How to lose body fat and preserve muscle mass

“Be toned” is one of the most common goals of almost every fitness enthusiast out there. With some patience and planning, anyone can master the art of body recomposition. The act of altering one’s physique, losing fat and gaining muscle simultaneously is known as body recomposition. It is ostensibly assumed that body recomposition is impossible to achieve because to lose fat, one needs to concentrate on consuming less calories whereas to gain muscles, one must consume more calories than burning. However, body composition is all about the perfect balance between diet and exercises. We demystify some tried-and-tested methods for all fitness enthusiasts who aim to perfect the art of body recomposition.

1. Understand the Difference between losing fat and losing weight →
Ostensibly, a decrease in the numbers on the weighing scale is celebrated. Many consider it to be a step closer to their body transformation goals. However, it’s time to break that bubble if you aspire to have a toned body. A significant amount of a human’s weight consists of water and muscle, which you don’t want to lose. One must aspire to lose weight by fat, as it’s a more precise and healthy goal than weight loss.

2. Consume plenty of protein →
An important nutrient to perform bodily functions, protein must be a significant part of one’s diet if gaining muscles is your aim. It is highly essential for maintaining the muscles you have and further supporting new muscle growth, especially during losing weight. The amount of protein one must consume depends upon several factors such as age, gender, physical activity level, etc. Consuming protein between the range of 0.45–0.73 grams per pound of one’s body weight every day can support muscle mass retention and facilitate fat loss with dieting.

You can also invest in a good protein supplement, refined for the body to absorb easily. There are several brands and products dominating the markets, you can choose depending upon your body-goals, body type and taste.

3. Do Strength Training→
Strength training is essential to transforming your body composition as your muscles won’t grow if you don’t pose a challenge at them. Aim to perform strength training at least two to three times per week. You can follow a combination of different types of strength training such as weight lifting, bodyweight exercise or resistance band exercises. Always start with lesser weight loads and fewer reps. Gradually move your way to heavier weights and more repetitions. This will help you avoid injury. It’s crucial to give your muscle groups enough time to recover. Remember, consistency is the key.

4. Calorie-deficit diet is necessary →
Create a reduced-calorie diet for yourself. This can be achieved by consuming fewer calories or burning more, however, it’s best to combine both. It’s extremely important to remember that cutting your calories more than required can render a larger loss of muscle rather than fat. Hence, you must strive to moderately ebb the calories you consume by 400-500 every day to facilitate fat loss while minimizing muscle loss. The best way to reduce calories is by giving up on high-calorie foods such as sugar-sweetened products, aerated beverages, processed meats, and fried foods.

5. A good night’s sleep is a must →
During the cutting phase, if something other than training is highly essential, it is resting. As you’re putting your body through the immense stress of heavy weights and restricting calories, your muscles need time to recover and rebuild. Your body releases growth hormones throughout the day however it peaks at night as you sleep and is the highest during deep sleep. Hence, sleeping is the ultimate step to ensure all your hard work gets fine results.

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