting can be dangerous, so don’t try a multi-day fast without talking to your doctor first.

If you are trying to keep muscle, water fasting is not the best approach. You will lose more muscle when water fasting than you would on most other weight-loss diets read more here.

In order to maintain that muscle, you need plenty of protein, which is impossible on a water fast. A better option is a moderate calorie deficit with high protein. Low-carb plans such as Atkins or the keto diet can work if they suit you, but they are not required.

What matters most is eating a little less than you burn while getting enough protein. Protein helps you maintain and build muscle while you lose the extra fat that is bothering you.

In a 2016 randomized trial in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, young men ate about 40% fewer calories than they needed while lifting and doing interval training six days a week.

The group eating more protein gained lean mass and lost more fat over four weeks than the lower-protein group.

Exercise

Obviously, when building muscle and losing fat you want to exercise. Building muscle and losing fat depends on a good balance of lifting and cardio.

The CDC's physical activity guidelines for adults recommend muscle-strengthening work at least 2 days a week, plus 150 minutes of moderate cardio. Lifting is the part that tells your body to keep and build muscle.

During hard lifting, your body leans heavily on carbohydrates for fuel. “The body automatically seeks out carbs first as they are the easiest to burn. in the absence of carbs, your body burns fat and then protein.” read more here.

That is a simplification. Your body burns a mix of carbs and fat all day, and fat loss comes from your total calorie balance over weeks, not from the order of your workout.

If you like doing cardio after lifting, that is fine. Just don’t expect it to switch your body into fat-burning mode. Lifting weights builds muscle, and the calorie deficit takes care of the fat.

Conclusion

Losing fat and building muscle at the same time is possible, especially for beginners and people returning to training. It is a mixture of exercising and dieting. With your diet, eat enough protein so that you can grow your muscles.

Pair a modest calorie deficit and high protein with regular lifting and some cardio. Expect slower progress than a pure bulk or a pure cut, and be patient.

Sources

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