How to maintain muscle mass when dieting for fat loss.
Here is my take on how to maintain muscle mass when dieting for fat loss. If you wish to lose fat/weight, you need to take into consideration that most fat is burned by the presence of more muscle tissue. So, with that in mind, you may want to consider these factors below:
Losing muscle is a problem: It lowers your metabolic rate and reduces insulin sensitivity, a combination that sets you up to experience rebound weight gain.
Muscle plays a protective role against disease: by acting as a storage for proteins necessary for the immune system. In older people, the decline in muscle mass is linked to higher susceptibility to diseases and death. Conversely, in athletes, muscle loss can impede performance and raise the likelihood of injuries.
It’s safe to say that preserving muscle mass is a primary goal during fat loss. This post will discuss the nuances of human metabolism and give you proven strategies that can reduce muscle loss when losing body fat.
How much muscle mass do you stand to lose whilst trying to lose weight/fat.
Typically, individuals following a low-calorie diet without exercising are expected to lose approximately 70 percent body fat and 30 percent lean muscle mass throughout the diet period. Nevertheless, the initial body composition significantly influences the amount of muscle loss. While overweight people tend to undergo a 70/30 fat/muscle ratio, slimmer individuals may not be as fortunate. Research indicates that men with body fat levels below 10 percent could lose up to 50 or 60 percent of weight from muscle during a diet, with only 40 to 50 percent coming from body fat.
It is theorized by scientists that the human brain can detect the amount of fat stored in the body, enabling it to control whether fat or muscle tissues are used for energy.
When overweight people diet, the brain doesn’t feel as threatened and a greater proportion of the weight loss is from fat, whereas with leaner individuals, the brain senses the lack of body fat as a threat, holding on to fat tissue while increasing the oxidation of muscle.
During weight loss, the severity of the diet is another crucial factor affecting body composition changes. One common error individuals often commit is drastically reducing their daily calorie intake to below 1,200 in an attempt to shed fat rapidly, believing that a larger calorie deficit will yield better results. However, this approach can lead to undesirable outcomes as a more significant energy deficit can result in a higher proportion of muscle mass loss. Additionally, following a low-calorie diet can trigger a metabolic slowdown, causing the body to decrease its resting metabolic rate, ultimately resulting in burning fewer calories each day.
Strategies that maintain and preserve muscle tissue whilst dieting.
Fortunately, there are three proven strategies to preserve muscle during weight loss:
Increase protein
Train with weights
Use gradual rates of weight loss
#1: INCREASE PROTEIN
To maintain muscle during weight loss, increasing the percentage of calories coming from protein is beneficial. The body undergoes a continuous cycle of muscle loss and gain depending on the amino acids provided by protein. Consuming protein helps replenish amino acid reserves, promoting protein synthesis and safeguarding existing muscle mass.
Studies indicate that a minimum of 1.6 g/kg of protein will blunt muscle loss when dieting. For someone weighing 11 stone, this equals 70 kg in body weight, so you need a minimum of 110 grams of protein daily.
There may be a benefit of going as high as 2.4 g/kg of body weight, especially if the program is combined with strength training.
#2: TRAIN WITH WEIGHTS
Studies indicate that any form of physical activity can aid in preventing muscle loss during weight loss. Among these, strength training and other anaerobic exercises such as sprinting seem to be particularly beneficial as they put a strain on the muscles, activating a protein synthesis process called mTOR that helps preserve muscle mass. Additionally, anaerobic workouts help maintain strength, which in turn encourages individuals to engage in more spontaneous physical activities.
This represents a significant shift because individuals tend to become less active after losing weight, leading to reduced physical activity and a decrease in daily calorie expenditure. For instance, in a particular study on weight loss, women who engaged in strength training saw an increase in their spontaneous energy expenditure, resulting in burning an additional 63 calories per day. In contrast, the group that did not participate in any exercise intervention became more sedentary, causing a substantial reduction in energy expenditure by 259 calories.
#3: TAKE BCAA'S (BRAIN CHAIN AMINO ACIDS) BEFORE WORKING OUT
Studies show that BCAAs may increase muscle growth, reduce soreness and fatigue, prevent muscle wasting, and support liver health.
The human body contains numerous proteins, each consisting of a combination of 20 specific amino acids.
Out of these 20, nine are essential amino acids, meaning they must be obtained from your diet as the body cannot produce them.
Among the essential amino acids, three are branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs): leucine, isoleucine, and valine.
The term "branched-chain" refers to the structure of BCAAs, which can be found in protein-rich foods such as eggs, meat, and dairy. These amino acids are often consumed in the form of dietary supplements and can aid in preventing muscle breakdown and wasting.
Using BCAAs in powder form can be the most convenient way to meet the necessary intake for preserving muscle mass.
TAKE AWAY:
To ensure long-term success, focus on preserving muscle mass while losing weight or fat. By incorporating strength training, a high-protein diet, and BCAA's, you can enhance your body composition with minimal difficulty.
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