This is because losing weight means losing a mix of fat and muscle. Since muscle burns more calories than fat, a decrease in muscle mass can slow down your metabolism, making weight loss more difficult.
According to the American magazine "Women's Health," there are steps you can take to minimize muscle loss and maintain your body's calorie-burning capacity.
Here are some bad habits that can cause you to lose more muscle than fat..
1. Consuming far fewer calories than necessary
Consuming fewer calories than you need to maintain your metabolism puts your body into starvation mode, forcing it to burn both fat and muscle for energy.
Your body's primary function is to keep you alive, so it needs to ensure you have enough energy for essential functions. 2. You're not consuming enough calories, so your body is forced to draw on stored carbohydrates (glycogen), stored fat, and protein from your muscles.
The number of calories you need to consume daily depends on your current body weight, but it should not be less than 1,000 calories per day.
2. You're not eating enough protein
Weight loss isn't just about how much you eat, but also the type of food you put in your mouth. A 2019 study found that people who followed a low-calorie diet for four weeks and consumed more protein (2.4 grams instead of 1.2 grams per kilogram of body weight) lost 27% more fat and gained eight times more muscle mass.
Protein can be found in foods like eggs, poultry, dairy, and meat, all of which provide the nine essential amino acids your body uses to build and maintain muscle. So, if you're not consuming enough protein, you're depriving your body of the ability to build muscle efficiently.
3. Weightlifting
To maintain muscle mass, your body needs a boost. If you don't stimulate your muscles, they won't build them.
And if you're on a low-calorie diet and don't do resistance training, you certainly won't gain muscle and may even lose some.
In fact, weightlifting is probably a better long-term fat burner than cardio exercises.
4. Replenishing Your Body After Exercise
Replenishing your body's energy after exercise is just as important as the weights you lift. If you don't eat after a workout, you're more likely to not recover. And if you don't repair the muscle you broke, you'll lose it.
If you exercise moderately for at least 45 minutes, experts recommend consuming 20 grams of high-quality protein, such as yogurt, within 15 to 30 minutes of finishing your workout.
5. Cardio
You might think that sweating profusely while exercising for an hour a day is the best way to burn extra calories, but this is a common misconception.
Unlike weightlifting, which engages all muscle fibers in the body, cardio exercises don't build muscle and can even burn it.
Although your body uses most of its stored calories to fuel a simple cardio exercise like an hour-long walk, if you're in a calorie deficit, your body will be forced to break down muscle tissue for energy.
It's recommended to do light exercise like walking 3 or 4 days a week and dedicate 2 days a week to more intense workouts to maintain your body and muscles.
6. Not getting enough sleep
To lose weight effectively, your body needs adequate rest. If you don't get enough sleep, your hormones may not function properly, and your cortisol levels will rise, increasing the likelihood of storing carbohydrates as fat.
Furthermore, fatigue will make it difficult to exercise, especially strenuous exercise, and consequently, you won't build enough muscle. Over time, you'll lose more muscle than you gain. Aim for 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night.