Can you lose fat and gain muscle at the same time?
The short answer to this is, yes, it is possible to lose fat and gain muscle simultaneously!
To be able to do it, you need to set up your diet right. You need to maintain a high intake of protein and get some good carbs and healthy fats.
It would be best if you had your meals at specific times that fit your calendar and that you never skip a meal.
At the same time, you need to build lean muscles and strength, working out regularly.
Finally, make sure you get plenty of sleep and rest.
I lost 44 lbs. In Less Than a Year
Personally, I have lost 44 lbs. of body fat in less than a year and rebuilt my physique, getting some of my lean muscles back, which I used to have in my younger days. Today I am 48 btw.
Like so many guys, I got comfortable too. Eating way too much food, have too many beers, and not working out my body. And I used to train people.
On top of that, it didn’t make it easier when we all got stuck in the great Corona lockdown. I ended up weighing 247 lbs., or around 112 kg. Yes, I am a big guy, but not that big.
This article will reveal how my diet to lose fat and gain muscle looks like and how I made it possible to lose 44 lbs. of fat and get some good solid muscle gains.
Disclaimer!
Before we get started, knowing what works on me might not give you the same results. Also, consult a doctor before getting started.
What I Eat to Lose Fat and Gain Muscle
It’s essential to eat plenty of protein when you want to lose fat and gain muscle mass.
I prefer to keep a balanced diet with both proteins, carbs, and healthy sources of fat. That way, you will have plenty of building blocks to maintain and build lean muscles in the form of protein.
You will have plenty of energy available to do your daily duties and go and work out.
Finally, healthy fat is essential to your health, regeneration of body cells, absorption of vitamins, and brain function.
If you only eat protein, as some people do, then your body will start using the protein for energy instead of burning carbs and fat for energy.
It can cause a loss of lean muscle mass which in the long run will lead to a weight gain because fewer muscles are burning calories. So, eat protein with carbs to get rid of the excess fat without losing power.
It is important to stress that I keep a high protein intake of around 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight.
It makes me feel good and gives me some good gains in the gym regarding muscle mass and strength.
My Best Diet for Lose Fat and Gain Muscle
Let’s have a closer look at some of the foods I am eating. They are all pretty simple as I prefer not to spend too much time in the kitchen.
My Protein Sources for Lose Fat and Gain Muscle
First, let’s have a closer look at what foods I am getting my protein from. Protein is among the best macros for losing fat and gaining muscle.
Eggs
To get protein, I like to start my day with three fried eggs. It is probably one egg too many in terms of keeping your cholesterol levels low. But three eggs keep me full and satisfied.
Together, they contain close to 20 grams of proteins and many admins and minerals, including zinc, crucial to my body.
Cholesterol, together with zinc and selenium, is highly needed to produce testosterone in your testicles.
Chicken
Chicken is another protein-rich food I eat at least a couple of times during the week. Chicken is always tricky because getting too much of it and you get sick and tired of eating it. But having chicken frequently is excellent as a way to lose fat and gain muscle mass.
Therefore, make sure to cook your chicken in different ways using different salsas and sauces.
Lean Red Meat
I also consume lean red meat, preferable Rib Eye, a couple of times during the week. Since I live in Mexico, the meat quality is not always good for Sirloin or Flank Steak. But having Rib Eye, I have a higher rate of success.
Ground Beef
I also have regular ground beef, a form of burger patties, a few times during the week.
I don’t mix them with anything other than salt and pepper, keeping things simple.
Tuna
Since I live in Mexico at the coast, I have access to freshly caught tuna daily.
I aim to have it a couple of times during the week. I prefer having my tuna raw in chopped pieces on a Mexican tostada with chili and lemons.
If I were back in my home country Denmark, I would aim to get some fresh salmon instead. It comes with the benefit of being rich in omega-three fatty acids.
Milk – Lala 100
To get enough proteins, I also consume lots of milk. It also provides me with lots of calcium, suitable for your bones, and can help you burn fat.
Calcium may lead to a slight increase in thermogenesis, which means your body’s core temperature will increase and boost your metabolism.
Lala 100 is a milk product in Mexico that comes with 14 grams of proteins per 250 ml—having a Lala 100 after your workout is a beautiful way to get some fast proteins.
Regular comes with around 7 to 8 grams of proteins for 250 ml.
Protein Supplement for Losing Fat and Gaining Muscle
Occasionally, I do use a protein supplement. I prefer Optimum Whey Gold because you can buy it in more significant portions. Also, Optimum Whey tends to remove my cravings for sweet stuff like chocolate.
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My Carb Sources to Lose Fat and Gain Muscle
As I mentioned earlier, I am also eating lots of carbohydrates daily. It gives me plenty of energy and ensures that the proteins I am consuming are used for muscle building and not as energy.
Oatmeal
Oatmeal is my most important source of carbs, and I have it daily for breakfast and my eggs in the morning. When I use a protein supplement, I sprinkle one scoop of protein on my oatmeal and mix it with milk.
It gives me a boost of energy and provides me with lots of minerals and vitamins.
Rice
White rice isn’t the best choice when it comes to carbs. Brown rice is a much better choice that is more nutritious.
But they take longer to cook, and I never get them right when I make them. So, out of pure laziness, I stick to white or Jasmin rice.
Usually, I limit my rice intake to between a half and 3/4 of a cup in one meal and 1/4 of a cup in another meal if I have it two times a day.
Potatoes
Potatoes are another choice when it comes to my carbs. Here I stick to 3 or 4 medium size potatoes in each of my meals. Less in the second meal if I get twice in a day.
Usually, I boil a whole batch of them and then enjoy them cold for a couple of days.
There are a lot of health benefits to having cold potatoes. They form a firm texture known as resistant starch that cannot be adequately digested in your stomach. Instead, they will make you feel full and satisfied longer after having your meal.
Resistant starch is also prebiotic that contains a fiber that doesn’t dissolve in your colon. Here they will feed good bacteria called the microbiome, which in return will signal to hunger hormones that you should eat according to what you need.
If you don’t have healthy bacteria in your colon, it will affect your need for cravings, lower your metabolism and give you a bad mood.
Cold potatoes are a power food I highly recommend incorporating into your diet.
Vegetables
I eat a lot of vegetables such as tomatoes, onions, carrots, etc.
Furthermore, I usually cook a whole bag of frozen vegetables and eat half of them each meal.
Vegetables are great because they fill up your stomach, so you feel full and satisfied. At the same time, they are incredibly low on calories, so that you can eat a lot of them.
Vegetables are also a tremendous and vital source of vitamins, minerals, and other essential nutrients.
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My Sources of Fat
Usually, I get most of my fat from the natural content of fat in my sources of carbs and proteins. It means a combination of vegetable and animal fat.
On top of that, I do have some healthy sources of fat, such as avocado and nuts.
I cook my meals in vegetable oil, preferable olive oil, or canola oil. I avoid soybean products and oils because I believe they can hurt my testosterone.
My Meal Plan for Losing Fat and Gaining Muscle
As I said earlier, I wouldn’t say I like to spend too much time in the kitchen cooking.
To avoid that, I keep my meals as simple as possible but still make them delicious enough for me to look forward to having.
I prepare all my carbs, including vegetables, in advance for a few days to reheat them when needed quickly.
I prepare my sources of daily meat ally doesn’t take a lot of time.
Let’s break down my meal plan.
Breakfast around 10 or 11 am
Three whole eggs
One bowl of oatmeal with milk and a scoop of whey protein.
I usually wake up somewhere between 7 and 8 am. I grab a cup of coffee but wait at least two hours before having breakfast.
Lunch Around 3 or 4 pm
One cup of rice, or 4 to 5 medium size potatoes
200 to 250 grams of either lean meat, chicken, or fish
As many vegetables as it takes to make me feel full
Post Workout around 8.30 or 9 pm
500 to 750 ml of Lala 100 or
250 ml of Lala and a scoop of whey protein
Dinner around 10 pm
A half-cup of rice, or 2 to 3 medium size potatoes
200 to 250 grams of either lean meat, chicken, or fish
Like many vegetables, it takes to make me feel full and satisfied
Nighttime Snack
250 ml Lala 100 and a scoop of whey protein.
I only have this meal if I feel hungry before going to bed.
• Also, check out our article 15 Testosterone Killing Foods You Should Avoid
What About Cheat Meals?
I am not a believer in restrictions when it comes to diets that lose fat and gain muscle. If you start restricting and punishing yourself too much, you may end having an unhealthy relationship with food.
You know, what we cannot have, we want.
Instead of restrictions, I believe in planning. Plan when you are going to eat unhealthy food instead of letting it sneak in on you. Feeling guilty because of something you ate is never the way to go.
I have two cheat meals per week to curb my cravings for unhealthy meals—one hamburger with fries and one pizza.
In the beginning, it was something I looked forward to. It was nice having a hamburger without feeling bad about it because it was planned.
But with time, when I started to see results, I often forgot about having a cheat meal. New habits started to kick in.
How Many Calories to Lose Fat and Gain Muscle?
In the perfect fat loss world, it takes around 3500 calories to burn one pound of body fat. However, there are a lot of factors involved, so that number will not always be accurate.
I used to count calories a lot when cutting fat or building lean muscles—using all sorts of trackers like MyFitnessPal.com.
Now, where I have so much control of what I eat and how much I exercise? I know exactly how much food I need in each of my meals!
For sure, you can count your calories and get the exact number. But be careful not to go completely bananas doing so. Remember losing body fat and gaining muscles at the same time must never become an obsession.
A Simple Way of Getting the Right Calories to Lose Fat and Gain Muscle Mass
One way of getting your calorie intake right when you want to burn fat and build lean muscles is to do the following.
- One gram of protein per pound of body weight.
- 1.5 grams of carbs per pound of body weight.
- 0.3 grams of fats per pound of body weight.
Consume as many vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, and garrots as needed to make you feel full.
The 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight is your set point. Don’t change that number.
When it comes to the number of carbs you should eat, start with 1.5 carbs per pound of body weight.
Do Weekly Checkups
Check weekly to see if your weight drops. If it does, you are on the right track. If it doesn’t, you can either do more exercising, walking, etc. Or cut your carbohydrate intake down to 1 gram per pound of body weight.
If you feel exhausted, tired, and have no energy, you can try to increase your carbohydrate intake up to 2.0 grams.
Your intake of fat we maintain between 0.2 and 0.4 grams per pound of body weight. Sometimes you will get your energy back by keeping your carbohydrate intake low but by increasing your fat intake. Experiment to see what works for you.
To lose fat and gain muscle simultaneously, you keep your protein intake constant and turn down or up for your carbohydrate’s information.
Recommended Supplements for Lose Fat and Gain Muscle Mass
Below is a list of the supplements that I recommend you consider. They will help you get faster results and make it easier to maintain your diet.
TestoPrime Testosterone Booster
Healthy testosterone levels are essential to men, especially if they are getting older.
Also, higher levels will make it easier to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time.
A lot of your testosterone levels improvements will come from diet and exercise. However, you can speed up the process and get even better results by using a testosterone booster like TestoPrime.
TestoPrime is not an illegal hormone or steroid but an all-natural supplement. It will improve your body’s ability to produce testosterone and lower the levels of the female hormone estrogen.
Check out our TestoPrime review or our article on how to buy TestoPrime to learn more.
PrimeShred
Sometimes when you are on a diet, you will ask yourself whether you need to use a fat burner or not.
Fat burners are not the overall solution to your weight issues. But some of them can help you increase your energy levels, suppress your appetite, boost metabolism and fat burn, and help you build lean muscles.
PrimeShred is a fat burner for men with carefully chosen ingredients to help men lose fat and gain muscle.
Learn more about PrimeShred and why you should choose a fat burner for men only in this review.
Whey Protein Supplement
Finally, it is essential to have a whey protein supplement close by. It will help you make sure you are getting 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight daily.
Also, to make, getting a shake helps to reduce cravings for sweets such as chocolate.
I recommend Optimum Whey Gold Standard Protein. First of all, it tastes good and dissolves easily. Second, you can buy it as a big package and save quite a lot on your purchase.
Conclusion on How to Eat to Lose Fat and Gain Muscle
Here you go, my approach to eating to lose fat and gain muscle, all simultaneously.
Eat as clean as possible and avoid all sorts of sauces, salsas, and toppings. Many of them are calorie bombs that you don’t need.
Remember, what works on me might not work on you. However, creating a calorie deficit and increasing your protein intake will always work in some form. It is the foundation when it comes to diets that lose fat and gain muscle.
Therefore, make sure to experiment a little. See your diet as a journey; try new things out. Trust me; you will make some remarkable discoveries about yourself, your body, and how far you can go.
Stay tuned, and come back soon because, in my next article, I will reveal my workout and a cardio routine. You will learn more about working out to lose fat and gain muscle mass.
Sources:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/how-its-made-cholesterol-production-in-your-body
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/different-fats-nutrition/
https://www.fitnessfirst.com.my/blog/3-reasons-you-need-fat
https://www.webmd.com/diet/obesity/features/calcium-weight-loss#1
https://nutritionandmetabolism.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12986-021-00580-1
https://welldoing.org/article/health-benefits-eating-cold-potatoes-summer