Research
Mixed
Resistance training combined with high protein intake (1.6-2.0 g/kg/day) preserves or increases muscle mass during caloric restriction, whereas high protein intake alone is insufficient without resistance training.
To lose fat without losing muscle, you must lift weights (at least 10 sets per muscle group per week) and eat 1.6-2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily. Do not rely on protein shakes or dieting alone.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Studies consistently show that certain strategies can support the maintenance or even increase of muscle mass during caloric restriction and fat loss... resistance training proved more effective in preserving muscle mass during weight loss... A study on older women suggests that higher protein intake (≥1.3 g/kg) may provide greater benefits... all groups of women who completed a resistance training (RT) program with varying levels of protein intake also experienced reductions in fat mass.
Why this rating
Based on multiple systematic reviews and experimental studies cited.
Source
A Review of Strategies for Achieving Simultaneous Muscle Mass Gain, Maintenance, or Minimal Loss During Fat Reduction: Insights from the Last 5 Years
Volha Babrova et al. · Journal of Education Health and Sport · 2025
DOI 10.12775/jehs.2025.79.59391
narrative_reviewCited 2×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Ketogenic diets are effective for fat mass reduction but are less effective than carbohydrate-rich diets for muscle mass gain, potentially due to reduced testosterone and IGF-1 levels.Moderate
- Combining High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) with Resistance Training (RT) increases lean muscle mass and reduces visceral fat more effectively than Moderate-Intensity Continuous Training (MICT) alone in postmenopausal women.Moderate
Related findings · Mixed
- Bariatric surgery (VSG and RYGB) is the most effective and sustainable treatment for obesity, producing marked and sustained weight loss that non-surgical interventions cannot match.Strong
- Severely protein-deficient diets (2–3% energy) induce lean body mass loss and metabolic imbalance, whereas adequate protein intake (0.66 g/kg/d minimum) is a prerequisite for maintaining muscle, bone, and physiological function.Strong
- For patients with Class III obesity (BMI >39.9 kg/m2), metabolic bariatric surgery (MBS) is significantly more effective than any currently approved medication, with BilioPancreatic Diversion (BPD) showing the highest estimated weight loss.Strong
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