Lose fat, not muscle, by following these dietitian-backed tips
- 3 Minutes Read
When you want to lose fat but not muscle, you can achieve sustainable results and feel stronger with these expert-backed strategies to help you achieve a leaner, healthier body.
Why is it better to lose fat, not muscle?
Sure, it feels great to see the number on the scale drop, but primarily, reaping the benefits of healthy weight loss is most important, ideally, with a plan to lose fat, not muscle. Muscles are essential for strength, balance, blood sugar control, and bone health. Preserving muscle will lessen the drop in your metabolic rate (calorie-burning) as you lose weight. Aside from the health benefits, muscles give a more toned appearance, so you can look and feel strong.
Follow these 3 proven strategies to maintain muscle
1. Aim for a reasonable calorie deficit
Cutting calories is essential for weight loss, but going too low can backfire by causing muscle loss. Too few calories cause your body to break down muscle and dietary protein for fuel rather than using the protein to build and repair muscle.
Stay balanced and avoid extreme dieting by aiming for one to two pounds of weight loss a week, which is safe and reasonable. It takes roughly a 3500-calorie deficit to lose one pound of weight. For results that don’t sacrifice muscle, create a daily 500-1000 calorie deficit through fewer calories in, more calories burned with exercise, or a combination of the two.
You can use MyNetDiary to monitor your intake and ensure your deficit is sustainable.
2. Make strength training part of your plan
A combination of cardio and strength training is your best bet for losing fat, not muscle. Cardio exercise is a vital part of your fitness and weight-loss plan. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) explicitly shows benefits for reducing total body fat and improving body composition and cardiovascular fitness. Strength training is key to minimizing muscle loss. A review of exercise and weight-loss studies concluded that aerobic exercise helps people lose more weight, while strength training minimizes muscle loss.
Fortunately, strength training doesn’t require a major time commitment. All you need is a program that works all of your major muscle groups two to three days a week for muscle-retaining benefits. Using free weights, resistance machines, and resistance bands and doing bodyweight exercises (such as lunges, squats, and push-ups) all count as strength training.
Want to incorporate more strength training? Check out these strength training routines for weight loss!
3. Focus on protein
To minimize muscle loss, don’t short-change yourself on protein when cutting calories. Aim for 1.2-1.5g of protein per kilogram body weight (or 0.5- 0.7g per pound) to lose fat, not muscle. Athletes building muscle mass may require up to 1.7 grams per kilogram (0.8g per pound).
Protein is essential, yet more isn’t better. There is no benefit to getting more than 2g protein per kilogram (or 0.9g per pound). The protein surplus will only serve as an unnecessary source of extra calories.
Protein timing matters. Be sure to spread protein intake evenly across meals to support muscle repair and growth. Aim for about 20-30 grams of protein per meal. Smart choices include lean meats, fish, eggs, beans, tofu, and Greek yogurt.
If you are working to increase your protein intake, consider MyNetDiary’s Premium High-Protein Diet for additional support.
How do I know if I am losing fat, not muscle?
If the scale hasn’t budged, but you notice your clothes fitting looser, you may have lost fat and gained some muscle! Likewise, increased stamina and muscle definition are signs of improved body composition.
Body composition testing can also tell you if you are reducing your body fat percentage. Several methods are available, ranging from home scales using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) to more sophisticated testing with DEXA scan or BOD POD.
Why it’s ok to have some muscle loss
Even with a perfect plan, some muscle loss is inevitable. People who are overweight carry more muscle to support their weight. Therefore, losing some muscle is expected as your body adapts to a lower weight.
In fact, how well your muscles function may be more important than how much muscle you have. Research suggests that muscle function improves with weight loss, even with a slight decline in muscle mass. Better muscle function means healthier aging and the ability to perform daily activities and exercise with less effort!
Simplify your journey with MyNetDiary
If you want to lose fat and not muscle, MyNetDiary has the tools you need to succeed. It simplifies planning a healthy weight loss strategy with features to track your protein intake and ensure a sensible calorie deficit. You can also log body measurements, like waist circumference or body fat percentage, to monitor your progress effectively. Plus, personalized insights and guidance keep you motivated and on track every step of the way.
Related content
How to maintain muscle while losing weight
What is the difference between BMI and body fat percentage?
Adapted from original content from Sue Heikkinen MS, RDN, CDCES
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Exercise->Weight resistance Weight Loss->Body composition
Jan 13, 2025
