Eat more VS Dieting

[Chadpz_old_old]

I am pretty skinny but recently i ate junk food for a month or two and packed on about 5lbs that i don't want on my gut. I still look skinny and want to gain mass but I also want that 5lbs to either be gone or turn into muscle.

Should I continue lifting+15-20 min of cardio before workouts and eating properly (an extra 500 cals in diet to gain mass from my workouts) or focus more on cardio lose the 5lb flab and then go for gaining weight/lifting?

thanks

[gravesp]

I am pretty skinny but recently i ate junk food for a month or two and packed on about 5lbs that i don't want on my gut. I still look skinny and want to gain mass but I also want that 5lbs to either be gone or turn into muscle.

Should I continue lifting+15-20 min of cardio before workouts and eating properly (an extra 500 cals in diet to gain mass from my workouts) or focus more on cardio lose the 5lb flab and then go for gaining weight/lifting?

thanks

It would be sweet if fat could turn into muscle, but it can't. You'll have to lose that fat and put on muscle separately.
If you have to choose, focus more on putting mass on first because extra muscle yields a faster metabolism which means you'll burn the fat faster once it comes time to shed your winter coat.
I think best is if you continue lifting, but do 15 minutes of cardio AFTER workouts, or on days you dont lift. What I like to do in this situation is: On days you lift, eat 500 MORE calories a day than it takes to maintain, and on days you don't lift, run and eat 500 LESS. I lift 3x a week, and run 3x a week, fwiw.

-gravesp

[Chadpz_old_old]

Yeah I think that's a good cut diet. I don't know if I should do 1500 cals on NON workout days or 2000 and if i should do 2000 cals or 2500 on workout days. At 130lbs and 5"4 maintenance i think is 1950 cals.

I workout 4x a week and now I am going to add 15-20 min of cardio after my workouts. Is that all I need to burn the fat?

See that's the thing, I don't want to lose mass and become a skeleton at 123lbs...but I also don't want to workout my abs and everything and have it covered by fat.