How can I make sure my body is burning fat not muscle mass

zealey77

Hi, did anyone see the BBC doc 'Fat vs Sugar' last night on TV? It was fascinating, but it left me with a few unanswered questions. Namely, if I'm eating at a calorie deficit to lose weight, how can I ensure my body is using the lack of calories to burn my fat reserves and not my lean muscle mass?
Are there special foods or food groups that help with this?
I exercise 5 times a week - a mix of jogging, cycling and push-ups.
Thanks for any advice.

Escape_Artist

Eating enough protein and lifting heavy will help preserve your muscle mass while cutting.

suppakana

You can't.

By lifting you can "build" muscle while burning it; but there's no way to tell your body "use THIS for fuel - NOT that!"

cajuntank

Hi, did anyone see the BBC doc 'Fat vs Sugar' last night on TV? It was fascinating, but it left me with a few unanswered questions. Namely, if I'm eating at a calorie deficit to lose weight, how can I ensure my body is using the lack of calories to burn my fat reserves and not my lean muscle mass?
Are there special foods or food groups that help with this?
I exercise 5 times a week - a mix of jogging, cycling and push-ups.
Thanks for any advice.

The only proven way that you will find is eating enough protein and giving your muscles enough stimulus. Here a good link explaining in more detail.

http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/how-to-lose-fat-without-losing-muscle/

QuentinHardage

if strength weakens, then increase healthy foods slightly.

djeffreys10

Eating enough protein and lifting heavy will help preserve your muscle mass while cutting.

This

You can't.

By lifting you can "build" muscle while burning it; but there's no way to tell your body "use THIS for fuel - NOT that!"

But sooooooo much NOT this.

Mr_Knight

...how can I ensure my body is using the lack of calories to burn my fat reserves and not my lean muscle mass?
Are there special foods or food groups that help with this?

- Don't eat at an excessive caloric deficit.
- Stay active
- Ensure sufficient protein intake

Beyond that, the body will do what it does.

_hillary_

It's always been my understanding that fat is a more readily available energy source than muscle - it is easier to break down. So, the body will generally choose what it can use more efficiently, which is fat. And yes, you should encourage the continued maintenance of existing muscle through protein consumption and using the muscle.

BusyRaeNOTBusty

Eating enough protein and lifting heavy will help preserve your muscle mass while cutting.

Yes.

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/training/weight-training-for-fat-loss-part-1.html

And 0.8 - 1 gram pf protein per pound of lean body mass.

bitshred

I have the same worry. Good topic here. And I think others already summed it up. Basically you will lose muscle, I am already losing muscle.
And like they said, you need to eat protein and lift weights. I am starting to add more weights in myself. But I accept that I will lose some muscle with the deficit I am at. I'm more worried about the fat. So once I have that all gone, I can always work on the muscle mass.

hesn92

Lift weights and eat a lot of protein... If you do that it sort of signals to your body that you're actually using your muscles and you want it to take energy from your fat instead.

RivenV

You can't.

By lifting you can "build" muscle while burning it; but there's no way to tell your body "use THIS for fuel - NOT that!"

Staaaaahp!

Eat enough protein; consider .8-1 gram per pound of lean body mass. Also, consider taking up lifting.

shimmygirl411

Pretty sure I haven't been getting enough protein (though I have been lifting). Must increase the protein! Thanks for the reminder everyone!