Some insight please!
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ripeglow
Posts: 27 Member
I am new to healthy eating and working out for about 2 months now. I am 30 years old about 135lb give or take and 5'6 tall. I want to be at 125lbs, but I want to lose weight and gain muscle. I can't figure out the formula to do this. How many calories should I be eating a day to obtain this, how much cardio should I actually be doing in order not to lose muscle, how much protein and carbs do I need??? I am just so confused and feeling like giving up everytime I hit Google to figure this all out, it's like I can't get a straight answer, every answer is different and confusing. What about BMR do I need to take that into consideration? Thanks in advance 
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Replies
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Hi I'm Travis. To lose weight you have to go in a calorie deficient diet and do HIIT cardio. Then to gain muscle after you lose the weight eat in a calorie surplus of at least 500 over your normal rate. Lots of protein to gain muscle.11
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Lift heavy (for you) weights and eat at a slight deficit, 250 calories or so. Protein macros should be approximately 0.8 to 1 gram of protein for each pound of lean body mass. Fat should be 0.4 g per lb of LBM. Fill the rest of your calorie allowance with carbs.2
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-quiksylver, My bmr is 1411 according to the bar calculator. What exactly is deficit? Right now I set this app to having me eat 1200 calories a day.
- Travis, Also, do I need to lose the weight before I start gaining muscle?0 -
-quiksylver, My bmr is 1411 according to the bar calculator. What exactly is deficit? Right now I set this app to having me eat 1200 calories a day.
- Travis, Also, do I need to lose the weight before I start gaining muscle?
Your BMR is what your body needs if you were in a coma.
Deficit is the calories you subtract to create weight loss. You have a maintenance number of calories, the point at which you maintain your current weight. You need to eat less calories (deficit) than your maintenance number to create weight loss.
Do you know your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure)? That is what you should be deducting the calories from. scoobysworkshop.com has a decent TDEE calculator.
As to eating 1200 calories right now, you are definitely losing muscle with fat. Set your loss rate to 0.5 lbs per week. See how many calories that gives you.
Answering your question to Travis - you can't gain muscle and lose weight at the same time, most of the time. You need a caloric surplus to gain muscle, but a caloric deficit to lose weight. Focus on your weight loss, and maintaining your current muscle by heavy lifting. When you reach your goal weight, if you want more muscle, you can start a bulk/cut cycle to gain muscle. But don't worry about that right now...2 -
Alright, thank you. Apparently my TDEE is 2231?0
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I am working out 4 times a week 20 mins of cardio and 20 mins of core and 20 mins working on my butt and using a medicine ball for arms and abs and ankle weights also, need to purchase more weights soon. Also, I'm a mother of 3 so I'm constantly in my feet. I want to see some definition, but I'm not doing it the right way, I wanna just be lean like and not have a total chiseled body. This is harder than I ever thought.1
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Please be mindful of not posting the same topic on multiple forum sections.4
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Quiksylver, I seriously appreciate your input earlier I posted the same thread, wasn't sure if it was the right category, that's why I have 2 up0
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I am sorry, I am new to this app/site. I am glad to be aware of this now, apologize for not reading site rules beforehand.1
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I'm gonna take all the input I've received and start on it, hopefully I'll get to where I want to be sooner than later! Thanks for the help everyone. I promise no more double posting!2
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Thank you!0
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for trying to lose weight while gaining muscle it becomes about what you are eating in connection with exercise. grilled chicken is wonderful int hat it is high in protein(good for muscle growth) and low in fat(great for losing weight) you need to look for things like this so that what you are putting in your body functions and is used the way you want it to be. IE you need food that helps grow muscle and not add fat. im in a slimier situation. im wanting to lose about ten pound but gain a lot of muscle. i don't think i need to lose much i just want to look better and feel healthier. but keep it up!!!7
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ABOYNAMEDWHITNEY wrote: »for trying to lose weight while gaining muscle it becomes about what you are eating in connection with exercise. grilled chicken is wonderful int hat it is high in protein(good for muscle growth) and low in fat(great for losing weight) you need to look for things like this so that what you are putting in your body functions and is used the way you want it to be. IE you need food that helps grow muscle and not add fat. im in a slimier situation. im wanting to lose about ten pound but gain a lot of muscle. i don't think i need to lose much i just want to look better and feel healthier. but keep it up!!!
Fat doesn't make you fat.3 -
I would like to post some pictures of where I am currently at with my body, to get more insight on rather what I have going on is fat or if it's something I can turn into muscle. I'm so confused with my body right now, since I quit breastfeeding my son about 8 months ago I have gained weight like crazy, I am used to be 120lbs and less all my life and suddenly this belly thing has come along witb my love handles and i dont know how to make it go away? Anyone suggest me posting photos here or in a different category with the question? I'm not sure how to post a photo0
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I would like to post some pictures of where I am currently at with my body, to get more insight on rather what I have going on is fat or if it's something I can turn into muscle. I'm so confused with my body right now, since I quit breastfeeding my son about 8 months ago I have gained weight like crazy, I am used to be 120lbs and less all my life and suddenly this belly thing has come along witb my love handles and i dont know how to make it go away? Anyone suggest me posting photos here or in a different category with the question? I'm not sure how to post a photo
When you go to post, above the text box right about in the middle is an icon that will let you insert a picture. Just click and upload or type in the image URL. Since this thread is about you, you're not really derailing by asking another question or posting photos.
As for your stomach question, this is the thread to read: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1161603/so-you-want-a-nice-stomach/0 -
Is it the I icon? I don't see any place to click on to insert a photo0
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