Losing weight and building muscles. Is that possible?

On our customer service, we notice that many of you want to know whether it is possible to lose weight and build muscle at the same time. It's high time to clarify this once and for all. So here's everything you need to know about it and our go-to approach.

Can you lose weight and build muscle at the same time?

Unfortunately, no can do. In most cases, it's not possible to build muscle while you're losing weight. The processes that lead to muscle growth or fat burning don't go hand in hand. It's also not possible to turn fat into muscle. There are a few exceptions to this rule, which we'll come back to later in this article.

Why can't you do both?

Losing weight means burning fat. To achieve this, you need to consume fewer calories than you burn: we call this creating a calorie deficit. You can do this by exercising more, eating healthier, or doing a combination of both. By creating a calorie deficit of about 10 to 20%, you'll lose as little muscle mass as possible and burn the maximum amount of fat. By calculating your calorie needs, you'll know exactly how many calories you need per day and how much you can reduce.

Building muscle requires a calorie surplus instead; ideally, about 10 to 20%. You already know that those two processes don't go together. Therefore, you can't lose weight and build muscle at the same time.

When is it possible?

As with any good rule, there are exceptions to this one. We'll name three: if you have a lot of overweight, if you are a beginner athlete, or if you have had a long training break, it is possible to build muscle while losing fat.

Here's how it works: when you start exercising for the first time (in a long time), you build muscle mass more quickly. This can mean that you lose very little weight in the first few weeks, while you're actually losing a lot of fat and building muscle. If your mirror image shows you're doing well but the scale doesn't budge at first, that could be perfectly fine.

Newbie gains

For your body, exercise feels completely new. Your unsuspecting muscles suddenly get a wake-up call, causing them to grow quickly. These are also called "newbie gains" (1), and you can even get them while following a calorie-restricted diet.

An additional advantage of building muscle is that you also burn more energy. Protein synthesis, which promotes muscle growth in cells, is one of the most energy-consuming processes (2). In the long run, your new muscles will therefore also support your fat burning.

Our advice

If you're not a beginner in sports, but still want to lose weight and build muscle at the same time, focus first on weight loss and then on muscle building.

As you read earlier in this article, a calorie surplus is one of the requirements for muscle building. This also leads to more fat buildup. By first losing weight, you'll get more definition and your muscles will stand out more. When you slowly start gaining weight again to build more muscle, you'll see better results and progress. And that's super motivating!