Six Tips for Keeping Muscle Mass While Losing Weight

Many fitness enthusiasts go through periods of bulking and cutting – gaining weight to increase

muscle, and then losing weight to shed excess pounds gained while they were bulking. During

the cutting phase, fitness enthusiasts often lose some of the muscle they had gained, making it

frustrating as they see their hard-earned gains slip away.

The good news is that losing weight while retaining muscle mass is possible; it just takes the

right combination of healthy eating, including sources of protein like vegan energy bars and a

smart exercise plan.

For men and women who want to keep the muscle they sweat for while losing the weight they’d

rather not have, these tips are helpful:

Learn to love protein. Protein helps build muscles while contributing less to fat storage

than other sources of calories. Getting sufficient amounts of protein will help fitness

enthusiasts retain their muscle gains while shedding weight. A smart rule of thumb to use

when deciding how much protein to include is consuming 1.5 grams of protein per pound

of body weight divided by the number of meals eaten per day.

Getting protein from plant sources rather than animal sources also helps. Promax

Nutrition provides a convenient source of protein for fitness enthusiasts who want to

optimize their diets. Made from organic vegetable sources, Promax protein bars provide

great after-workout fuel for men and women who want to maximize their fitness gains.

Be reasonable about cardio. Cardio can help reduce body fat, but don’t rely on it alone. If

you’re spending hours each day on cardio to reduce fat, it’s likely that your metabolism is

off kilter because of starvation dieting and excess cardio. Focus on proper diet and weight

training while keeping cardio an important, but not all-encompassing part of your

exercise routine.

Fitness experts recommend slow and easy forms of cardio, such as incline treadmill

walking or light jobs when cutting calories, to preserve muscle while shedding weight.

Get the right kind of fats . Believe it or not, fats can be helpful in gaining muscle mass

while avoiding excess weight gain. Getting the right type of fats is the trick. Consume

fats from healthy sources such as fish, avocado, nuts, and olive oil. These healthy sources

of omega-3 fats will help burn off fat and provide benefits such as improved eyesight,

healthier skin, and decreased inflammation.

Get enough sleep. When you sleep, your body repairs and builds muscle mass. Without

enough sleep, you impair your body’s ability to build and maintain muscle, and also

inhibit its ability to burn fat. Get the recommended eight hours or so a night.

Avoid drastic cuts to your caloric intake. Big cuts to your caloric intake can result in loss

of muscle mass and disruption of your metabolism. If your metabolism is disrupted, as

soon as you go off your get-lean diet you’ll see a rapid gain in fat.

Exercise enthusiasts don’t have to sacrifice the look on which they’ve worked so hard, in

exchange for weight loss. By developing a smart plan for eating and working out, and sticking to

it, men and women can improve their strength and muscle mass without undesired weight gain.

Summary

By doing the right type of exercise, and consuming a diet of protein and healthy fats, you can cut

calories without losing muscle mass.

Company Bio

Promax Nutrition provides exercise enthusiasts with an all-natural, vegan source of quality

protein. Promax Nutrition’s range of protein bars, including popular favorites like its Pro Series,

CarbSense, and Lower Sugar bars, are specially formulated for a variety of fitness goals. Learn

more at http://www.promaxnutrition.com/.