losing weight- Impact on muscles

Question
I抳e decided to lose weight for basketball in order to improve my speed, quickness, and such, but I have several questions. I抦 currently weight lifting, and I work my major muscle groups once a week on three separate days. Monday, I do chest, shoulders, and triceps. Wednesday, I do biceps, back, and forearms. Friday, I do legs and abs. I don抰 lift the rest of the days, but I still play many sports and am actively running and such on nearly everyday. My question is that since I抦 still lifting and using my muscles, I shouldn抰 get weaker if I decide to lose weight, right? I mean, the muscle is being used, so that doesn抰 get burned up as fuel, right? I抦 at a critical point where I抦 actually get stronger but I also want to shed fat, so I don抰 want to be losing muscle mass. If this isn抰 enough, what can I do to keep my muscle mass and just shed fat? I mean, is working the muscle groups once a week enough to prevent them from being burned as fuel?  Currently, I plan to lose weight by eating 3 times a day of healthy food, with dinner at 6-7 pm, then, exercise till dark, and not eat anything for the rest of the night. So essentially, after I exercise, I抣l be somewhat hungry afterwards, but by not eating, that抯 when the fat gets burned. So, with this, this program should allow me to lose weight, as in just fat, right? If this program won抰 work to the point where ill be ending up burning fat, what differently do I need to do? How can I lose weight (fat) without losing muscle mass? Do you have any idea of a schedule I should follow instead? Is working the muscle groups once a week enough to prevent them from being burned as fuel?  Thanks for all your help!!!

Answer
It sounds like you know what you're doing. Yes, if you keep using those muscles they shouldn't get cannibalized for calories, BUT you want to make sure you're getting plenty of protein in your diet. Also, make sure you don't starve yourself. It's always better to ramp up the cardio and BURN fat than to try and starve fat off. Keep up your weight lifting and maybe add 20 minutes of extra cardio every night. Stick to LEAN protein (grilled chicken, fish, etc.) whole grain carbs, and plenty of green veggies. Lay off the sugar and fatty foods. Keep up the good work.

For specific information and step-by-step guidelines on how to lose weight and be healthy, visit my web site for all kinds of details about proper diet, nutrition, exercise, weight-lifting routines, and more.

Most importantly, make sure to download my FREE eBook, "Rick's 18 Tips for Healthy Weight Loss."

Richard Rost
http://www.RicksWeightLoss.com

P.S. As a disclaimer, I'm not a doctor or health professional. Please seek the advice of your doctor before implementing any of my recommendations.

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