Tip The Protein Solution Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness Diet & Fat LossEating Tip The Protein Solution Can you lose fat and build muscle at the same time Yes science says And the key is protein Check this out by Chris Shugart February 12, 2017April 5, 2021 Tags Feeding the Ideal Body, Nutrition & Supplements, Protein, Tips It's called the Holy Grail of physique transformation: building muscle and losing fat at the same time. Many say it's impossible. So researchers at McMaster University conducted a rigorous study to shed some light on the debate. The Study Researchers put 40 chubby young men on a 4-week diet and exercise program. The diet was very strict. All the subjects consumed about 40 percent fewer calories than they needed to maintain their current weight. They trained with weights and did HIIT (high intensity interval training) six days per week. While all of them had their calories slashed, half of the subjects were fed more protein than the other half. The lower protein group consumed 1.2 grams per kilogram per day. The higher protein group had 2.4 grams per kilogram per day. The Results Both groups lost fat. No surprise there. But the higher protein group lost more fat, 10.5 pounds, compared to the lower protein group, who lost an average of 8 pounds. Pretty significant since we're only talking about 4 weeks here. That would be 15 pounds more fat loss over 6 months. And now it gets really interesting. The group that got to eat more protein built some muscle during the study (about 2.5 pounds). The lower protein group didn't lose any muscle, but didn't add any either. Take-Home Messages You can build muscle and lose fat at the same time. So there. When you're dropping calories to lose fat, eat more protein. You'll build some muscle and lose more fat. Weight training is absolutely essential for the dieter. Even though one group in the study consumed very low calories and less protein, because they lifted weights they were at least able to keep all their lean body mass and not lose any. Similar studies where dieters didn't weight train showed muscle loss. A calorie is not a calorie. The subjects in each group consumed about the same amount, but the higher protein group had better body composition in the end. Reference Thomas M Longland, Sara Y Oikawa, Cameron J Mitchell, Michaela C Devries, and Stuart M Phillips. Higher compared with lower dietary protein during an energy deficit combined with intense exercise promotes greater lean mass gain and fat mass loss: a randomized trial. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, January 2016. Get The T Nation Newsletters Don' t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Supplements Don t Kill the Messenger Complexity – Simplicity – Ubiquity. The complexity of the human body is incredible. Maybe it's not necessarily the sheer complexity, but the complexity in spite of utter simplicity. Nutrition & Supplements, Super Health Mike Roussell, PhD January 24 Eating Tip The Most Filling Foods The best foods for losing fat are the ones that fill you up the most and keep hunger at bay. Here's the list. Diet Strategy, Feeding the Ideal Body, Nutrition & Supplements, Tips TC Luoma May 12 Eating The Complete Guide to Bulking and Cutting Here's how to adjust your nutrition to match your training goal. It covers mass phases, fat loss phases, and maintenance phases. Bodybuilding, Diet Strategy, Feeding the Ideal Body, Nutrition & Supplements, Protein Tom MacCormick October 16 Eating Tip Use This Simple Trick to Cook Eggs An easy way to keep a great protein source handy. Check out this kitchen hack. Feeding the Ideal Body, Nutrition & Supplements, Tips Chris Shugart February 28