Losing fat is one of the main priorities for many of my female clients. And as a personal fitness coach, I often have women ask me how they can lose weight without losing breast size.
Over the years, I’ve worked closely with dietitians and nutritionists, as well as many other personal fitness coaches, to come up with an ideal solution.
The tricky thing is that you have limited control over where your body burns fat reserves, but I have come up with a combination of dieting and strengthening pectoral muscles to limit the effects.
Let me show you how.
Quick Summary
- While many women have a goal to lose as much belly fat as possible, it’s a genuine concern that this can result in smaller breasts.
- Worrying about the size of your breasts shouldn’t hold you back from losing weight.
- Some people suggest that this is unavoidable, but with the right combination of diet and exercise routines, it’s possible to limit the impact on breasts.
How Do You Lose Weight But Not Breast Size?
Unfortunately, there’s no way to lose weight but not breast size. At least not in the sense that you can completely stop all weight loss around your chest [1].
See, here’s the thing. When you’re on a calorie deficit diet and do a lot of exercise, then your body has to burn fat for energy [2].
And the body will find the easiest sources around the body, and that includes fat around the breasts and belly.
Now, you have to consider that this is also not a bad thing, as it will help to maintain better body proportions as you lose weight.
At the same time, I can understand that women are often conscious of not losing too much breast size as they want to achieve that curved figure.
Fortunately, there are a few ways to limit the effect. And a lot of it comes down to how you treat your pectoral muscles.
Let me explain.
“The vast majority of your breasts are made up of fat, along with breast tissue. So when you lose weight all over, some of that will come from your boobs.”
- Mallory Creveling, Writer at womenshealthmag.com
5 Diet And Exercise Tips
Here are the five tips I give my female clients to lose weight without losing breast size.
1. Avoid Extreme Diets
Extreme crash diets like water fasting for weight loss can do more damage than good as you have very little control over where your body gets its energy from.
Your body will burn fat in your thighs, belly, and breasts, but you could also end up losing muscle mass [3].
2. Boost Your Protein Intake
High protein diets can first of all help with losing weight by boosting your metabolism and making you feel full for longer [4]. But adding some protein shakes to your diet can also help with building bigger chest muscles to maintain bigger breasts.
3. Do Less Cardio
Cardio for weight loss is a great way to achieve a calorie deficit and lower body fat percentage [5]. But you want to have a bit more control over burning fat and building pectoral muscles to avoid your breasts shrinking too much.
4. Do More Strength Training
To counteract the fat loss, aim to do more resistance training.
This means chest exercises like incline bench presses and push-ups to build up those chest muscles. And don’t fall for the myth that this strength training will turn you into a bodybuilder.
It takes a lot more than a few push-ups to bulk up.
5. Take Fat Burners
Another way to get a flat stomach and lose body fat with less cardio is to take a fat burner for women specially designed for the female metabolism.
These could allow you to replace some of the cardio with resistance workouts like push-ups to boost your breast shape.
FAQs
Do You Always Lose Breast Fat During Weight Loss?
Yes, you will always lose some breast fat during weight loss. Your body will metabolize as much easily accessible fat as possible, and it’s not possible to avoid losing some around the breasts.
Does Your Lifestyle Impact Breast Size?
Yes, your lifestyle will impact breast size to a certain extent. Your diet and exercise routine will have an influence on the size, but it’s mainly down to genetics how large they will be.
Take The Right Approach For An Hourglass Figure
While it isn’t possible to lose weight without losing breast tissue, you can limit how much of an impact your weight loss will have.
Most women should aim to add some strength workouts along with extra protein to their diet.
And to lose fat while limiting cardio, you should also consider taking a fat burner without stimulants. These aren’t magic pills to get you slim on the couch.
But the boosted fat metabolism will add up over the months ahead and translate into considerably faster weight loss.
References:
- https://www.womenshealthmag.com/weight-loss/a19885977/breasts-and-weight-loss/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18025815/
- https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/body/diet-nutrition/a21943527/are-crash-diets-healthy-doctor/
- https://www.inverse.com/mind-body/protein-weight-loss-study-explained
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3630467/
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