How to Lose Fat Without Losing Muscle

The fact that you should be burning more calories than you are consuming is one of the most basic principles of fat loss.

This obvious fact has been reduced to a mathematical equation throughout the years, which has given rise to a wide variety of diets and apps that track your intake and expenditure of calories.

The truth is that some people developed such a strong obsession with the calorie-spotting game that they are able to recite practically any food's calorie count off-hand. But when it comes to actual use, this straightforward equation frequently appears to be flawed and lacking. It seems to be lacking a crucial component that distinguishes between a seesaw diet and permanently decreasing weight.

COUNT YOUR CALORIES

Less fat means fewer calories. It's tough to dispute with this equation's logic because it's so clear-cut and sophisticated.  You will eventually lose weight if you consistently burn more calories than you take in. Numerous studies and personal experiences have shown that this idea is true. A professor at Kansas State University's experiment provided one of the most compelling proofs.

Though with an additional twist, he has also consumed fewer calories than would be necessary for a healthy person to maintain their weight. In particular, the calories he ate came from a variety of chocolate bars and other snack foods. The outcome was identical.

Despite the poor diet, he not only lost 27 pounds but also saw an improvement in his triglyceride and cholesterol levels. This study is just another illustration of the significance of total calories when trying to lose weight, even though it is far from giving us the entire picture.

While eating fewer calories than you burn each day may be the key to losing weight, focusing on protein in your diet will help you lose fat more specifically.

In a study with 31 overweight postmenopausal women on a reduced calorie diet, the benefits of protein versus carbohydrate on weight loss were evaluated.  They were each consuming 1,400 calories, of which 65% were from carbohydrates, 30% from fats, and 15% were from protein.

They were split into two groups as well. The first one was given a 25-gram supplement of carbohydrates twice day, while the second was given a 25-gram dosage of protein. The latter saw a weight drop that was 3.9 percent greater than the first, and they also kept more of their lean muscle mass at the price of fat.

OVEREATING'S IMPACT ON WEIGHT GAIN

Protein can help you maintain muscle mass, but this does not mean that you can follow a high-protein diet and consume as much food as you want and still lose weight.  25 healthy adults with normal weight participated in a study that looked at the impact of overeating on weight gain. They were divided into three groups after an initial period of typical weight maintenance diet used to calculate their daily calorie needs. 

Protein made up 5%, 15%, and 25% of the daily calories for the first, second, and third groups. Additionally, each subject was overfed, taking in 40% more calories than they should have each day.

The low-protein group consumed 6% of total calories from protein, 52% from fat, and 42% from carbohydrates over the course of the eight-week research. While the high protein group consumed 26% protein, 33% fats, and 41% carbs, the normal group consumed 15% protein, 44% fats, and 41% carbs.

Despite the fact that every individual gained weight, the low-protein group's average gain was the smallest—only 3.16 kilogrammes. The normal protein group experienced an average weight gain of 6.05 kilogrammes, whereas the high protein group experienced an average weight gain of 6.51 percent.

On the other hand, the average fat mass gain was roughly the same in all of the patients (3.51 kg), which shows that the rise in body fat is directly related to the amount of calories consumed.

The study also revealed that although the low protein group experienced less weight gain, 90% of the extra calories were stored as fat, as opposed to 50% in the normal and high protein group.

Another intriguing finding from the study is that the low-protein group lost 0.70 grammes of muscle mass throughout this time, failing to experience any muscular growth. The greater weight gain is due to the addition of a large amount of muscle mass in the normal and high protein groups, which totals 2.87 kilogrammes and 3.18 kilogrammes, respectively.  

Both the low-protein group and the high-protein group demonstrated an increase in their resting energy expenditure, which may be brought about by the burning of calories during the process of gaining muscle.

The study's clear-cut lesson is that excessive eating will raise body fat regardless of the source of calories. Muscle mass will increase if the protein intake is increased. And despite the fact that the study referred to the group that got 5% of their calories from protein as being low in protein, their diet actually had just a little bit less protein than the recommended daily intake for adults.

BENEFITS OF A HIGH-PROTEIN DIET

One benefit of a high-protein diet is that it slows down muscle loss while you lose weight, which lowers your risk of gaining weight after stopping the diet.

You run the danger of losing muscle tissue since it participates in metabolic processes by burning calories while at rest when your diet is low in protein. And although while you could believe that the calories you burn while at rest are negligible and barely register, you should keep in mind that every calorie counts. Additionally, you can exert more effort while exercising and subsequently burn more calories thanks to the increased muscle mass.

Another crucial piece of advise is to remember that when it comes to weight loss, the numbers on the scale don't always tell the whole story. You ought to monitor changes in your body's composition as well.

The body mass index is frequently used by doctors as a measure of a person's fatness. The person's weight and height are used to get the body mass index.

BMI, however, is more of a generic instrument than a precise marker that assesses body composition. It's not a given that someone with a BMI above the permissible range has a greater body fat percentage.

CONCLUSION

All things considered, nutrition science is not an easy and clear-cut subject. The likelihood is that you need to change what you eat if you find yourself in a scenario where you are not losing weight while following a diet. Think about the sources of the calories as well as their quantity.

Your diet should be built around protein. They ought to be a part of practically every significant meal because they keep your muscle mass in check. Naturally, you should always stay within the recommended calorie range. Maintain this, and you'll undoubtedly start to see some outcomes soon.