Gaining muscle and not losing fat often comes down to diet. It's possible that you're eating too much and may need to decrease your calories slightly. You'll also need to analyze your workouts and overall daily activity levels and consider adding in more calorie-burning activities to boost your fat loss efforts.
Building muscle should be your main focus as it increases your metabolism and makes losing fat easier. If you want to lose fat first to improve your body composition, you'll need to strength train and up your protein intake to minimize the amount of muscle you lose, too.
Studies have shown that participants can gain muscle, even while in a caloric deficit, as long as they eat enough protein. It's important enough that I'll say it again: If you don't want your body cannibalizing its muscles while you are in a caloric deficit, you need to eat plenty of protein.
Muscle does not weigh more than fat — but it does take up less space on your body, which is why you might look leaner after building muscle even if your weight doesn't change.
Losing muscle mass is a normal condition when getting older, however abnormal muscle loss can be caused by malnutrition, an eating disorder, or an autoimmune disease like HIV/AIDs. Muscle deterioration can also be a sign of a serious chronic disease or mental health issue.
Mostly, losing weight is an internal process. You will first lose hard fat that surrounds your organs like liver, kidneys and then you will start to lose soft fat like waistline and thigh fat. The fat loss from around the organs makes you leaner and stronger.
If you're losing inches but maintaining your weight and you regularly strength train, you may actually be losing fat and gaining muscle. The process of gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time is called body recomposition. Most scales don't differentiate between the amounts of body fat and muscle you have.
Can muscle turn into fat? A common misconception is that fat will replace muscle if you stop exercising. "It's absolutely not true," says Petty. "Fat cells and muscle cells are different structures and are not interchangeable.
Significant weight loss and muscle gains will take approximately eight weeks to see, however, even though you're not seeing muscle definition, the benefits going on in your body and mind are considerable.
Stress and sleep deprivation both play a huge role in the body's ability to shed fat and lean out. This is especially true when you get close to show day and don't have a lot of extra fat to lose in the first place. Stress and sleep deprivation can cause you to hold onto more water and make you feel bloated or puffy.
You've gained muscle.
And here's an often overlooked fact: Muscle tissue is more dense than fat tissue. So as you gain more muscle and lose fat, you change your overall body composition, which can result in a higher weight, but a smaller figure and better health.
It's the type of workout that can help you lose weight, boost your mood and generally improve your life -- and it's easy to get started even at home. You may have heard the common myth that lifting weights makes you "bulk up." It doesn't -- in fact, it can actually help you lose weight and slim down.
Fat burning typically begins after approximately 12 hours of fasting and escalates between 16 and 24 hours of fasting.
“At 6 to 8 weeks, you can definitely notice some changes,” said Logie, “and in 3 to 4 months you can do a pretty good overhaul to your health and fitness.” Strength-specific results take about the same amount of time.
When you gain muscle, you'll notice that your muscles naturally look more defined and are more visible, Berkow said. (To see your abs specifically, you'd have to also lose fat.) Your muscles would also be larger in size or feel "harder." If you gain fat, you'll notice more softness, she said, and you'll gain inches.
Muscle does not “turn into fat.” Period. There is no process in the human body by which muscle – which is made up of mainly protein, amino acids, and water – transforms itself into adipose (fat). The human body, no matter how amazing it can be at times, cannot magically turn one tissue into another.
Research shows most women are attracted to men who are more muscular, stronger, and leaner than men who are smaller, weaker, and fatter. Research also shows that to maximize your attractiveness to women, guys only need to gain about 20 to 30 pounds of muscle and reduce their body fat percentage to 8 to 12%.
Muscle is denser than fat, and as it is more compact within your body, as you gain muscle mass, you end up looking thinner, no matter your physical weight. So, if you've been doing a lot of strength training lately, it's likely this is the reason that you're looking fantastic but not dropping those numbers.
Excess visceral fat can pose serious health risks, but when you embark on a healthy diet and exercise plan, this fat is often the first to disappear. This means you're likely to notice weight loss in your abdominal area first. Too much visceral fat can make your belly protrude.
Trimming the fat
To battle belly fat: Eat a healthy diet. Focus on plant-based foods, such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and choose lean sources of protein and low-fat dairy products. Limit added sugar and saturated fat, which is found in meat and high-fat dairy products, such as cheese and butter.