It seems that we have to choose between two things: either lose weight or build muscle. If we put in weight loss efforts, losing some muscle tissue is inevitable. Too many of us truly believe there is nothing we can do about that, and hence spend twice as much time as we had intended on building the physique we want, firstly to lose the fat and then to build the muscle. However, the reality is that there is no need to do this. If you know what you are doing, your able to lose fat and not muscle.

Why We Often Lose Muscle As Well As Fat

First of all, you have to understand your own biology and physiology, and why we often lose muscle when we want to lose fat. This has to do with our basic metabolic rate or BMR.

“As we all know, muscle burns more calories than fat, thus raising our BMR, or metabolism.” – NBC

Hence, what matters is that you continue to give yourself sufficient carbohydrates to maintain your muscle mass. This seems counterproductive, as we generally have to reduce our carbohydrate intake in order to lose weight, but if you want to keep those muscles, you will have to make sure you consume the right amount of carbs as well. The key, however, is that it is the right amount – not too much, not too little.

Calorie Deficit

The other issue that you need to watch out for is to make sure you don’t have a calorie deficit.

“When that caloric deficit is present, your body is forced to find some alternative source of energy on your body to burn instead. Ideally, this would ONLY be your ugly stored body fat. However, it can also be your pretty lean muscle tissue.” – A Workout Routine

Unfortunately, when we diet, we often force ourselves into a state of calorie deficit. Indeed, this appears to make sense because in order to lose weight, it is logical to assume that we have to cut down on the amount of calories we consume. However, this neglects the other possible solution – in order to lose weight we simply burn more calories than we consume. Hence, rather than going into calorie deficit, burning more calories is far more important.

Weight Training

So, what you need to do is make sure you eat what you actually need to eat. This includes lots of lean protein (which will feed your muscles and is low in calories at the same time). It is also, however, about getting your exercise regime right.

You should have a very strong focus on your weight training if you don’t want to lose muscle. If you are doing cardio in order to lose fat, you will need to do a little bit more weight training in order to compensate. However, it is also vital that you don’t overdo it. This goes back to making sure you don’t enter a period of calorie deficit, as your efforts will then be in vain once again. Make sure you work closely together with a fitness expert or a personal trainer, in order to make sure you have the diet and exercise program that is right for you.