Let’s start with the basics…

We need to start by considering what happens when we eat food or Calories….

• An energy or calorie surplus will lead to storage.
  • Either fat gain or muscle gain
• An energy or calorie deficit will result in energy leaving the body.
  • Either fat loss or muscle loss

So what does this mean?

We need to define the bigger problem, which is how do we know if we are losing fat/muscle VS gaining fat/muscle.

How do you lose Fat?

Ideally, to lose fat, we need to be in a Calorie deficit of somewhere between 250-1000cal’s/day to lose 0.5-2lbs of weight per week¹.

If you have more than 20% of your body weight to lose, for example, A 250lb person wants to lose 100lbs, which is 40% of their body weight. This individual could likely start losing more weight faster at first, say at a 500-1000cal deficit. (1-2lb week).

Why? In general, larger individuals need more calories to sustain their current weight. If you weigh 250lbs on average, you likely need to eat ~2500 calories to maintain that weight. Someone who weighs 180lbs might need ~1800 calories to maintain their weight*  (* I am not taking into account activity at this point, keep that in mind & individuals vary).

So these individuals want to lose 1lb a week (-500cal/day), so the 250lb person could lower calorie intake to 2000 cal’s (2500 – 500= 2000), but the 180lb person will need to drop their calories to ~1300 (1800 – 500 = 1300). Again not taking any activity into account, it’s a LOT easier to “diet” at 2000 cal’s rather than 1300 cal’s – right?

You also need to take into account HOW MUCH weight you want to lose, because the more weight you want to lose the longer it will take. Therefore if you are at a miserable amount of calories and starving yourself you likely won’t be able to sustain that large deficit for the full duration of your weight loss goal.

How long are we talking? It all depends on how much weight you want to lose and the weight at which you are beginning this journey. As I mentioned above say the 250lb person wants to lose 50lbs – this could take ~50 weeks if they are losing 1lb a week on average.

Sure you COULD lose weight faster, but we are talking about gaining muscle too right? Well keep reading and I will cover why losing weight fast is a terrible idea.

In a study posted in the Journal NUTRIENTS, “The loss of Lean Body Mass (LBM)impedes sustainability by causing lowered resting energy expenditure/metabolism, fatigue, declines in neuromuscular function, and increased risk for injury. Moreover, the metabolic decline that occurs after LBM loss results in a subsequent body fat overshoot, or a regain in fat mass, thereby resulting in unfavorable, compounded changes in body composition. Therefore, in order to enhance the sustainability of any weight loss program, and to offset any potential negative health consequences, it is important to prevent the loss of LBM.²“

If you follow my motto: “The best way to lose weight is to be eating as much as possible, and still be losing weight.”

Managing how fast we are losing weight, how we look in the mirror, and our measurements are the way to really assess ideally true fat loss. Because True Fat loss takes time to put on and time to take off.

Also, we can’t be sure that our bathroom scale is telling us what we are losing is actual body fat or not. I know some at-home scales are fancy AF, but honestly, you need a more accurate test for that, like In-Body or DEXA scan.

Ok, let’s continue…

Now onto gaining muscle, how does that work?

Gaining muscle is pretty simple… You lift weights that are HEAVY FOR YOU, 4-5x week (following a progression plan based on goals), and eat in a slight calorie surplus. Because to GAIN muscle, you need an adequate amount of calories and protein. Oh and PATIENCE!

But isn’t that the opposite of Fat loss?

Yup! Well, not the patience part 😉. So, how do you build muscle and lose fat if they have opposite strategies?

Confusing, I know. That’s why this request by a large majority of my clients and would-be clients is a tough ask. So let’s look at what you are really wanting, to look and be “toned”, right?

Let’s be honest you just want that “Toned Look”

To get that “Toned” look you are wanting, you need to lose the fat on top of the muscle you already have, and not lose muscle as much as possible.  So no matter how many pounds you have to lose I would work on just getting the scale to move at a reasonable pace that you can keep up with, 0.5-1.0lb/week. 

Look at it like this, if you are the 180lb person I mentioned in the example earlier, and you want to lose 20lbs, AND you want to aim at that 1lb/week goal, that means you would have to sustain a 500cal/day deficit at ~1300calories for 20 WEEKS or 5 Months! That is a LONG time at a LOW-calorie intake. Remember, you are not even accounting for your activity (that is a whole other topic).

If you are not eating enough calories, you are likely not eating enough protein and protein is the secret sauce when it comes to gains! It’s not magical but it is IMPORTANT!

Also, remember as you lose weight, if you are losing it fast as in 2+lbs a week, not all of that is likely going to be all fat. Your body might break down some of your muscles if it needs resources to keep up with the demand you are placing on it, but the goal is truly to limit that as much as possible ².

How?

When you lose weight SUPER FAST, your body cannot keep up with the lack of energy coming in so it starts to BREAK down whatever it can for energy, and sometimes that is protein or muscle. This is where you lose the “defined” or “toned” look for most people.

By not losing weight super fast, (>1-2lb week) your body will likely be much more flexible and use some of the calories and protein you are eating for energy but also muscle repair maybe even growth or maintenance, depending on your experience in weight training. Those who are new to weight training will often time get those “newbie” gains since it’s a new act on the body. While those who are OG’s to the weight training game will have a harder time achieving muscle gain in the same circumstances. I know not fair 🙄.

Walking this fine line can be tough, but more so if you are doing it on your own. That is why I provide a tailored approach to each of my 1:1 clients who want this particular goal and we work together to make it happen. I assess where they are now, where they want to go and we come up with a plan on how to get there in a way that meets their needs and time capacity. (Click book a call and see how I might be able to help you too!)

Bottom line

So let’s sum it up, you need 3 things to lose fat and gain muscle:

1. Calorie deficit that is not so large that you are losing more than 1lb* a week on average (*depending on your starting point) through a combination of eating less and dialed in cardio.

2. STRENGTH TRAINING, with real weights that are heavy for you at least a few times a week. Coupled with some form of cardio, but not excessive. 

3. Protein! If you are not counting Macros – and you do not have to, aim to eat around 30% of your daily calories from protein.
   1. Ex. 1500 calories/day needs ~450cals (30%) or ~112g of protein/day.
   2. Better yet try to get at least 25g/protein at Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner and have 1 snack that has 10-20g.
   3. BE CONSISTENT!
   4. You can Always get better – its best to make positive change you can keep up with first, then build.
4. **The FREE MyFitness Pal version has %’s. It’s not as accurate as grams but it does allow some awareness.

Then monitor progress every day on the scale, (yes every day) and every 4 weeks take progress pictures and measurements.

Good LUCK!

Oh, And BTW I have a helpful guide on “What is protein? And how to get more.” I would love to share with you.

References:

1. Barakat, Christopher MS, ATC, CISSN1; Pearson, Jeremy MS1; Escalante, Guillermo DSc, MBA, ATC, CSCS, CISSN2; Campbell, Bill PhD, CSCS, FISSN3; De Souza, Eduardo O. PhD1 Body Recomposition: Can Trained Individuals Build Muscle and Lose Fat at the Same Time?, Strength and Conditioning Journal: October 2020 – Volume 42 – Issue 5 – p 7-21
2. Willoughby D, Hewlings S, Kalman D. Body Composition Changes in Weight Loss: Strategies and Supplementation for Maintaining Lean Body Mass, a Brief Review. Nutrients. 2018;10(12):1876. Published 2018 Dec 3. doi:10.3390/nu10121876