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Lose fat and not muscle.

Discussion in 'Training' started by Zillagreybeard, Jul 14, 2020.
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Zillagreybeard
Zillagreybeard
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  • Jul 14, 2020
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A common concern people have is that they will lose muscle during their fat loss phase. But if you take on a logical approach, it is definitely possible to maintain and, in some cases, gain muscle [1]. The three main variables that will influence your ability to maintain muscle during a fat loss phase are your calorie intake, protein intake, and strength training.

If you severely restrict your calorie intake, the risk of muscle loss increases due to the upregulation of several catabolic processes, including muscle protein breakdown [2]. For this reason, aiming for a moderate fat loss approach makes sense. Having a calorie deficit of around 20% is a good target for most people. Also, multiple studies show a higher protein intake benefits muscle retention [3, 4]. A protein range of ~0.7-1g/lb. (1.6-2.2g/kg) bodyweight works well for most people.

Lastly, your body won’t hold onto muscle tissue that is not used regularly. It sees this as unnecessary extra tissue, which costs energy to preserve. So, to maintain muscle, you will need to train muscle with weights [5]. For more details on each step you need to take to ensure muscle maintenance while losing fat, visit the link in my bio to watch the new video!

References:
1. https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12970-017-0174-y
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24092765
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18469287
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19927027
5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10487375

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