Lose the fat, keep the muscle

Want to lose a few pounds before swimsuit season starts?  If so, losing fat, not muscle should be the goal.  Many fad diets proclaim losing 5 or more pounds in one week.  Yes, that may be possible but along with some fat loss you will be losing some muscle and a lot of water.  Often people find when they go off the crash diet, the weight piles back on.  And losing muscles means you slow your metabolism as muscle burns more calories than fat.  So, how can you drop some pounds with more of the loss being fat and not the muscle you want to keep?  An article on “4 Rules for Losing Fat, Not Muscle” has some suggestions. 

      1.   Cut the calories but do it gradually

To lose weight you do have to cut back on calories in versus calories out.  But cutting back on too many calories at once can slow your metabolism, make it hard to get the nutrients you need, and cause you to lose muscle mass along with some fat. Women should maintain at least 1200 calories a day for good health, while men should eat a minimum of 1500 calories a day. 

To lose a pound a week, you need to cut back on 500 calories a day.  But doing so could leave you quite hungry.  A better option is to cut back some on calories but to increase your exercise.  Some research has shown that even cutting back on 100 calories a day can lead to better health and slow, but steady weight loss.

How many calories do you need a day?  A lot depends on your age and how active you are.  Check out the table below:  

Gender	Age	Sedentary	Moderately Active	Active
Female	19-30	2000	2000-2200	2400
	31-50	1800	2000	2200
	51+	1600	1800	2000-2200
Male	19-30	2400	2600-2800	3000
	31-50	2200	2400-2600	2800-3000
	51+	2000	2200-2400	2400-2800

2.  Focus on Toning and Total-Body Strength            

A few stretches and some yoga are great for flexibility but you want to include some other exercises for overall body strength.  There are some easy ways to add some toning to your day, can even do some at the office such as squats.  WebMD recommends tennis, swimming, the elliptical, stationary bike, Pilates, jogging, even walking for “stronger leg muscles and stronger bones”.  For those into sports, try bowling for your arms and walking the golf course.  If you are into weights, then 2 days of strength training will get you toned.  

       3.  Focus on Protein

It takes more calories to digest protein foods and protein stays with you longer so you won’t be as hungry if you eat protein at each meal.  Protein, especially high-quality protein, builds muscle.  The best quality proteins are eggs, milk and yogurt.  Some researchers recommend eating “between 25 and 35 grams of protein at every meal for both muscle health and weight loss.”

       4.  Add some cardio to your day

Your heart is a muscle and doing some aerobic exercise will exercise your heart and your lungs.  And it can be a low-intensity workout of about 30 minutes.  Go for a brisk walk, a swim or get the bicycle out of the garage and go for a ride.

As the weather gets warmer, it will be easier to get outside and be more active.   And the days are longer so easier to get in an after dinner walk or an evening bike ride.

Sources:  4 Rules for Losing Fat, Not Muscle, 1200, 1500, 100 calories a day, Total-Body Strength, toning, WebMD, researchers  Image sources:  toning, Walking, Yogurt