Ask almost any woman about her workout goal and they’ll tell you some variation of “lose weight and tone up at the same time.” It’s the ultimate goal, really, to lose fat but gain muscle at the same time. But according to Dan Conn, it’s not that easy.
“Losing weight and gaining muscle isn’t as simple as lowering your calorie intake and increasing your reps in the gym,” she told us (*cue sigh*). “…It’s important to understand that you want to maintain lean muscle and therefore manage your intake carefully.”
When the goal is to lose weight, most people immediately resume their exercise and quickly reduce their calorie intake but according to gymnast Dan Connthat is not the answer.
In fact, most people, especially women, just want to look better and less flabby, especially if they’re average-sized to begin with. This does not necessarily mean weight loss. You need muscle to give the structure under those layers of fat to get those beautiful curves, think apple butt not pancake butt. This is harder than you might think, especially for women—it takes months or years of intentional training more intensely and eating to fuel your muscles, rather than trying to make your body smaller.
Building muscle takes a lot more calories than you think, and muscle is pretty dense. This is when a person can stay at the same weight or even gain weight while their clothes become looser. Many women really need to be in a caloric surplus to build the curves they want, like the glutes. Then they may want to switch to a caloric deficit while training the same way to maintain muscle and lose fat.
“When you train hard, you need to replenish your body efficiently. Post-exercise calorie restriction can result in muscle loss, not muscle gain… In addition, calorie restriction can also cause hormonal dysregulation resulting in adaptations that tell your body to go into starvation mode, slowing weight loss. Over time, [significant calorie reduction] can send your body into a stress response in which it produces excess cortisol, leading to inflammationwhich is not an ideal state of health.” And as we know, excess cortisol causes the body to store fat, which is exactly what we were trying to avoid.
Conversely, exercise does not necessarily burn more calories. Think of it as a stimulus to change your body, not a calorie burner. If you lift weights, it signals your body to build muscle and get stronger. If you run, it signals your lungs and legs to have better endurance. But over time, exercise doesn’t actually burn significantly more calories. Being tired will make you move less during the day. Also, exercise, especially vigorous exercise, will make you very hungry. This means that exercising alone without adjusting your diet is a futile way to lose weight.
According to a study published by the International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, gradual Weight loss—as opposed to more rapid weight loss—results in better lean body mass retention, improved performance, and sustainable weight maintenance. So those who want to lose weight while maintaining muscle are better off doing it gradually (0.7% to be exact). To avoid extremes that can slow your progress, Dan suggests making small changes. “To begin with, slowly add more of the good and leave the bad. In other words, increase your vegetable intake and ditch the sweets.”
“If your goal is to lose weight, I tend to adopt a high-fat, low-carb meal plan, which puts my body in ketosis. This encourages your body to tap into stored fat for greater energy sources. Sometimes, you gotta shock the body to build the body! To help prevent lean muscle loss I will also take branched chain amino acids BCAAs as well as a lean body protein powder, which helps build lean body mass.”
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So along with being patient, focusing on slow changes and improving your diet without restricting your calories too much, Dan says it’s also important to choose the right exercise.
“Sprinting has proven to be one of the more effective exercises for weight loss as it causes the body to release certain hormones that promote fat loss, while resistance training has been shown to increase insulin sensitivity, which helps support weight management as well as strengthening muscle groups.” Dan recommends incorporating both of these exercises into your workout plan. “Variating your exercise helps target all muscle groups instead of focusing on one area. If you focus on one area and repeat, you are unlikely to see any further results after the first couple of weeks. After all, doing the same thing over and over again is unlikely to be motivating.”
According to a study published by Sports Medicine, weight management for athletes and active individuals largely comes down to balancing the energy equation and ensuring that diet can be maintained.
“The time when we far outstrip our ability to maintain a healthy meal plan is when yo-yo dieting kicks in and our weight fluctuates, that also introduces emotional stress. Finding that sweet spot can involve a bit of trial and error, but once found it can bring a healthy routine and results,” says Dan.
Refusal: While we may all want to be a size 6 with a sculpted physique, Dan warns us to be realistic. We need to ask ourselves if we are committing to a meal/exercise plan outside of our scope. Ask yourself:
- Does my goal weight take into account my genetic makeup and family history?
“While it is possible to lose the weight gained, your body may not be able to lose beyond that amount and keep it off. However, improving your physical condition can definitely have positive health effects.”
- Is your desired weight appropriate for your health and reproductive health in particular?
“Women who engage in excessive exercise are prone to amenorrhea or longer cycles. If you notice a change in your menstrual cycle, you may need to reassess your fitness and meal regime.”
- Is your diet or exercise program resulting in emotional stress, disordered eating, or personal conflicts?
“The moment your new exercise or diet becomes a burden is when you have to start asking yourself if it’s worth the stress.”
Ready to get started? As in the end of this battle for everyone? THE The Ultimate Nutrition Bible book provides the detail to decide the best diet for you based on your goals, preferences, needs, and even spiritual goals to lose fat and build muscle without compromising your health. It’s the ultimate – the last diet book you’ll ever need – because the book aims to help you maintain your results for life instead of constantly getting on and off the yoyo diet wagon. After all, it’s the daily action that counts. If you buy it in a package hereit also comes with workout plans, a fitness app that simplifies it all, and delicious cookbooks to get you started.
Photo by Scott Webb on Unsplash
