Nourish Your Muscles, Lose the Fat!

Everyone always talks about “losing weight,” but losing body fat while retaining muscle is the key to looking great in that swimsuit, evening dress, or even your daily clothes.

When you embark on a weight loss journey without some planning, you might also be saying goodbye to muscle mass, and for women over fifty, that’s not a good thing.  However, you can counteract this nasty downside of weight loss by following four simple rules:

 1) lose weight slowly,

 2) eat an adequate number of calories,

 3) bump up your protein intake and

 4) work out! 

Let’s look at why each one matters.

1.  Lose Weight Slowly

I understand this isn’t the message you want to hear. While many desire rapid weight loss, it's simply not feasible if your goal is to maintain your loss without sacrificing muscle.

How quickly should you aim to shed pounds? Experts agree a steady rate of one to two pounds per week is optimal for burning fat while preserving muscle mass. Attempting to drop weight any faster carries the risk of losing more than just fat. You may end up sacrificing muscle and even bone density, leading to a sluggish metabolism and heightened risk for conditions like osteopenia and osteoporosis, particularly for women over fifty. Remember, maintaining muscle mass will help to maintain an active metabolism.

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2.  How Many Calories Are Necessary to Maintain Muscle?

Many women successfully lose weight by consuming between 1200 and 1500 calories daily. However, this calorie range might not be sufficient if you maintain a consistent workout routine. It's generally advised to avoid exceeding a daily calorie deficit of one thousand calories.

For example, if you eat only 1200 calories but burn 2400 calories, you will have a 1200-calorie deficit. Therefore, if you’re planning an especially long run or playing a strenuous sport, you must monitor your calorie intake.

The typical recommendation is to aim for a deficit of around 500 calories daily.  Since the body stores 3500 calories in a pound of fat, a 500-calorie deficit, theoretically, creates a pound of weight loss per week. 

3.  Why is Protein Important to Weight Loss?

When it comes to maintaining muscle mass, the quantity of calories you consume is not the only factor; it’s also the type and quality. Protein is the not-so-secret weapon in the war on fat.   

First, protein helps curb hunger and keeps you feeling full longer due to its slower digestion, reducing the likelihood of snacking or overeating.

Second, when paired with carbohydrates, protein aids in regulating blood sugar spikes by slowing down the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream, again helping you to feel full.

Third, exercise builds lean muscle mass, which increases your resting metabolic rate, or the ability to burn calories while at rest. You have to love that! Protein is essential to repairing and strengthening your muscles after exercise, preventing muscle loss.

Fourth, it takes more energy to digest protein, which means you burn more calories. 

Finally, protein is crucial in promoting fat loss while preserving muscle mass. Research suggests that for efficient fat burning, the body requires a boost from either protein or carbohydrates. Consuming protein helps preserve lean muscle while facilitating the breakdown of fat stores in the body.

To achieve fat loss and support muscle health, it's crucial to prioritize adequate protein intake. Balanced nutrition is critical to building muscle and burning stored fat effectively.

4.  What Can We Do to Burn More Fat?

Build more muscle!  The key to maximizing your fat burn is to focus on building more muscle. Strength training and eating a balanced diet rich in plant or lean animal protein and plenty of fruits and vegetables is the best way to achieve this.  The greater your lean muscle mass, the faster your metabolic rate and the more calories you burn.

What is the Best Way to Nourish Muscles?

Conventional wisdom has focused on fueling your muscles before and after a workout.   During exercise, your body gets the energy it needs by tapping into glucose stored in your liver and muscles.  When you break down muscle to access the stored glucose, the muscles need nourishment afterward to repair.  Accordingly, the typical advice has been to have a snack or meal about 90 minutes before your workout with a good balance of carbs, fiber, protein, and healthy fat.  About 30-60 minutes after exercise, focusing on protein and carbs to rebuild muscle and ramp up metabolism has also been the norm.  This approach still stands as a sensible way to nourish your muscles.

However, the above eating plan may not be practical or advisable for those looking to lose weight or address other health concerns through intermittent fasting.  Recent research suggests exercising during the fasting period may produce better results overall.  Here’s why:

Traditionally, the focus was on balancing calorie intake and expenditure alongside concerns about the risk of muscle loss during exercise.  However, newer studies reveal fantastic health benefits from combining intermittent fasting with short, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) or moderate strength training. This combination enhances growth hormone production and improves insulin sensitivity, which is the key to staying youthful and lean!  We all want that!  Research on the impact of exercising during your fasting window is still in its early stages, but here is what we know right now.

Working out in the morning during your fasting period and waiting two to three hours after a workout before eating (with some exceptions – see below) is not only acceptable but preferable.   This will promote a rise in growth hormone, facilitating fat-burning and replenishing energy (sugar) used during exercise.  Hormonal shifts occur as the body adapts to stress induced by short, high-intensity workouts, and there has been no evidence of muscle loss due to this type of exercise during a fast.

However, if your workout involves more endurance-based cardio, refueling soon after to prevent muscle loss remains advisable. Similarly, heavy weight-lifting in a fasted state depletes glucose stores, requiring a post-workout snack or meal to avoid muscle loss. Unlike shorter high-intensity cardio or moderate strength training, endurance cardio and heavy lifting place enough stress on the body to warrant a more immediate refuel.

Conclusion

Achieving a lean body isn't about shedding pounds; it's about losing body fat while preserving valuable muscle mass, especially for women over fifty. To navigate this journey successfully, it's essential to have a plan. Slow and steady weight loss, adequate calorie intake, prioritizing protein, and incorporating regular workouts are the four pillars of success. These principles not only foster fat burning but also support muscle health, metabolism, and overall well-being.  By understanding the significance of each aspect and implementing them wisely, you can sculpt the body you desire while feeling strong, energized, and confident.

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