How to lose fat and gain muscle???

DalbozTheLantern

What my body is like: I'm female, just turned 29, 5'10, 134 lbs. I think I would be termed "skinny fat." I've been working out for over four months now, doing weightlifting, cardio, and short, relaxing yoga routines to stay flexible. I work out 4-6 times a week. I do about an hour of cardio (hrm says I burn over 600 calories), and for the last two months, I have been doing weights for about an hour and a half and work out my entire body, including abs (burn a little over 700 calories according to my hrm). I'm also a vegetarian.

My problem: I gained weight rapidly when going on a medication that I am no longer take and gained to about 132-135. Before, I was 127 or 128. It seemed like it all went to my stomach. I tried dieting, and my body wouldn't go below 132 lbs. I started working out, have seen steady improvement in my muscles, gained two pounds that are hopefully muscle, improved flexibility, improved my diet, clothes fit looser on me, there is been slight fat reduction, but I still have extra fat, mainly around my stomach area. It's pissing me off. I've been taking pictures, and at first, I could see a steady change. For the last month or so, besides looking more toned, the fat seems to be about the same.

How do I lose fat while still gaining muscle?

*I would prefer comments from women since men and women's bodies are very different, but men can comment. I do not want to "bulk" or eat at a caloric excess, etc. I am not a male body builder. I do not care about having big muscles; the reason I want muscles is not for vanity, but for practicality.

I am happy with my muscles progress. I just want to lose this last bit of extra fat without sacrificing muscle.

Unknown

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DalbozTheLantern

I don't want to lose weight. I want to lose fat.

Cherimoose

DalbozTheLantern wrote: »

*I would prefer comments from women since men and women's bodies are very different

Women lose fat and gain muscle exactly the same way as men - calorie control and full-body strength training, with heavy weight. You just started working out, so be patient. Follow a good lifting program.

AmyRhubarb

Lift heavy, moderate calorie deficit to lose the fat and maintain the muscle. Don't worry about scale numbers, go with tape measure and photos.

This is a pretty good read on the subject: http://www.livestrong.com/blog/lose-fat-without-losing-muscle/

_HeartsOnFire_

Agree with MrM27. Lift heavy. It'll help with body recomp. Choose a program like Starting Stength or Stronglifts or New Rules of Lifting for Women.

Unknown

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Lleldiranne

DalbozTheLantern wrote: »

I don't want to lose weight. I want to lose fat.

You are currently very light for your height, at the bottom of normal range of BMI. You probably don't have a lot of fat to lose The best thing to do, at your point, is to get into a heavy lifting routine and eat at maintenance. I put your stats into the scooby tdee calculator (http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/) and with 4-5 days of exercise, you should be eating about 2200 calories a day. (This takes the exercise calories into account). I would also strongly suggest you get at least 100 grams of protein daily (it's possible as a vegetarian).

Look into a program like New Rules of Lifting for Women, or Strong Lifts 5x5. Strong Lifts is available online (free, I believe). Lifting heavy means that you're working with a weight where you can complete about 5 reps in a set for about 5 sets, the actual weight is different for every person (you want a progressive program, so that as you gain strength you increase your weights). It's not going to make you bulky or "manly" so don't worry about that. What it will do is a slow body recomposition (assuming you are eating properly, as above), giving you muscle definition and a slowly replacing fat with muscle. The key word, though, is slow - it may take months to see a lot of progress, but when you do, it'll look great.

You could also feasibly gain weight and look even better. You could get up to 170 and still be in the "normal" range. I'm not saying you should, just that you could. It depends on build and body type. My point is to worry less about the scale and more about the look in the mirror. (Just as reference, before I got pregnant, I was at 130, with about 23% body fat ... and I'm not quite 5'1")

Lleldiranne

I found the picture I wanted to share This was right before I got pregnant, so the stats I listed above. Just wanting to show you what heavy lifting and eating plenty can get you. And if a shorty like me can look like this at 130, imagine what you can do with even a bit more weight to play with


Ignore the yucky hair and face ... I'd just finished a lifting session and wanted a progress pic of my body, didn't think about hair or anything (ugh)

SLLRunner

Get the book New Rules of Weight Lifting for Women and read and do the lifting program.

You sound a bit underweight for your height, so I'd eat at a very slight surplus. Make sure you get enough protein and fat in your diet as well, but also don't forget that carbs give you energy for your workouts, etc.

Stat away from the scale, measure and pay attention to how your clothes fit.

When you say you want to lose fat, that generally means weight. Except for slight newbie gains, you won't gain muscle on a calorie deficit.

Good luck!

ndj1979

it is only possible for obese beginners and even then it only lasts about six months and then things will normalize and you will just lose fat.

What are you trying to do are two things that are total opposites. To lose weight/fat you need a negative energy balance; to gain weight/add muscle you need a positive energy balance….so the two are dirtily opposed to one another.

I would suggest focus on losing fat and lifting heavy, then when you get to the body fat% that you want, go back to eating at maintenance or do a bulk to try to put some muscle back on ….

think of it this when ..can you build a house and tear it down at the same time????

MakePeasNotWar

I agree with most if the posters above about lifting heavier. If you are doing 1.5 hours of weights, you are likely lifting too light, and too many reps for muscle building. The regimens listed will help you strengthen and grow your muscles and give you a curvier and more defined physique.

You might want to cut the cardio down to 2-3 days ( increase the intensity if you are concerned about the calorie burn), with 2-3 days of lifting (not the same days, if possible). If you are going with 5-6 days a week of working out, make sure you are sleeping enough and getting adequate protein and carbohydrate.

I am also vegetarian and it can be tough to get enough protein for muscle building from whole foods, so I do use whey protein powder to make up the gap. If I am not training I eat 50-75g daily. If I am training Muay Thai and running but not lifting heavy, 100-150, and when I am training and lifting I try for a minimum of 150g. I am 5'9" and normally walk around at about 140, and look so much better than I did at 125.

MakePeasNotWar

Can't seem to edit on my phone, so just to clarify I was talking total grams of protein per day, not just the whey protein. I can normally get at least 90g from whole foods. More if I eat eggs or dairy, but I usually don't.

And when I mentioned the regimens listed, I meant the ones suggested by previous posters.

DalbozTheLantern

Thanks for the information, everybody. I will look into the articles and programs. I just wanted to clarify a few things, though. I'm not worried about looking manly or bulky. I don't think that would even be possible for me because of my body type. I had just read other suggestions for people in my situation from previous posts, and guys kept talking about women eating more to bulk up, and that's not my goal. I also don't care about what the scale says. If I weighed 160 and was muscular and fit, I'd be fine with that. I really just want to improve my health and fitness. I want to be strong for practical purposes (lifting heavy groceries, kayaking, biking, swimming, hiking, etc.) and don't care if my muscles are a certain amount of inches or lean or bulky or whatever. I just want them to work well. I am lifting heavy. I just divide up the sets, and do everything in a certain sequence, so I don't waste time standing around like a lot of people at the gym. It seems to be working great. I have been consistently moving up in weights, my muscles are way more toned, and I'm much, much stronger. I went kayaking yesterday, and I could tell my strength and endurance had improved tremendously. I'm happy with my muscles and my progress with them. I just want to lose the flab/fat around my midsection and a couple of other areas while still going up in weights. It seems there is some conflicting information as to whether this is possible or not, but I still want to try to make it happen.

I'm going to read up more on the subject, continue to improve my diet, and keep up with how much protein I'm taking in. I appreciate everybody's input and will re-read what everybody has said again while trying to figure out a new plan of action. If anybody else has any suggestions, feel free to comment!

MelodyandBarbells

Well could you give some examples of what weights you're doing say for squats, etc so we can get an idea where you're at and where you're hoping to progress?

Springfield1970

Hi

I tried both ways, recomping, trying to build muscle and lose fat at the same time (there's plenty of super complicated diets out there). I also tried old fashioned cutting, and then bulking, then cutting. The whole thing took at least a year and it was by far the most successful way.

I went from 30% body fat to 15% body fat (123lb at 5'7"), to 132lb after bulk, down to 128lb now.

I use some strong curves moves nowadays, but I've been lifting for years and have built up through different programs.

I always try to hit 110plus G protein per day whether I'm cutting or bulking. I lay off too much cardio when bulking, and meticulously make sure I'm eating enough when triathlon training, as not to lose muscle.

jennifurballs

DalbozTheLantern wrote: »

Thanks for the information, everybody. I will look into the articles and programs. I just wanted to clarify a few things, though. I'm not worried about looking manly or bulky. I don't think that would even be possible for me because of my body type. I had just read other suggestions for people in my situation from previous posts, and guys kept talking about women eating more to bulk up, and that's not my goal. I also don't care about what the scale says. If I weighed 160 and was muscular and fit, I'd be fine with that. I really just want to improve my health and fitness. I want to be strong for practical purposes (lifting heavy groceries, kayaking, biking, swimming, hiking, etc.) and don't care if my muscles are a certain amount of inches or lean or bulky or whatever. I just want them to work well. I am lifting heavy. I just divide up the sets, and do everything in a certain sequence, so I don't waste time standing around like a lot of people at the gym. It seems to be working great. I have been consistently moving up in weights, my muscles are way more toned, and I'm much, much stronger. I went kayaking yesterday, and I could tell my strength and endurance had improved tremendously. I'm happy with my muscles and my progress with them. I just want to lose the flab/fat around my midsection and a couple of other areas while still going up in weights. It seems there is some conflicting information as to whether this is possible or not, but I still want to try to make it happen.

I'm going to read up more on the subject, continue to improve my diet, and keep up with how much protein I'm taking in. I appreciate everybody's input and will re-read what everybody has said again while trying to figure out a new plan of action. If anybody else has any suggestions, feel free to comment!

My son had the same issue you have. He's fit, muscular, lifts weights, but had a little mid-section flab he couldn't get rid of. He's young, so I didn't make a big deal of it, but he came to me and asked for my help. So I told him to add a bit more cardio to his weekly workouts and to log what he ate on MFP on a normal day to see how many calories he was consuming. Turned out he was eating a lot more than he realized (around 3,000), so he just cut back for about a month to between 1,600 and 1,700. He started walking on an incline for two miles about 3 times a week. Now all the flab is gone, he looks fantastic and it's done wonders for his confidence!

kgeyser

If you're able to bounce between exercises, you're not lifting heavy. The reason people "waste time just standing around" is because they are actually lifting heavy and are taking a rest period between sets.

BetterKimmer

I agree with everyone here that you should lift heavy (In good form and safely) and eat appropriate macronutrients within calorie range.

Without knowing you, here is my blanket statement; I am 5'10 and have been doing major research and educating myself to lose my weight and transform my body. I eat mostly good, and lift heavy and perform tons of HIIT cardio sessions. I learned this:Losing weight is about what you eat, not working out. Working out can aid, but is not the primary factor. Additionally, since we are of the same height and I am of medium structure, all of the info and facts I have come up with over the last 2 years of research is that at 5'10 lean body mass is between 120-130 depending on how "big boned" you are. That would make you approximately 10-14% body fat currently. Pretty low for a woman, but not bad! At 127-128lbs, under 10%, which is crazy low! According to science, too low for the health of a normal woman. Again, I don't know you, but say that is so, and now that you lift weights you have added muscle. Then...

Muscle weighs more than fat, so ignore the scale. Muscle build up will push against existing fat making an area appear "fatter". You cannot spot reduce without liposuction. And unless you show an example by pic of the problem area that reflects how bad this is, according to the stats you provided, it is going to be a hard sell to get folks to agree with how bad your situation may be and then you begin to get questioned about disorders such as body dismorphia.

Most health/fitness bikini models that are 5,10, and look fanstatic (at least to me), are 135lbs at their low, and 145lbs when not in deep training. I look to Tabitha Klausen, who is 5'11 and skinny FIT at 141lbs. How much skinnier can you be 6-7lbs less? Then trying to be 10lbs less than that?? Sounds extreme.

But I don't know you.

With all sensitivity, I say to ask yourself if you are dwelling on something you shouldn't. Educate yourself on your body's current state and its nutritional needs. Find your LBM, BF%, BMR, TDEE/Calorie and Macro needs. Follow that and be healthy.

Good luck,

Miss know-it-all

BetterKimmer

kgeyser wrote: »

If you're able to bounce between exercises, you're not lifting heavy. The reason people "waste time just standing around" is because they are actually lifting heavy and are taking a rest period between sets.

Right?!?!

DalbozTheLantern

I work out different parts of my body, so I can't "bounce" from working my biceps to another bicep exercise because my muscles would be too tired. I do one set of 15-20 reps (I have read that is a good amount of reps) for most exercises, then after I've worked out my whole my body, I do it all over again. I usually have to pause for a few seconds during most exercises because my arms, legs, or whatever give out, but it only takes a few breaths before I can do more reps. I don't stand and sit around for minutes on end not doing anything like other people I see at the gym. I do different weights and machines for my back, arms, legs, and abs. Basically, my arms have their rest period while I work on my legs, etc. I'm exhausted afterward, I get sore, my muscles feel fatigued, my heart rate stays elevated, and I sweat like crazy. I'm working out hard. I've seen men do lower weights than me on one the leg machines I do. I also consistently go up in weights. Like I said, I'm seeing results with muscles. That's not the issue at all. It may not be what body builders do or whatever Men's Health magazine tells you to do, but it's working for me, so I'm going to keep doing it. As for losing flab, I do plan on changing things up for that goal, like keeping a closer eye on what I'm eating, up my cardio, etc.

MelodyandBarbells

I don't understand - if you already had a successful plan, what was the reason for your post?

Still can't find any actual weights listed - as in I squat or dead lift ## lbs

DalbozTheLantern

Springfield, I just saw your comment. What is cutting and bulking? I honestly haven't been paying that much attention to calories and macro-nutrients. I usually just try to not eat stuff that is overly processed, and eat more fruits and vegetables. If I do add up my calories, they're usually under 2,000, even on days I work out. Do I need to eat more on days I do weights and less on days I do cardio and rest days...? What did you do?

DalbozTheLantern

Janei, not to be rude, but I've said multiple times that I don't need help gaining muscle. I need help losing fat. In other words, if you are going to respond, you might want to focus on cardio and diet advice because I'm covered when it comes to gaining muscle. That's an area I do NOT need help with. As for the weights I do for each exercise, that would take way too long to type and really isn't relevant to my question about losing fat. Please take the time to read the post. I said that I was happy with my progress with muscle building. I just want to be able to lose fat without sacrificing the muscles that I've been consistently improving since from what I've read, that is difficult to do.

MelodyandBarbells

DalbozTheLantern wrote: »

Janei, not to be rude, but I've said multiple times that I don't need help gaining muscle. I need help losing fat. In other words, if you are going to respond, you might want to focus on cardio and diet advice because I'm covered when it comes to gaining muscle. That's an area I do NOT need help with. As for the weights I do for each exercise, that would take way too long to type and really isn't relevant to my question about losing fat. Please take the time to read the post. I said that I was happy with my progress with muscle building. I just want to be able to lose fat without sacrificing the muscles that I've been consistently improving since from what I've read, that is difficult to do.

Lifting heavy *is* the way to lose the fat. You're asking about something you don't know how to do. How would you know what category a response falls in, you do not YET have the knowledge

I've listed two things specifically - you don't have to list how much you lift for all of them but it may help clarify things to the people trying to help you. You're going back and forth about whether you lift heavy or not, speaking of being out of breath, etc when there's a very clear measurement for the weight of an exercise

With a fraction of the effort it took to write what you did you could have typed up actual useful info

Lady, Good luck

kgeyser

The way to retain muscle and lose fat is to eat at maintenance, get lots of protein to retain lean body mass, and lift heavy weights.

Not paying attention to your calories and macros isn't going to get you there. You need to weigh and measure your food with a food scale. You need to choose foods based on your macros, not how processed they are or whether they sound "healthy."

Doing 15-20 reps of an exercise is not going to get you there. That's not lifting heavy. The people you've repeatedly complained about standing around doing nothing at the gym are doing it right, because they are lifting heavy enough to need to stand around and do nothing in between sets. What they are doing is what you need to do to get the results you want.

gary241069

Have you ever tried steam rooms? That's the only way I can think of where you can lose fat without losing weight. May also loosen up your body and help you exercise.

yopeeps025

gary241069 wrote: »

Have you ever tried steam rooms? That's the only way I can think of where you can lose fat without losing weight. May also loosen up your body and help you exercise.

Interesting.

_HeartsOnFire_

kgeyser wrote: »

The way to retain muscle and lose fat is to eat at maintenance, get lots of protein to retain lean body mass, and lift heavy weights.

Not paying attention to your calories and macros isn't going to get you there. You need to weigh and measure your food with a food scale. You need to choose foods based on your macros, not how processed they are or whether they sound "healthy."

Doing 15-20 reps of an exercise is not going to get you there. That's not lifting heavy. The people you've repeatedly complained about standing around doing nothing at the gym are doing it right, because they are lifting heavy enough to need to stand around and do nothing in between sets. What they are doing is what you need to do to get the results you want.

I agree with this. I don't stand around/pace in between sets for nothing, they do it to rest their muscles and to prepare them for the next set. Depending on how heavy that can be 90-180 seconds.

Lower reps at higher weights are what will actually help you do what you want to do.

Want to lift heavy things?
http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

Stronglifts Summary
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/560459-stronglifts-5x5-summary

Stronglifts Womens Group
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/4601-stronglifts-5x5-for-women

ndj1979

interesting thread..OP asks for advice, gets advice, and then goes on to say she is already doing everything the correct way …LOL

yopeeps025

ndj1979 wrote: »

interesting thread..OP asks for advice, gets advice, and then goes on to say she is already doing everything the correct way …LOL

Full of laughs