How to Lose Weight While Maintaining Muscle
When talking about losing weight, you need to understand that this is losing ‘fat’ and not ‘muscle’. Calorie deficit leads to losing muscle and this need to kept in mind. If you intend losing weight only by calorie deficit, you are sure to lose a similar amount of fat from the muscles. The trick here is to adjust your workouts and diet in a way that makes your body lose out less of the fat in the muscles. Listed below are few tips to help you lose weight and not burn the muscles.
- Eat enough and more of Proteins:
The dietary factor which is most important for maintaining muscle is the intake of proteins. You need to ensure your intake of proteins on a daily basis is sufficient. Due to this high protein intake you tend to lose body fat and not muscle fat, with the proper workouts followed. Most people require anywhere between 0.8 – 1.3g of proteins for every pound of your body weight, each day.
- Myths of Weight training:
Following the myth of ‘lift light weight’ to lose the fat and ‘lift heavy weight’ for building muscle can work in the negative. You need to be aware that lifting heavy weights helps you build muscles and you need to lift the same weight for maintaining the muscle. Your body gets the wrong message if you lift light weights in calorie deficit, and tends to burn the fat of the muscles instead of the body fat. Your goal should be not to lose strength.
- Increase or Maintain Strength Levels:
Lifting the same weights for a long period of time, you need to be aware that there is no additional build of muscles. You can lift the same weights for more reps or probably, lift more weights gradually; your body tends to build more muscle. You aim should be to maintain the current levels of strength throughout the weight loss program and increase these if possible.
- Do not reduce too much Calories:
You need to look for reducing the intake of calories to a certain degree, this need not be too much or too less. A moderate calorie deficit is what you should be aiming at. This helps in multiple ways along with preserving muscle.
- Pre-Workout and Post-workout Nutrition:
A pre-workout and a post-work out meal need to be nutritious. Though this might not make much of a difference to the muscle maintenance and losing weight but can definitely benefit. These meals can help in improving the performance during the workouts and can also help in recovery after a workout.
Most often, you tend to stay overweight due to lack of dedication and inclination. It is important that you make an effort and change your life-style not only to lose weight but also lead a healthy and fulfilling life. You have the option of consulting a dietician or a nutritionist for charting out a specific diet plan in accordance to your requirement. You can always join the gym for all the exercise you need to lose weight and maintain your muscles.
How to Lose Weight While Maintaining Muscle
