When many people think of a person in ideal shape, they imagine a ripped muscular body with little visible fat. The road to obtaining this ideal is usually quite challenging and unfortunately there are no quick fixes. Muscle mass aids in the burning of body fat, so it is important to have a fair amount of muscle present to facilitate weight loss. Various factors can alter muscle mass and it is important to keep these in mind when you're attempting to lose weight.
Weight Loss Defined
Weight loss is commonly determined by watching the number on the scale go down. However, your weight may decrease due to the reduction of anything within your body, whether it is muscle, fat, or water. It is important to note that most people actually mean "fat loss" when they set their goals; thus the term "weight loss" used from here on will refer to this definition of the word.
To achieve weight loss, you must create an overall calorie deficit by reducing the calories you eat or by increasing the calories you burn through exercise, or through a combination of both. A total deficit of 3,500 calories will result in the loss of 1 lb. of body fat.
Muscle Mass
Muscle mass is particularly important in weight loss regimen for the sheer fact that lean muscle requires the body to burn more daily calories just for maintenance. According to Weight Loss Resources Ltd., every pound of muscle burns up to 50 calories more each day than other types of body tissue, which adds up to pounds of additional fat loss over time. A person with just five extra pounds of muscle can lose a pound of body fat in two weeks just by maintaining their daily calorie levels without exercise. Of course, combining a strict diet and exercise into this equation will ensure and speed up the weight loss process.
Cardiovascular Exercise
A common myth is that cardiovascular exercise will break down and diminish muscles. However, cardio exercise such as running, cycling, swimming or dancing is crucial to burning fat for weight loss as long as it is not done in excessive amounts. Not only does this type of exercise burn calories, it also promotes blood flow and oxygen circulation throughout the body. With proper nutrition, 45 to 60 minutes of cardio activity daily is an adequate amount for both weight loss and muscle preservation.
Resistance Training
Resistance training using free weights or weight machines is necessary to build and maintain a decent amount of muscle mass to encourage weight loss. As an added bonus to training with weights, the body's heart rate remains elevated for several hours after you perform weight-bearing or resistance exercises, which in turn burns more calories. Note that it is highly unlikely that you will gain muscle and lose fat simultaneously once your diet and exercise programs are under way. For this reason, weight loss is usually slow at the beginning of a new workout program with resistance training since the body is building up initial muscle, but the rate of fat loss eventually speed up as your body gains more muscle mass.
Nutrition
Nutrition should always be taken into consideration with any weight loss program. Protein consumption is of the utmost importance since it is the key nutrient used in building muscles. Some bodybuilders go as far as eating a high protein meal every three hours to maximize muscle preservation. Carbohydrates are also necessary to help with protein absorption, so reducing carbohydrate intake too much will cause some muscle loss even if you consume high volumes of protein. A sufficient amount of calories is crucial to prevent the body from going into starvation mode where the body begins breaking muscle fibers to conserve energy.
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