burn fat not muscle?

ohiomom0503

How can one be sure they are burning fat during their weight loss/work outs and not muscle?
Prior to this weekend, I was doing C25K as my main form of exercise, with a one hour Zumba class thrown in once a week.
This weekend, I joined a fitness center through work, really cheap, and started using the elliptical as my main form of exercise.
The ellipticals are from True Fitness. The first day, I thought I would do the "sports interval" level. That lasted all of 15 minutes.
Yesterday, I did the "easy intervals" level for about 40 minutes.
Twice a week or so, I do light weights and some resistance exercises, but not a lot.
Then, the more I started reading etc. on the internet, the more worried I've become that I'm not burning fat, but muscle!
Any input/advice anyone has would be great!
Thanks

liftingbro

Lift weights, get 1.5g of protein per pound of lean mass or 1 g per pound of bodyweight., and don't create huge deficits with too much cardio.

Some cardio is OK, but if you end up with huge deficits then you'll lose muscle.

People who are new to lifting weights may actually gain muscle while in a deficit with proper lifting and protein.

SHBoss1673

Actually, the way you can be sure you're burning a high percentage of fat is to keep your deficit VERY reasonable for the amount of fat you have to lose.

Yes, resistance exercise is important, Protein intake not so important for this specific aspect though (assuming you're getting enough for an active adult). Protein is important for other reasons, but not to prevent your body from canabalizing dormant muscle mass. Resistance is important because it activates muscle which means the body will save that for last in a a starvation state when it starts burning lean tissue (in large quantity).

So to recap, keep your calorie deficit small to moderate, exercise, and of course eat a healthy diet. That's really the long and short of it, everything else is essentially minutiae.

liftingbro

Actually, the way you can be sure you're burning a high percentage of fat is to keep your deficit VERY reasonable for the amount of fat you have to lose.

Yes, resistance exercise is important, Protein intake not so important for this specific aspect though (assuming you're getting enough for an active adult). Protein is important for other reasons, but not to prevent your body from canabalizing dormant muscle mass. Resistance is important because it activates muscle which means the body will save that for last in a a starvation state when it starts burning lean tissue (in large quantity).

So to recap, keep your calorie deficit small to moderate, exercise, and of course eat a healthy diet. That's really the long and short of it, everything else is essentially minutiae.

No, not correct. You do need increased protein intake on a deficit to avoide losing muscle. There are tons of studies that show that increasing protein intake (above daily suggest which isn't that much) does help reduce muscle loss. Not to mention that lifting without the proper amountt of protein will get you a lot slower progress in strength gain and in building muscle mass. Some people may no need the full 1-2g per pound of lean mass, but you need more than daily suggested if you are active and lift and particularly if you are on a greater than 500 caloried deficit.

It is true that how much fat you have affects muscle loss on deficits. The more fat you have the less muscle you are possibly going to lose. If you are very obese you can run a 1000 calorie per day deficit and not lose much muscle in the beginning with a proper lifting routine and protein intake.

Don't forget, when you lift you damage your muscle which results in hypertrophy and protein and carbs are required to take advantage of the anabolic state. Now, the timing of the nutrients means little so long ast your daily intake works out.

brown_eyed_girl_06

BUMP-I am wondering the same thing.

Lyadeia

The way that I have always done this and am currently doing this is pretty much by what mcrow24 says. :flowerforyou:

I follow Tom Venuto and his advice as carefully as I can, and believe me it works!

I alternate days of weight training and cardio and limit myself to an hour a day of exercise. The weight training ensures that I am keeping my muscle, and I also eat a higher in protein diet. If you look at my diary you see that I am calorie and carb cycling. So for 3 days I eat around 1500 calories with approximately 45% protein, 25% fat, and 30% carbs. Then on the 4th day I go up to around 1800 calories with approximately 25% protein, 25% fat, and 50% carbs. The higher protein keeps my muscles repaired and strong from the intense workouts that I do, and that 4th day prevents my body from ever thinking that I am doing a ketogenic diet (or one like it) since I am definitely not doing that.

Once a week I measure my body fat and calculate lean mass and body fat mass, and I consistently lose fat and retain muscle. I may lose a small amount of lean mass, but the larger loss is always from fat.

TK421NotAtPost

Actually, the way you can be sure you're burning a high percentage of fat is to keep your deficit VERY reasonable for the amount of fat you have to lose.

Yes, resistance exercise is important, Protein intake not so important for this specific aspect though (assuming you're getting enough for an active adult). Protein is important for other reasons, but not to prevent your body from canabalizing dormant muscle mass. Resistance is important because it activates muscle which means the body will save that for last in a a starvation state when it starts burning lean tissue (in large quantity).

So to recap, keep your calorie deficit small to moderate, exercise, and of course eat a healthy diet. That's really the long and short of it, everything else is essentially minutiae.

No, not correct. You do need increased protein intake on a deficit to avoide losing muscle. There are tons of studies that show that increasing protein intake (above daily suggest which isn't that much) does help reduce muscle loss. Not to mention that lifting without the proper amountt of protein will get you a lot slower progress in strength gain and in building muscle mass. Some people may no need the full 1-2g per pound of lean mass, but you need more than daily suggested if you are active and lift and particularly if you are on a greater than 500 caloried deficit.

It is true that how much fat you have affects muscle loss on deficits. The more fat you have the less muscle you are possibly going to lose. If you are very obese you can run a 1000 calorie per day deficit and not lose much muscle in the beginning with a proper lifting routine and protein intake.

Don't forget, when you lift you damage your muscle which results in hypertrophy and protein and carbs are required to take advantage of the anabolic state. Now, the timing of the nutrients means little so long ast your daily intake works out.

Agree 100%.

Protein is extremely important to sparing lean body mass when on a caloric deficit. Maintaining a reasonable AVERAGE daily caloric deficit is important too, but you'll be compromising your efforts if you don't eat enough protein.

Of course, the number one determinant will be your genetics, but the methods we can actually control to help minimize muscle loss are resistance training, a moderate deficit, and lots of protein. Carb cycling is great too...especially for people that have been going at it for a while!

amsparky

This is great info....saving for later!

SHBoss1673

No, not correct. You do need increased protein intake on a deficit to avoide losing muscle. There are tons of studies that show that increasing protein intake (above daily suggest which isn't that much) does help reduce muscle loss. Not to mention that lifting without the proper amountt of protein will get you a lot slower progress in strength gain and in building muscle mass. Some people may no need the full 1-2g per pound of lean mass, but you need more than daily suggested if you are active and lift and particularly if you are on a greater than 500 caloried deficit.

It is true that how much fat you have affects muscle loss on deficits. The more fat you have the less muscle you are possibly going to lose. If you are very obese you can run a 1000 calorie per day deficit and not lose much muscle in the beginning with a proper lifting routine and protein intake.

Don't forget, when you lift you damage your muscle which results in hypertrophy and protein and carbs are required to take advantage of the anabolic state. Now, the timing of the nutrients means little so long ast your daily intake works out.

Increase protein over what? That's the real question. If she's at a low average (less than 1 gram per pound LBM) then yes, increase protein, but not if she's already at 25 to 35% protein. This is assuming that she is at a low protein level, which we don't know. All things being equal, the one thing that will keep a person in a range that allows for a high percentage of fat being burned is calorie deficit and activity level.

You said there were tons of studies, but not for this exact situation. I've read tons of studies on it too, but they don't talk about someone going from 1.5 grams per pound LBM to 2.2 grams per pound LBM and gaining any significant protein sparring. It all depends on what that person is doing and needs.

IMHO you are over emphasizing the importance of protein with regards to weight loss in the form of Fat loss. Yes, protein is important, but it's less important to get your protein level perfect than it is to keep your deficit at a reasonable level. Assuming someone is at a level of protein that allows for the upkeep of existing muscle mass through repair, then it's all about the deficit and the Activity level of the person in question.

Now, in her case it looks like she's at the MFP set values, which I think are far low for protein, so yes, bring up the protein levels to about 25% just to meet normal standards for an active person. But this protein debate is far less important than people make it out to be for someone just trying to lose fat.

christine24t

to make sure you are burning fat rather than muscle, work at 60-70% of your maximum heart rate! This is what I do, and I've lost a lot of weight. Here's the link to help you figure it out: http://www.thewalkingsite.com/thr.html

liftingbro

Increase protein over what? That's the real question. If she's at a low average (less than 1 gram per pound LBM) then yes, increase protein, but not if she's already at 25 to 35% protein. This is assuming that she is at a low protein level, which we don't know. All things being equal, the one thing that will keep a person in a range that allows for a high percentage of fat being burned is calorie deficit and activity level.

I was not saying taking in 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight in addition to the daily recommended. I was saying 1g total. Yes, calories in vs calories out is the most important thing for losing fat, but that's not the subject here. The OP is concerned about losing muscle which can and will happen with poor nutrition, including not enough protein.

You said there were tons of studies, but not for this exact situation. I've read tons of studies on it too, but they don't talk about someone going from 1.5 grams per pound LBM to 2.2 grams per pound LBM and gaining any significant protein sparring. It all depends on what that person is doing and needs.

Nobody suggested going from 1.5 to 2.2, the studies show that the average person's diet (taking daily rocommended) isn't good enough to maintain or build significant muscle mass. I also mentioned that not everyone will need 1g-1.5g of protein, genetics and other factors play a role as well.

IMHO you are over emphasizing the importance of protein with regards to weight loss in the form of Fat loss. Yes, protein is important, but it's less important to get your protein level perfect than it is to keep your deficit at a reasonable level. Assuming someone is at a level of protein that allows for the upkeep of existing muscle mass through repair, then it's all about the deficit and the Activity level of the person in question.
[/quote]

liftingbro

Increase protein over what? That's the real question. If she's at a low average (less than 1 gram per pound LBM) then yes, increase protein, but not if she's already at 25 to 35% protein. This is assuming that she is at a low protein level, which we don't know. All things being equal, the one thing that will keep a person in a range that allows for a high percentage of fat being burned is calorie deficit and activity level.

I was not saying taking in 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight in addition to the daily recommended. I was saying 1g total. Yes, calories in vs calories out is the most important thing for losing fat, but that's not the subject here. The OP is concerned about losing muscle which can and will happen with poor nutrition, including not enough protein.

You said there were tons of studies, but not for this exact situation. I've read tons of studies on it too, but they don't talk about someone going from 1.5 grams per pound LBM to 2.2 grams per pound LBM and gaining any significant protein sparring. It all depends on what that person is doing and needs.

Nobody suggested going from 1.5 to 2.2, the studies show that the average person's diet (taking daily rocommended) isn't good enough to maintain or build significant muscle mass. I also mentioned that not everyone will need 1g-1.5g of protein, genetics and other factors play a role as well. If you get a little more than you need it isn't going to hurt anything as long as you are still within your calorie range for the day.

I

MHO you are over emphasizing the importance of protein with regards to weight loss in the form of Fat loss. Yes, protein is important, but it's less important to get your protein level perfect than it is to keep your deficit at a reasonable level. Assuming someone is at a level of protein that allows for the upkeep of existing muscle mass through repair, then it's all about the deficit and the Activity level of the person in question.

No, no, no.

You are seriously underestimating it. If my memory of clinical chemistry is not failing me, I believe that the TEF (Thermic Effect of Food) show that protein takes ~25-30% more calories to digest than the other macros. So by increasing your protein your are increasing metabolism. That's in addition to the muscle building/sparring effects.

TK421NotAtPost

No, not correct. You do need increased protein intake on a deficit to avoide losing muscle. There are tons of studies that show that increasing protein intake (above daily suggest which isn't that much) does help reduce muscle loss. Not to mention that lifting without the proper amountt of protein will get you a lot slower progress in strength gain and in building muscle mass. Some people may no need the full 1-2g per pound of lean mass, but you need more than daily suggested if you are active and lift and particularly if you are on a greater than 500 caloried deficit.

It is true that how much fat you have affects muscle loss on deficits. The more fat you have the less muscle you are possibly going to lose. If you are very obese you can run a 1000 calorie per day deficit and not lose much muscle in the beginning with a proper lifting routine and protein intake.

Don't forget, when you lift you damage your muscle which results in hypertrophy and protein and carbs are required to take advantage of the anabolic state. Now, the timing of the nutrients means little so long ast your daily intake works out.

Increase protein over what? That's the real question. If she's at a low average (less than 1 gram per pound LBM) then yes, increase protein, but not if she's already at 25 to 35% protein. This is assuming that she is at a low protein level, which we don't know. All things being equal, the one thing that will keep a person in a range that allows for a high percentage of fat being burned is calorie deficit and activity level.

You said there were tons of studies, but not for this exact situation. I've read tons of studies on it too, but they don't talk about someone going from 1.5 grams per pound LBM to 2.2 grams per pound LBM and gaining any significant protein sparring. It all depends on what that person is doing and needs.

IMHO you are over emphasizing the importance of protein with regards to weight loss in the form of Fat loss. Yes, protein is important, but it's less important to get your protein level perfect than it is to keep your deficit at a reasonable level. Assuming someone is at a level of protein that allows for the upkeep of existing muscle mass through repair, then it's all about the deficit and the Activity level of the person in question.

Now, in her case it looks like she's at the MFP set values, which I think are far low for protein, so yes, bring up the protein levels to about 25% just to meet normal standards for an active person. But this protein debate is far less important than people make it out to be for someone just trying to lose fat.

Well then you can use the same reasoning when viewing her daily calorie deficit. How do you know her daily caloric deficit is too high? Since you say that if her protein level is already at 25-35%, then protein doesn't need to be increased. Well then by that same reasoning, if her daily caloric deficit isn't too high, then that really isn't an issue either.

The OP wanted to know how to lose weight while minimizing muscle loss and quite frankly, your first post made it seem like protein wasn't important when obviously it is important to get sufficient protein along with exercise and a reasonable calorie deficit.

liftingbro

No, not correct. You do need increased protein intake on a deficit to avoide losing muscle. There are tons of studies that show that increasing protein intake (above daily suggest which isn't that much) does help reduce muscle loss. Not to mention that lifting without the proper amountt of protein will get you a lot slower progress in strength gain and in building muscle mass. Some people may no need the full 1-2g per pound of lean mass, but you need more than daily suggested if you are active and lift and particularly if you are on a greater than 500 caloried deficit.

It is true that how much fat you have affects muscle loss on deficits. The more fat you have the less muscle you are possibly going to lose. If you are very obese you can run a 1000 calorie per day deficit and not lose much muscle in the beginning with a proper lifting routine and protein intake.

Don't forget, when you lift you damage your muscle which results in hypertrophy and protein and carbs are required to take advantage of the anabolic state. Now, the timing of the nutrients means little so long ast your daily intake works out.

Increase protein over what? That's the real question. If she's at a low average (less than 1 gram per pound LBM) then yes, increase protein, but not if she's already at 25 to 35% protein. This is assuming that she is at a low protein level, which we don't know. All things being equal, the one thing that will keep a person in a range that allows for a high percentage of fat being burned is calorie deficit and activity level.

You said there were tons of studies, but not for this exact situation. I've read tons of studies on it too, but they don't talk about someone going from 1.5 grams per pound LBM to 2.2 grams per pound LBM and gaining any significant protein sparring. It all depends on what that person is doing and needs.

IMHO you are over emphasizing the importance of protein with regards to weight loss in the form of Fat loss. Yes, protein is important, but it's less important to get your protein level perfect than it is to keep your deficit at a reasonable level. Assuming someone is at a level of protein that allows for the upkeep of existing muscle mass through repair, then it's all about the deficit and the Activity level of the person in question.

Now, in her case it looks like she's at the MFP set values, which I think are far low for protein, so yes, bring up the protein levels to about 25% just to meet normal standards for an active person. But this protein debate is far less important than people make it out to be for someone just trying to lose fat.

Well then you can use the same reasoning when viewing her daily calorie deficit. How do you know her daily caloric deficit is too high? Since you say that if her protein level is already at 25-35%, then protein doesn't need to be increased. Well then by that same reasoning, if her daily caloric deficit isn't too high, then that really isn't an issue either.

The OP wanted to know how to lose weight while minimizing muscle loss and quite frankly, your first post made it seem like protein wasn't important when obviously it is important to get sufficient protein along with exercise and a reasonable calorie deficit.

Yes, the OP asked specifically about losing muscle so the protein intake is very important to this thread.

Do you need to have a high protein diet to lose weight? NO.
Do you need to have enough protein (Generally 1g per pound of BW or 1.5 per pound of LM) to maintain or build a significant amount of muscle? Probably.

Interesting link here, though you may have read it already:
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/metabolic-rate-overview.html

SHBoss1673

No, not correct. You do need increased protein intake on a deficit to avoide losing muscle. There are tons of studies that show that increasing protein intake (above daily suggest which isn't that much) does help reduce muscle loss. Not to mention that lifting without the proper amountt of protein will get you a lot slower progress in strength gain and in building muscle mass. Some people may no need the full 1-2g per pound of lean mass, but you need more than daily suggested if you are active and lift and particularly if you are on a greater than 500 caloried deficit.

It is true that how much fat you have affects muscle loss on deficits. The more fat you have the less muscle you are possibly going to lose. If you are very obese you can run a 1000 calorie per day deficit and not lose much muscle in the beginning with a proper lifting routine and protein intake.

Don't forget, when you lift you damage your muscle which results in hypertrophy and protein and carbs are required to take advantage of the anabolic state. Now, the timing of the nutrients means little so long ast your daily intake works out.

Increase protein over what? That's the real question. If she's at a low average (less than 1 gram per pound LBM) then yes, increase protein, but not if she's already at 25 to 35% protein. This is assuming that she is at a low protein level, which we don't know. All things being equal, the one thing that will keep a person in a range that allows for a high percentage of fat being burned is calorie deficit and activity level.

You said there were tons of studies, but not for this exact situation. I've read tons of studies on it too, but they don't talk about someone going from 1.5 grams per pound LBM to 2.2 grams per pound LBM and gaining any significant protein sparring. It all depends on what that person is doing and needs.

IMHO you are over emphasizing the importance of protein with regards to weight loss in the form of Fat loss. Yes, protein is important, but it's less important to get your protein level perfect than it is to keep your deficit at a reasonable level. Assuming someone is at a level of protein that allows for the upkeep of existing muscle mass through repair, then it's all about the deficit and the Activity level of the person in question.

Now, in her case it looks like she's at the MFP set values, which I think are far low for protein, so yes, bring up the protein levels to about 25% just to meet normal standards for an active person. But this protein debate is far less important than people make it out to be for someone just trying to lose fat.

Well then you can use the same reasoning when viewing her daily calorie deficit. How do you know her daily caloric deficit is too high? Since you say that if her protein level is already at 25-35%, then protein doesn't need to be increased. Well then by that same reasoning, if her daily caloric deficit isn't too high, then that really isn't an issue either.

The OP wanted to know how to lose weight while minimizing muscle loss and quite frankly, your first post made it seem like protein wasn't important when obviously it is important to get sufficient protein along with exercise and a reasonable calorie deficit.

Great logic, but that's not what she asked, she asked what the best way to make sure you're burning fat instead of muscle is. I said that the best way is to make sure you have a reasonable deficit based on what your individual body was. I also said that while protein is important, assuming you have a reasonable amount in your nutrition for what your activity level is, then it's not as important as the size of the calorie deficit. I did not say protein wasn't important at all. What you read intof what I wrote does not make that what I wrote. Please go back and re-read my original message. You'll see that I, in no way, diminished the importance of protein in the diet and for weight loss, just corrected the statement to show that, assuming sufficient protein for a person's current activity level, it's not as important as the calorie deficit.

liftingbro

Great logic, but that's not what she asked, she asked what the best way to make sure you're burning fat instead of muscle is. I said that the best way is to make sure you have a reasonable deficit based on what your individual body was. I also said that while protein is important, assuming you have a reasonable amount in your nutrition for what your activity level is, then it's not as important as the size of the calorie deficit. I did not say protein wasn't important at all. What you read intof what I wrote does not make that what I wrote. Please go back and re-read my original message. You'll see that I, in no way, diminished the importance of protein in the diet and for weight loss, just corrected the statement to show that, assuming sufficient protein for a person's current activity level, it's not as important as the calorie deficit.

Well, if you read my posts you'd note that I said they can't have a too large of a deficit, but that you have to have a deficit to burn fat. You didn't dismiss the importance? Studies have been showing fore quite sometime that 1-1.5g of protein per pound of BW works, yet you dismiss it.

Nobody even mention or challenged the idea of a deficit being the most important to burning fat, that was your sidetrack for being schooled on protein. Deficit is basic, basic weight loss knowledge that most people who have done any reading about weight loss would know.

TK421NotAtPost

Great logic, but that's not what she asked, she asked what the best way to make sure you're burning fat instead of muscle is. I said that the best way is to make sure you have a reasonable deficit based on what your individual body was. I also said that while protein is important, assuming you have a reasonable amount in your nutrition for what your activity level is, then it's not as important as the size of the calorie deficit. I did not say protein wasn't important at all. What you read intof what I wrote does not make that what I wrote. Please go back and re-read my original message. You'll see that I, in no way, diminished the importance of protein in the diet and for weight loss, just corrected the statement to show that, assuming sufficient protein for a person's current activity level, it's not as important as the calorie deficit.

OK, then why don't you explain to me exactly what she asked? The title of the thread is "burn fat, not mucle?" and in her post she asked,

"How can one be sure they are burning fat during their weight loss/work outs and not muscle?"

So, what exactly am I missing here? Is she not asking how to lose weight while minimizing muscle loss?

I don't care how moderate your calorie deficit is. If your protein isn't sufficient, then obviously you will lose both muscle and fat while dieting and exercising.

And since the OP has set her protein levels at a low level, I would say that her protein levels aren't sufficient and it would be important to increase them.

Tell me where my logic is off?

SHBoss1673

Great logic, but that's not what she asked, she asked what the best way to make sure you're burning fat instead of muscle is. I said that the best way is to make sure you have a reasonable deficit based on what your individual body was. I also said that while protein is important, assuming you have a reasonable amount in your nutrition for what your activity level is, then it's not as important as the size of the calorie deficit. I did not say protein wasn't important at all. What you read intof what I wrote does not make that what I wrote. Please go back and re-read my original message. You'll see that I, in no way, diminished the importance of protein in the diet and for weight loss, just corrected the statement to show that, assuming sufficient protein for a person's current activity level, it's not as important as the calorie deficit.

OK, then why don't you explain to me exactly what she asked? The title of the thread is "burn fat, not mucle?" and in her post she asked,

"How can one be sure they are burning fat during their weight loss/work outs and not muscle?"

So, what exactly am I missing here? Is she not asking how to lose weight while minimizing muscle loss?

I don't care how moderate your calorie deficit is. If your protein isn't sufficient, then obviously you will lose both muscle and fat while dieting and exercising.

And since the OP has set her protein levels at a low level, I would say that her protein levels aren't sufficient and it would be important to increase them.

Tell me where my logic is off?

I agree, if protein is insufficient. I never said otherwise, I said, ASSUMING sufficient protein, the most important factor is calorie deficit.

liftingbro

Great logic, but that's not what she asked, she asked what the best way to make sure you're burning fat instead of muscle is. I said that the best way is to make sure you have a reasonable deficit based on what your individual body was. I also said that while protein is important, assuming you have a reasonable amount in your nutrition for what your activity level is, then it's not as important as the size of the calorie deficit. I did not say protein wasn't important at all. What you read intof what I wrote does not make that what I wrote. Please go back and re-read my original message. You'll see that I, in no way, diminished the importance of protein in the diet and for weight loss, just corrected the statement to show that, assuming sufficient protein for a person's current activity level, it's not as important as the calorie deficit.

OK, then why don't you explain to me exactly what she asked? The title of the thread is "burn fat, not mucle?" and in her post she asked,

"How can one be sure they are burning fat during their weight loss/work outs and not muscle?"

So, what exactly am I missing here? Is she not asking how to lose weight while minimizing muscle loss?

I don't care how moderate your calorie deficit is. If your protein isn't sufficient, then obviously you will lose both muscle and fat while dieting and exercising.

And since the OP has set her protein levels at a low level, I would say that her protein levels aren't sufficient and it would be important to increase them.

Tell me where my logic is off?

I agree, if protein is insufficient. I never said otherwise, I said, ASSUMING sufficient protein, the most important factor is calorie deficit.

So then what the heck was your arguement? That 1g-1.5g per LBM/BW is too much?

TK421NotAtPost

I agree, if protein is insufficient. I never said otherwise, I said, ASSUMING sufficient protein, the most important factor is calorie deficit.

Well, I think that is debatable too because the importance of calorie deficit vs. protein intake is highly context dependent, but I think the OP gets the gist of what we're talking about. I think both are very important...along with a good training program.

SHBoss1673

I agree, if protein is insufficient. I never said otherwise, I said, ASSUMING sufficient protein, the most important factor is calorie deficit.

Well, I think that is debatable too because the importance of calorie deficit vs. protein intake is highly context dependent, but I think the OP gets the gist of what we're talking about. I think both are very important...along with a good training program.

right

MermaidFaith

to make sure you are burning fat rather than muscle, work at 60-70% of your maximum heart rate! This is what I do, and I've lost a lot of weight. Here's the link to help you figure it out: http://www.thewalkingsite.com/thr.html

awesome thanks for this link