Yes Muscle is the Key to Burning Fat!

Posted by on February 3, 2008 under diet, exercise, fat loss, muscle gain, weight loss, weight training | 3 Comments to Read

Did you know that each lb of muscle you gain allows you to intake 25-50 calories more per day? (and thats just if you were lying still!) 3-5 lbs of muscle gain equals 150-250 calories more that you can eat each day to maintain your weight! Keep in mind that these figures are based on a resting metabolism…not an active one. So that means more calories burned.

Do you see where I’m going with this? Adding muscle burns more calories!

What does this all mean?

Bottom line: adding muscle lets you eat more and maintain your weight.

Now how about losing bodyfat?

Remember the example of 1lb of muscle burning 25-50 calories at rest a day. How much does fat burn? 6 calories….thats it.

One final point: the 1lb of muscle at rest can be active and burn alot more than 25-50 extra calories correct? Remember that stored bodyfat can’t become active.

Which do you want more of?

  • Janice said,

    Great informative piece. I hope more and more people begin to take notice and realize there are better, healthier ways to lose weight.

  • Susan said,

    Could you site your sources, please?

  • Nate Alexander: Long Beach Personal Trainer said,

    This was a figure that really stuck with me. I learned it back when I worked at 24 Hour Fitness when we were going through the APEX Nutrition Program.

    One thing I found tonight since you asked:

    In fact putting on around 0.5 kg (1.1lb) of muscle will allow you to eat an extra 300 calories per week without affecting your weight.

    http://healthfitness.com.au/articles/weights/weightloss.html

    roughly 42 cals per lb/day.

    There are some e-zine articles plastered all over online saying 2 cals for fat and 6 cals for muscle….per lb per day. That seems ridiculous. 10lbs of muscle would only burn an extra 60 cals? Doesn’t seem to correlate.

    BUT…I just calculated on a general calorie calc and at 185 I need 2560 cals maintenance and at 195 I need 2626. So right around 6 cals per lb.

    On Mayo Clinic’s calculator:
    At 185 2650 cals
    At 195 2750 cals

    No regard for fat or muscle, just weight. For the average American, I’d guess….its a mix of the two.

    I go with the higher numbers for pure muscle. Especially taking into consideration an active individual who anaerobically exercises. The metabolic boost from oxygen debt (excess postexercise oxygen consumption (EPOC)) alone will kick your BMR up. Thats a whole different blog post in itself.

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