What is the best way to shed fat but not to burn muscle?

Question

I am actually quite skinny, however I want to drop my body fat percentage to get definition around my stomach, but not lose muscle iin the process.

Answer 1

As you will find out, you cannot target fat loss in one area. After seeing your doctor to make sure you are OK with a workout regimen and diet change, you should follow the same general fitness path that's documented everywhere. EAT. Eat 6 or more small, nutritious meals a day, and balance your workouts with cardio and strength training. Don't skip meals. Your body will compensate by storing fat. Don't get hung up on scales or your BMI. Those are just numbers that are subjective and vary in accuracy for every person. If you're already "skinny", you need to concentrate on building muscle all over, while keeping your metabolism high by a eating high protein, low carb/sugar diet. For example, fish/chicken several times a week, no soft drinks or candy. Carbs just before a strength training workout for energy. Ab definition is more about diet than crunches, so try to worry less about your stomach and more about your overall fitness/health. Unless you have health issues like thyroid disease or diabetes/insulin resistance, the formula for keeping a healthy weight is very simple: burn more calories than you consume. Good luck and stay healthy!

Answer 2

Definitely keep up the healthy eating and remember to watch your serving sizes/portions. Adding a bit of chilli to your diet can also help speed up your metabolism and use olive oil as your cooking oil (it's a good fat) But cardio is the main way to loose fat - try running for a couple of minutes, have a break, get your breath back and go again. Keep repeating this and make sure to do it regularly. If you don't want to be gaining the muscle then don't use weights - using your own body weight (ie. pilates) is sufficient. For the better part I agree with Jason (previous poster) but I believe fruit juice is a great source of vitamins and nutrients - just make sure it has no added sugar or if you can squeeze your own.

Answer 3

There are many forms of sit-ups you can do. Don't concern yourself with burning fat as the body needs what you have. In stead focus on enlarging and strengthening the muscles through sit-ups or more accurately; crunches. Don't assume you know the sit-ups because there are better ones than the standard one everyone knows. Look them up before you start. I wish i could show you myself because my trainer has a real gift with abs.

The guys you see in pictures have often added definition with shadow make-up. Its ridiculous but true. So, if possible go to a gym to see some real abs and the crunches or use the internet.

It will take some time for definition to appear so be patient. Crunches are to be done until it hurts. The pain is not injury. Its exhaustion of the muscle. Rest and then do more. Time yourself for one minute and do as many as you can in that time even if you have to stop and start again.

For credibilty, I have 11 years of martial arts to draw on for info.

Good luck. You'll have great abs by next year if you do your crunches daily.

Answer 4

I've tried many diets and couldn't make anything work. Since having my first child, I've been carrying around an extra 30 pounds. This diet just made sense and showed me that everything I was doing before was wrong and a waste of my time.

The plan was so refreshing and so simple to follow. I did everything plan said and lost 23 pounds in the first three weeks. I'm now starting the diet again to lose 7 more pounds. This plan has changed my life.

Get started today!

Answer 5

Fat and muscle are 2 different things. You won't lose muscle unless you starve yourself for a while - muscles like your heart begin to suffer.

The more lean muscle you have, the faster your body burn fat! Muscle, although it weighs more than fat, takes up less space, so you will look slimmer and toned, even if the scales show an initial weight gain.

So concentrate on eating a healthy, low fat diet, exercise (cardio to burn fat, strength training to increase muscle tone, flexibility to help your posture and help the muscle to look long and sleek, not short and bulky)

Answer 6

The key is to have a high protein diet. Any weight loss plan involves burning more calories than you consume, regardless how you achieve it. Protein helps protect the muscles from being cannibalized. One gram of protein per pound of body weight per day. The rest of your calories will come from complex carbs and healthy fats like fish oil with essential fatty acids.

Answer 7

Well, just gain muscle if you are already skinny. If you can add a sufficient amount of muscle mass, this will lower your body fat percentage and give you definition.

HTH : )

Answer 8

Make sure you are eating atleast 120 grams of protien per day while working out. Protien builds muscle. If you know you wont be working out dont intake the extra protien. Drink plenty of water, eat 5-6 small meals per day to keep your metablolism up to help eliminate calorie storage.

Answer 9

Aerobic exercise burns fat and builds nice, lean muscles.

Answer 10

Aerobic exercise.