Fat burning is a process that takes willpower and discipline. When your goal is to burn fat and build muscle, the goal isn't necessarily to lose weight. That would occur when you severely restrict your calories. The diet involved with burning fat and building muscle revolves around making some dietary adjustments and timing your meals.
Foods
Avoid foods that are high in fat and calories or consume them in small amounts. Examples of these include deep fried foods, whole-fat dairy products, commercial baked goods and processed meats. Your diet should consist of nutrient dense foods that are quality sources of protein, carbs and healthy fats. These foods give you energy, they speed recoveries and they can also help with immune function. Examples are lean meats, fish, fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, low-fat dairy and whole grains.
Meals
When you are trying to burn fat and build muscle, consume small frequent meals every two to three hours throughout the day. This can keep you feeling satisfied, prevent you from overeating, keep your metabolism elevated, give you sustained energy levels and give your muscles a consistent supply of nutrients. Make these meals a combination of protein and carbohydrates. An example would be a whole wheat wrap with turkey breast and chopped vegetables.
Water
Muscle is composed primarily of water. As a result, water is a very important component to your diet. It keeps you hydrated during workouts and can help flush toxins from your system. The Institute of Medicine recommends that women get approximately 2.7 total liters of water a day and men get approximately 3.7 liters a day.
Pre-workout
When you work out on an empty stomach, you might be burning calories, but you run the risk of "bonking." This means you ran out of gas and you have no energy to perform optimally. If you have no energy, then you are not going to be able to lift weights and build muscle. To avoid this, eat one of your small meals one to two hours before you exercise. This meal should consist of a 2:1 ratio of carbs to protein because carbs are what you use for energy. An example would be a cup of yogurt with some chopped up fruit added. This meal is also small enough that it is not going to cause any gastrointestinal discomfort.
Post-Workout
Your post-workout meal is just as important as your pre-workout meal. When you are done lifting weights, your muscle cells are broken down and depleted of glycogen which is the stored form of carbohydrates. In order to kickstart the recovery process and replenish what you lost, you need to get nutrients into your system at a fast pace. This can be done by having a shake made with whey protein and a fast-absorbing carbohydrate like grape juice or dextrose. Whey protein is optimal because it gets absorbed easily in the stomach. You can also just have a protein shake and eat some raisins or have a tablespoon of honey as these are also fast-absorbing carbs.
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