Since you’ll eat more carbohydrates on refeed days, raise your carb intake to 50% of total calorie consumption and reduce fat intake to 20% (protein intake remains relatively static around 30%). It’s important to note that this isn’t the only factor in gaining muscle. You should be consuming the right amount of protein so that your body can create new muscle tissue, as well as completing regular weight training to provide the necessary stimulus for muscle growth. Be wary of consuming too much protein, as it could adversely affect your metabolism and cause serious health issues — various studies have linked certain proteins to cancer growth. Aim for a minimum of 0.4 grams per pound of body weight and a maximum of 0.7 grams of protein per pound of body weight (or 1.5 grams per kilogram).

  • “If you want to be adding muscle without adding too much weight, you can’t be in a surplus to do it,” Boyce says.
  • You should be consuming the right amount of protein so that your body can create new muscle tissue, as well as completing regular weight training to provide the necessary stimulus for muscle growth.
  • However, by breaking down existing literature into the topic, the 2020 study mentioned in the previous section identifies a number of actions consistently shown to support the body recomposition process.
  • However, if you guys are looking to take your nutrition up a notch, you can head over to jeffnippard.com, go to the nutrition plan tabs, and there you can access it.
  • You can also gain muscle if you are strength training in a calorie deficit, especially if you are a less experienced weight lifter.
  • Protein helps preserve lean body mass while you’re losing fat, so it’s important to make it a priority in your diet.

Set your caloric goals

Over time, you can work to increase the frequency or intensity of workouts, which might mean lifting heavier or adding in some cardio. Maybe you eventually check in with registered dietitian to help make sure you’re eating to support your goals, if that’s something you’re struggling with. Overall, it’s about finding a plan that you enjoy enough to keep doing, because changes in body composition don’t come fast. Exercise is a fundamental part of both fat loss and muscle gain, but the type of exercise you focus on matters. Strength training, in particular, is essential for building muscle while in a calorie deficit.

Achieving the Impossible: Building Muscle and Losing Fat Simultaneously

Basically, if you’re serious about this body composition goal, you should be prepared to do some heavy lifting…literally. Losing weight and building muscle at the same time is possible, but to do it in a healthy way, you may need the advice of a professional. Consider consulting a registered dietitian or a certified personal trainer to help you set effective and reasonable goals. You can safely lose weight as long as you’re still getting the nutrients you need.

how to lose fat and gain muscle simultaneously

Dairy (5-15 grams carbohydrates & 8-12 grams protein per serving size )

A great way to hit your protein goals whilst keeping https://thelakewoodscoop.com/news/madmuscles-app-review-easy-to-cancel-and-transparent-fitness-subscription/ calorie intake low is by using our Diet Whey protein. Diet Whey protein powder is specially formulated to build and maintain lean muscle in a High Protein – Low Calorie blend, helping you hit your macros without sacrificing calories. “I can’t emphasize enough the important role strength training plays in reducing body fat levels and improving muscle definition,” says Dr. Ball.

How to Lose Fat and Gain Muscle at the Same Time: The Ultimate Guide

And you’ll become the happiest, fittest, strongest version of yourself, one step at a time. Recomp is a slower—but more sustainable—approach than crash dieting or extreme bulking. When not writing, he’s most likely to be found experimenting with a wide variety of training methods in his home gym or trying to exhaust his ever-energetic puppy.

People With High Body Fat and No Training Experience

Increase the weight on the bar whenever possible while staying in the rep ranges provided. Using the above 2,000-calorie intake as an example, you might bump your calorie intake up to 2,800 calories on carbohydrate refeed days as this should put you in a modest energy surplus. Just remember, the most important rule is to be in a consistent small calorie deficit. The second rule is eating in a way that gives you enough energy to train hard. And finally, make sure you eat a macro balance that helps you feel full. Trainwell can help you by creating an individualized training routine to supplement your new eating habits.

How To Lose Fat And Gain Muscle At The Same Time, According To Doctors, Nutritionists, And Trainers

Body recomposition is an approach to weight loss that focuses on altering your body composition. Your body is comprised of fat, muscle, bone, and water in varying percentages. We need all of these for optimal health, but altering the composition in a way where you have less fat and more muscle will benefit your physical and mental health. “Losing fat and gaining muscle is a long game that takes time and dedication,” says Dr. Ball, who emphasizes the importance of both short-term and long-term goals that are realistic and reevaluated periodically. “Unlike weight loss that can be very rapid (demonstrated with the prevalence of hardcore crash diets), building muscle is a notoriously slow process, and, therefore recomping is no different,” Carpenter said. It may be more difficult for some people due to potential barriers such as their genetics, socio-economics status, or mental health, Dr. Mike Molloy, founder of M2 Performance Nutrition, told Insider.

Can You Build Muscle and Lose Fat at the Same Time?

On days that you do a strength training workout for 30 minutes or more, eat more calories than your maintenance number with a focus on protein. Depending on how much muscle you want to put on and how quickly you want to gain it, add 5% to 15% to your maintenance calories. This is called “body recomposition” by scientists and fitness professionals—in other words, the process of changing the composition of your body by lowering body fat mass and increasing muscle mass. You can build muscle and lose fat at the same time with some simple diet changes such as incorporating more whole foods, upping your protein and fiber, and limiting processed and sugary foods and drinks. Intermittent fasting (IF) has many potential benefits, but it has also been shown to preserve lean muscle mass. Studies have shown those who practice intermittent fasting along with resistance training lose fat, but also maintain muscle.