Cutting calories

When you cut calories from your diet in order to reduce body fat and improve condition you want to minimize the negative effect this will have on your energy, mental focus, strength and of course muscle mass. 

It isn't as simple as "eating less" because if you get it wrong you'll sacrifice a lot of muscle, lose a lot of strength and end up feeling like s***. 

There are things which you need to do in order to maximize fat loss while retaining muscle tissue and performance at the same time. 

Here are 3 things that you should help you out:

1. Carbs

Removing SOME carbs from your diet is going to be inevitable for most when creating a calorie deficit BUT you need to keep your carbs as high as possible as your calorie intake reduces. Carbs are protein sparing, therefore, they are muscle sparing, they help keep you looking full and they also contribute towards performance in the gym. You often see people get lean but lose all of their fullness and size as well as their strength when they cut carbs excessively to lose fat.

2. BCAAs

Supplementing with BCAAs becomes more important than ever when you're in a calorie deficit to act as a means of protecting your muscle tissue against catabolism. They will help off-set the breakdown of muscle tissue. You can sip BCAAs throughout the day as well as during the workout just to create a defensive wall against catabolism. If you're in a deficit then you're more vulnerable, no question. 

3. Be gradual 

The slower you can diet the better. Being aggressive with your fat loss goals by drastically reducing calories, doing lots of cardio and generally under eating will cause you all sorts of problems including muscle loss, poor performance and even stubborn fat loss ultimately. Take things gradually, don't be overly aggressive and include refeeds. 

The goal of a fat loss program isn't to just lose fat, it's to create a good look and to retain as much muscle as possible. You'll also retain a higher metabolic output by retaining more muscle, so it actually helps with fat loss. - Neil Hill

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