How to lose fat, not muscle: a coach's plan

Losing weight is easy and usually a mistake: crash diets strip muscle and water and the weight comes straight back. The goal is losing fat while keeping the muscle that makes you look and feel strong. This is the plan I use with every fat-loss client.

Who this plan is from

I'm Bez, founder and head coach at Lift Republic, RQF-qualified in gym instructing, personal training and sports nutrition (Levels 2–4). What follows is the Republic Method for fat loss: build a simple plan around your real life and real numbers, then adjust it every week as your body changes.

Step 1: Find your maintenance calories

Maintenance is what you burn in a normal day. Start with the calculator, then let your real numbers correct it: weigh yourself three or four mornings a week and log what you eat for two weeks. If your weekly average weight holds steady, that intake is your maintenance.

Step 2: Set a moderate deficit

Eat about 10–20% below maintenance, often 300–600 calories a day, which loses roughly 0.25–0.5 kg a week. A steady 0.5–1% of your bodyweight a week is the ceiling I set for clients: fast enough to see, slow enough to keep your muscle, your energy and your training. Bigger deficits look faster on paper and cost you muscle, sleep and willpower in practice.

Step 3: Eat enough protein

Protein gives your body what it needs to keep its muscle while you lose fat, and it keeps you full. Aim for about 1.6–2.2 g per kg of bodyweight a day, spread over three or four meals: meat, fish, eggs, Greek yoghurt, tofu, beans or a protein shake. Check your number with the protein calculator.

Step 4: Lift, then move

• Strength train 2–4 times a week. Squats, presses, rows, hinges and lunges, in the gym or at home. This is what makes the weight you lose fat, not muscle.
• Walk every day. Daily steps burn more over a week than most people's cardio sessions, and they rarely drive up hunger the way hard sessions can.
• Use cardio as a tool, not the plan. One or two sessions you enjoy help the deficit; endless cardio instead of lifting makes you smaller, not leaner. The full comparison is in cardio or weights for fat loss.

Step 5: Adjust every week

Your weight bounces day to day with water, salt and food, so ignore single weigh-ins and watch the weekly average. If it's falling at 0.5–1% a week, change nothing. If it has stalled for 2–3 weeks, make one small change: trim 100–200 calories a day or add a daily walk. As you get lighter your maintenance drops, so these check-ins are what keep fat loss moving. This weekly review is exactly what a Lift Republic coach does with every client.

A week on the plan

Beginner traps, and the fix

• Starving yourself: you lose muscle and rebound harder. Keep the deficit moderate and protein high.
• Doing too much too soon: you burn out by week three. Start with three short sessions and a daily walk.
• Only doing cardio: you get smaller, not leaner. Add the strength sessions.
• Panicking at one weigh-in: daily noise hides the real trend. Judge the weekly average.
• "Starting again Monday": plan for meals out, travel and busy weeks instead, and just do the next session.

How long will it take?

At a 300–600 calorie deficit, most people lose about 1–2.5 kg a month. Put in your own numbers for a realistic timeline:

Where Lift Republic comes in

If you want a coach to set your numbers, check in every week and adjust the plan with you, that's the fat-loss programme: online anywhere or in person in London. See how it works with your online personal trainer UK or compare the coaching plans.

If you have a medical condition, take medication that affects your weight or appetite, or are pregnant or breastfeeding, talk to your GP before you start a calorie deficit.