How to Lose Fat and Gain Muscle

A lot of people ask me about diet, specifically how supplements like protein, creatine and BCAAs fit in. Charles Poliquin summarizes it pretty well in a Q&A on T-Nation's Question of Strength: October. Here’s what he had to say when asked if there’s a way to retain muscle while following a fat loss program:

"Not only can you retain muscle while losing fat, but as I talked about in the previous question, you can gain muscle. In fact, you should gain muscle if you know how to train and eat properly!

"One thing to remember: If you're on a fat loss diet, you must be consuming a lot of good dietary fats. A lot of guys who don't retain muscle when dieting are basically eating too lean--egg whites and chicken breasts all day long. You need to add quality fats, and I'm not talking about a burger from McDonalds.

"Dr. Mauro DiPasquale taught me a long time ago that when you go low carb to lose body fat, you still need to take in a lot of dietary fat or you won't have any success. We're talking about smart fats here like omega-3s, which can battle inflammation. You have to realize that our DNA has only evolved about .02 percent in the last forty thousand years, and the meat our caveman ancestors ate had much more omega-3 than the meat we eat now.

"Back to your question. One of the most important supplements to take when on a calorie restricted diet is BCAAs. You need about 50 grams a day. Take it between meals …

"BCAAs have a host of research-supported benefits including preventing catabolism, stimulating anabolism, lowering DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) and providing endurance, energy, and an increased rate of recovery. Military personnel in many countries now receive BCAA solutions to prevent mental fatigue during maneuvers. Using a large amount of aminos is also very anabolic! My athletes take a ton."