However, if you eat incorrectly, such as cutting too many calories or strictly avoiding starch, your body will not only lose fat but also burn muscle.
According to Dr. Layne Norton, an American fitness nutritionist: Weight loss is not just about reducing your weight, but it is about reducing fat and preserving muscle tissue. He recommends that people who want to lose fat should aim to lose 0.5 -1% of their body weight per week, so that the body has time to adapt and limit muscle loss.
Experts agree that an ideal diet should have enough protein, an average of 1.6-2.2g of protein per kg of body weight per day. Protein not only helps recover muscles after exercise but also increases satiety, supporting energy intake control. Priority foods include lean meat, fish, eggs, Greek yogurt, soybeans, and nuts.
However, carbohydrates (starch) should not be completely eliminated. Dr. Mike Israetel ( Renaissance Periodization Institute, USA) believes that complex starches, such as brown rice, oats, sweet potatoes, are a necessary source of energy to help maintain exercise performance and prevent the body from using muscle as fuel.
In addition to nutritional ratio, the time of eating is also important. Eating protein meals within 1-2 hours of exercise helps muscles recover faster. At the same time, adding good fats from olive oil, avocado, and salmon helps balance hormones and support fat metabolism.
Finally, drinking enough water and getting enough sleep are factors that cannot be ignored. Lack of sleep increases the hormone cortisol, which causes the body to retain fat and lose muscle faster.
The body needs to be nourished intelligently, not starved, emphasized sports nutritionist Nancy Clark (Boston, USA). "Eating right and enough will help you lose fat effectively while still maintaining strength, energy and muscle".
