One of the hardest things to do physically when it comes to fitness is losing fat while holding onto muscle. Now, mind you, you will lose some muscle while burning off fat, but the objective is to keep as much muscle preserved as possible.
Are you trying to lose weight or cut, and it seems you are losing as much muscle as you are fat? So maybe you are losing pounds, but your body fat percentage has not changed much.
There is a high possibility you have some issues with your diet.
It is easy to just assume you need to count your calories, but there is much more to it than that. Breaking the calories down and observing your macronutrients, or “macros”, is an effective way to make sure you are body is burning what it needs to and holding on to what it needs to. Macronutrients are molecules that our bodies use to create energy for themselves – primarily fat, protein and carbs. They are found in all foods in varying amounts, measured in grams (g) on the nutrition labels.
- Fat provides 9 calories per gram
- Protein provides 4 calories per gram
- Carbohydrates provide 4 calories per gram
If you eat less calories than you burn, you will likely lose weight. But counting calories can only tell you so much; if you’re not careful and don’t eat the right calories, you’ll likely lose muscle too! To maintain, lose or even gain weight, many people rely on counting macros to make sure they’re eating correctly. 100 calories of avocado (fat) is a lot better than 100 calories of a doughnut (carbs). On a ketogenic (low carb, high fat) diet, it’s very important to know how many carbs you’re eating in comparison to fat and protein. Many people aim for less than 50g of carbs to maintain ketosis. When counting macros, you simply add up how many grams of fat, protein and carbs you ate that day.
A basic formula for figuring up your needed macros for losing fat and keeping muscle is:
- (Losing Fat)
-Protein=1-1.2 grams for each current body pound
-Carbs= .8 – 1 carb for each current body pound
-Fat Grams= 30%-40% of current body weight
Along with this of course if your training routine and consistency. Another facet that can be overlooked is supplementation. Fat burners/thermogenics can play a huge role in focus, appetite, energy, and expediting fat loss. When cutting down on overall calorie consumption from what you are used to, this item can help out big time. 1UP Nutrition’s Pro Ripped Max and Make Her Lean Max are great fat burners for helping out with losing stubborn fat effectively and safely, along with great energy and focus. With an open ingredient, non-proprietary blend label, you know what you are taking and how much!
