{"id":7577,"date":"2025-04-10T09:36:04","date_gmt":"2025-04-10T09:36:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/app-66b73b11c1ac1859509cd621.closte.com\/?p=7577"},"modified":"2025-05-17T08:00:34","modified_gmt":"2025-05-17T08:00:34","slug":"is-this-really-the-holy-grail-of-dieting-or-just-another-fad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fitnessnetwork.com.au\/is-this-really-the-holy-grail-of-dieting-or-just-another-fad\/","title":{"rendered":"Is this really the \u2018Holy Grail\u2019 of dieting, or just another fad?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Is a \u2018diet\u2019 that enables clients to gain muscle and lose fat too good to be true? Rosemary Marchese<\/em> asks whether this is an achievable \u2013 and sustainable \u2013 dream.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There\u2019s no doubt you\u2019ve encountered a client or two (or hundred) who are on a quest for the elusive goal of fat loss and muscle gain. Well, they may not actually realise that\u2019s what they\u2019re after, because they come to you asking for help \u2018losing weight\u2019 and the truth is, they don\u2019t really care how \u2013 they just want to lose it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introducing the regular \u2018dieter\u2019 who really doesn\u2019t want to exercise. It\u2019s up to you to educate them about the perils of weight loss through cutting calories and not exercising (i.e. they\u2019ll lose muscle too, which is really not good for their metabolic health). So it\u2019s little wonder that when scientists claim that a certain approach to eating enables you to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time, it starts to be hailed as the \u2018Holy Grail\u2019 of dieting. So, what\u2019s the deal?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s the truth. Yes, scientists did find out it was possible to achieve both fat loss and muscle gain quickly, but \u2013 and it\u2019s a big \u2018but \u2013 it\u2019s not as easy as some quick-fix diet (it never is, is it?). In the\u00a0study published in the\u00a0American Journal of Clinical Nutrition<\/em><\/a>\u00a0the scientists placed 40 young, overweight men on a one-month program of hard exercise, while making them cut their energy intake by around 40 per cent. That\u2019s pretty tough going for most of the general population. The guys in the study were somewhat recreationally active before the program, but not in great physical shape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What the program entails<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The subjects were divided into two groups, with both being placed on a low calorie diet, but one group being given higher levels of protein than the other. The group that consumed the higher levels of protein experienced muscle gains of about 1.1kg despite the reduction in energy intake. The other group did not add any muscle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cutting energy intake is well known to be associated with\u00a0reductions in lean body mass, but about 20 to 30 per cent of the weight loss comes from a reduction in lean body mass and the rest from adipose tissue. So, the study findings appeared to be great news, but of course they came with the hurdle of tough training sessions. Six days per week tough\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both groups had to report to a lab for intense training sessions six days per week over the one-month period. Training consisted of:<\/p>\n\n\n\n