Burning Fat & Keeping Muscles: How to Do It

If you’d like to shed some fat, but you’re worried about losing your hard-earned muscle, you can rest easy knowing it’s possible to prevent it by following a couple of fitness and eating guidelines that will help you reach your goal. However, you need to be patient and take steps that are both safe and effective in order to maintain your physical activity and fitness level.

Working out at some of the best weight loss centers in Vacaville is an inevitable part of achieving your goals, but so is learning more about the steps you need to take to support the overall process. Keep reading to find out what they are. 

How do I lose weight while keeping muscle mass?

Keeping muscle while burning calories boils down to your exercise habits and diet. The following tips will help you lose fat without losing your muscle volume:

Slow cardio

Cardio training is essential for weight loss. However, the type of cardio you do will either cause slight loss of your muscle mass or help you maintain it. Easy and slow methods are the ones you need for your goal and these include light jogging, easy bike ride, and walking on a treadmill at an incline.

This kind of cardio workout uses the type of muscle fibers that are fatigue resistant and improve blood circulation, helping your body clear metabolic waste and lactic acid. It also improves your ability to endure more intense workouts, your results in the gym, and your recovery time.

Eating lean protein

Consuming the optimal amount of protein is crucial for boosting your metabolism and keeping you full, which prevents overeating. However, it’s essential that you reach out for clean sources such as fish, eggs, nuts, and lean meat. To calculate your ideal intake, you should add at least 1 gram per pound of your bodyweight.

Eating carbs after workouts

Carbs aren’t your enemy, it’s just important to know when to take them. Reducing their intake or eliminating them completely from your diet will result in inefficient recovery as well as less effective workouts. 

Once you’re done with your training session, your muscle fibers need repairing, your energy needs refueling, and the ability of your body to tolerate carbs is at peak. This is the perfect time to go for food such as baked potatoes, sweet potatoes, and rice, and start your recovery process.

Cut calories moderately

Drastically reducing your calorie intake will result in muscle loss regardless of what you do. You won’t provide your body with enough nutrients to recover and heal, and you’ll risk overtraining and even health problems.

The best way to cut the amount of calories is by starting with a moderate reduction of 500 calories, which is just enough to set off fat loss and not sacrifice strength gain or muscle size. To make sure you’re following the right path, you should track your progress every couple of weeks by measuring circumference and the percentage of your body fat, as well as taking photos. 

What are the best weight loss centers in Vacaville?

If you’d like to learn more about the ways to support your weight loss, such as increasing your daily water intake, optimizing your habits to fit your body type, or working on your weight loss at the gym, feel free to reach out to the specialists at Maximum Fitness. We can’t wait to answer any questions you may have and assist you in achieving your goals. We’re near Vacaville High School, so come and visit us for a free tour or give us a call now!