How To Lose Fat And Gain Muscle At The Same Time

The greatest method to tone up and look fit is to lose fat and gain muscle. But before we do that, there’s one thing we want to make clear. It’s not always the case that gaining muscle and burning fat equals losing weight. In fact, you won’t notice much of a difference on the scales during the first few weeks, and your weight will probably remain the same. Your body will, however, be changing.
Body recomposition is the process of gaining muscle and losing fat. This is just what a lot of people who want to get fit need. However, they believe it is unachievable because gaining muscle requires a calorie surplus, while losing fat requires a calorie deficit. When you put it like that, it does sound a bit complicated. That is, however, quite feasible, and here’s how you do it.

Food Goals

When it comes to food it’s important to realize your current state
and your goals. If you already are pretty lean and just want to look
more toned, it’s best to keep your calories at the maintenance level. If
you have a lot of fat to lose then make sure your meals keep you in a
slight calorie deficit. Slight is the key word here. You don’t want to
go into a massive calorie deficit because that will just make you feel
exhausted and you won’t have enough energy to exercise and build muscle.

Another thing you need to keep in mind is that protein is your
biggest friend here. It’ll keep you feeling full, it’ll help you build
muscle and it’s the most important nutrient to keep track of. Your goal
is to eat enough protein to build muscle, which is generally about 1.5
grams per kilogram of your current weight. It might not sound like a
lot, but for those who aren’t used to it this can be quite a challenge,
so make sure to start building your meals with protein (lean meat, fish,
eggs, tofu, tempeh, legumes) and then work around that to add healthy
fats (avocado, olive oil, etc) and carbs (vegetables are your best
friends here). 

Exercise Goals

Building muscle is all about resistance training. You can’t really
build muscle by doing the same workout every day, at the same pace, with
the same weight, or the same amount of reps. Your body will adapt to
that very quickly and you won’t be seeing any results. You need to
gradually increase those things, that’s the only way to build muscle. So
either gradually increase the weights you’re lifting over time, or you
could just increase the number of reps you do each time (this is a good
tactic for beginners). 

Progressive overload is your best source of motivation when you’re
trying to build muscle while losing fat. Instead of tracking your
progress by looking at the scales (which won’t be very satisfying, since
there will be little change in numbers there), you can track your
progress in the number of reps you can do or the amount you can lift,
which can be incredibly rewarding 

General Activity

But what about cardio? This is the question many people have since
we’ve all been conditioned to think that to lose fat you need to do
cardio. Well, we’ve got some good news for those of you who hate cardio.
You don’t have to exhaust yourself by running or doing HIIT. If you’re
eating at a slight deficit or maintaining calories and doing resistance
training you’re already losing fat. If you add grueling cardio to that
you will start losing muscle and you don’t want to do that. Instead,
just focus on moving around enough, walking is best for fat loss. Just
get those 10k steps in.

Beginner Bonus

This is the best part. If you’re a beginner and have never really
done resistance training you will be seeing the best and quickest
results. This is what most people call newbie gains, which basically
means you’ll be gaining muscle easily at first. Use this to motivate
your fitness journey. Those who are used to lifting weights and are
pretty advanced when it comes to resistance training will have to work
much harder and lift heavier to gain more muscle mass. 

Forget About Scales

This is one of the most important lessons to keep in mind – don’t use
the scales to track your progress. You’re doing two things at once
here, you’re losing fat and you’re gaining muscle. Fat is way lighter
than muscle, so your scales will either not show progress at all or they
might say you’ve gained weight because muscle is heavier. The best way
to track your progress is by doing body measurements. You’ll be
surprised how resistance training can make you shed inches in your waist
while adding some very much appreciated muscles in your glutes giving
you that gorgeous round butt. It’s a win-win if you ask me.