Most people don’t just want to weigh less – they want to look and feel stronger. The goal is to lose fat while protecting muscle, and three habits do most of the work.
1. Keep lifting heavy
Resistance training tells your body to hold on to muscle. Keep your main lifts in the 6–12 rep range and try to maintain, not necessarily increase, your weights.
2. Eat enough protein
Aim for roughly 1.6–2.2 g per kg of body weight daily. Protein is the single most important nutrient when you’re in a calorie deficit.
3. Use a moderate deficit
A deficit of around 300–500 kcal below maintenance is sustainable for most people. Crash diets often cost you muscle, energy and mood.
Bonus habits
- Sleep 7–9 hours – poor sleep makes hunger harder to control.
- Walk daily to raise energy use without wrecking recovery.
- Aim for 0.25–0.75 kg of loss per week and adjust based on a 2–3 week trend, not daily weigh-ins.