Advice/guidance maybe?

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Hi.
I'm a 40yr old male standing at 5ft 7 Who 4 weeks ago weighed 11st 9lbs.
Today I weighed in at 10st 11lbs.
I have 22% body fat still.
I'm training a 6 day split routine with cardio on the 7th.
And I walk approx 6km a day.
My daily intake is at 1700kcals.

I'm asking with my current calorie Intake and training routine can I still get my body fat down to under 10% but still gain lean muscle mass?
Thanks in advance for any help.
Si

Replies

  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
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    You aren't going to be gaining lean muscle mass on a calorie deficit based on your age, activity level, and total calories. That's okay.

    The goal should be to cut down on the total level of body fat while maintaining as much muscle as possible. To do this consistent strength training, adequate protein levels, and a moderate to low calorie deficit is required. Once you've gotten down to appropriate levels of body fat you can focus on building muscle through a calorie surplus and progressive strength training.
  • sihornsby
    sihornsby Posts: 5 Member
    edited July 2017
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    Thank you :)
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
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    you're welcome. :)
  • Rusty740
    Rusty740 Posts: 749 Member
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    I'm your age and height, lost 42 lbs last year and got down from 25-30% to 12.5% at 130lbs. I wish I'd known to keep my protein high and lift within a structured system. Only started lifting 4 months ago. You're doing well.

    1 g/lb body weight protein will be enough. Watch out for too much cardio. It's a bit catabolic, but if it's working for you, by all means.

    You'll be able to keep enough muscle (not gain it) while in that deficit. I found that when I got down to the lower weights I had to go to 1600, but I wasn't doing much cardio.

    The longer your weight loss takes (which is ok, don't rush it), you'll lose more muscle. You may want to do it in 10 lb stages and hold for a month or two, this potentially can help (no hard science)
  • big_jon_1988
    big_jon_1988 Posts: 58 Member
    edited July 2017
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    Also I'd question how you're getting your body fat measured, it's possible there's an error. A lot of those electronics that claim you estimate body fat are really inaccurate.




    And as others have said, don't lose weight too fast or you'll lose all that lean bodymass you're trying to build or at least most of it, also you need to eat a lot of protein especially when losing weight for the same reason.
  • DrMantisBToboggan
    DrMantisBToboggan Posts: 4 Member
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    Just a question didnt know which one to post in seemed like the right one. I am a 21 year old and trying to build mass which i seem to have done pretty well so far but have a big gut and always have done is it best to lose the gut first or bulk the body and cut down the gut later on. Thanks
  • Rusty740
    Rusty740 Posts: 749 Member
    edited July 2017
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    Just a question didnt know which one to post in seemed like the right one. I am a 21 year old and trying to build mass which i seem to have done pretty well so far but have a big gut and always have done is it best to lose the gut first or bulk the body and cut down the gut later on. Thanks

    In general the body is primed to gain muscle when your body fat is lower than 15% ish. 10-15% is a decent range to start bulking (at 10) and cutting (at 15).

    It's a tough call what you're asking though. I'd say try to figure out your body fat as well as you are able to, use several methods if you can, guessing is fine too. Then do some calculations to figure out how long a cut might be if you were to try to get to 12% or so. Find out your lean mass, then assume you'll lose 1 lb body fat each week without losing any muscle. You can cut about 1 lb per week or so if you do it right. If this looks longer than 2-3 months to get to 12%, then you should probably cut now instead of bulk. This is pretty rough, but it will give you a place to start from.