I would say the majority of my clients tell me that their main goal is “to lose weight”. But what does that really mean? What are they trying to lose? Bone density? Muscle mass? Organ weight? Of course not, that would be absurd…everyone should want to lose body fat without losing muscle. The only problem is that the popular methods for shedding weight often result in excessive (but really, any amount is excessive) muscle loss. These popular methods include the quick fix diets that will probably help you lose weight, but a ton of it will come from your lean mass. Running fifteen miles a day and living off canned tuna and rice cakes is a way to lose weight if your goal is achieve the “skinny-fat chic without any muscle at all” body.

But if you would rather have a strong, lean body and maintain your agility, power, and strength, then your goal is to burn fat while maintaining (or even building upon) your existing muscle. To be precise, you need muscle to burn fat. Muscle is hungry and craves protein and fat to run effectively, along with a bit of glycogen every now and then to fuel up. Next to the organs and brain, muscle mass is one of the biggest consumers of energy in the body. The more you have, the better your fat loss.

It’s just too bad that most of the mainstream quick fix diets promote muscle loss with weight loss – if muscle loss is even considered, but most often it is only about the number on the scale. Let’s hope you read this and realize it is not necessary to compromise your muscle mass to lose weight. Here are some tips to preserve your muscle while losing the weight:

Nutrition: 
• Eat lots of vegetables and fruits and lean meats. Avoid fatty foods and junk food, which will only add to the fat already on your body. Healthy foods like vegetables will help you lose fat, while protein consumption will help add muscle to your body.

• Cut your caloric intake by at least 500 to 1,000 calories to help you lose about one pound a week.

• Keep carbohydrates low, no more than 50g or so for most people, and don’t obsess over calorie counting (in either direction).

• Focus on saturated and monounsaturated fats (with some fish oil to supplement) and take in about a gram of protein for every pound of lean body mass.

• Eat protein about 2 hours before engaging in your resistance exercises to help propagate muscle preservation.

Exercise: 
• Exercise 1.5 - 2 hours after eating when blood sugar levels and insulin levels are slowly declining.

• Do about 30 minutes of cardio at least three to five times a week - such as jogging, power walking, swimming, playing sports, dancing and cycling.

• Sprinting (or any exercise that stimulates lactate production) is a great way to increase growth hormone production and burn body fat while maintaining fast twitch musculature.

• Avoid constant chronic cardio – it retards muscle growth, interrupts protein synthesis, and can even reduce existing muscle mass. Too much exercise (especially highly stressful long distance steady state stuff) is harmful to our hormone levels and helps pack on pounds and eat away at our muscles.

• You fail to move it, you’ll lose it. You can’t forget about lifting, whether it’s with a heavy barbell or your own body weight.

• Resistance training increases bone density, which is an important factor in healthy body weight, and it (obviously) also increases (or maintains, depending on your diet/intensity) muscle mass.

• Push-ups and weight lifting are two good methods of gaining and preserving muscle in the arms. Push-ups also preserve muscle in the chest area. Do about 15 reps about three times a week for best results. Start with using 5-pound dumbbells, then increase the weights as your muscles become used to the workout.

• Crunches and sit-ups are timehonored abdominal exercises that will allow you to maintain muscle mass as you burn the excess layers of fat from around your belly. Do about 20 to 30 reps at least three times a week.

• Maintain muscle in your lower body by doing squats, lunges and leg lifts. About 15 reps of each should be enough to keep your natural muscle mass intact. Hold 5-pound dumbbells in your hands while you do these exercises for added resistance.

• To make sure you are losing the “right kind of weight”, chart your progress. It’s a little more complicated than just watching your total weight change on a scale. In fact, you don’t even really need to the scale anymore. You can use an entirely different set of barometers to monitor your weight loss: eyes, ears, belts, and weights.

Eyes
Check yourself out. Without hovering in front of the mirror, strip down to the bare essentials and take full body snapshots, making sure to space them out every few days. Do not obsess over minor daily fluctuations, but a week can be enough time to notice a difference in a direct comparison. Look out for misshapen lumps, sagging chests, flabby underarms – all signs that you’re losing muscle and maintaining fat.

Ears
Whether it’s a significant other, a co-worker, or friends, people will compliment you. Heed their words. Take it as a sign that you are doing something right.

Belts
Losing fat and maintaining muscle means dropping pants sizes. Using an extra notch on the belt is good, having to buy an entirely new belt…even better.

Weights
The best way to ensure you’re maintaining muscle mass is to chart your progress in the weight room. Muscle loss is accompanied by a reduction in strength, so if you find yourself failing to hit the marks you used to destroy with ease, you’re probably eating muscle. It’s a bad sign if you’re dropping weight and doing fewer pull-ups than before.

Finally, long term success managing weight starts with the right approach. If you are overweight, the real problem is that you have too much body fat for how much muscle you possess. A body composition solution is needed, not just a weight loss diet. Your goal should be to lose fat without losing muscle or sacrificing your health in the process. To maintain your results, your eating habits must develop life-long character. If you have any questions and need any assistance in getting started toward your “weight loss” goals, feel free to contact me at supernat_ us@yahoo.com or 859-221-4479. Yours in Health, Willie B. Ray