Starvation and excessive exercise during weight loss lead to muscle loss, not fat, which is dangerous to health. Therefore, you need to balance nutrition and physical activity.
If your weight has dropped but you do not lose fat, then most likely the restriction on energy intake, exercise, and nutrition was wrong. And it led to a gradual loss of muscle mass and strength (sarcopenia).
How dangerous is the loss of muscle mass, not fat?
Researchers note that the formula for weight loss is a way of life, activity, and nutrition. And a balanced diet does not mean a strict diet or starvation at all. That is, limiting yourself to some important nutrients for the body is a very dangerous mistake.
Weight loss should be almost entirely due to fat mass. Accumulated excess fat is the main cause of metabolic disorders.
However, several studies have shown that those who actively lose weight often have concomitant tissue loss from the lean part of the body, especially skeletal muscle.
This is especially common in menopausal women, people with metabolic disorders, and athletes.
Decreased muscle mass, not fat, subsequently leads to the development of cardiovascular disease, contributes to the development of type 2 diabetes.
And skeletal muscles in general are key in the architectural structure of the human body because they support the muscular skeleton.
How to lose weight, losing fat, not muscle?
Doctors note that proper weight loss does not require a strict diet, but a balanced diet. For example, restriction of proteins and polyunsaturated amino acids (Omega-3, etc.) in the diet leads to muscle loss, not fat.
It is also important to avoid a lack of creatine in the body – it is this amino acid, or rather, most of it (98%) is contained in skeletal muscle. And is responsible for full energy metabolism in tissues and cells. Creatine enters the body mainly with animal food: it is especially contained in fish, meat, and seafood.
Creatine deficiency can occur:
- with heavy exercise (so doctors emphasize the use of aerobic exercise for those who are going to lose weight),
- and restriction of protein foods.
In order not to create problems for the body, you should balance the diet with all the elements – proteins, fats, carbohydrates. And perform the aerobic exercise:
- cycling,
- walking,
- running,
- swimming,
- climbing stairs,
- dancing, etc.
Your own weight loss scheme can help calculate nutritionist or fitness trainer.
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