How To Diet Without Losing Muscle

Know how to diet without losing muscle is crucial to achieving and maintaining the desired physique. In an effort to lose weight, dieting can sometimes take a wrong turn. When this happens, not only will you lose weight, but muscle too. However, dieting and burning fat without losing muscle is possible when you follow these small, but effective, tips.

1. Caloric intake. It is important to always consume more calories than are being burned off. The more you work out, the more calories you will need to consume. This is key to diet without losing muscle. When more calories are spent up than are consumed, the body begins to break down and metabolize muscle for the energy needed.
2. Food choices. Proper nutrition is essential to losing weight. A low calorie diet alone is not sufficient to lose or maintain weight without losing muscle. Choosing foods high in protein and low in fat is advised. Meals should be well balanced and empty calories should be avoided. This not only makes it much easier to stick to a diet but helps keep you from losing muscle.
3. Exercise. Cardio exercise is important, but so is strength and resistance training. To successfully diet without losing muscle, you should incorporate weight bearing exercises into the workout routine. Regularly exercising the muscles helps to maintain and build them up. Not overdoing aerobic or cardio exercise is beneficial.
4. Pace. Dieting without losing muscle is also correlated with the time it takes to lose weight. Those that lose excess pounds gradually are less likely to be losing muscle. When weight is lost too rapidly, some of that weight is often muscle. Avoiding extreme and rigid dieting and exercise regimes by setting an efficient pace can prevent muscle loss while dieting.

Resources:

Web MD