I am doing weights for a few months now, but I find it hard to gain muscles and burn fat at the same time. It seems like one goes at the expense of the other. I think I have a balanced diet, with more proteins than before (whey isolate), and little fat. At the same time, I think I need more carbs than before, to grow muscles. For sure I don't want to be hungry, as my body will burn muscles then, right? I also do cardio exercises to burn fat, but when I do it the day after a weights workout, the muscles hurt more than otherwise. Is this a bad idea, and do I just destroy muscle tissue that way? Or am I doing it all right and am I just being impatient?
My core question is how best to combine gaining muscles and burning fat. I am aware that the question has been asked before, but I want to know precisely how one affects the other.
How can I minimize muscle loss when losing fat by energy deficit or doing cardio exercise and how can I minimize fat gain when I try to gain muscles with workouts accompanied with proteins and energy?
Just for clarification, when I say "burn fat", I don't necessarily mean "lose weight". Just get a lower fat percentage.