Posted on July 21, 2013 by Jenny Cromack

Every person I speak to seems to be on some diet plan, whether it’s the special K, the Atkins or the billion others ones I’ve not heard off.  I can guarantee that most of these programs will result in weight loss, however you’re likely to loose muscle mass as well as fat which is not optimal unless you want a thin wobbly frame without the ability to lift a teaspoon full of water. Research has actually shown that most diet plans result in around 25% of the weight loss coming from lean mass.

It would therefore seem advantageous to utilize a nutritional strategy that preserves lean mass whilst reducing body fat. Research has thoroughly studied this topic and has concluded that the following points should be followed.

• Lower carbohydrate intake to 10-15%
• Restrict fruits and fruit juices
• Restrict dairy products with the exception of heavy cream and hard cheese
• Remove breads, grains, pasta cereal, high carbohydrate vegetables and desserts
• Combine the low carbohydrate diet with resistance training
• Consume between 15-20g of protein before and following each resistance session

If you combine these points with a high protein/ fat diet your well on your way to achieving the body composition goal you have targeted. Although many people believe high fat diets are not effective for body composition goals, research has shown that this is not the case, good healthy fats are actually the key to loosing fat tissue.