Losing weight is not the easiest thing to do, especially when you have no direction and fall prey to quick fixes like miracle diets and weight loss supplements. When you are trying to not only lose weight, but also get long, lean muscles, you need to follow some specific steps. Your diet needs to be adjusted and you have to perform exercise that is favorable for gaining lean muscle mass.
Step 1
Create and start consuming a nutritious menu consisting only of lean beef, fish, chicken breasts, cottage cheese, eggs, fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans. When you are trying to lose weight and get lean muscles, your diet should consist of quality sources of protein, carbs and fats that can give you energy and help with recovery. Avoid foods that are high in sodium, sugar and saturated fat like cakes, pies, doughnuts, danishes, cookies, chips, fast food, deep fried foods and commercial baked goods.
Step 2
High calorie beverages like beer, wine, soda, fruit punch, sweetened teas and lattes can increase your weight gain and they should be avoided. Replace all your liquid calories with water as it has no calories and it also helps to hydrate you. The Institute of Medicine recommends that women get approximately 2.7 total liters of water a day and men get approximately 3.7 liters.
Step 3
Eat smaller meals. Eating a small meal every few hours throughout the day can help increase your metabolism, it can keep your feeling satisfied and it can also give your muscles a constant supply of nutrients. Start your day off with breakfast and eat a meal every 2 to 3 hours thereafter. Make your meals a balance of protein and complex carbs that are high in fiber. Oat bran cereal with low-fat milk is an early day meal example.
Step 4
Cut your calories. In order to lose weight, you need to create a caloric deficit where you are eating less than you are burning. To lose a pound of weight, you need to burn 3500 calories. Reduce your daily intake by 500 calories to lose a pound a week from your diet alone.
Step 5
Do weight training with moderate weights and high reps. When you lift heavy weights, you build maximal strength and bulky muscles. To build long, lean muscles, increase your reps and lift lighter weights. Aim for 12 to 15 reps and 3 to 4 sets. The exercises you do should target your whole body. Examples of these are chest presses, shoulder presses, back rows, triceps extensions, biceps curls, reverse crunches and lunges.
Step 6
Perform cardiovascular exercise to burn calories. Any form of cardio can burn calories and help you get long, lean muscles. Examples include running, biking, elliptical training, swimming, stair climbing, rowing, walking and jumping rope. Do cardio for 30 to 45 minutes.
Step 7
Stay on track with your goals. Perform cardio and weight training three times a week each. Alternate between weight training one day and cardio the next. This will give you 48 hours rest between each respective type of exercise.
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