LOSE FAT WITHOUT LOSING MUSCLES:
If you're like most people, then you've probably got a few pounds (or more!) that need to go. You might think that the only way to lose fat is by losing muscle. But this article will show you how it's possible to lose fat without losing muscle!
1) Eat enough protein
You'll need sufficient protein for your muscles to repair and strengthen themselves. The goal should be between 1g and 2g of protein per pound of body weight per day; 180-360g if your weight is 180 pounds, for example. The exception here is those on very-low-calorie diets, who should aim for less than 1 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight instead.
2) Don't obsess over cardio
Cardio exercises are great if you want to lose fat. But obsessing over cardio can actually slow your weight loss. The more cardio you do, the greater the proportion of calories burned through this means. If you run 4 hours per week, for example, this means 2400 calories per week are taken out of your diet. If you cut back on that by 100 calories (half a banana) then not only will your weight loss stall at that point, but it may even reverse.
Your cardio can lose its effectiveness if you're doing it at the expense of other important actions. To give another example, many people will do 30 minutes of cardio and eat a 700-calorie chicken and salad at the same time. This is exactly the kind of extreme calorie expenditure and macronutrient intake that can "overwhelm your system", as it were, making it harder for your body to shred fat.
3) Get more sleep
It's well known that the morning after an all-nighter, people often weigh less than they did before they went to bed. And a good night's sleep is a lot better for your body than exercise. If you've been going to bed around 1-2am, then aim to get 8 hours. And make sure to get a consistent sleep pattern – sleep in the same place every night, and wake up at the same time every morning.
4) Be active
Regular exercise will help you lose fat even if you're eating less. To give one example, research has shown that people who do moderately high-intensity exercise burn more calories in any given period than people who do low-intensity cardio (and also do it for longer). As well as burning more calories, exercise also increases your metabolic rate.
5) Don't eat too little
If you reduce your caloric intake too much, you can lose weight – but it will be mostly muscle. If you do manage to do this without losing much muscle, then your body will become super-efficient at converting fat to muscle – which means that if you carry on with this for any length of time then, by the time you stop doing it, you'll just revert to where you were before.
The most effective way to lose fat without losing muscle is to eat at a calorie deficit of 500-1000 calories per day, depending on how much muscle you have to lose. Don't go any lower than 500 (or your diet may be inadequate). If you're burning lots of calories through exercise (for example, between 400 and 700 calories per workout), then you can eat even less. However, if you're doing less than this, then it's best to stay closer to 1000 calories under your maintenance level.
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