Wanting to preserve muscle mass?
Losing fat can be a challenging task, and it becomes even more difficult when you want to retain your muscle mass while shedding the extra pounds. Muscle mass is essential for good health, as it increases metabolism, supports posture, and provides strength for daily activities.
Losing muscle mass can result in a decrease in metabolism, leading to a slowdown in weight loss progress.
Fortunately, there are several ways you can preserve your muscle mass while losing fat.
In this article, we will explore the factors that impact muscle mass during fat loss and discuss the literature that supports them.
Factors That Impact Muscle Mass During Fat Loss
1. The Extent of the Calorie Deficit
When you are trying to lose fat, it is common to reduce your calorie intake. However, if the calorie deficit is too large, it can negatively affect your muscle mass.
A large calorie deficit can cause the body to use muscle tissue as an energy source, leading to muscle loss.
To prevent this, it is important to maintain a moderate calorie deficit and avoid extreme diets that drastically reduce calorie intake.
A 20-30% reduction from your maintaince calories should be sufficent.
2. Exercise Type
The types of exercises you do can also impact muscle mass during fat loss. Resistance training, also known as weightlifting, is an effective way to preserve muscle mass. It stimulates muscle growth and helps maintain muscle mass during weight loss.
Cardiovascular exercise, on the other hand, does not directly preserve muscle mass but can help with fat loss and overall health.
Cardio should not be your PRIMARY form of exercise if your goal of a fat loss phase is to also retain muscle mass. Infact, too much cardio may negatively effect lean mass / muscle retention during a fat loss
Summary: Cardio should be limited to less than 30% of your exercise schedule and mostly be used as a method to burn extra calories.
3. Adequate Protein Intake
Protein is crucial for building and repairing muscle tissue. When you are in a calorie deficit, it is even more important to consume enough protein to preserve muscle mass.
A general rule of thumb is to consume around 2 grams of protein per kilo of body weight per day.
This will provide your body with enough protein to support muscle growth and repair.
4. Sleep
Getting enough sleep is essential for muscle recovery and growth. During sleep, the body repairs damaged muscle tissue and releases hormones that support muscle growth. Lack of sleep can negatively impact muscle recovery and growth, leading to muscle loss. Various studies have shown that sleep deprivation during a fat loss period can actually increase the amount of lean mass (and muscle) lost.
Summary: Those who get higher quality sleep will retain more muscle mass / lean mass than those who’s sleep is low quality.
5. Resistance Training
Research shows that resistance training is an effective way to preserve muscle mass during fat loss. Participants who engaged in resistance training while on a calorie deficit maintain more or their muscle mass while losing fat than those who do not do resistance training.
The data is very clear, various study suggests that incorporating resistance training into your weight loss program will help you retain muscle mass.
Expectations
Majority of people will lose a bit of lean mass weight during a weight loss. Some of this is from the decreases in carb intake, which also increases water retention within the body as carbs attract water. So, saying that, some lean mass will appear to fade but then it will return when transitioning to maintainece calories. Accurately measuring the lean mass loss can be difficult, but followng the guidelines in this post will help with establishing the guiderails for your transformation.
Safe Weight Loss Ranges
Its generally recommend you lose weight no faster than 0.5–1% of your body weight per week. The fatter you are, the higher you can goin that range. The leaner you are, the closer to 0.5% you should be.
That said, even if you can get away with losing weight at 1% of your body weight per week, it may not be best to attempt to do so if you also want to preserve lean mass / muscle mass.
Small / Very Lean = 0.5-0.75% body weight per week (perhaps -0.3-0.6kg per week)
Most people = Around 0.75-1% body weight per week (perhaps 0.5-1kg per week)
Overweight / Obese = More than 1% of body weight per week (perhaps 0.8-1.3 kg per week)
What if I want to "get it done, rebuild later"?
This is generally not recommended, as sustainable progress will be the best way to ensure you get to your target weight. That being said, sometime the psychological benefit for ‘getting in shape’ for the individual is a valid goal, and rebuilding after (if done correctly) can be relatively simple.
There are risks:
- Losses in muscle mass
- Losses of lean mass (other lean tissue that is not muscle)
- Losses in strength
- Decreases in metabolism and quick weight regain
- Nutritional deficencies
- Weakened connective tissue that can result in injury
- Deceases in workout performance
However, some folk just wat to get the job done (or they are trying to win a challenge). If this is you, be sure you apply as many of the principles in this post as possible. Also be sure you:
- Calculate your calorie and macro requirements for this FAST WEIGHT LOSS
- Accurately sticking to your intake and not skipping meals
- Ensure your meals are nutrient dense as your risks of deficiencies is higher when in a large calorie deficit.
- Speak to a professional who can help guide you through the process (see Nutrition Coaching)
Conclusion
Losing fat while preserving muscle mass is achievable with the right approach. Maintaining a moderate calorie deficit, incorporating resistance training into your program, consuming enough protein, and getting enough sleep can all help preserve muscle mass. By following these guidelines and implementing them into your weight loss program, you can achieve your fat loss goals while retaining your muscle mass.
FAQs
- Can I lose fat without losing muscle? Yes, it is possible to lose fat without losing muscle mass. In fact, it is possible to GAIN muscle mass while losing body fat. Increase your chances of doing this by ensuring you are following a good routine with your diet, training, and lifestyle.
- How much protein do I need to consume to preserve muscle mass during fat loss? A general rule of thumb is to consume 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight per day. This will provide your body with enough protein to support muscle growth and repair.
- Can cardiovascular exercise help preserve muscle mass during fat loss? While cardiovascular exercise does not directly preserve muscle mass, it can help with overall health and fat loss. Incorporating resistance training into your program is still essential for preserving muscle mass.
- How much sleep do I need to support muscle recovery and growth? Most adults require 7-9 hours of sleep per night. Getting enough sleep is essential for muscle recovery and growth.
- Can I still lose fat if I don’t incorporate resistance training into my program? Yes, it is still possible to lose fat without resistance training. However, incorporating resistance training into your program can help preserve muscle mass and improve overall body composition.
- What are all the other factors which could help preserve muscle mass? In addition to maintaining a moderate calorie deficit and incorporating resistance training into your program, there are other factors that can help preserve muscle mass during fat loss. Ensuring that you are consuming enough water and electrolytes, getting enough rest and recovery time, and managing stress levels can all contribute to maintaining muscle mass. Additionally, incorporating high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and tracking your progress can also help ensure that you are on the right track towards preserving muscle mass during fat loss.
- What rate of weight loss AND calorie deficit is generally acceptable before lean mass losses become riskier? The rate of weight loss and calorie deficit that is generally acceptable before lean mass losses become riskier varies depending on several factors, such as your starting body composition, age, and overall health. As a rule of thumb, it is recommended to aim for a weight loss rate of 1-2 pounds per week and a calorie deficit of 20-30%. Going beyond this rate may result in more significant losses in lean body mass. However, it is important to work with a healthcare professional or qualified personal trainer to determine the appropriate calorie deficit and weight loss rate for your individual needs and goals.
- What can be done to measure progress during a fat loss to determine how much muscle is being lost? To measure progress during a fat loss and determine how much muscle is being lost, it is recommended to regularly track progress (such as a weekly average weight) or a body composition scan such as an InBody 570 body scan. This scan uses bioelectrical impedance analysis to measure body composition, including muscle mass, fat mass, and total body water. It can provide a detailed analysis of your body composition and help you track changes in muscle mass during a fat loss program. In addition to body scans, taking progress photos and measurements can also help track changes in muscle mass. It is important to note that some muscle loss may occur during a fat loss program, but by incorporating the tips mentioned above, you can minimize muscle loss and maintain a healthy body composition.
