How to not lose muscle while dieting?

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  • JerseyGirl30
    JerseyGirl30 Posts: 23
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    okay so I looked up my TDEE-20% and it's 1,634 calories, which is below my BMR. Is it safe for me to continue to eat below my BMR (which is 1700 calories) or should I be eating atleast my BMR?

    That doesn't sound correct with the amount of exercise you are doing tbh.

    Which calculator did you use and which activity level did you select?

    Edit:

    I used fitness frog and got your TDEE to be 2575 with moderate exercise. So TDEE-20% = 2060

    so If ate 2060 calories a day, I wouldn't eat back my exercise calories since they are included in that number, correct?
  • Iron_Feline
    Iron_Feline Posts: 10,750 Member
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    That's correct - if you use the TDEE - 20% method you don't eat back your exercise calories as you have already included them in working out your TDEE. :flowerforyou:
  • VixenArgentum
    VixenArgentum Posts: 91 Member
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    Weights are your friends! (And body weight exercises too.)

    The protein is a good idea, but I find that balancing cardio with resistance training is what makes the difference between me losing muscle or fat.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,692 Member
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    I'm no expert but bodybuilders that want to lose weight but not muscle generally follow a ketogenic diet. Basically they eat an Atkins type diet Sunday thru Friday afternoon. They then eat carbs Friday nite thru Sat midnight. They also lift 4 days a week.
    They only do this only for comps. And trust me when I say that drugs in the "sport" have a lot with how they cut up.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    I'm no expert but bodybuilders that want to lose weight but not muscle generally follow a ketogenic diet. Basically they eat an Atkins type diet Sunday thru Friday afternoon. They then eat carbs Friday nite thru Sat midnight. They also lift 4 days a week.
    They only do this only for comps. And trust me when I say that drugs in the "sport" have a lot with how they cut up.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    ^^yep

    Most natty competitive bb'ers that I am aware of do not do a keto diet. A few may have to drop down at the very end of prep, but this is when they are getting shredded.

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