How to Lose Fat Without Losing Muscle: Expert Tips for 2025
Are you working hard to lose fat but worried about sacrificing your hard-earned muscle? You’re not alone—this is a common concern for many who are looking for better body composition.
The good news? It’s possible to achieve fat loss without losing muscle, and I’m here to show you how.
In this guide, we’ll explore science-backed strategies that prioritize muscle preservation while helping you shed unwanted fat. From optimizing your diet to designing an effective workout plan, we’ll cover everything you need to know.
Let’s dive in and unlock the secret to your best aesthetic.
The Science of Fat Loss vs. Muscle Preservation
Why fat loss and muscle gain are often at odds.
When you look at the mechanisms behind losing body fat and building muscle, you realize they are often at odds. Simply to lose body fat you need to be in a calorie deficit, and to gain muscle you usually need to be in a slight caloric surplus.
I don’t care what the weird health guru who hasn’t bathed in two weeks tells you – you will not defy the laws of thermodynamics and just will tissue loss or gain with the right chakras or whatever.
The role of calorie deficits and their impact on muscle tissue.
One thing is for sure – we need a calorie deficit to lose body fat, and unfortunately calorie deficits aren’t too kind to muscle. You see, during a cut, your brain thinks there is a famine going on due to the lack of food coming in.
So it needs to find energy somewhere to keep your vital organs going, to well, you know – not freaking die. And if it’s not getting the energy from food, your brain will start looking at its energy reserves to replace the needed energy.
Ideally this will be from your body fat storages, but do you know what has a lot of potential energy that you don’t technically need a lot of to survive?
Your muscle tissue.
Yes, muscle is important for a healthy life, but it is very expensive to maintain if not being used. Especially in times of famine, your brain could give two shits if you want to be jacked. Its main objective is to survive and procreate, so muscle is often the first source of energy to pull from when you’re in a calorie deficit.
Obviously we don’t want that – to obtain that aesthetic look you are after, we need to be lean while holding on to the most muscle as possible.
So how do we lose body fat while maintaining the most muscle mass? There is a way, and that’s what we are going to cover how to right now.
Nutrition Strategies for Fat Loss and Muscle Maintenance
Importance of Eating in a Calorie Deficit
When it comes to fat loss, nutrition is going to be the main driver. Eating in a caloric deficit will tell your body that it needs to pull energy from your reserves – ideally body fat – to make up the difference of lost energy that used to come in. So how much of a calorie deficit do you need to be in?
Note: These numbers reflect a % reduction from your maintenance TDEE calories
There is an argument of aggressive dieting which is being in a large calorie deficit for a shorter period of time vs. slow and controlled dieting at a slight caloric deficit over a prolonged period of time.
This is going to be the preference of the dieter in terms of what you can handle.
The aggressive dieting is obviously more appealing and can be very effective, but there is more variables that need to be considered and is best to be overlooked by a trained coach so that you don’t fuck it up and develop some nasty habits.
The biggest variable is the potential for muscle loss when a severe calorie deficit is in place for too long.
Because of that, I recommend the slight to moderate approach as it is easier to maintain and not too drastic that could result in muscle loss.
Macronutrient ratios: protein, carbs, and fats for muscle retention.
Calories are king when trying to impose a calorie deficit, but your macros are something you can’t overlook – especially protein.
You could be eating the right amount of calories to lose body fat, but still end up with way different (and not as good) results. Again, the name of the game for body composition is to be lean while maintaining the most muscle. Your macronutrient ratio when dieting will help with that.
Out of the three macros, protein is going to be the most important because protein is made up of molecules called amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks to your muscle fibers for growth and repair.
If you miss on your protein intake, then there is a higher chance for muscle breakdown when dieting because your body just doesn’t have the required amino acids to repair and preserve muscle. It’s like you’re trying to build a house but you have no lumbar or brick – have fun in your house made up of air.
So to avoid this, I recommend eating 0.8-1g of protein per pound of target body weight each day. So if you’re 165 pounds, but want to weigh 150 pounds, then you’ll aim for 150g each day. Simple.
When it comes to carbs and fats, you can take two approaches:
1. Calculate your protein intake, calculate fat intake, then allot the rest of calories to come from carbs.
After calculating your protein intake, there is a minimum amount of fat you need to hit to maintain hormonal function. This is usually around 0.5g per pound of body weight. Once you have that number, then allot the rest of your calories to come from carbs.
2. Just hit total calories and protein and the rest tends to work itself out.
This is the usual method I use with my clients as it’s less numbers to stress about and you tend to eat in a way that you prefer. Adherence is the biggest factor of whether diets succeed or fail, and this method is usually a more natural way of eating for most people. If your calories and protein are where they need to be, most times so are carbs and fats.
Now that we have our nutrition taken care of, let’s talk about the most important thing when it comes to preserving muscle when losing body fat.
Strength Training: The Key to Retaining Muscle
Why lifting heavy is essential during fat loss.
Your body is an adaptation machine and works in the way of adapting to the loudest signal that it is getting. When trying to lose body fat, a calorie deficit is the loudest signal to initiate fat loss. When it comes to preserving muscle, strength training will be the loudest signal.
Strength training is the secret key to preserving muscle when trying to lose body fat.
As I mentioned earlier, muscle is an expensive tissue to maintain energy wise, and in times of energy crisis (like a calorie deficit) your body will be happy as a clam to break it down to get that sweet energy.
Your body will only maintain certain tissues to the extent they are being used. When you don’t strength train during a diet phase, you are telling your body that the muscle is not needed.
Even though your body fat’s main role is to be an energy reserve, it is a vital piece of tissue because it is the last resort for energy. During an energy crisis, your body will want to preserve it unless it absolutely has to tap into it. So, it will look at your muscle tissue as a source of energy because it isn’t being used anyways, so let’s use it for something good.
When you strength train, you are sending a signal to your body saying “Woah slick let’s take it easy, we need that sexy hunk of meat to lift some heavy shit.” Your body will have no choice but to tap into your body fat reserves because there is nowhere else to get energy from – thus you get true fat loss with muscle retention.
The best type of resistance training and exercises for muscle maintenance.
Weight training is going to be the best type of resistance training to maintain muscle, but what exercises should you be focusing on and what splits are the best?
When it comes to exercise, you should be focusing on compound lifts as they will be the ones that send the loudest signal to preserve muscle. Compound exercises are ones that hit multiple muscle groups. These are the exercises you should prioritize:
Squats
Deadlifts
Bench Press
Overhead Press
As far as splits goes, there is one split that the majority of people will thrive on – the full body split.
You see, most people do the opposite of what is best, which is that they increase volume when they are cutting, thinking that it will result in a better calorie burn for better results. This is not how you should approach your training when it comes to losing body fat.
The goal of your training is to send the signal to preserve muscle, and not try to increase calorie expenditure. People decide to do a crap load of cardio thinking it will better their results, but end up shooting themselves in the foot (more on this later). Your nutrition will be the main driver of sending the signal to lose body fat, your training will maintain your muscle mass.
This is another reason why high volume training plans like bro splits or other bodybuilding routines may not be the best idea. Your training is a stressor on your body, and too much stress can also break down muscle. So you need a balance of volume to send the right signal without absolutely wrecking your body in the process.
Full body workouts tend to work best for the average person because they prioritize compound lifts while also having the right amount of volume and frequency to send this balanced signal. Also if you miss a workout, it’s no big deal because you will still hit each body part at least once that week sending the signal to maintain your muscle.
If you want to follow a four week full body routine, you can access one here for free:
Click here to access your free workout routine.
Progressive overload even in a calorie deficit.
The last point we’ll cover about training is to still prioritize progressive overload even when in a deficit.
No, I do not expect you to hit a PR in a diet phase – but if you do, well then you can just send me a cupcake or something as a way to say thank you for getting you lean and strong af.
However the goal is to send a loud enough signal when we are dieting to maintain muscle. Trying to increase strength will be a loud enough signal to do so, even if you’re not actually increasing the weight.
This is why the sample program I gave you is a strength-focused workout. You’ll notice that you are hitting low reps for the compound movements. This was intentional, obvi, as a way to make sure the loudest signal is being sent. Heavy weight will do just that.
Cardio: Friend or Foe for Muscle Preservation?
Ah the beloved cardio. The number one go-to when people decide they want to go on a fat loss journey. So what’s the deal – is cardio required? Is it the enemy of all gains? Let’s talk about it.
Is cardio required to lose body fat?
Cardio is a touchy subject because it has been engrained as the primary method to lose weight for most people. But we aren’t after losing just weight, we want better body composition.
I’ll just put this bluntly, cardio fucking sucks for fat loss.
Now before you get your panties in a twist, I am not demonizing cardio, nor saying you shouldn't do it. Cardio can be extremely healthy for you, and should be included in your weekly plan to stay fit and thrive in life.
However, when it comes to losing body fat and maintaining muscle for better body composition – it should not be your primary tool. I wrote an article about why cardio sucks for fat loss, and you can read that here.
The TLDR version is:
Cardio teaches your body to be efficient with calories, meaning over time it is harder to stay in a caloric deficit.
Cardio sends a catabolic signal to your body, and when done in excess, will break down muscle.
Your body adapts to cardio very fast meaning that you have to do more of it to get more results.
Is cardio the killer of all gains?
This is a topic I have changed my mind on, funny enough. I used to think that cardio should be avoided at all costs to ensure sparing of muscle tissue – I was wrong.
Here’s the bottom line: Your body is pretty resilient and cardio isn’t an instant gains killer. However, cardio is one of those things that can be easily overdone because people want faster results as it’s natural human nature.
This is where they shoot themselves in the foot because when they do too much, they start sending mixed signals to the body. This leads to the negative things cardio can cause that I mentioned earlier.
There is a balance of how much cardio can be effective for fat loss and how much starts becoming counterproductive.
The best form of cardio to include in a fat loss phase.
We understand that cardio shouldn’t be the primary tool we use for fat loss, but we know that it shouldn't be feared and still included to promote health and base line endurance.
But what is the right type of cardio to use in a fat loss phase? Drum roll please….
Walking.
I’m sure you were expecting some convoluted breakdown between HIIT, the stair master, and running, so I get it, not the answer you were looking for. But seriously, you can get the majority of benefits of cardio from just going on a couple walks a day.
Steps are the main target I look for when coaching someone through a fat loss phase, because it is an easy behavior to instill and so damn good for you.
The reason I choose walking is because everyone can do it, it doesn’t require any additional equipment, and it can be amazing for your mental health to get some fresh air instead of being cooped up in that damn troll dwelling you call your bedroom – no offense to the chill trolls reading this.
Usually a target of 8-10,000 steps a day is a great target to hit to maintain great health and get the primary benefits of cardio when in a fat loss phase.
Combining strength training and cardio for optimal results.
When it comes to fat loss and optimal body composition, it’s a smart idea to use all the tools we have to see the best results. This is usually a combination of mainly nutrition and strength training, and the assistance of cardio.
Nutrition will be the main lever we pull to initiate fat loss and we want to prioritize strength training as it will send the signal to preserve muscle in the process. Cardio can be implemented to maintain a standard of health and then ramped up towards the end of a fat loss phase to squeeze out that bit of progress.
So the ultimate combination to see the best results would be to be eating in a calorie deficit, full body strength training 2-3x a week, and hitting the required amount of daily steps.
That my friend is the secret recipe to losing fat while maintaining muscle.
Recovery and Lifestyle Habits That Support Muscle Retention
We’ve covered a lot so far in terms of optimizing fat loss while preserving muscle. The nutrition you should have, the type of training you need to do and more. However, if you get this wrong, then you can just throw most of that out the window.
One of the easiest ways to derail progress when in a fat loss phase is to screw up your recovery. Let’s make sure that doesn’t happen.
The importance of quality sleep for a fat loss phase.
By far the most important aspect of recovery you need to nail during your fat loss phase is to get good quality sleep.
Sleep is where all the magic happens when repairing muscle, keep your body in check with all the stressors a fat loss phase has, and making sure you don’t go off the deep end and just flat out saying fuck it, dad bods are in right? (They’re not in, stop lying to yourself)
You see, sleep is when your body sends out the troops to do the clean up job of the day that happened. Just losing a couple hours of sleep can greatly slow your progress and even push you backwards – lack of sleep is a big cause of reduction of fat loss and increased muscle breakdown.
Here the main benefits sleep takes part in:
Increased muscle protein synthesis
Enhanced recovery from workouts
Improved hormonal balance
Better appetite regulation
Getting 7-8 hours of high quality sleep will ensure that you see the results you actually want.
Stress management and its role in muscle preservation.
We’ve mentioned that being in a fat loss phase is one big stressor on the body. Too much stress can lead to your body breaking down muscle and not achieving the body composition you want – no bueno. This is why managing stress is going to a key part of your fat loss phase.
What happens when there is too much stress on the body is that this causes your brain to shift into fight or flight mode. Pumping out cortisol and other hormones to get the energy to fight (or run like hell) from whatever threat it thinks it is taking on.
Our brains are marvelous things, but unfortunately it can’t distinguish you wanting to lose a couple pounds to look good on the beach from running away from a damn bear. I know, not the sharpest tool in the tool shed.
What happens when your body is in this fight or flight, is that it will look everywhere to pull energy. Remember what tissue has plenty of energy to pull from? Yupp, your muscle tissue. Again, your brain doesn’t give a flying hoot if you want to be jacked if it thinks you are about to be mauled or starve to death.
Especially if you are stressed out of your mind from work, getting shitty sleep, and not eating enough, your body is going to declare DEFCON-1 to fix things.
So having the right stress management will be crucial to tell your brain to chill out, we are just trying to get a little slim thick. Here are some great strategies for that:
Get good sleep – yes I am going to keep screaming this from the top of my lungs.
Pick up a meditation or journaling practice to handle the daily stressors.
Have a recharge hobby you deeply enjoy like painting, reading, playing an instrument, etc.
Live, Love, Laugh fucker. Stop taking life so seriously and enjoy it.
Losing fat without losing muscle may seem challenging, but it’s absolutely achievable with the right strategies.
By focusing on balanced nutrition, consistent strength training, and proper recovery, you can transform your physique while preserving your hard-earned muscle.
With the information you just learned, you are already better equipped than most people to achieve your best aesthetic when taking on a fat loss phase.
