If you’ve ever blamed Friday night pizza or that extra serving of lasagna for your weight gain, I’ve got news for you: the real culprit might be your lack of muscle! Sure, pizza and lasagna aren’t entirely innocent, but there’s a key player in your body that silently (or not so silently) helps keep you in shape: your muscle mass. Let’s break it down and see why having more muscle might just be the secret to shedding excess fat—with a touch of humor but plenty of science.
Your Body: A Calorie-Burning Machine
Think of your body as a machine that’s constantly burning energy—even when you’re watching your favorite series or scrolling through memes on the couch. Your body needs calories to stay alive: breathing, digesting, blinking—all of it counts.
But here’s the kicker: muscle burns more calories than fat, even at rest!
- 1 kg of muscle burns 13-15 calories per day just by existing.
- 1 kg of fat? Only 4 calories.
This means that the more muscle you have, the more energy your body needs—even if your most productive moment of the day was hitting “like” on an Instagram post. And what happens when your body doesn’t burn enough energy? It stores it as fat.
Muscle vs. Fat: The Real Story
Many people think fat and muscle are in constant battle, but that’s not quite right. The real issue is that fat tends to accumulate when muscle isn’t doing its job. If you have low muscle mass, your metabolism slows down, making it easier for fat to stick around.
So, it’s not just about eating less (although that matters, too). It’s about giving your body the tools to burn more energy—and those tools are muscles. It’s like building a house with a spoon instead of a shovel: more muscle means more efficiency.
The Biggest Mistake? Obsessing Over the Scale
Many people who lose weight quickly actually end up losing muscle instead of fat—huge mistake! If you lose muscle, your metabolism slows down even more, and sooner or later, that weight comes back as fat (like the worst plot twist in a movie).
The real goal isn’t just losing weight—it’s about changing your body composition:
- Less fat
- More muscle
How to Build Muscle and Burn Fat?
Lift Weights: Don’t worry—you won’t wake up looking like Schwarzenegger overnight. Strength training helps build muscle, strengthen bones, and boost metabolism.
Eat Well (and Enough!): Eating less isn’t always the answer. If you don’t get enough calories, your body goes into "survival mode", burning muscle instead of fat. Focus on protein, complex carbs, and healthy fats.
Sleep More: Muscles grow when you rest! Binge-watching Netflix till 3 AM? Not helping.
Be Consistent: Real changes take time. Your body needs time to adapt and reward you with results.
Why Don’t You Have Enough Muscle?
Too often, we focus on fad diets or endless cardio instead of building muscle. But it’s never too late—regardless of your age, gender, or experience level, you can always start improving your muscle mass and body composition.
So next time you blame food for your weight, remember: maybe you don’t need less food—you need more muscle!
Don’t fear weights or strength training. More muscle won’t just make you look better—it’ll keep you strong, healthy, and full of energy.
So what are you waiting for? Time to get moving!
Francesco Cannavaccio | Personal Trainer www.fitenerife-personal-