Most genuine weight loss programs revolve around the use of diet and exercise. A person seeking to lose weight is, for instance, advised to reduce their calorie intake or to reduce their intake of carbohydrates (as in a low-carb diet) so that their bodies are forced to make use of the excessive fats stored, resulting in weight loss. People seeking to lose weight are also advised to adopt a consistent and regular exercise regime – with an aim to burn the extra calories and thereby lose weight.
To be fair to it, a weight loss program centered on diet and exercise is usually successful, and is in any case the only reliable way to lose weight. Unfortunately, such a weight loss program centered on diet and exercise tends to result in some ‘side-benefits’ such as the muscle build up which is likely to result from regular rigorous exercise – and which to some people is more of a (undesirable) side effect than a benefit. In this regard, men pursuing weight loss program who happen to build up their muscles in the process generally tend to view the muscle build up as a huge benefit since muscles are associated with masculinity, while the women who happen to experience muscle build up as a result of their weight loss efforts view the muscle build up as more of an undesirable side effect – perhaps feeling that being too muscular undermines their feminine image.
It is of course possible to lose weight without building muscle – as it all depends on the type of exercise regime you use in your weight loss program. If you really want to lose weight without building muscle, you have to ensure that you make this clear to your physical instructor right from the beginning. This way, you physical instructor would be able to devise for you a weight loss program through which you can lose weight without building muscles. The mistake which many people make in their weight loss attempts is to get into an exercise regime that is known to build up muscles expecting to be exception, which of course is unlikely. If you want to lose weight, but don’t like the muscular look, the time to ensure that you get it is right from the beginning – by telling your physical instructor that you want an exercise regime that won’t lead to muscle build up.
Of course, you need to know that attempting to lose weight without building up muscle is counter-intuitive, and carried out that way, your weight loss is likely to be slower and might not be successful at all in some cases. This is because the muscles are said to be the ‘weight-fighter’s best ally’ because they are one of the sites where the most calories are burnt (even when you are not doing much). Therefore by opting to lose weight without building muscle, you effectively choose to do away with one of best aids you would have had in the venture, namely well built muscles.