FAQ About Weight Loss and Muscle Building

How to gain muscle while losing weight?

The words "muscle building" and "fat loss" are often put together, but it is very difficult to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time, or to lose weight without losing muscle!

Is it difficult to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time?

Muscle building and fat loss are conflicting goals. In order to lose fat or weight, the body needs to be in a "calorie deficit" state. The fewer calories you consume every day, the more weight you can lose; in order to gain muscle, the body needs a "calorie surplus" to provide the energy needed for self-repair in order to build muscle mass.

Can fat turn into muscle?

If someone says: fitness is to turn fat into muscle, then this person does not understand fitness at all and is completely misleading you.

Fat and muscle are two completely different substances and cannot be converted into each other. Muscles are composed of cells called "myofibrils", and individual muscle fibers are composed of protein blocks called "myofibrils"; while fat tissue is composed of various carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms. Muscle and fat cells have completely different chemical compositions, so neither can be converted into the other.

Suggestions on the order of muscle gain and fat loss

While gaining muscle, fat will inevitably increase, so for people with high body fat, it is recommended to lose fat first and then gain muscle, otherwise the body fat is not low enough, the fat hides the shape of the muscle, and the muscle lines will not look obvious.

Strength training can increase muscle mass, allowing you to consume more calories every day and reduce the chance of getting fat. Aerobic exercise can consume body calories and burn excess fat, but if the aerobic exercise time is too long, the muscle will also break down.

Therefore, during the weight loss period, in addition to doing moderate aerobic exercise, you also need to strengthen strength training to make the muscle growth rate greater than the muscle loss rate, so that the body can maintain a vigorous metabolic level and have a tighter body curve after losing weight.

Aerobic exercise includes: walking, skipping, running, dancing, aerobics, HIIT training, boxing, swimming, jumping jacks, high leg raises, mountain climbing, etc.

Strength training includes: various weight training, bodyweight anaerobic training, such as: squats, bench presses, lunges, hip thrusts, pull-ups, push-ups, rowing, Bulgarian squats, etc.

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How to lose belly fat?

You can strengthen and shape your abdominal muscles with sit-ups or other exercises specifically for the abdomen. However, doing these exercises alone will not eliminate belly fat. The good news is that adopting a diet and exercise strategy that can reduce weight and reduce total body fat can also reduce visceral fat. Try the following suggestions:

Healthy diet. A healthy diet requires:

Eat more plant-based foods, including fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
Choose lean sources of protein, such as fish and low-fat dairy products.
Limit your intake of processed meats and saturated fats (found in meats and high-fat dairy products like cheese and butter).
Eat moderate amounts of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. These fats are found in fish, nuts, and some vegetable oils.

Swap out sugary drinks:

Choose water or other sugar-free drinks.

Keep moving:

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends that most healthy adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, such as brisk walking, or at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity, such as running, each week. Strength training at least twice a week is recommended. If you're trying to lose weight or reach a specific fitness goal, you may need more exercise. There's evidence that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) can help reduce belly fat, as can strength training.