Do you want to lose weight without giving up your muscle mass? Many times we focus so much on trying to take off those extra kilos that in the end we also lose the mass of our muscles. It is also obvious that in any diet to lose weight it is inevitable to lose part of that muscular volume. Therefore, what we will have to look for in our regimen is to burn as much fat as possible and minimize muscle loss. In this way we will also avoid the rebound effect, since the greater our muscle mass, the greater the amount of calories that we burn.
Controls the calorie deficit
One of the most effective recommendations when it comes to losing weight without losing muscle mass is to follow a diet and training that does not produce too much calorie reduction. If we lose too many calories a day our body will run out of a basic energy source such as sugar or accumulated fat and then it will be when it begins to consume the mass of the muscles. Therefore, it is convenient to do a routine of food and exercise that spends sugars and accumulated fats and we eat, but do not reach the point that our body needs to spend muscle mass to function and reduce it.
According to some studies, if we want to conserve muscle volume we will have to follow a regimen where we reduce between 500 and 1000 calories a day. Therefore, if you want to show off a toned body you will have to try to stay within those established limits.
To lose weight without losing muscle do not lose weight sharply
Another of the most common mistakes we make when we want to lose weight is to lose many kilos in a period of time that is too short . When we sharply reduce not only excessively lowers the intake of calories but also produces different changes in our body (especially at the hormonal level) that adversely affect the body’s muscle mass.
The ideal way to lose weight without losing muscle volume is to try that our weekly weight loss is around 1% . That is to say that if for example you weigh between 75 and 80 kilos, the ideal would be that you drop 800 grams approximately weekly.
Aerobic routines combined with anaerobic training
Exercise is essential to lose weight and increase the muscular conditions of our body. However, it is also important to know what kind of training will be best suited to achieve our objectives. In our case, the best option will be a routine where we combine aerobic exercises with anaerobic or weight training, as this way fat is burned and muscle mass is gained . Next, we will give you a series of tips to correctly perform this type of training:
- Choose the most appropriate time to train: it is advisable to exercise on an empty stomach, if possible it is a good time. In addition you will also have to perform first the anaerobic exercises and then the aerobics, since the muscle glycogen will be reduced and therefore you will burn more fats.
- Do your anaerobic exercise with high loads: it is important that the routine is intense so that our muscles do not lose their mass and consequently, we can burn a much greater amount of fats.
- Achieve intensity peaks during aerobic exercise : increasing the heart rate at various times during training can help reduce glycogen reserves of our body, which would require you to use fats to maintain our energy. For example, if the average heart rate in your routine is 70%, you should raise it at a certain time by 85-90% for a couple of minutes.
What should I take to lose weight without losing muscle? – food tips
In addition to choosing the most appropriate training to lose a few pounds without giving up your muscles, it is also important that we take care of our diet. Next, we give you a series of recommendations on the diet that you must take to show off a toned and defined body:
- Make 5 meals a day: instead of making three excessively abundant meals a day, you will have to divide the calories into 5 lighter meals daily. In this way, we will improve the digestion and absorption of nutrients and accelerate our metabolism.
- Moderate the consumption of carbohydrates: this type of food can suddenly raise the glucose in our body and consequently, prevents the elimination of fats from our body. Therefore, it is recommended that you eat complex carbohydrates such as whole grains and fruits as they will provide energy throughout the day.
- Increase protein intake: these types of nutrients help preserve muscle mass. In addition they also help to improve our metabolism and have satiating properties so we will also manage to control the daily consumption of food.
- Drink plenty of water: proper hydration is essential for the proper functioning of the metabolism. In addition, it also helps to mobilize the waste that is produced during the fat burning process.
- Do not eat until an hour after exercising: eating right after training can slow down fat burning.
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