Can you lose fat and build muscle? The jury is certainly out on this one. Experts will say its possible, others will say its simply impossible to lose fat and build muscle at the same time. The thing we need to remember is that most experts are not athletes. They simply look at the science and make a judgement without actually putting it into practice. People who actually attempt to lose fat and build muscle are the real experts and I can tell you that losing fat and building muscle is certainly possible.
Lose Fat Build Muscle
Yes, it is possible to lose fat and build muscle but there are a few problems we face when trying to do so. The first problem is that we are trying to achieve two totally opposite goals. To lose fat you need to be eating in a calorie deficit whereas to build muscle you need to be eating a calorie surplus. To do both probably seems impossible but with a little effort, good nutrition and a good training routine you will be able to lose fat and build muscle at the same time.
This leads us to the next problem. Your training and diet has to be extremely good for your body to even have a chance of losing fat and building muscle at the same time. Now, even if your diet and training is spot on the progress you make is going to be painfully slow. After all, you are trying to achieve two opposite goals (fat loss and muscle growth).
To lose fat and build muscle at the same time, the best results will be experienced by overweight beginners or out of shape athletes coming back from a long lay off from training. When I mention overweight beginners, preferably these beginners should have no previous experience in weight training.
Lose Fat And Build Muscle – How To Do It
If you want to attempt to lose fat and build muscle at the same time then there are a couple of ways to do it. The first is aimed more towards overweight beginners.
High Protein and Deficit Calories. This method involves consuming a calorie deficit and a high protein diet in an attempt to lose fat and build muscle. The amount of calories you consume should be anywhere between 200-500 calories under your bodys maintenance level and protein intake should be between 1-1.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight. During your first week I would recommend cutting your calories slowly so try and eat around 200 calories under your maintenance level.
Gradually bump this up once you stop losing weight. If your losing weight by only eating 200 calories under your maintenance level then keep doing so until you stall. The more calories you can consume and still lose weight the better as these will be used to build muscle and improve strength. The stronger you are the more muscle you will have. Hit your protein requirements of 1-1.5 grams per pound of bodyweight by the consumption of high protein foods. The majority of your diet should be made up of moderate carbs and low fats. Ensure you have a weight training routine that builds muscle and you will have a great chance of losing fat and building muscle.
Cycling Your Diet. This second method involves eating a calorie deficit on your rest days and eating a calorie surplus on your weight training days. Your diet should be similar to the above. High protein, moderate carbs and low fats. The idea here is to put your body in fat burning mode on your rest days and then into a anabolic and muscle building state on weight training days. Your extra calories on your weight training days should come from carbohydrates and protein and you should consume between 300-500 additional calories.
Lose Fat And Build Muscle – Final Verdict
If you want to attempt to lose fat and build muscle then go ahead but be warned that results can be frustrating and slow. Ideally you should choose one goal and work hard to achieve it. Either build muscle or lose weight. Its safe to say that the best results will be seen if you focus on one goal. If your looking to build muscle but are worried about getting fat then focus on consuming a calorie surplus of up to 500 calories.
Theres no need to eat additional calories in an attempt to build more muscle as you will simply get fat. Once you have put on enough weight then you can lose fat and attempt to maintain muscle while cutting. A similar thing can be said for losing fat. If you focus on maintaining a calorie deficit all the time then you will lose fat at a much quicker rate. Once you have lost the fat then you can try and build muscle.
