Is It Possible To Get In Shape But Not Lose Weight?

Being fit or in shape means that you are active and eat a balanced diet. It does not mean that you have to lose weight. But you can be the proper weight and still not be physically fit, especially when it comes to your cardiovascular health. If you want to get in shape without losing weight, you need to understand how to use diet and exercise to maintain your weight.

Factors Affecting Weight

The main factor controlling whether you gain weight, lose weight or maintain weight is caloric balance. When you consume the same number of calories each day as your body uses, you maintain weight. Consuming more calories than your body uses causes weight gain, while weight loss occurs when you consume less calories than your body uses. The number of calories your body uses depends on your activity level, age, gender and height. Fluctuations in your body's ability to burn calories can occur with stress, lack of sleep and drugs. If you notice yourself gaining or losing weight, adjust your exercise or diet to compensate.

Cardiovascular Exercise

Fitness requires you to perform cardiovascular exercise on most days of the week. To maintain weight as you improve your fitness, focus on shorter bouts of more intense exercise that help build muscle as they improve your cardiovascular function and endurance. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that if you want to get in shape while you maintain your weight, you perform 20 minutes of vigorous cardio on approximately three days a week. Interval training and speed drills provide effective vigorous workouts for improving your fitness level.

Strength Training

Strength training focuses on building lean muscle mass. Increased muscle mass helps you maintain your weight even during illness or days when you make poor food choices. Strength training to build muscle mass requires higher resistance forces and fewer repetitions per set than strength training for maintaining lean muscle. Perform six to eight repetitions of 10 to 12 exercises at least twice a week on nonconsecutive days to allow for muscle mass gain without excess calorie burning and weight loss.

Nutrition

What you eat and drink as you get in shape has a direct impact on your ability to build muscle, increase endurance and maintain weight. Consume a diet high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean protein. Unprocessed foods provide more nutrients with less calories than processed foods. Improve the nutrient value of your diet by shopping mostly on the outside of your grocery store, where the fresh cuts of meet, dairy and produce are located. To ensure you get proper portions of carbohydrates, fats and proteins, prepare your plate so that a lean protein covers one-quarter of your plate, a whole grain covers one-quarter of your plate and a fruit or vegetable covers the other half of your plate. Do not try to eliminate all fat from your diet, but limit your intake of fat to unsaturated sources such as nuts, seeds, corn oil, olive oil or avocados.