When most people say they want to lose weight, they really mean they would like to lose body fat. Very low-calorie diets help people lose weight initially but often result in a loss of fat and muscle mass. Ensuring an adequate caloric intake and strengthening your muscles will help you maintain your muscle while cardiovascular exercise will help you burn fat.
Step 1
Measure your metabolism. The amount of calories your body needs each day to support your muscles can be calculated using an online resting metabolic rate calculator. Once you find your number, be sure to eat that many calories every day or you will lose muscle mass.
Step 2
Strengthen your muscles. A muscle-strengthening routine will help maintain muscle mass and burn body fat. Strengthen your entire body two to three times a week with 48 hours of rest between each session. Perform each exercise for three sets of 15 to 25 reps to strengthen your muscles, according to the National Academy of Sports Medicine. Start your exercise routine with seated cable rows and seated bench presses. Then move to dead lifts, hamstring curls, shoulder presses and biceps curls.
Step 3
Run. Prolonged cardiovascular exercise targets body fat and burns a large quantity of calories in a relatively short period of time. Run five days a week for an hour each time, according to the American College of Sports Medicine. Keep your heart between 60 to 80 percent of your maximum. This number can be determined by subtracting your age from 220. Take the result and multiply it by 60 percent to find the heart rate you should never fall below and 80 percent to find the heart rate you should not go above. Use a heart rate monitor to keep track of the information and count calories.
Things You'll Need
- Heart rate monitor
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