How to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time in 3 months

What is your fitness goal? Mine has been “losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time.” = “body recomposition” This does not mean that your goal must be the same, but I know there are many who are aiming for that goal. I want to share the guide on how to achieve that goal with you, explaining it step by step.

eBook about “how to lose fat and gain muscle simultaneously” is here!! I’ll delve deeper into these topics. I’ll be sharing more detailed information and practical tips to help you achieve your fitness goals. Click HERE to learn more and start your transformation today.

You may also want to read HOW TO SET A FITNESS GOAL: HOW TO GET A BIKINI BODY BY SUMMER to learn how to set a fitness goal.

Before diving into the strategies for simultaneously losing fat and gaining muscle, it is important to understand the body’s composition and how these two processes occur. The body is composed of various tissues, including muscle and fat. When we talk about losing fat, we are referring to reducing the amount of adipose tissue, which is stored energy in the form of fat cells. On the other hand, gaining muscle involves increasing the size and strength of the skeletal muscles.

There are three “MUST” for losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time. They are creating a calorie deficit, tracking your macronutrient needs, and providing strength training.

Table of Contents

• Creating a calorie deficit
• Tracking your macronutrient needs
• Providing strength training
• My story

Creating a calorie deficit

It is essential to create a calorie deficit for fat loss. You can create a calorie deficit by decreasing calorie input and increasing calorie output.

First, you can create a calorie deficit by consuming fewer calories than your body needs to maintain its current weight, while also ensuring an adequate intake of protein, carbohydrates, and fats to fuel muscle growth and repair. While it is important to create a calorie deficit for fat loss, it is equally important to ensure that you are not depriving your body of essential nutrients. Crash diets and extreme calorie restrictions can lead to muscle loss and a decrease in metabolic rate, making it harder to achieve your goals in the long run.

Here is a list of how to come up with your numbers in calorie deficit. Details are as follows:

1. Find out your basal metabolic rate (BMR) = the number of calories your body needs to maintain basic functions at rest
2. Find out your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) = the number of calories your body needs to maintain basic functions with daily physical activities.
3. Create a calorie deficit of a few hundred calories from your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE)

First, calculate your basal metabolic rate (BMR), which is the number of calories your body needs to maintain basic functions at rest. After you figure out your basal metabolic rate, you figure out your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE), which is the number of calories your body burns with your daily physical activities. Total daily energy expenditure is also referred to as maintenance calories, where you can maintain your weight. This is the number that is influenced by your level of physical activity. After you get the total daily energy expenditure (TDEE), you create a calorie deficit of a few hundred calories. A calorie deficit is the number of fewer calories you are getting than your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). The number depends on, basically, how fast you want to lose weight. You can calculate the number of calorie deficits by adding 10% to 20% of your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). One piece of advice here is not to exceed 20% of your total daily energy expenditure for your calorie deficit to avoid losing weight in an unhealthy way. Furthermore, do not go under your basal metabolic rate (BMR).

Let me share my actual numbers as an examples.: (I got this number from one of the apps I am using).

Example 1: Want to lose weight at maximum speed in a healthy way

Basal metabolic rate (BMR) = 1,192 kcal
Total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) = maintenance calories = 1,639 kcal
A calorie deficit = 328 kcal (20% of 1,639 kcal)
Calorie needs (to lose weight) = 1,311 kcal (1,639 kcal – 328 kcal)

Example 2: Want to lose weight slowly (this is recommended for individuals who are about to start calorie/macronutrients tracking)

Basal metabolic rate (BMR) = 1,192 kcal
Total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) = maintenance calories = 1,639 kcal
A calorie deficit = 164 kcal (10% of 1,639 kcal)
Calorie needs (to lose weight) = 1,475 kcal (1,639 kcal – 164 kcal)

In addition to creating a calorie deficit with your diet, you can increase calorie output by adding cardio and high-intensity interval training (HIIT). For cardio, you can pick whatever you can enjoy the most to maintain consistency, such as running, cycling, swimming, jumping rope, dancing, rowing, and even walking. Please do not underestimate walking. Walking is a great way to burn some extra calories with less impact on your knees. For cardio, you can gradually increase intensity and frequency. You might also want to read HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT TYPE OF CARDIO FOR YOUR FITNESS GOAL for some tips in choosing your cardio.

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a popular workout method that involves alternating between short bursts of intense exercise and periods of rest or low-intensity exercise. This type of training is known for its efficiency and ability to burn calories in a short amount of time, anywhere, with minimal equipment. For HIIT, you can also gradually increase intensity and frequency, but just do not overdo it. HIIT is a great way to burn extra calories, but it can also fatigue your body, so you need to rest your body enough from HIIT. I would recommend you rest your body at least for two days between HIIT. You can also avoid doing HIIT on your intense strength training day such as leg day.

Here is a brief guide how to perform HIIT.

1. Choose your exercises: Select a combination of exercises that target different muscle groups and get your heart rate up. Examples include burpees, squat jumps, mountain climbers, and high knees.
2. Set your intervals: Decide on the length of your work and rest intervals. A common ratio is 1:1, where you work at a high intensity for 30 seconds and then rest for 30 seconds. You can adjust the intervals based on your fitness level and goals.
3. Warm up: Before starting your HIIT workout, make sure to warm up your muscles with some dynamic stretches and light cardio exercises.
4. Perform the workout: Alternate between the high-intensity exercises and rest or low-intensity exercises for the desired number of rounds. Push yourself during the high-intensity intervals, but listen to your body and modify the exercises if needed.
5. Cool down: After completing your HIIT workout, cool down with some static stretches to help prevent muscle soreness and promote recovery.

Tracking your macronutrient needs

It is important to create a calorie deficit, but that does not mean that you only track your calorie intake. Remember that your calorie intake consists of all macronutrients (protein = 4 kcal, fat = 9 kcal, and carbohydrate = 4 kcal). That means you can create a calorie deficit with different ratios of macronutrients so that you can ensure an adequate intake of protein, carbohydrates, and fats to fuel muscle growth and repair.

Calculate each macronutrient ratio needs from the number of total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) with calorie deficit
While individual needs may vary, a common macronutrient distribution is:

• Protein: 10-35% of total calories
• Carbohydrates: 45-65% of total calories
• Fats: 20-35% of total calories

Again, if your goal is to lose weight, when it says “total calories,”  it is calories after subtracting a calorie deficit from your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). In other words, if you need to know your macronutrient needs while maintaining your weight, use total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) without any calorie deficit.

For example, my calorie needs to lose weight at maximum level in a healthy way is 1,311kcal. This means:

• Protein: 10-35% of 1,311 kcal = 131 kcal-459 kcal
• Carbohydrates: 45-65% of 1,311 kcal = 590 kcal-852 kcal
• Fats: 20-35% of 1,311 kcal = 262 kcal-459 kcal

Now let’s convert those calories from each macronutrient to grams using my numbers. Again, your calorie intake consists of all macronutrients (protein = 4 kcal, fat = 9 kcal, and carbohydrate = 4 kcal)

• Protein: 131 kcal-459 kcal = 33 gram-115 gram (calories divided by 4)
• Carbohydrates: 590 kcal-852 kcal = 148 gram-210 gram (calories divided by 4)
• Fats: 262 kcal-459 kcal = 29 gram-51 gram (calories divided by 9)

As you can see, the range is pretty big and you might find difficulty finding your exact number for your macronutrients. The easiest way to find your number and track them is to use macronutrients tracking app. You may also want to read HOW TO TRACK MACRONUTRIENTS WITH FOOD TRACKER APPS.

Providing strength training

When it comes to building muscle, strength training is a crucial component of any fitness routine.

Strength training involves performing exercises that challenge your muscles to work against resistance. This resistance can come from free weights, machines, or even your body weight. When you lift weights, your muscles experience microscopic damage, which triggers a process called muscle hypertrophy. Muscle hypertrophy refers to the increase in the size of your muscle fibers. This occurs as a response to the stress placed on your muscles during strength training.

For strength training, let’s pick “split workout” or “full body workout” depending on your preference based on your workout routine, schedule, fitness level, and so on.

For example, if you prefer going to the gym often (4-6 times a week) but want to stay for a short period of time (less than 30 minutes), I recommend a “split workout.” If you prefer going to the gym 2-3 times a week but can stay for longer, I recommend a “full body workout.”

For a split workout, you can split it into “leg day,” “back/biceps day,” and “chest/shoulder/triceps day.” This is just my recommendation, so you can definitely adjust the style and frequency based on your preference.

For muscle growth, it is also very important to increase intensity by increasing loading weight.

my story

I was definitely eating more than I should have been starting last summer. If I may provide you an explanation, it’s that I spent a month traveling to Japan throughout the summer. After the trip, I went back to my original routine for both diet and strength training, but I was at maintenance calories since I wanted to gain more muscle. Then all the holidays came in a row, and yes, I did gain weight overall by gaining not only muscle but also fat. I decided to go back to diets with a calorie deficit and try to increase calorie output a little more starting in January 2024 to lose fat and maintain or even gain muscle.

First of all, how do I know if I am losing fat and gaining muscle? I use a scale that can measure both my body fat content and my muscle content. I have been using this scale, the InBody Dial H20 Body Fat Scale.

I can collect data on my body composition by connecting to my cell phone. I can even record my boys’ data.

Let me share my result of my 3 month body recomposition.

My first number was measured on January 4th, and my last result was measured on March 30th. (Approximately 3 months).

My basal metabolic rate (kcal) increased by 32 kcal, meaning I burn 32 kcal more by just living every day, mainly because I gained muscle. Remember that the more muscle you gain the more calories you burn!

As you can see, I lost only 2 lbs. That seems like nothing in 3 months, but let’s look at other numbers in depth. I gained 1.8 lbs of muscle and lost 5.3 lbs of fat. I lost 4.1% of fat. 

In general, it is easy to lose not only fat but also muscle when you are in a calorie deficit. Therefore, taking adequate amount of macronutrients and doing strength training are crucial components to maintain or even gain muscle in a calorie deficit.

I would say this 3 month body recomposition was successful for me. Losing approximately 4% of fat is a big deal for me and I am very happy that I gained some muscle even in a calorie deficit. Let me share what I did for 3 months to achieve this!

• Month 1: Adjustment month

The first month is an adjustment month. This is when you have to know where you are and gradually start without too many changes.

1. Creating a calorie deficit: For calorie input, I stick a calorie deficit = 10% of total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). For calorie output, I was walking 5,000 to 8,000 steps/day
2. Tracking macronutrients: I stick with macronutrient distribution of TDEE with a calorie deficit above (10% of TDEE).
3. Providing strength training: I picked “split workout” with leg day, back/biceps day, and chest/shoulder/triceps day. I worked out 4 times a week.

• Month 2:

You may have got used to changes in your diet and fitness routine by now.

1. Creating a calorie deficit: For calorie input, I stick with a calorie deficit = 15% of total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). For calorie output, I aim walking 8,000 to 10,000 steps/day. I added HIIT to my routine 1-2 times a week.
2. Tracking macronutrients: I stick with macronutrient distribution of TDEE with a calorie deficit above (15% of TDEE).
3. Providing strength training: I still did “split workout” with leg day, back/biceps day, and chest/shoulder/triceps day. I worked out 4 times a week. Gradually increasing intensity by increasing load weights.

• Month 3:

This is the last month of “3 month body recomposition”. Let’s do it!

1. Creating a calorie deficit: For calorie input, I stick with a calorie deficit = 20% of total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). For calorie output, I aim walking 10,000 to 13,000 steps/day. I added HIIT to my routine 2-3 times a week. I also added ab workout at home 3-4 times a week.
2. Tracking macronutrients: I stick with macronutrient distribution of TDEE with a calorie deficit above (20% of TDEE).
3. Providing strength training: I still did “split workout” with leg day, back/biceps day, and chest/shoulder/triceps day. I worked out 4 times a week. Gradually increasing intensity by increasing load weights.

This is what I did for 3 months.