Many people strive to decrease fat while increasing muscle mass.
One of the most common fitness myths is the notion that you can change fat into muscle with weight training and a healthy lifestyle. However, the process of fat loss and muscle building is not as straightforward as it appears.
This article shows how to reduce weight and gain muscle in a healthy, long-term manner.
Is it possible for fat to be converted into muscle?
The short answer is no. Because muscle and fat are made up of separate cells, it is biologically impossible to convert fat to muscle. A decent analogy would be that you can't change a banana into an apple because they're two different things.
The distinction between muscle and fat
Muscle is classified into three types: skeletal, cardiac (heart), and smooth (mostly found in the intestine). Skeletal muscle, which is connected to bones by tendons and allows for voluntary movement of the body, is the most commonly thought of muscle in terms of body composition.
Skeletal muscle tissue is made up of myofibrils, which are bundles of muscle fibers. Smaller fibers in myofibrils are made up of long chains of amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein. Amino acids have a one-of-a-kind nitrogen group in their chemical structure.
Body fat, on the other hand, is made up of triglycerides, which are made up of a glycerol backbone and three fatty acid chains. Though there are many forms of body fat, all fat is made up of diverse carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms.
Because muscle and fat cells are chemically distinct, neither can be turned into the other.
Because fat and muscle tissue have completely different cellular makeups, you cannot convert fat to muscle or vice versa.
What changes occur during the weight loss process?
Most weight loss is a mix of shedding fat, muscle, and glycogen storage (water weight). The majority of weight loss should ideally come from fat loss.
To lose weight, you must create a calorie deficit by consuming less calories than your body requires each day, increasing physical activity to burn calories, or doing both.
However, a calorie deficit that is too substantial can result in rapid muscle mass loss, since the body will break down muscle to use as an emergency fuel source.
As a result, a moderate deficit of 500 calories per day, or 10–20 percent of your overall calorie needs, is advised.
Body fat is used as fuel to support the body's routine processes during a moderate calorie shortage.
Triglycerides deposited in fat cells are broken down and transported to the mitochondria, where they are converted into adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the body's primary source of energy.
This process, known as beta oxidation, generates carbon dioxide and water as byproducts. Both are exhaled during breathing and eliminated through urine and sweat.
As a result, when fat is burned, it is broken down into useful energy rather than converted into muscle.
Strength exercise at least twice a week is recommended to maintain muscle mass while losing weight. A protein-rich diet has also been demonstrated to decrease muscle loss during a calorie shortage.
In summary, fat is transformed into useful energy and byproducts during weight loss. To maintain muscle mass, maintain a moderate calorie deficit, eat lots of protein, and strength exercise a few times each week.
How to Lose Weight
If you want to shed weight and build muscle in a healthy, sustainable method, here's how.
The body must be in a calorie deficit in order to lose fat. A calorie deficit can be achieved by increasing your physical activity, eating less calories, or a combination of the two. A slight increase in physical activity and a reduction in calorie intake is the most sustainable.
Consuming largely whole foods that are minimally processed and high in fiber, healthy fats, and protein will help you accomplish a calorie deficit without feeling deprived or hungry.
Furthermore, 5–7 days per week, integrate both cardiovascular and strength training, such as lifting weights, utilizing resistance bands, or Pilates.
Walking, running, or riding for more than 20 minutes while still being able to communicate with little difficulty is an example of moderate intensity cardio.
Meanwhile, strength exercise helps to maintain and develop muscle while also increasing the body's metabolic rate for up to 72 hours. This means that your body will continue to burn calories even after a successful strength training session.
Furthermore, muscle is more metabolically active than fat, which means that having more muscle on your body can help you lose weight by burning more calories.
As a result, combining these two types of exercise with a minimally processed, whole food diet will help the body achieve a calorie deficit.
How to Build Muscle Up
Strength training is essential if you want to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time. Strength exercise mixed with a high protein diet promotes the formation of new muscle cells via a process known as muscle protein synthesis.
Most experts advise at least two to three strength training sessions each week that target numerous muscle groups, as well as enough rest days to allow for muscle regeneration.
Muscle is formed with a diet rich in dietary nitrogen, which is primarily found in protein-rich foods. To support muscle growth, protein from food is broken down and transformed into amino acids.
Maintain muscle mass while losing weight by eating enough protein and avoiding a high calorie deficit.
Most people should strive for 0.6–0.9 gram of protein per pound (1.4–2.0 gram per kg) of body weight per day, or 20–40 gram of protein every meal.
Summary
Eating at a moderate calorie deficit, consuming appropriate protein, and engaging in both cardio (aerobic) activity and strength training 5–7 days per week are all necessary for long-term fat loss while keeping muscle.
In conclusion
It is a fallacy that you can convert fat to muscle.
Fat is extracted from fat cells during weight reduction and used to make energy in the body, along with other byproducts.
Muscle is best retained by strength training and eating a protein-rich diet.
To lose weight in a healthy, long-term way, strive to combine both cardio and strength exercise into your routine at least 5–7 days per week, and consume a diet that is primarily whole, minimally processed foods.
