The Fat and Muscle Diet Debacle

All of those beach-ready and professional body builders share similar diets, despite their differences in height, weight, frame, and gender. While many think that different size people need completely different diets, even for the same goal, that is simply not true. There's a common myth that these people also tend to believe which says you can "convert fat into muscle," and vice versa. That, too, is just false. Converting fat into muscle or muscle into fat is just as impossible as turning wood into metal. The human body simply does not work that way. The physical composition of fat and muscle are just too different.

It is true that muscle is more compact than fat. This makes muscle heavier for the same volume of each. You can pretty easily understand why. Fat is "fluffy," while muscle is hard and firm. For example, a pound of feathers will weigh the same as a pound of iron, but you will see that there is much less iron on the scale than feathers. As a result, your weight will probably not change radically, even though you will start to visibly see a difference in your size. This can be because it takes less muscle gain to match the fat loss you may be experiencing. Before the fat really begins to burn away, you may see some weight gain, from building muscle.

Creating muscle in the body is a natural process. The body doesn't just decide to make more muscle. The body must be convinced that more muscle is needed for survival. Of course, survival is the body's peak priority. So, if you want to create muscle, you have to lift weight repeatedly. This must often be done to the point that you can no longer lift the weight. During this exercise, you are actually damaging or tearing the muscle. While you rest, the body builds muscle tissue to replace the damage that's been done to the muscle, and the muscle gets bigger. As you can see, there is no fat involved in that formula.

For someone looking to bulk up or create muscle, diets low in carbohydrates are not recommended at all. There is nothing worse for muscle building than a low-carb diet. Your muscles will not be able to find the energy for working out if you do not have carbohydrates in your system. You need to eat a well-balanced diet that includes plenty of protein and carbohydrates, but is ultra-low in fat. In this manner, the carbs will supply your muscles with fuel and the protein will supply your body with the muscle-repairing nutrients it needs. Ultimately, fat is the enemy.

The idea is to provide your body with the right "tools" (meaning food) that it needs to repair the damage done to a muscle by building muscle fiber. Remaining fat stores will be burned off as recovering muscle turns out of its carbohydrate supply. Regular exercise and weight lifting will result in muscle growth as fat stores are reduced, ultimately revealing more muscle definition.

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Adam Porter is a fitness enthusiast, and has been keeping fit and healthy with easy diet and exercise for over a decade. He is the co-owner of www.WhipWeightLoss.com, where he teaches you how to keep your diet healthy and fit through a free newsletter.