How to Naturally Gain Muscle & Lose Fat

Gaining muscle mass and losing fat go hand in hand. Muscle can be gained and weight can be lost naturally through proper diet, exercise and training. Eating more of the right foods and an increase in exercise weight training will help you build muscle. Muscle naturally burns more calories, so as you begin to gain muscle you will naturally lose weight. Follow these tips for advice on how to gain muscle and lose fat.

Instructions

• 1

  Add approximately 500 more calories per day to your diet. You must add more food to your diet in order to gain muscle and have strength during your work outs. The extra calories you consume will be burned off as you work out. Remember, muscle burns more calories than fat. If you do not eat enough, your muscles will not be able to grow.

• 2

  Eat more of the right food. While gaining muscle you will need to eat more; if you eat the right foods, you will not gain weight. Incorporate more protein in your diet, such as eggs, meat and poultry to promote muscle gain. Good carbohydrates -- such as the kind found in fruit and whole grain foods -- as well as healthy fats -- from nuts and oils -- will encourage muscle mass.

• 3

  Drink plenty of water. Water helps muscles repair themselves, so it is extremely important to replenish your body with water after a work out. Not only will water prevent dehydration and help build muscle, it will also flush toxins from the body. Replacing sugary juices and sodas with water will inhibit weight loss as you build muscle.

• 4

  Exercise. By combining healthy eating with a cardio workout, you will begin to see weight loss results. Run either outside or on a treadmill, use gym equipment like the eliiptical, take a workout or dance class, or play a sport that requires plenty of physical exertion, such as basketball. Add a cardio workout into your day approximately three to five times a week for approximately 30 minutes to an hour per day.

• 5

  Weight train. In order to see muscle mass results, you need to combine cardio with weight training. Consider lifting weights or using weight machines to work different muscle groups. Concentrate on one area of your body for one workout -- such as arms -- and then switch the muscle for the next workout -- legs. Only you can know the proper amount of weights to train with. It is important to never get used to a work out routine and always challenge yourself will extra weight if the current amount is not challenging enough. If you work your muscles correctly during a workout, you will be able to continuously burn calories throughout the day. For weight lifting routines, see Resources.