How to lose fat while gaining muscle

[rantrod]

I understand that if you have a calorie surplus, you can gain muscle if you have the proper weight training. I also understand that if you have a calorie deficit, you can lose fat. This makes it difficult (albeit not impossible) to gain muscle while losing fat. To resolve this problem, some people have suggested switching between having a caloric surplus and having a caloric deficit. My question is, which is the best way to do this? 5 days of surplus, 2 days of deficit? 1 day surplus, 1 day deficit? 1 month surplus, 1 month deficit?

[Be-Be]

Depends on your starting point. People who are extremely obese and people who are a closer to a healthy weight need to do different things. For an answer to this question for you specifically, I'd need to know your specifics.

[adamskyb]

Can't you just cut some carbs and take protein shakes? Do weight training and cardio. Do cardio everyday though except maybe 1 day to rest your legs.

The extra protein should help muscle gains and cutting carbs and calories should cut the fat.

[rantrod]

Be-Be, thanks for the reply. I am 40, 165 pounds, 5'10", pretty fit, but not muscular yet. I am very skinny everywhere except the area around my belly button. I want to lose the belly fat, but I also want to gain more muscle.

[wyldechild71]

I have been attempting what your describing for a couple months now.

Not til recently did I really focus on trying to cut the fat off but I have lost a legitimate 15lbs of FAT in about a month and a half. I cant say that I have gained a ton of muscle but I am still getting stronger and none of my lifts are suffering a bit, and you say your fit so I would assume once you start tightening everything up it will have nice definition at the least.

What Im leading up to is I train 5 days a week, and I do 30-45 minutes of cardio 5 days a week as well. Some days I force myself out of bed and do the cardio in the morning, followed by my workout later in the day. If I can't do this I will workout before the cardio. I have read many many things but from what I gather your body goes straight for your fat when your legitimate(cant remember the word) energy is spent (IE in the morning or after lifting).

I drink 2 protein shakes a day, one in the morning about 20 minutes before I do the cardio(Ive read that this helps support your muscles but idk how true that is), and usually one in the evening. All my food varies and I dont literally count my exact intake of carbs/fat/calories but I do pay attention to them and I watch my protein the most. The core of my diet is skim milk, chicken, tuna, beef, nuts, eggs and I throw in other things to mix it up, and I allow myself to cheat here and there. I try to keep my calories low because my goal right now is to burn up this sloppy midsection(I will also throw in that I am currently taking Man SCORCH) but from my personal standpoint, training and keeping up with the cardio while keeping your protein intake high without overeatting has done me wonders. Im sure if you figured it out and ate more than me you could see even more of an improvement on your muscles, but the cardio and healthy eatting is definitely melting my midsection. Hope my bs helps.

[Be-Be]

What does "pretty fit" mean? "Pretty fit" aerobically? "Pretty fit" in that you lift a couple times a week? What's your typical week's exercise program?

Also, what does your eating look like? Are you eating clean most of the time? Do you go out to eat frequently? How many times a day do you eat? When do you eat most of your calories? Do you drink alcohol?

What's your body fat? What are your measurements? Particularly your waist and hip measurements?

When I say that I need specifics, I mean all the details. Until we can pinpoint problem areas, all advice is just a shot in the dark.

To increase muscle size, you have to eat more calories than you burn. (Flipside - just like to increase fat stores you have to eat more calories than you burn.) If you want to put on 20 pounds of muscle, you will have to eat 70,000 extra calories. This is why bodybuilders tend to gain a bit of fat when "bulking". The healthier and cleaner the calories consumed, the more likely you are to put on muscle instead of fat.

If you want to lose 20 pounds of fat, you have to eat 70,000 fewer calories less than maintenance. But not cut your daily calories so low that you reduce your metabolism.

Strength can be maintained and sometimes increased when cutting - especially for people new to resistance training. Unless you are severely reducing your calories (which you shouldn't do anyway), you shouldn't lose muscle or strength when cutting.

My off-the-cuff advice would be to concentrate on building muscle and trying to eat clean at approximately maintenance. Keep records of what you eat, your exercise (cardio and resistance), and the results. As your muscles before more defined and, hopefully, grow a bit, you will find that you look better even if you still have a bit around the belly. After 6-8 weeks of an aggressive lifting program and clean eating, review your progress and then decide what to do next. (You may find that some of your midsection is bloat from poor eating and it reduces from eating better and looks smaller because everything around it is tighter.)

It is inefficient to try to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time (for someone of your size). If you continue to try to do both, at the end of - say, 6 months - you will be frustrated and less happy with the results than if you concentrated on one goal for 3 months and then the other for the second 3 months.

You might want to download a copy of "Burn the Fat/Feed the Muscle". It's a good source of information on the challenges of gaining muscle and losing fat. http://www.burnthefat.com/

[littlejohn]

It can be done. It's a long, slow road, but it can be done. My bodyfat percentage has been going down while my weight stays at a set average for quite a while now. I'm not one for cutting / bulking cycles.
Look at my sig.

[ibcritn1]

I concur it can be done, it takes longer, and IMO is harder and I also think you get to a point where you can't do it. I recently switched to a full out cut, but you can see my progress pics from when I started and 50lbs ago I had significantly less muscle.

[replicat0r]

dont try 2 do many things at once. it just complicates things, just focus on 1 thing 1st, then have that work out for u. then move on to another

[injured44]

just pick one or the other its hard to do both unless you are one of those guys juicin on the juice and taking protein supps with every meal....

[Be-Be]

Originally Posted by littlejohn

It can be done. It's a long, slow road, but it can be done. My bodyfat percentage has been going down while my weight stays at a set average for quite a while now. I'm not one for cutting / bulking cycles.
Look at my sig.

It can be done when someone has a great deal of fat to lose. I know because I did it too. Rantrod doesn't have a great deal of bf so it's different for him. That was why I started off saying I needed specifics and that it depends on where you are at.

[Hotmoltenlava]

The minimum for caloric cycles should be 3-4 days, as your muscles need time to repair. You might also want to do your heavy lifts on the surplus and your cardio on the deficit cycles, you will get the most of of cycling. Cycling is good for a body recomposition and would be a good program to do, once you have reached your desired body fat, instead of a full-blown bulk. You would be able to build muscle, without putting on much, if any, bodyfat. Most will always recommend cutting or bulking, but if you want to try cycling....go for it. I have gone from 295lbs and 35%+bf to 228lbs and 16%bf in about 14 months, mostly thru 40\40\20 calorie cycling. My LBM has gone up about 17lbs in that time period. It is good for those of us that tend to go mental after prolonged caloric deficits...... Try it, check your results and continue if you like them. That's what this is all about.

Good luck.

[Goose05]

ive been trying to cut fat while maintaining muscl and ive just lowered my carb intake and increase my protein intake.
seems to be working but ivr lost 3 kg in 4weeks and still lifting strong, also my muscular edurance and got much better!

[frendakay]

June of 2007 I weighed 140 at 5"7. I had a 360 spinal fusion on 3 levels. I have been on steroids and lyrica for 8 months. I have gained 100 pounds. I know this sounds massive but its quite true. I have always been active up until surgery,now my back is healing. It's time to get in shape. I now only take a low dosage of predisone and i am ready to start gradual. I don't want to lose weight and look like a small fat person it's important to be in shape and create muscle. I know that im terribly out of shape and lost a lot of muscle over the past year. I am looking for some advice and support on where to start and help with creating a workout program. The doctor has released me to start exercising including light weights.

[unsoberx]

Adam: it is not so simple as you put it. When we are trying to lose weight, even if ingesting large quantities of protein, we lose strength and muscles. I've noticed that when we cut carbs in order to lower insulin levels we might lose strength

unsoberx

Originally Posted by adamskyb

Can't you just cut some carbs and take protein shakes? Do weight training and cardio. Do cardio everyday though except maybe 1 day to rest your legs.

The extra protein should help muscle gains and cutting carbs and calories should cut the fat.

[Be-Be]

Originally Posted by frendakay

June of 2007 I weighed 140 at 5"7. I had a 360 spinal fusion on 3 levels. I have been on steroids and lyrica for 8 months. I have gained 100 pounds. I know this sounds massive but its quite true. I have always been active up until surgery,now my back is healing. It's time to get in shape. I now only take a low dosage of predisone and i am ready to start gradual. I don't want to lose weight and look like a small fat person it's important to be in shape and create muscle. I know that im terribly out of shape and lost a lot of muscle over the past year. I am looking for some advice and support on where to start and help with creating a workout program. The doctor has released me to start exercising including light weights.

You have my sympathy. Here are a few thoughts:

1. This is not a problem than you should address by getting free advice on a forum of people who have never gone through what you are going through. Though trying to be helpful, most people are not going to understand what you are going through and their advice might even be dangerous.

2. You are still in recovery. I assume you realize it could still be months of slow progress until you are healed.

3. Why did you eat so much? Depression, perhaps? You will not be able to get your eating under control until you deal with the reasons why you let it get so out of control.

4. Good nutrition will speed your recovery. Weighing less will speed your recovery. Though exercise is limited you can control what you eat and what you weigh. 80% of weight loss is proper eating.

5. Do you have a physical therapist or can you be cleared for one? The problem is that you now lack mobility where the vertibrae were fused and this also puts more stress on the vertebra below and above the fusion so a "typical" workout may not be appropriate for you. A physical therapist can help identify issues and help your recovery by recommending exercises specific for those issues.

6. If a physical therapist isn't an option, can you afford a personal trainer to supervise your workouts? Perhaps one that specializes in older people or rehabilitation issues. This way the trainer can make sure you are using correct form and design an ongoing program to match your abilities and challenges.

7. If a trainer isn't an option, start with gentle bodyweight exercises. Don't push yourself for the first couple weeks until you see how your body reacts. You can do squats, lunges, pushups, and ab work - especially lower abs. IF that goes well, get some exercise bands and follow the guide that comes with them. If that goes well, you can move on to weights. Be very careful and take it slow.

8. Can you do cardio? Even if it's just walking, this will help you lose fat and it will get your body used to moving again.

9. How about stretching? I'm guessing that you are really tight. Do whatever stretches are approved twice a day. In particular, stretch the hamstrings a lot.

10. With 100 pounds to lose, concentrate on eating appropriately. Be as physical as you can but respect your limitations. As you lose fat and get further along in your healing, you will be able to do more resistance training.

11. Good luck. You're road to health will be slow and frustrating but you will make progress. Even times when you don't think there's any, you are making progress - just in very small incriments. Two steps forward and one step back still gets you to where you want to be.

[mpipes]

Originally Posted by Be-Be

3. Why did you eat so much? Depression, perhaps? You will not be able to get your eating under control until you deal with the reasons why you let it get so out of control.

It was probably the steroids, especially prednisone. Aside from making you gain weight just from taking the meds, they also whack out the hormones so bad you just can't stop eating. Imagine if you fasted 100% for a week straight how hungry you would be, multiply that by a thousand, and that's how you feel 24/7 when treating with steroids, even immediately after eating a big meal. No amount of willpower can overcome those hormonal responses.