Fitness has been a huge part of my life for many years now, but last year I got really sick which caused me to take a break from working out. During that time I packed on a few extra pounds (15 to be exact) because being in your 30’s means putting in work to stay in shape. Once I got better and was able to start back working out, I had to work to burn the extra fat and turn it into muscle. My fitness goal is never to be skinny (nothing wrong with it, but not my goal). I like to look lean and strong with visible muscle tone.
How To Burn Fat Without Losing Muscle
Lift Heavy – Weights Are Your Friend
A lot of women are afraid to lift because of fear of looking bulky. It’s a very common belief but it’s not exactly true.
Why Lifting Weights Is Good For Women
It helps you lose body fat quicker
Implementing a strength training routine is one of the quickest ways to get rid of body fat. As women, we have about 10% more body fat than men because our bodies are equipped to grow and carry humans. The more muscle mass you have, the more fat you will burn. Instead of focusing on zone training, it is more beneficial to target your full body to see the best results. So skip the hundreds of squats and work on training your full body.
Burn Calories All Day Long
Strength training gives your metabolism a big boost. Regular strength training can increase your resting metabolic rate resulting in your body burning more calories throughout the day. The higher your resting metabolic rate, the more fat you burn and the more weight you lose.
Gain Strength Without Bulk
So remember earlier when I said that lifting weights will make you bulky is a myth? Here’s why. Strength training helps your body to lose inches in the places you don’t want them and gain inches in the places you do.
When I was working to lose the weight I gained I focused on doing weight training exercises to flatten my stomach and build my glutes.
HIIT Workouts
HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training. HIIT is great especially if you love cardio because it is done in short intervals and it protects you against losing the muscle mass you worked so hard to build.
HIIT workouts are usually 15- 30 minutes long with short periods of exercise and minimal time in between.
If you’re new to HIIT, check out this post for some great exercises.
More Benefits of HIIT
You burn calories quicker.
Your body might gain muscle instead of losing muscle which commonly happens with traditional cardio.
I also like HIIT because if you do not have a lot of time to workout, you can train your full body in a shorter amount of time. It’s a great way to have an effective workout and achieve the results you want without spending endless hours in the gym.
Don’t Slash Your Calories By Too Much Without Understanding Where You Are
Caloric Deficit
Unless this is recommended to you by a health professional, the average person looking to lose weight does not need to go from a 2000 calorie a day diet to a 1000 calorie a day diet.
When you are looking to lose fat, you can create what is called a caloric deficit which means that you burn more calories than you consume.
Ex: 1800 calories consumed, 2300 calories burned = 500 stored calories that will be burned from fat or muscle, or both.
In this situation your body does not have enough calories to support the energy it needs. When this happens your body us forced to to find an alternate fuel source to burn energy instead. Those fuel sources are fat cells and muscle tissue. Creating a caloric deficit will always cause you to lose one of the two or both.
Caloric Surplus
On the opposite end of the spectrum is the caloric surplus.
Ex: 2300 calories consumed, 1800 calories burned = 500 calories that will be stored as fat, muscle, or both.
In this situation, the body has a surplus of leftover calories that have to go somewhere. This means that your body will be forced to store them for potential use later. This scenario will always cause you to gain either fat, muscle, or both.
When you have reached your fitness goals, you go into maintenance mode. This is typically the zone I live in when I am healthy and working out frequently. It means that I have a set number of calories I consume each day and I burn an equal amount of calories.
Ex: 2000 calories consumed, 2000 calories burned = 0 calories that need to be stored or burned.
Since there is no surplus to be stored and no deficit to burned you will not gain or lose anything.
How to calculate how many calories you should consume each day?
The first step is to know the right amount of calories you should consume each day. Knowing this number will help you stay balanced and understand whether or not you are in maintenance mode, or if you could benefit from operating at a caloric deficit.
Ex: I weigh 155 lbs. I multiply my weight 155 x 12 = 1860. I then multiply my weight 155 x 18 = 2790. My caloric intake level for maintenance is 1860 – 2790.
Personally, I try to stay within the 2,000 to 2,300 range depending on how active I am at the time.
For those that are less active, I recommend that you use this calculation and stick to the lower end of the caloric intake estimate.
What if I want to create a caloric deficit to lose weight?
The ideal range to create a caloric deficit for most is to consume 10-25% below your maintenance level. If you don’t know where to start within this range, 20% is a safe starting point.
Ex: If I wanted to create a caloric deficit I would take the 2,300 calories that I typically consume and subtract 20% resulting in 460 calories. Now I’d subtract 460 from 2,300 resulting in 1840. So in this example if I wanted to lose weight I would consume 1,840 calories each day.
What if I want to create a caloric surplus to gain muscle?
If your goal is to gain more muscle, your focus should caloric intake should be above your maintenance level to create a surplus. This does not mean going crazy on ice cream, pizza, and chips (sorry, friends). It means maintaining healthy eating habits, but adding a bit more to your diet. The recommended daily surplus for women is 100 calories above your maintenance level.
Summing It Up
If you are working to lose fat without losing muscle you will want to focus on exercises that on conducive to fat loss. HIIT workouts are great for those that love cardio and don’t want to give it up.
Add weights into your workout routine and learn how to lift for your specific body type. If you are new to weight lifting, I highly recommend seeking assistance from a personal trainer to avoid any injuries.
Understand your starting point. Calculate your suggested caloric intake range to better understand if your goal needs to be on losing weight,gaining muscle, or maintenance.
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