I want to lose weight but maintain my muscle. A dietitian said to eat more carbs, and keep prioritizing whole foods, protein, and plants.
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- A 45-year-old woman submitted an average day of eating to be reviewed for BI's Nutrition Clinic.
- A dietitian said that measuring foods for a brief period help with knowing how many calories to eat.
- If you'd like to have your diet reviewed by an expert, fill out this form.
Silvia, 45, submitted her eating routine to Business Insider's Nutrition Clinic, where qualified dietitians and registered nutritionists offer advice on readers' eating habits.
She said that her goals are to lose fat and maintain muscle. As well as doing HIIT twice a week, she walks two to three times.
Registered dietitian Kara Mockler told BI via email that being in a calorie deficit — where we eat less than the energy we expend — and resistance training should be her top priorities.
"I love that she is active most days of the week and getting plenty of cardio and steps. However in order to maximize her goal of maintaining muscle, she would greatly benefit from adding in some resistance training," Mockler said. "Even twice a week would help. While walking and HIIT are good forms of cardio, they aren't helping her retain muscle as well as lifting weights would."
Tip 1: Calories matter most
Silvia's go-to snacks include string cheese, sunflower seeds, peanut butter on keto toast, M&Ms (26-30 pieces), and two to three small squares of milk chocolate.
She drinks seltzer water, and iced coffee with cream, she said, and eats "about 1,800 calories on a good day, 2,000 to 2,100-plus calories on a workout day."
Mockler said there's nothing wrong with eating more on workout days, but if Silvia isn't seeing progress, she may want to consume less on those days to help her hit a calorie deficit over the course of the week.
"Another option is that her calorie goals are in a fine place, but she may be underestimating or under-tracking her actual intake (this is very common!)," Mockler said.
Silvia is on the right track and likely just needs to tighten up her calories by tracking her intake and then potentially lowering if needed, Mockler said.
"If she includes some lifting in her weekly exercise routine she'll be well on her way to fat loss and maintaining muscle," she said.
Tip 2: Don't demonize carbs
Silvia said she eats a mostly low-carb diet even though she loves carbs like white rice and pasta.
"I try to stay away and limit for special occasions or weekends (once I start, it's hard to stop!)," she said.
Mockler said carbs don't prevent weight loss so needn't be avoided.
"Silvia might feel less out of control around carbs if she included them more regularly in her diet," Mockler said.
Tip 3: Measure calorie-dense foods
Silvia said she eats a lot of large salads and tries to add extra protein.
"Salads are large portions with a half avocado, some sort of cheese, dressing (ranch or vinaigrette), cherry tomatoes, and a protein," she said.
Mockler recommended measuring energy-dense foods to keep calories in check.
"Things like salad dressings, sunflower seeds, peanut butter, and cream can all be high-fat foods and add up in calories very quickly, even with small portion sizes," she said. "It would be helpful to ensure she's measuring and weighing those foods accurately and tracking them correctly."
Tip 4: Protein is helpful for fat loss
Silvia eats out regularly.
"I do eat at fast-casual restaurants often (often Mezeh or Cava), ordering salads with chicken, hummus, and tzatziki toppings and, once in a while, noodle bowls from Honeygrow with chicken or turkey meatballs," Silvia said.
Mockler said she loves that Silvia is prioritizing mostly whole foods, protein, and lots of plants.
"She focuses a lot on protein, which is fantastic for both fat loss (keeps you full) and maintaining muscle (protein helps build muscle)," Mockler said. "She didn't mention how much protein she eats, but generally 1.6 to 2.2 grams per kilogram of body weight is a safe range for active individuals looking to build or maintain muscle."