Should I lose fat first or build muscle first -

[femalefiit]

I'm 32, female 120 lbs. My goal is to lose about 20lbs of fat and gain it back in muscle - going for 16 percent BF
New to this. My nutrition plan is 'loose' keto / paleo focused

I want to start with sixty days of exceptionally disciplined both nutrition and work outs, and to maximize the results of both losing fat and gaining strength I need help to know what plan to focus on. Should my goal be to cut fat fast with calorie deficient and cardio and light weights - or focus on a mixture balance of weight training with cardio .... ?

Any tips greatly appreciated. I want to look fitter but also want to gain strength and flexibility ... and cardio endurance as right now I can only run 11 min pace miles.

I'm at step one... thanks all

[jayandre81]

Use a high protein diet and train hard .. eat all clean fats/carbs .. and u should be able to lean out while adding a little muscle even if u are at maintenance calories.

[ICONOFSIN]

I'm 32, female 120 lbs. My goal is to lose about 20lbs of fat and gain it back in muscle - going for 16 percent BF
New to this. My nutrition plan is 'loose' keto / paleo focused

I want to start with sixty days of exceptionally disciplined both nutrition and work outs, and to maximize the results of both losing fat and gaining strength I need help to know what plan to focus on. Should my goal be to cut fat fast with calorie deficient and cardio and light weights - or focus on a mixture balance of weight training with cardio .... ?

Any tips greatly appreciated. I want to look fitter but also want to gain strength and flexibility ... and cardio endurance as right now I can only run 11 min pace miles.

I'm at step one... thanks all

Well before we can help you can you provide your height, lifestyle (Sedentary, Moderately Active or Active) and your daily caloric intake?

[SuffolkPunch]

My advice is don't jump on to bandwagons like paleo. By all means choose mostly minimally processed wholefoods... but there will be plenty of choices that will also work just as well but aren't "paleo". It's just a concept which doesn't necessarily jibe with actual science and evidence. Likewise, you can probably lose weight just as easily with some carbs in your diet rather than going full "keto". You just don't need these complications.

The core points of nutrition are to control calorie intake first and foremost - adjust until you are losing or gaining at the required rate (mostly by trial and error). Secondly, control macro intake. Carbs vs. fats are mostly a matter of preference but you should be getting at least 1gram of fat and 1.8 grams of protein per kg of bodyweight each day. We recommend you spread this into 3-4 widely spaced meals including a bedtime meal.

[femalefiit]

[QUOTE=ICONOFSIN;1487982681]Well before we can help you can you provide your height, lifestyle (Sedentary, Moderately Active or Active) and your daily caloric intake?[/QUOTE
]

I am highly active 2 days a week (skiing, running, blading, hiking, tennis) and usually add in a gym day for weights and racquetball 1-2 times a week. Normal office job where I sit on my butt 40 hrs a week or more though.

I don't count calories but am very aware of what I eat. I'm gluten free/dairy free/ sugar free by choice, eat whole fresh foods, and would guess calories at 1200-2000 / day depending on activity levels. I fast when I am sedentary usually. Typically eat 1-2 'meals' and have plenty of smaller snacks during the day - apple, kale chips, brazil nuts, seaweed.

[EjnarKolinkar]

I want to start with sixty days of exceptionally disciplined both nutrition and work outs

Gaining 20 pounds of muscel and losing 20 pounds of fat is likely to take 2 years or more of consistent, and moderately disciplined nutrition and workouts. Although we have no real way to estimate if that is even a reasonable goal with limited data about you. Patience, moderation, hard work, and consistency are the secret weapons of bodybuilders. 60 days of being unnecessarily hard on yourself is unlikely to have any significant effect.

Why not pick a good program, and get your feet under you at the gym to start?

You will find some good info in this thread: Beginner's Guide to Female Bodybuilding and Fitness