Replacing Your Fat with Muscles

While it is physically impossible to turn fat into muscle, you can change your body composition by shedding fat and replacing it with muscle. To do this, you must commit to a healthy diet and exercise program that includes both cardio and strength training,on an appropriate schedule.

Doing so will give you precisely the results you want, so here is how to go about it:

Adopt a Proper Diet

Replacing fat with muscle seems relatively simple, but when it comes to your diet, it can be a little more complex. While you need to cut back on calories in order to shed the kilos, you also need to take in more calories to ensure your muscles are able to grow. Since there is no perfect diet that will accomplish this, you will have to approach it in two stages. The first stage is weight loss, where you will need to reduce the amount of calories you take in, and only after you have lost some of the weight, will you be able to see changes in muscle tone.

Thus, in the second stage, building muscles will require you to take in all the necessary ‘building blocks’of nutrients required to grow new muscle tissue, such as protein, good fat, carbohydrates, and other nutrients. Eating chicken, fish and eggs, as well as taking amino acid supplements are also great ways to provide your body with the building blocks of proteins that are essentialfor making healthy muscle tissue.

First Comes the Cardio

Like diet, exercise also comes in two stages, with the first being cardiovascular exercise. You should aim to exercise for 60 to 90 minutes, five days a week, to get fast weight-loss results. Running, biking, swimming, and hiking are good examples of moderate-intensity exercise that will get your heart rate up and burn a sufficient amount of calories.

If you want to incorporate some light-weightlifting into your cardio regime, then go for it. In fact, having more muscle will actually hasten the fat loss process by increasing your metabolism, so it’s highly recommended to gently begin with the weights early on too. At this stage, however, your primary focus should still be on the cardio.

Then Comes Strength Training

Strength training is the primary way to stimulate new muscle growth, so once your weight is down to a reasonable level, it’s time to bulk up again – only with muscle. Plan a weightlifting program for yourself that involves all the major muscle groups, such as squats, lunges, bench presses and bicep curls,as well asexercisesto tone your core muscles, including abs, back and pelvis.

Keep in mind that the only way to actually build muscle is if you use heavy weights and focus on maintainingproper technique. If you do 3sets of 10-12 repetitions of each exercise, and you really struggle to complete the last few reps, then you are going to build muscle. Remember to keep increasing the weights when you feel ready, otherwise your muscle volume will begin to stagnate.

Stay Hydrated

When you’re focused on losing weight and gaining muscle, you need to stay hydrated with water, and not calorie-packed drinks with high sugar content. If you drink an adequate amount of water, your body can metabolise your stored fat easier, and eliminate extra weight caused by fluid retention.

Replacing your fat with muscle isn’t hard, but you have to plan the right type of diet and exercise routine, so that the transition happens quickly and easily.