How to Lose Weight Without Losing Muscle
When you’re trying to lose weight, it’s easy to focus only on the scale. But your muscles tell an equally important story. A research review by Cava and colleagues (2017) looked at what happens to muscle during weight loss and how to protect it.
Here’s the big picture: carrying extra weight often means you have more total muscle, but that muscle doesn’t always work as well. Fat can build up in and around the muscle, making it less efficient. When you go on a low-calorie diet without a plan to protect muscle, you lose both fat and muscle. Over time, that can mean feeling weaker, moving more slowly, and having a harder time doing daily activities.
The good news: you are not stuck choosing between “thinner but weaker” or “stronger but heavier.” The research shows two powerful tools help you lose weight while protecting muscle: enough protein and resistance exercise.
Higher-protein eating during weight loss (usually more than the standard “diet” plan provides) helps your body hold onto lean tissue. Spreading protein across your meals – instead of getting most of it at dinner – gives your muscles several chances a day to repair and rebuild.
Adding resistance training (like bands, weights, or body-weight exercises) is just as important. Studies show that when people combine strength training with a calorie deficit, they keep more muscle, gain strength, and often move better than before they lost weight. Diet alone rarely does that.
If you’re in midlife, this matters even more. Natural age-related muscle loss is already happening under the surface. A crash diet can speed that up; a thoughtful plan can slow it down.
When we work together, we’re not just aiming for a smaller number on the scale. We’re protecting your strength, balance, and independence for the long run.
