How to eat to lose weight and maintain muscle

Author: Timko Ilya - master of the whole project and fitness trainer.
2012-02-10

This problem mainly arises for relatively experienced athletes. Newcomers typically only have fat to lose, so there’s nothing to preserve. I mean both men and women. Regardless of gender, when training muscles, not only muscle tissue increases but also fat. That's human physiology.

And so, the muscles are pumped up to the desired size, but the caring body has also stored "a little fat just in case." The person resorts to low-calorie diets and aerobic exercise and notices with horror that along with the fat, muscles are disappearing too. So, while they manage to lose weight, it’s not at all in the way they would like. I think many are familiar with this situation.

Of course, getting rid of fat while preserving muscle is a complex process that relies not only on nutrition but also on appropriate training. One can simply continue to lift weights. Or, one can use special high-intensity workouts (Circuit training workout routine and Workout routine for weight loss). However, in this article, I will only discuss the nutritional principles needed to achieve such results. So, let's get to it.

Nutritional Principles

I won't reveal a secret if I say that in order for your weight to gradually and steadily decrease, you need to consume about 15% fewer calories than you burn daily. With this setup, you will lose 3 – 5 kg per month. More than that is unnecessary. This is an excellent "rate." Accordingly, to gain weight, you just need to do the opposite.

You can use various calculators (including on this site) to find out how much energy you expend and how much you consume. But these numbers won't be 100% accurate. Therefore, it’s better to reach the desired values through experimentation, gradually altering your diet in terms of quantity and monitoring results. That is, consume roughly the same amounts of food day by day. If your weight doesn’t drop by 1 – 2 kg over a week, then slightly reduce your intake. And so on.

But that was the quantitative aspect of the issue. Now, let’s talk about the qualitative side.

Protein is responsible for the preservation of muscle tissue. The more you consume, the easier it is to keep your muscles from breaking down. Do you see where this is going? When people decide to lose weight, they start eating less, resulting in reduced protein intake. This is one of the main reasons why muscles disappear along with fat. Your task is to:

Replace part of your food with protein, but do it in such a way that the overall calorie intake decreases.

If you do everything correctly, in the context of under-eating by 10% to 15%, you will consume enough protein to maintain your muscle mass. Gradually, week by week, your body will start using fat tissue without touching the muscles.

Practical Advice

The simplest way I see is to buy protein. Specifically, one with as much protein as possible (from 75%). Types like Syntrax: Whey Shake (77% protein), 100% Whey Gold Standard, or BioTech: Casein Fusion. Replace one of your meals (for instance, breakfast) with a protein shake. This will decrease your overall calorie intake while increasing your protein consumption. As for the rest of your meals, don’t go to extremes. Eat as usual, avoiding excess fats and carbohydrates where possible.

Don’t forget, you’re still training (I hope). And a lack of those fats and carbohydrates will negatively impact your athletic performance. Once again, I emphasize that without appropriate training, this entire diet makes no sense. But that’s a completely different story…