Genes, eating less, a slow metabolism, more cardio and eating clean: what the research says about each, and the part they all miss.
27 Oct 2026The same fat came off with cardio or strength training, and the strength group kept more of their lean mass and bone.
27 Oct 2026What the GLP-1 trials found about lean mass, and about the year after people stopped the medication.
19 Oct 2026Eating less takes some muscle with the fat, and strength training and enough protein help you keep it.
29 Sep 2026Cardio helps, and in one trial it took off more weight and fat than strength training alone. But what you eat decides whether fat comes off, and in another trial dieting adults doing only aerobic exercise lost more lean mass than those doing strength training.
Some of it. In people with overweight or obesity, about 20 to 30% of the weight lost by eating less is fat-free mass, which includes muscle. Strength training and enough protein are what the research rates most for keeping it. Read more.
Often the muscle does not come back with it. In one study, for every 1 kg of fat women lost, they lost 0.26 kg of lean tissue, but only 0.12 kg of lean tissue returned for every 1 kg of fat regained. Read the five myths.
Yes. Muscle burns about 13 kcal per kilogram a day at rest, against about 4.5 for fat, in a study of 131 healthy adults. That is about three times as much as fat.
More than you might think: the research puts it at around 1.6 to 2.2 grams per kilogram of bodyweight a day while you are in a deficit, because that is what protects muscle when the calories come down. The calculator works out your figure.
Our free calculator works out your resting rate, your maintenance calories and your protein target.