How to Burn Fat Without Losing Muscle Mass

Quick Answer: Keeping muscle mass while burning away stubborn fat can be difficult to do if you don’t attack it with the correct strategies. A low-fat, high-protein diet can help you achieve the desired results when combined with the correct workout program. 

Everyone who steps foot into a gym or spends hours at home every week working out wants to look their best. As the weeks turn into months turn into years, the goal is to get stronger and build quality muscle. Basically, just look like a better version of yourself. However, nothing makes muscle more noticeable than the absence of fat surrounding it. But how do you burn fat without losing muscle mass?

It’s difficult to do if you are not watching your diet closely. Ironically, some of the most financially secure countries with plenty of medical assistance and knowledge are the most out of shape. Unfortunately, America is one of the fattest nations in the world, with the average man walking about with 28 percent body fat and the average woman with 40 percent body fat. The United Kingdom has an estimated 64 percent of adults overweight. How did we get here?

For men, a low body fat percentage will result in pronounced abs, along with better overall muscle definition. To put it simply, people walking by you on the street will notice that you take fitness seriously. 

Generally speaking, when men get below 15 percent body fat, their abs start becoming more visible. But the magic question again is:

“How do we burn fat without losing muscle mass?”


It’s Hard to Put on Muscle!

Why should you worry about your muscles while trying to lose weight? One simple reason. It is hard to acquire muscle! You have more than likely worked hard for those muscles in your body. And it can be easy to lose muscle mass when you are just trying to lose fat. 

Here are five top strategies for burning fat while retaining your muscle mass. 


Reduce Calorie Intake

It doesn’t take a scientist to figure out if you want to lose weight. You have to decrease the amount you are eating. By examining your current diet, you should be able to determine approximately how many calories you are consuming each day. According to the Mayo Clinic, if you reduce your current diet by 500 calories a day without doing anything else, you may lose up to one pound a week. 

If you are taking in way too many calories currently, reducing your caloric intake by 1,000 calories a day could allow you to lose two pounds a week without having to change anything else. However, again, if you are not careful, you could be losing good muscle tissue in the process. 


Consume a High Protein Diet

Protein builds muscle when combined with strength training. Protein also takes longer to digest, so it will leave you feeling full much longer. Before long, you will no longer need those extra snacks during the day to keep you satisfied. You no longer need to bring food into the bedroom before you fall asleep. 

Perhaps just as importantly, protein can also maintain your muscle mass while you are trying to burn the fat off your body. This will ensure that hard-earned muscle stays in your body while the fat leaves. In fact, if you are ever injured for a period of time and can’t work, eat a high-protein diet, and by just doing this, you will be able to retain more of your muscle mass. 

Start planning your meals to include high-protein foods. If you find yourself not eating enough protein, a protein shake that is low in sugar and calories could work, too. 


Do HIIT Cardio!

The problem with long-endurance cardio is the body is constantly searching for fuel and will turn to burning away precious muscle mass after a while. Just take a look at the long-distance runners that are winning marathons. There is hardly a muscle on them. 

Instead, to preserve muscle mass, you should be doing high-intensity interval training (HIIT). Basically, your cardio will come as 30-second bursts of high-intensity training with short rest periods in between. This type of cardio attacks only the fat in your body for fuel and leaves the muscle mass alone. As an example, go back and watch some of the sprinters from past Olympics. Not an ounce of fat appears on them. HIIT will burn fat without losing muscle mass!


Hit the Weights Even Harder

People often mistakenly believe that when they want to lose weight, they need to go out and run for miles or pedal their bikes around their town. However, a person can lose more fat by including resistance training with their HIIT cardio instead.  

As an added bonus, the more muscle mass you have, the more fat you will burn. Your muscles act as a furnace. Even while you are resting, your muscle mass will continually burn away fat calories. An easy schedule to follow would be to weight lift every other day, and with the days in between your lifting sessions, do a few sets of HIIT cardio. By committing just five hours a week to fitness, you can literally transform your body dramatically in a short amount of time. You probably spend that much time on your phone almost daily, so five hours a week is not much to ask in an effort to transform your health. 


Get Enough Sleep

Sleep those fat calories away? Is this a real thing? It may sound strange, but if you want to lose fat, you should make certain you are getting seven to nine hours of sleep a night. When you don’t get enough sleep, your body starts to produce more cortisol. Cortisol is a hormone that will eventually break down your muscles and make your body store fat.

Plus, by getting the right amount of rest every night, your body will repair itself more effectively, allowing you to make your workouts even more intense. 

If you have difficulty getting that much sleep, eliminate caffeine from your diet (or just restrict it to the morning). When climbing into bed, put your phone away and any other distractions that will keep you awake. If needed, bring a book to bed with you. It won’t be long before your eyes start getting tired, and you can get that rest your body needs!

By focusing on these five strategies, your body will start to become a fat-burning machine. You will be able to burn fat without losing muscle mass. 


References

● Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). Eat more, weigh less? Healthy Eating Guidelines. Accessed July 19, 2022.

● Khodadadi F, Bagheri R, Negaresh R, et al. (2023). The Effect of High-Intensity Interval Training Type on Body Fat Percentage: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Clin Med, 12(6):2291. DOI: 10.3390/jcm12062291.

● de Mello MT, de Piano A, Carnier J, et al. (2010). Long-Term Effects of Aerobic Plus Resistance Training on Metabolic Syndrome in Obese Adolescents. DOI: 10.1111/j.1751-7176.2010.00388.x.

● St-Onge MP. (2010). Are Normal-Weight Americans Over-Fat? Obesity (Silver Spring), 18(11):2067-8. DOI: 10.1038/oby.2010.103.