The biggest weight loss trend of 2026? Build muscle instead

Losing weight, eating healthily, and exercising more are among the most frequently mentioned New Year’s resolutions year after year. However, any weight loss plan worth following needs to focus on one key component: building muscle, not losing it as you lose weight.

Read on to learn why building muscle mass should be your top priority throughout your weight loss journey. Plus: Here are six tips and tricks worth adopting, according to fitness and diet experts.

Why building muscle is crucial to your weight loss plan

In a perfect world, losing weight would just mean losing fat. However, it’s also common to lose weight due to muscle loss, which is bad news for your weight goals and your health.

“If you lose muscle while losing weight, everything becomes more difficult. Your metabolism drops, you feel weaker, and your body doesn’t look or function the way you want it to,” says celebrity trainer and founder of LEKFIT Lauren Kleban. “Maintaining and building muscle sculpts your body, supports your strength, and makes your results last.”

Erin Jowett, MS, RD, LDN, a functional nutritionist, weight loss expert, and founder of Integrated Weight and Wellness in Salem, Massachusetts, also emphasizes the importance of muscle in a weight loss plan. “Muscle is the silent variable that determines whether weight loss actually improves metabolism or slows it down,” she explains. “When someone loses weight without protecting lean body mass (especially taking GLP-1), the body becomes ‘efficient’ in all the wrong ways: burning fewer calories and increasing the risk of gaining weight back easily.” In short, Jowett says building muscle can win you “metabolic dollars,” making your weight loss journey smoother, easier, and more sustainable.

In addition to weight considerations, maintaining muscle as you age is crucial to staying strong, independent, and healthy.

How to build muscle, move and fuel your body for weight loss

Building muscle requires diet and exercise. “When you want to lose weight, exercise and nutrition have to work together, and muscle building and fat loss have to happen at the same time,” says Kleban. “If you want a strong, lean body, you can’t have one without the other.”

With that in mind, heed the following expert-approved tips to get stronger and leaner while losing weight.

1. Lift weights

It is generally recommended to perform resistance training with weights at least twice a week, working all major muscle groups. Kleban recommends diversifying your weight training regimen to achieve different goals. For example, she recommends choosing low-rep, heavier weights on certain days to build muscle, while choosing higher-rep, lighter weights to sculpt.

2. Add cardio

While strength training and building muscle are equally important, that doesn’t mean you should skip cardio. Kleban recommends doing cardio on non-strength training days, which can help burn fat and promote heart health.

“I like to recommend rebounding because it’s a great exercise while being gentle on the joints and supports lymphatic drainage and the pelvic floor,” she continues. “I recommend a meeting of about 20 minutes.”

Like to be more low-key? Walking is your friend, and the right regimen can definitely support your weight loss plan. While tracking steps can be helpful, especially when first starting out, Kleban says it’s not necessary, especially if it adds stress. “Tracking steps does not reflect the structured training needed for muscle, longevity, or healthy weight management,” she shares. Instead, she recommends listening to your body’s signals and trusting it to let you know when you’re moving well.

3. Diversification of sports

In addition to strength training and cardio, you can always choose your preferred form of exercise on other days. Kleban believes in moving your body every day, but varying your activities to gain different benefits and positive recovery.

Like Pilates? Go for it. According to Kleban, Pilates is great, but it shouldn’t be your primary form of exercise for weight loss. Still, she says it’s “great for recovery, reconnecting your core, or recovering from injury, and it definitely has its place in a well-rounded workout routine.”

All things considered, it helps to have a plan that includes strength training with weights, cardio, and other types of exercise, not to mention adequate rest. “There are strategies that can keep you from burning out, getting bored, stalling on weight loss and muscle growth, or getting injured,” says Kleban. “Structure allows you to build and maintain muscle while losing fat without going overboard.”

4. Prioritize protein

Getting enough protein should be front and center of your weight loss plan, especially if you’re trying to build or maintain muscle. In fact, Kleban warns that you can’t gain or build muscle if you don’t eat enough protein. No matter how hard you train, you may even be at risk of losing muscle mass.

According to Jowett, increasing protein intake is non-negotiable. When trying to lose weight, you should aim for 1.6 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day, according to the National Academy of Sports Medicine. “If you can’t sit down to a full meal, have a ready-to-drink smoothie or pair Greek yogurt with pumpkin seeds and fruit to keep your muscles in shape,” she shares.

Jowett also recommends eating protein first with your meals and trying her protein layering strategy—adding plant-based protein to animal-based protein—to help maximize your protein intake without overpowering your appetite.

5. Eat enough

Gone are the days of starvation and eating rabbit meat to lose weight. “The biggest mistake I see in clients is eating ‘diet-style’ meals or not eating at all,” Jowett says.

A healthy and sustainable weight loss plan requires that you eat enough, especially if you’re actively trying to build muscle. “The biggest thing people forget when trying to lose weight is that if your caloric deficit is too big and you exercise too hard, you can easily lose muscle,” says Kleban. Food is fuel – full stop.

6. Supplement wisely

Diet and exercise are most important during your journey, but there is also a time and place for smart supplementation. If you’re lacking enough fiber in your diet or need a little extra help keeping you full, consider taking HUM’s GLP-1 Flatter Me Fiber Booster. Not only does it double your coveted GLP-1 levels in just one use; it also contains digestive enzymes to support digestion and reduce swelling quickly.

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Losing weight may be your number one goal in 2026. but, Lose weight and build muscle at the same time This is truly the sweetest place. That said, it’s crucial to align your workout routine (emphasis on resistance training, but also try cardio and other sculpting and stretching modalities you like) with your diet to put protein front and center while also aiming for a healthy balance of macros and plenty of fresh, whole foods and plants.

To make your muscle-building and weight-loss program work for you, make sure it suits your own needs and interests so that you can stick to it. “Ultimately, the most important thing is that your nutrition and exercise fit your lifestyle,” Kleban concludes. “It should be something you can stick with long-term, so choose something that will support you in living your healthiest body while still enjoying life.”