The quarantine that followed the COVID-19 outbreak has forced most of us to become more sedentary, making it harder to maintain or lose weight. At-home exercise —whether it’s through virtual classes with your favorite trainer or with a new at-home exercise equipment— is a great way to stay active. However, it is also crucial that you adapt your nutrition to this new lifestyle if you would like to maintain or lose weight effectively.

With a more sedentary lifestyle, your body might lose muscle. Even if you see your overall weight drop on the scale, you would need to make sure that you are not losing muscle. The good news is that there are a few things you could do to lose body fat without losing muscle.

How to Lose Fat Without Losing Muscle

We sat down with Ashley Gomes, sports nutrition expert who has worked with Pro Boxing, NBA, MLB, NFL, PGA and DOD athletes.

Here's a summary of how to tackle this like a pro.

(1) Always make sure you are hitting your protein goal:

• 1g of protein per lb of lean mass.

• Supplementation (e.g. protein powders) can be utilized if needed.

Hitting the protein goal will ensure that there are enough amino acids to recover muscle tissue and maintain lean mass while in a caloric deficit.

(2) Reduce your calorie intake *wisely*:

• Since a caloric deficit is necessary to drop fat mass, make sure you are eating less calories (approximately 10%) than what you are expending. 

Reducing your calorie intake aggressively may harm your metabolism and slow down your progress. You should never attempt to go below your RMR (Resting Metabolic Rate).

(3) Assess, don't guess:

Learn more about body fat percentage ranges through this comprehensive body fat percentage chart. This will help you understand where you stand vs. where you need to be.

List of assessments you can do:

• DEXA Body Composition testing 

• RMR Metabolic Rate testing

• At-home lab test: Blood lab work (and what Ashley finds the most interesting) gives insight into nutrient deficiencies, hormonal imbalances and overall health.