Difference between weight loss and muscle gain

Consuming a meal rich in protein may be preferable.

A study from the May issue of "Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise" found that consuming 18 grams of protein prior to workouts increases your metabolic rate for 24 hours after your workout. Pre-workout meals for muscle gain should be rich in protein and carbohydrates, and contain more calories than you intend to burn during your exercise session. High levels of carbohydrates will prevent your body from using protein for energy, and it can instead be used to build muscle. Post-workout nutrition is key for muscle development, but it may hinder fat loss. Consuming too much food after you exercise can cancel out the calories you burned during your workout, stalling your fat loss progress.

Consuming a light protein snack following your workout can stave off hunger and halt muscle breakdown. A whey protein supplement may be an optimal choice.

Weight Loss

Research from the October issue of the "British Journal of Nutrition" indicates that whey is more filling than lean meat, fish and eggs. To gain muscle, consume a large meal of carbohydrates and protein after your workout.

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Weight training can be beneficial for fat loss and muscle gain. To maximize muscle gain, you should work out every other day, as this will provide time for your muscles to recover.

If your only concern is fat loss, you can train with weights on consecutive days, as this will allow you to burn more calories, albeit at the expense of your muscle gain. Compound exercises, or those that use multiple muscle groups at once -- the squat and deadlift, for example -- are beneficial for fat loss and muscle gain, as they promote increased release of growth hormone and testosterone.

Both hormones can enhance muscle gain and fat loss, according to research from the June issue of the "Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. Cardio training refers to running, jogging, swimming and other non-resistance training exercises. Cardio training can be useful for fat loss because it burns calories, but you may want to minimize your cardio training when gaining muscle, as it will cut into the calorie surplus required for mass gain.

In addition, research from the January issue of the "American Journal of Physiology: Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology" indicates that cardio blunts appetite more than weight training because it promotes the release of appetite-suppressing hormones and reduces the release of appetite-increasing hormones. What gives? Does one really weigh more? Can you turn fat into muscle? And, most importantly—is there a better way to track progress than stepping on the scale?

Muscle and fat actually differ in density , meaning a pound of fat takes up more space than a pound of muscle. Muscle, which is much denser than fat, takes up four-fifths as much space as fat does.

Because of this, even if two people are the same height and weight, their bodies may look very different depending on their body fat percentages. There are many additional benefits to having a higher lean body mass besides the most popular reason—having a leaner physique. Briana Radar, client experience manager for In-Shape, details a few of these reasons. Muscle even helps burn calories when your body is at rest.

Instead, you can either lose fat or gain muscle. The best way to maximize muscle gain is to incorporate resistance training into your workout, such as bodyweight training when you use the weight of your own body as resistance , lifting weights, or using resistance machines.

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Continue to challenge yourself. When you train hard enough to fatigue your muscles, you teach your body to expect more work in the future — and your muscles adapt by getting stronger.

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As a bonus, resistance training helps keep your bones strong and may help reduce anxiety. While it can sometimes provide you with an idea of how your body is changing, it can also be misleading. A great way to track your progress is taking your measurements or using a body impedance scale like the InBody.