A typical breakdown for fat loss and muscle gain is 40 percent protein, 30 percent fat, and 10 percent carbs. If you want to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time, you need to eat more protein and less fat. If you eat too much protein you will gain fat while eating too little will cause muscle loss.
How many calories should I eat a day to build muscle and burn fat?
For many, increasing your daily calories by 5 to 10% is sufficient in promoting lean muscle growth. For example, if your daily calorie needs are 2500, you can consume 250 extra calories per day. But there may be some differences in calorie needs per person based on starting body composition and level of training.
Can you lose fat and gain muscle at the same time?
If you can sustain a lifting program and eat a caloric deficit, your body will be able to pull from its fat stores to both fuel itself and potentially build muscle mass. Prioritizing foods rich in protein is a key component to both losing body fat and building muscle at the same time.
How much protein do I need to build muscle and lose fat?
How much protein should I eat to gain muscle and lose fat? Multiple sporting bodies have said that a minimum intake for those looking to gain muscle, lose fat, and improve athletic performance is 0.54 to 0.77 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight per day.
How much food should I be eating to gain muscle?
Most people require around 20 calories per pound (or 44 kcal / kg) of bodyweight to gain muscle mass. Using a 180-pound (82kg) male as an example, the required daily calorie intake is 3600 calories (20 kcal x 180 lb = 3600 kcal).
Does lifting weights burn fat?
Strength training specifically leads to gain lean muscle gain. These are fat-free tissues that are highly metabolic, allowing more caloric burns than any other tissue in the body. Essentially, this is why strength training works best: it loses fat while maintaining muscles that burn calories.
Should I bulk or cut first?
It's pretty simple. If you're lean enough to bulk (10-15% body fat or less for a man, or 18-23% or less for a woman), you should probably bulk first. If you're above these ranges, you should cut first. And if you're a beginner who's somewhere in the middle, you should recomp.
How do I lose fat but keep muscle?
Exercise plansDo cardio. To lose fat and gain or maintain muscle mass, do moderate- to high-intensity cardio for at least 150 minutes per week. ... Increase intensity. Increase the intensity of your workouts to challenge yourself and burn calories. ... Continue to strength train. ... Take a rest.
Should I build muscle or lose fat first?
Building muscle should be your main focus as it increases your metabolism and makes losing fat easier. If you want to lose fat first to improve your body composition, you'll need to strength train and up your protein intake to minimize the amount of muscle you lose, too.
How do I burn fat without losing muscle?
Alternate High- and Low-Intensity Days and Fuel AccordinglyOn high-intensity days, acquire or preserve muscle by eating more and including carbohydrates.On low-intensity days, burn fat without losing muscle by truly keeping the workout intensity low and by avoiding carbohydrates, especially simple carbs.
Is 2500 calories enough to build muscle?
The general rule is that consuming an excess of at least 2,500 calories per week can help increase lean tissue by one pound of gained mass. This number is derived from several published studies, but it is generalized for the 'average exerciser. ' For muscle hypertrophy, your client may need even more excess calories.
Is 3000 calories enough to build muscle?
Is 3000 calories enough to bulk? If your maintenance calorie requirements are in the region of 2500 calories per day, then 3000 calories represents a surplus of 500 calories. That's more than enough for most people who want to bulk up and gain muscle.
What does a 3000 calorie diet look like?
3000-Calorie Diet Basics To fit in all the calories, you need to eat three meals and three snacks a day on your 3000-calorie diet. A healthy and balanced 3000-calorie diet includes 10 ounces of grains, 4 cups of vegetables, 2 1/2 cups of fruit, 3 cups of dairy and 7 ounces of protein foods.
How can I lose belly fat and gain muscle at the same time?
You can lose body fat and gain lean body mass at the same time." Carpenter cited a study that found that men eating in a 40% energy deficit for four weeks while resistance training, doing high-intensity interval training, and consuming a high-protein diet were able to increase their lean body mass.
Should I lose fat or gain muscle first?
People with high body fat percentages or anyone who's been bulking for 12-16 weeks should focus on losing fat before building muscle. People who are skinny fat, new to strength training, or those who want to prioritize their performance in the gym over their appearance should consider bulking before losing weight.
How do I gain muscle but lose fat?
9 strategies for gaining muscle while losing weight:Keep your caloric deficit small.Be patient.Eat 25-plus grams of protein four times per day.Consider trying intermittent fasting.Do compound strength exercises at least three times per week.Use cardio for recovery.Adjust your exercise program's structure.More items...
How do I know if I am gaining muscle and losing fat?
When you gain muscle, you'll notice that your muscles naturally look more defined and are more visible, Berkow said. (To see your abs specifically, you'd have to also lose fat.) Your muscles would also be larger in size or feel "harder." If you gain fat, you'll notice more softness, she said, and you'll gain inches.
What is the difference between anabolism and catabolism?
While anabolism is one type of metabolic process, catabolism is the other. Catabolism is the process by which your body breaks down larger molecules into smaller ones , releasing energy in the bargain. The catabolic reactions that result in weight loss cause you to lose a combination of fat, water and protein, according to Columbia University. People who go on a diet therefore often lose muscle mass and water weight in addition to fat.
How does anabolism work?
Here's how it works. Anabolism is a biochemical process where your body synthesizes smaller molecules into more complex ones. Building muscle is an anabolic process since it results in larger, more complex muscle cells. Anabolic processes also result in the capture of energy within your body. Since calories provide energy, anabolic processes like ...
Why do fat cells shrink?
When you burn fat, your body uses the energy stored in your fat cells to fuel your activity. This causes your fat cells to shrink in size. Columbia University notes that your body also has a fixed number of muscle cells, so when you're gaining muscle, or bulking up, your existing muscle cells are actually increasing in size.
What happens when you lose muscle?
It is therefore important to understand that when you gain or lose muscle or fat, what is actually happening is that your muscle and fat cells are growing or shrinking; at no point do your fat cells convert to muscle cells, since that is physically impossible. Advertisement.
What is the process of breaking down large molecules into smaller ones?
Catabolism is the process by which your body breaks down larger molecules into smaller ones, releasing energy in the bargain. The catabolic reactions that result in weight loss cause you to lose a combination of fat, water and protein, according to Columbia University.
Is anabolic or catabolic?
Advertisement. While anabolism is one type of metabolic process, catabolism is the other.
Is fat a metabolic process?
Losing fat is a catabolic process whereas gaining muscle is an anabolic process.
Why are citrus fruits good for you?
Citrus fruits are great because they are acidic and raise insulin less than most typical fruits (with the exception of pineapple). Plus, they contain polyphenols such as naringin, found in oranges and grapefruit, which can help with fat loss by extending caffeine's effects.
What is a refeed?
A refeed is just a single high-carb meal, often double or triple what you'd eat in a sitting. Especially when eaten 2-3 hours before bed, this approach raises levels of the appetite-controlling hormone leptin, and also heads off metabolic slow-down. Plenty of people consider this the key to successful dieting.
Do carbs and fats make you fat?
This is somewhat controversial in sports nutrition, but there's evidence that combining carbs and fats in great quantities creates an insulin response that makes your calories more likely to end up as body fat —and you more likely to crave the same combo like a drug afterward.
When calories get low, do you feel hungry?
When calories get low, there's almost always a moment when you really feel like you're hungry all the time and weight loss is not keeping up. When this happens, it's time for a "refeed." It's not to be confused with a "cheat meal," which is one of those carb-and-fat bloodbaths I warned about earlier.
When should I give myself carbs?
But if you want to build and burn at the same time, I wouldn't advise consuming carbs when you don't need them! The best times to give yourself larger portions of carbs is before and after workouts. This is when they can power your workouts and get burned off.
Can you eat macronutrients together?
Again, it doesn't mean not to eat either macronutrient , just don't eat them together in huge amounts on a regular basis. A few grams of healthy fats with complex carbs are just fine.
Does protein help with recovery?
It boosts muscle mass and strength gains, but also improves workout recovery. And as researcher Dr. Bill Campbell has shown in research with female physique athletes, extra protein doesn't get stored as fat. It's about as close to free calories (and free gains) as you can get. Keep it simple.
How many calories should I eat to gain muscle and stay lean?
If it’s in a negative place you will lose weight, and if it’s in neutral you will stay the same.
What are the three macronutrients needed to build muscle?
Now that you know the amount of calories you need to gain lean size, your energy requirement should be divided between the three macronutrients – protein, fat and carbohydrates . You’re going to eat a certain amount of each, all of which have a caloric value that will add up to your surplus.
How many calories does a 180g protein gram have?
Well, protein has four calories per gram, so 180g x 4 calories = 720 calories. Add that to the number of calories he’s getting from fat (680) and you have a total of 1,400. Now subtract that 1,400 from 2,720 and what you’re left with is the number of daily calories Mike needs from carbs; in this case it’s 1,320.
How many carbs does Mike have?
All of this means that to gain lean muscle Mike’s daily macros should be: Calories: 2,720. Protein: 180g. Carbs: 330g. Fat: 75.5g. For the best results it’s important to eat as close to your required numbers as possible.
How much protein does Mike need?
So Mike needs 180g of protein daily.
What should make up the remainder of your calories?
Carbohydrates : These should make up the remainder of your calories.
Can you gain weight by eating too many calories?
If you whack too many calories on top you’re going to gain weight quicker, but it won’t necessarily be good weight in the form of lean muscle. It will most likely be fat, and that’s what you’re trying to avoid as much as you scientifically can.
How Many Calories Do I Burn In a Day?
So how can you take your BMR and use this information to know how many calories you should eat to lose weight?
How Many Calories Should I Eat to Lose Weight?
This is a question about your calorie deficit: once you know the calories you burn in a day, how many should you eat to lose weight?
What is the Mifflin St Jeor formula?
Considered just a little more accurate than the other big BMR formula (which is called Harris Benedict), the Mifflin St Jeor formula is what we used to ascertain your BMR if you don’t know your body fat percentage. ( 1) It looks like this:
What does a basal metabolic rate mean?
This stands for Basal Metabolic Rate, and it’s the number of calories you burn at rest — without taking into account the extra calories you burn as you move throughout the day.
How to figure out how many calories are in a piece of meat?
Some prefer simpler ways of working out their calories, like “the hand technique”: figure out how many calories are in a piece of meat about the size of your palm and have one or two of those per meal with four “fingers” of carbs , etc.
How to track calories?
The best way to get a really good idea of how many calories you should eat to lose weight is to monitor your food intake and your weight every day for about a month. Keep track of when you’re gaining weight and when you’re losing it.
What is the best formula for body fat?
Katch-McArdle is likely the best formula, but only if you’re being accurate with your numbers — and that means making an appointment to get a DEXA scan to truly measure your body fat. Don’t want to? Stick to Mifflin St Jeor.
How Much Protein Should I Eat at Once?
That said, the amino acids most closely linked to muscle protein synthesis (MPS), a process that switches on genes responsible for muscle gain — are the branched chain amino acids leucine, isoleucine, and valine. Leucine has far and away the most research linking it to MPS.
Why is protein important for fat loss?
Another big reason why extra protein might be useful for fat loss? It’s filling. Protein is very satiating, especially if you’re eating takes-a-while-to-chew meat instead of shakes, plus protein takes more calories to digest: about 25 percent of the calories from protein are burned just in digesting it, versus ~7 for carbs and ~2 for fat. ( 8) Remember, though, if you’re looking to suppress appetite, fiber is another option that’s extremely satiating if you’d rather not crank your protein up so high.
What app determines how much protein is in almost anything?
We’re big fans of the app Calorie King to determine how much protein is in almost anything, from chicken breast to a specific flavor of Doritos. (Not much.)
How many grams per pound of body weight?
Many default to 1 gram per pound of bodyweight because it appears to be just as effective, it’s easier to remember, and it’s less of a problem if you happen to fall short of your goal.
How much protein should I consume per pound?
When we say “average” protein intake, we’re talking about the standard amount that’s most often recommended by bodybuilders and athletes, which is 1 gram per pound of bodyweight. “I mean, I’ve told people that,’ says Dr. Nelson. “Especially if you’re cutting and you’re hypocaloric, yeah you can go to a gram per pound ...
What is the goal of a peak athlete?
to train as hard as possible with optimal adaptation and recovery, to remain healthy and injury free, to achieve a physique that is suited to their event, and to perform at their best on the day (s) of peak competitions. ( 3)
What are the building blocks of protein?
This refers to the source’s content of amino acids, the “building blocks” of protein: animal sources (including eggs and dairy) contain all nine essential amino acids, meaning the ones the body can’t make on its own.
How Does Body Recomposition Work?
Since body recomposition is more a lifestyle than a diet, there is no set protocol.
Why is body recomposition important?
That’s because your body fat percentage in relation to your muscle mass better reflects your overall wellbeing than just weight or BMI. Therefore, body recomposition focuses on body composition rather than weight. Unlike a standard diet, body recomposition is a lifestyle in which fitness and nutrition techniques lead to healthy changes in your ...
Why is protein important for athletes?
Studies have shown that higher protein intake is necessary for athletes attempting to lose fat while maintaining muscle.
What are some good foods to help you build muscle?
Adding protein sources, such as eggs, chicken, fish, nuts, nut butters, beans and yogurt, to every meal and snack is the best way to meet your needs. Summary. Protein supplements such as whey protein powder can boost your protein intake and stimulate muscle growth.
Why is strength training important?
While cardiovascular exercise is important for weight loss and overall health, strength training is necessary to alter body composition. In addition, a diet high in protein facilitates fat loss while supporting muscle growth ( 7. Trusted Source.
What causes muscle loss?
Focusing only on diet and neglecting exercise habits may result in a loss of muscle mass.
What is body composition?
Body composition refers to the amount of fat and fat-free mass (muscle, bone and water) your body contains.
WHAT SHOULD I EAT TO LOSE FAT AND GAIN MUSCLE?
Remember, your eating strategy needs to include two points to lose fat while gaining muscle:
How to lose body fat?
The only way to shed body fat is during a caloric deficit.
How to maintain a caloric deficit?
1 zero calorie or low calorie beverage ( water, diet soda, tea) By sticking to our Healthy Plate strategy above, you’ll focus on “REAL food,” which will help you maintain a caloric deficit over time. Let’s hone in on protein for a moment, because it’s the critical piece for “building muscle.”.
Why is tracking body fat important?
The goal instead is to reduce body fat while also keeping the muscle you have (or even building more muscle). That leads to a better physique and a healthier body. This is the reason why there is a large industry around “ tracking body fat percentage .”.
Why do we store calories as fat?
This means your body can pull from “Store as Fat” to make sure all the work still gets done, including your daily functions as a human and rebuilding the muscle you tore apart.
Why do we need caloric surplus?
To gain muscle, your body needs to be in a caloric surplus. This surplus provides the energy your body requires to repair and build bigger muscles .
What happens when your body needs more calories than you eat?
When your body needs more calories than the amount you are eating, you are in a “caloric deficit.”. Your body doesn’t have enough calories to go around, so it’ll start breaking down parts of itself for energy requirements. (If you’re curious, you can calculate your daily caloric needs here ).
