Hey peeps

Okay. i would like to cut my body fat, but i wish to retain my muscle mass. i have 8 weeks to loose about a stone in body weight (i have lost 3 pounds in the last week, which is great!).

now here is the catch. i am told on here, to reach my goals, i need to have a daily calorie count of 1360. i was speaking to my friend last night, and she said that i would loose muscle mass on such a low calorie diet.

does anybody have any input? or maybe even suggestions on how i can burn fat? i am doing body combat at the moment which is a fantastic way to burn i am told?

basically i am after a beach body..... in 8 weeks :D i am currently about 18% body fat

My understanding is that if you keep your muscles firm by consistently working the (nitrogen in the muscles?) your body will preferentially burn fat because the muscle will be harder to access. If you don't exercise and don't eat enough protein, your body will munch on muscle when it has a calorie deficit. Anyone?

PS here is a link that better explains what I was trying to say. Lol the picture looks like a guy I work with.... http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/protein4.htm

I was just gonna say eat as much protein as possible! And Body Combat is a great fat burner in my opinion, so keep it up! So much fun too! Good luck! Hope you get your bikini bod in time!!

hey thanks for the reply's guys.... MrsSpinks haha, i am male, so not too concerned how i look in a bikini :)

My advice is lift heavy weights (in addition to your body combat), eat plenty of protein (1 to 1 1/2 grams per pound of LEAN body mass), and eat your exercise calories back. I have kept all my lean body mass while losing fat by doing this. Best wishes.

I used myself as a guinea pig years ago to test the effects of a low calorie diet in conjunction with heavy lifting 30 minutes 6 days a week and 1 hour of intense cardio at 85-95% VO2max intervals. I continued this diet and training for 2 months and ,needless to say, I did get shredded but lost a lot of muscle mass as well. Back then we didn't have DEXA scans or anything like that readily available to estimate body composition but my lifts got weaker and weaker.

So, make sure you: 1)Are consuming enough macros while 2)operating at such a high level intensity that may compromise muscle tissue.

ah excellent, thanks for the advice guys :)

This! I would suggest that your goal and focus change from weight to body compostion and shape. Who care what the scale says if you are lean, strong, hot looking and healthy? BTW, Thisismytime made all this happen in a short time period. If I were you, I'd PM her and ask her secrets but first take a look at her pics!