Healthy ways to lose weight without losing muscle mass

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• Feb 23, 2023 | Kabir Chakraborty

Strangely, muscle mass is significantly heavier, and reducing even modest quantities of muscle mass can lead to weight loss, which is why body weight and even BMI (which is generated from your body weight) are not accurate indicators of metabolic health.

Digital Desk: Weight loss is the primary therapy for people who are obese because it lowers the metabolic risk factors for diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. However, it is critical to maintain overall body functioning, good physical activity, and regular fitness levels, and it is best to preserve muscle mass while safely losing fat. The primary issue in the concept of weight reduction is in its name- "weight" loss-because what you want to shed is fat mass, not muscular mass from your body.

Weight reduction from fat mass is considered healthy weight loss, and for excellent metabolic health, you must improve muscle mass while decreasing fat mass. Strangely, muscle mass is significantly heavier, and reducing even modest quantities of muscle mass can lead to weight loss, which is why body weight and even BMI (which is generated from your body weight) are not accurate indicators of metabolic health.

In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Functional Nutritionist Mugdha Pradhan, CEO and Founder of iThrive, stated, "What is crucial is what we refer to as 'body composition,' which is assessed by tracking body fat percentage. Body fat percentage is tough to calculate; instead, track your body form in the mirror or measure your waistline. Greater fat deposition around the waist, known as "central obesity," is particularly associated with negative health effects. Weight loss is a massive industry, and there are a plethora of services, products, and information sources available to assist you lose weight today. Some are completely bogus and even harmful, while the vast majority are just somewhat helpful because they focus on a particular aspect to improve weight reduction."

"Workout programmes for weight loss do little to address the diet, and even most nutrition programmes just focus on calorie consumption, which is only one small factor," she continued. To lose weight properly (by reducing fat rather than muscle), you must take a comprehensive approach. Obesity can be caused by a variety of causes, including hormone imbalances, thyroid dysfunction, gastrointestinal difficulties, and toxic overload."

"The best approach is to have a thorough health evaluation and engage with a functional nutritionist or other holistic health practitioner to work on all areas of your food and lifestyle," she advised. It is critical to guarantee that the weight loss is long-term. This can be accomplished by gradually modifying your diet and lifestyle rather than going on severe crash diets. Most of the time, rapid weight loss by highly rigorous diets involving calorie restriction results in a significant loss of muscle mass."

Vasundhara Agarwal, Diet and Lifestyle Consultant, recommended 4 healthy ways to lose weight without losing muscle weight –

1. Enhance your protein intake: A high-protein diet increases metabolism, reduces hunger, improves weight loss, and aids in the maintenance of lean muscle mass. This is due to the fact that protein contains amino acids, which serve as the building blocks for muscle tissue. As a result, increased protein consumption aids in the prevention of muscle loss. The distribution of daily protein consumption is just as significant as total daily protein intake.

2. Forgo excessive calorie restriction: A calorie deficit is required for weight loss. Excessive calorie restriction, on the other hand, results in muscle loss rather than weight loss. Consuming enough calories can help you avoid muscle loss and lose weight.

3. Never completely avoid fats: Proper dietary fats are essential for the general health of your body. Because it helps give energy to your muscles, unsaturated fat is an ideal complement to any muscle-building diet. Unsaturated fats include polyunsaturated fat and monounsaturated fat. It is critical to limit harmful fats such as saturated and trans fats. As a result, the appropriate fats promote weight loss while while preserving muscle mass.

4. Drink plenty of water: Water aids weight loss by suppressing your hunger and increasing your metabolism. It has no calories and helps you burn more. It is also vital for muscle acquisition because it delivers nutrients needed for the formation of protein and glycogen structures, which are the building blocks of muscles in the body. When sugary beverages are replaced with water, these benefits are amplified.