Fitness Training Expert aims to provide top quality fitness training advice, exercise information and educational resources for all fitness enthusiasts.  Expert fitness advice SEARCH THIS SITE FACEBOOK BRIDGEFIT ARTICLES   Fat Loss Myth 2 - Weight training turns fat into muscle, if I stop the muscle will turn back into fat. Yeah right! This is as true as finding a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Through a range of complex chemical reactions within the body your fat stores can be used for numerous purposes. Fat is an energy source for the body, a protective substance for vital organs providing thermal insulation, and also a vitamin carrier. Why people still believe this myth I do not know. Fat is fat, muscle is muscle, the two substances are chemically and physiologically different, one is not the other…therefore one cannot be turned into the other. One may lose fat and increase muscle size or vice versa but one is definitely not turning one substance into the other!  As much as alchemists tried to turn ordinary metal into gold, we most definitely can not perform these feats within the body. This confusion may come about due to peoples misunderstanding of what happens with excess dietary protein intake or protein catabolism within the body (muscle wastage). Protein has various usages within the body. Protein is used for regulation of bodily systems, immunity, muscle contraction and tissue formation amongst other things. Proteins are made from amino acids, which are the basic building blocks. Our body is going through a constant process of repair and regeneration as far as protein is concerned. Excess consumption of dietary protein will result in degradation to its constituent parts (amino acids).  If our body doesn’t need certain amino acids they can be broken down even further. They can be used to aid glucose or fat synthesis or contribute as a direct energy source. Anytime carbohydrates are not being properly used by the body or are unavailable, as a result of starvation, dieting or prolonged aerobic exercise this can add to the body’s catabolic state. Catabolism basically means the body is losing something, in this case muscle or protein. By-products of this process will be lost within the body’s urine, therefore encouraging greater fluid loss. If you have lost a lot of weight in the short term through drastic dieting or rather incorrect nutrition, it is likely most of the weight lost is from the body’s glycogen stores and water. Losing muscle is not good for anyone wanting to burn fat and lose weight! Your exercise and nutritional program should work together in harmony to maximise fat burning and maximise muscle retention/growth!   Perhaps now would be a good time to read about fatty foods? Related Fat Loss Articles Fat loss myth 1 Weight training for fat loss