Fat Loss vs Muscle Loss

To being with fat is not at all like a muscle. It is more energy-dense, in that, it contains more calories (9) per gram than muscle (4). It is also less heavy—as anyone who’s been in a butcher’s shop will know. One kilo of fat has more than three times the volume of muscle. Finally, muscle is living breathing tissue; fat is merely a storehouse of calorie reserves.

What this means is that the more muscle mass you have the higher your energy requirement—calories burned—at rest. That’s right, muscle needs to burn those calories just to stay alive. Fat on the other hand burns no calories at rest.

So losing weight in the form of muscle mass is something to be avoided, as it means you will burn fewer calories at rest. Not just that, by virtue of having less muscle mass, you will also tend to put on the weight you lost quickly. That’s why those lost kilos reappear so fast and with a vengeance. All you’ve done is exchange muscle for fat!

Identifying the difference between muscle loss and fat loss

Luckily there are several definitive ways to know if your new weight loss regime is working.

• You’ll feel fatigued more easily, less able to handle the same weight as before
• Even everyday activities will tire you out
• Your body composition will stay the same or worsen
• You’ll see more than normal drops in weight. Now, this might seem like good news, but it’s a most likely muscle, and as we’ve seen, this loss is not sustainable.

Thus, it’s very important to know whether your program is helping you drop weight in the form of muscle mass or actual fat.The weighing scale is of little use here. All it will show is weight lost, not whether the loss is from the muscle of fat. A much better option is to use a body composition meter.

It will show you your lean mass to bodyweight ratio. You can also use skin calipers, though there is a bit of a learning curve to mastering them. You can also measure and track waist to hip ratios to know if you’re really losing inches. Above all, do not despair if your weighing scale shows you’ve gained weight instead of losing it. If you’ve lost inches and your body composition shows the same ratio of lean mass to fat or lower fat, you’re on the right track.

Why do we lose muscle mass before losing fat?

It’s clearly bad to lose muscle mass instead of or before fat loss. Unfortunately when there is a large calorie deficit, as usually happens when a person is attempting to lose weight by eating insufficiently, the body tends to burn muscle first. This is because, by choice, the body prefers glucose for energy.

This comes from carbohydrates. If this is unavailable—as during a diet—it switches to the glycogen—a form of glucose—that’s stored in the muscles. Only after these stores are depleted will it begin burning fat. This phenomenon is the guiding principle behind keto diets, too.

How to lose fat without depleting lean mass

If losing fat instead of muscle has begun to sound like rocket science, don’t worry. It’s quite straightforward. Here are a few rules to follow.

Increase your protein intake—vegans should add food sources like legumes, pulses, beans to their diet—but maintain a slight calorie deficit.

Protein is important to maintain muscle mass and to enable the growth of new muscle tissue. Studies have consistently shown that eating more protein-coupled with regular resistance training leads to an increase in muscle mass and muscle mass retention. But it’s important not to overdo it. Remember, any macronutrient consumed in excess simply gets transformed into fat.

Exercise correctly—this means don’t shun resistance training

It’s common for people keen to lose weight fast to favour cardio routines over resistance training—using weights or bodyweight. Both are important. So ensure your fitness plan includes cardio workouts and resistance training. Studies show that exercise increases lipolysis—the process whereby the body synthesizes fat for energy—during aerobic and anaerobic exercise. Ideally, try to include High-Intensity Intervan Training (HIIT) routines in your exercise plan. Their alternating high and low-intensity exercises keeps the heart elevated for a longer period, facilitating higher fat burn.

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