There is an argument in the fitness industry that you can either choose to lose fat or gain muscle. They just cannot be done at the same time.
To this particular statement, my reaction is NO. We have encountered certain successful stories, from there we have come to know that, yes this can be simultaneously. Yes, heard it right!
And that is what we will be covering in this article today.
- Can you lose fat and gain muscle at the same time? (The Controversy)
- How to lose fat while gaining muscle (The Science)
- Tips to lose body fat while gaining muscle
Can you lose fat and gain muscle at the same time? ( The Controversy)
Before we get too far ahead, let us talk about why losing fat while gaining muscle can be problematic. The conflict comes about over the following:
- To lose fat, your body needs to be in a caloric deficit,. This deficit forces your body to use pre-existing fat stores for fuel.
- To gain muscles, your body needs to be in a caloric surplus. This surplus provides the energy your body requires to repair and build bigger muscles.
Losing fat( calorie deficit) and at the same time gaining muscle(calorie surplus) really seems to be impossible, Right! But however if we go a few steps deeper into the science, it is quite possible.
Don’t get confuse, it’s true. To appreciate the nuance here, let us go a few steps deeper. Curious to know? Follow this article till the end.
How to lose fat while gaining muscle ( The Science)
Your body operates on a very similar operation: everyday it receives new calories (when you eat) and it needs to decide what to do with them.
Let us take an example: Suppose you eat chicken parm sub with fries and a 20 ounce soda. Your body then has to know where to route all these calories. Okay, let us keep things simple. Your body will sort those calories in three parts:
- Burn for fuel
- Rebuild muscle
- Store as fat
Right now, when you eat food your body sorts most of those calories into ‘burn for fuel’. This is where the problem arise. When you overeat calories and your body does not need any more to fuel itself, it takes those extra calories and store them as fat. But our goal is just the opposite. We want gain muscle while getting rid of the fat!
Now let us imagine a scenario where we put this together-strength training heavy and reducing our calorie intake:
- You strength train regularly, and your muscles break down and need to rebuilt.
- You do not consume enough calories to both rebuild muscle and fuel itself.
This means your body can pull from ‘store as fat’ to make sure all the work still gets done, including your daily functions as a human and rebuilding the muscle you tore apart.
So you see, it is possible to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time.
Tips to lose fat while gaining muscles
Let us bring this all together and create some actionable steps to losing body fat and building muscle at the same time.
- Sustain a calorie deficit while eating enough protein.
- Count calorie intakes.
- Strength train.
- Priortize protein
- Determine the perfect diet for you
If these generalized recommendations, are being followed, yes you can lose fat and gain muscle at the same time.
Stay connected with us as we provide tailored and specific recommendations based on your and lifestyle and along with that accountability and mind-set changes to help ensure your new habits stick.
