Build muscle and lose fat quickly

Most nutrition experts recommend losing fat slowly over a period of 6 to 12 months. Scientists from McMaster University in Canada showed that calorie restriction, high-intensity training with weights and intervals, and high-protein diets can bring about substantial changes in body composition within just four weeks. The subjects reduced their calorie intake by 40 percent and their protein consumption was set at 1.2 grams (low protein intake) or 2.4 grams (high protein intake) per kilogram of body weight per day. Both groups performed intensive training 6 days a week. The high protein group lost nearly 11 pounds of fat and gained more than 2.5 pounds of lean muscle mass within 4 weeks, while the low protein group lost nearly 8 pounds of fat and gained 0.2 pounds of lean muscle mass during the same period.

The study showed that high-intensity exercise combined with caloric restriction produces substantial changes in body composition and strength, and that these changes are most significant with a high-protein diet.

(American Journal Clinical Nutrition, published online January 27, 2016)