Can I lose fat and build muscle mass at the same time?

Dear Working up a sweat, 

With all the contradictory information out there concerning fat loss and muscle growth, it’s no wonder that combining them creates confusion. To answer your question, it is possible to lose fat and build muscle simultaneously. This process requires a high protein, low calorie diet and resistance training. Depending on the person, these effects may be beneficial or adverse to health, so it’s recommended to consult a health care professional if you have concerns. To learn more about fat loss and muscle growth, continue reading. 

What does it mean to lose fat? 

Fat loss refers to the reduction of the connective tissue known as adipose tissue, or fat, in the body. Fat is an organ that is essential for body functioning as it stores and releases energy, creates hormones, and keeps you warm. While fat loss is one component of weight loss, it's measured by absolute fat mass and percentage and doesn’t include factors such as weight and waist circumference. 

Where your body stores fat, how much it stores, and how much effort is required to lose it each have a genetic component. This is especially significant as the physical appearance of body fat doesn’t always accurately represent one’s health. As such, both losing too much fat and gaining too much fat can be associated with adverse health effects depending on your genetics. 

How can you lose fat? 

Getting into the nitty-gritty, fat-loss is typically the result of food modifications and exercise. Changes in food consumption to achieve fat loss typically require that you’re in a calorie-deficit, or that you’re burning more calories than you’re consuming. 

If you’re trying to lose fat, there are some nutritional aspects to keep in mind including: 

• Increasing your protein intake by eating foods like lean meats, dairy products, legumes, and eggs. 
• Consuming healthy fats such as avocado, olive oil, nuts, whole grains, or salmon. 
• Eating the recommended daily intake of fruits and vegetables. 

List adapted from Health and World Health Organization 

For exercise, resistance training can be helpful for body recomposition (more on this later!). This form of training is still recommended even if your goal is to just lose fat. This is because muscle loss often occurs during a calorie-deficit diet, making muscle training critical for supporting your body and making you feel strong. Cardio exercises, such as running, swimming, and dancing, may also be beneficial to implement into your fat loss plan as they help to burn more calories in a single session. 

What does it mean to gain muscle? 

Muscle gain, or muscular hypertrophy, describes an increase in muscle mass. Muscles are the soft tissues in the body that have a variety of functions, ranging from aiding with movement to pumping blood to keep you (your heart!) alive. When people talk about muscle gain, they typically refer to the skeletal muscles, which are the muscles that you’re in direct control of. Some people may have a genetic predisposition for muscle gain while others may find this much more difficult to achieve because of factors like someone’s body fat percentage and their limb proportions or height.  

How can you build muscle? 

When it comes to building muscle, food modifications and exercise are still essential. Protein is often underscored as an essential component of muscle growth. In addition to nutritious foods high in protein, you may consider adding a protein supplement to your diet. It’s recommended to use a product that is low in sugar and additives to support fat loss goals and overall nutrition.  

Resistance training is essential to support muscle growth. This form of exercise involves having your muscles work against weight or another force. Some examples of resistance training exercises include: 

• Lifting weights 
• Using resistance bands 
• Using suspension equipment 
• Engaging in body weight exercises such as squats or push-ups 

List adapted from Better Health 

Can you lose fat and build muscle at the same time? 

The short answer to your question is yes. While muscle growth and fat loss are separate bodily processes that require different movements and nutrition intake, they can be simultaneously worked toward. This joint process, known as body recomposition, typically requires a high protein low calorie diet as well as resistance training and cardio exercise.  

Seeking advice from a health care professional such as a dietitian or personal trainer may help support you through the process. 

How can you measure your progress when trying to lose fat and gain muscle? 

When working toward your fat loss and muscle gain goals, keep in mind that your body weight may not be an accurate indicator of progress. Even if you are losing body fat (which is associated with weight loss), if you’re gaining muscle at the same time, you may notice your weight stay the same or even increase. This is because muscle is more dense than fat.  

Measuring your progress based on how you feel may actually be much more fruitful in the long term. Do you feel stronger? Do you feel a sense of achievement when you increase the intensity of your exercise? Do you feel more confident? Do you feel that you are taking care of your body? Asking yourself these questions may allow you to not only check in with the physical outcome of your body recomposition journey but also be a way to center your mental health and keep you motivated along the way.   

Hopefully, this information has helped settle the disagreement between you and your friend!