Burn Fat Without Losing Muscle

Many people are concerned that the exercise and diet regime that they embark on will enable them to burn fat without losing muscle and this is a valid concern if not managed correctly.   

There are a number of ways to assist the fat burning process while minimizing the risk of losing muscle. Firstly it is important to not reduce carbohydrate consumption too fast, it is important to manage this consumption, not eliminate it entirely. One approach is to reduce carbohydrates by up to twenty percent of recommended daily requirements for two days and then go back to the required amount for the third day. 

You will need to take into account that you may have been consuming more than the recommended consumption prior to your new program and so there will be a reduction in carbohydrate intake even to get to the recommended levels. 

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If you can reduce carbohydrates for the two days and then eat at recommended levels for the third day you will burn fat without losing muscle. Effectively you will have two fat loss days, followed by a normal day. This also gives you something to look forward to and may help strengthen your resolve; keeping with the program has a huge psychological element.

The two days will see a fat loss of between 1-2 lbs per week (0.5-1kg) but on the normal day you will be consuming enough carbohydrates to keep the muscles maintained. The other advantage is that the glycogen that is stored in the muscles will be maintained and available for physical exercise and you will be able to put some effort in. This is often not the case on a normal low carbohydrate diet.

The second tip to burn fat without losing muscle is to work your exercise program around the normal carbohydrate day rather than the two fat loss days. Or at least do the heavier workout on the carbohydrate day. The benefits of exercise tend to occur following the exercise not during, and are influenced by how they are fed after the workout.

The third tip to burn fat without losing muscle is to exercise around 2 hours after eating. Many athletes load up before a strenuous event with the food being available for the event. How-ever in order to lose fat the workout should be done when the blood sugar and insulin levels have begun to reduce. 

Find Out More On How To Burn Fat Without Losing Muscle

Following a meal bloods sugar levels initially rise and then so does insulin levels. The cells are now in an anabolic state which is the part of metabolism comprising the building up of complex substances from simpler material, with absorption and storage of energy.  

As the blood sugar levels drop the body moves into a catabolic state which is the part of metabolism dealing with the chemical decomposition of complex substances into simple ones. As the blood sugar levels drop so too do insulin levels. Insulin is a hormone and as the levels drop the pancreas is stimulated to produce the hormone glucagon which in turn causes the release of the energy from fat cells.

This change in blood sugar and insulin levels can be utilized in a program to lose fat by exercising when the levels are declining and the muscles receive energy from the fat cells. A final point is that you should eat at some stage after exercising to allow the muscles to recuperate and so you can burn fat without losing muscle.