Muscle gain and fat loss using whey, what should I do for calorie count?

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pearcec76
pearcec76 Posts: 1
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I have been very successful at losing a bulk of my weight. I am down to 155, 5 pounds up from my bottom. I still have about 5-10 pounds worth of fat on the waist line I want to see gone. I figure at this point I need to work out and tone. I want to gain muscle weight while losing fat. I am going to use Whey protein to guarantee I have protein in my diet. I just don't know what I should do about the number of calories. Should I try to continue to subtract 500 a day to maintain weight loss? Or simply forget about that and just focus on building muscle? Letting the muscle burn more calories for me. For what it is worth I have been doing steady running for the past 2 years, I switched high intensity workouts along with lifting.

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  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    edited December 2014
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    You should have been working out the whole of the time - it's much easier to retain muscle than rebuild it.

    If you want any chance of building muscle in a deficit you want a really small calorie deficit, adequate protein and a good weight training regime.
    If your are happy with your current weight then eat at maintenance and see how far and how fast recomp works for you.

    You only need to supplement if you aren't meeting your protein goal through your normal diet. (1g per lb of LBM is a common recommendation.)

    Muscle at rest burns very few calories - about 6 per day per pound. That's not a realistic weight loss option. It's using your muscles that burns calories!
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
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    Meat, beans, and dairy are cheaper and better sources than added whey for protein. They taste better too. You're just starting to work out. You will not need to have so much extra protein to build muscles that you need to supplement.

    But working out - great idea. You might ask for advice on the forum on that topic. They really know their stuff.
  • Butrovich
    Butrovich Posts: 410 Member
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    Most people will say you use a calorie surplus to gain muscle, then continue to weight train with a calorie deficit to lose fat and retain the muscle. I have not read anything that says you can gain muscle AND lose fat at the same time.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
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    Like he says
  • PwrLftr82
    PwrLftr82 Posts: 945 Member
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    Butrovich wrote: »
    Most people will say you use a calorie surplus to gain muscle, then continue to weight train with a calorie deficit to lose fat and retain the muscle. I have not read anything that says you can gain muscle AND lose fat at the same time.

    It can happen, it's called body recomp. You eat at maintenance and lift heavy. Results are...like watching grass grow or paint dry.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    PwrLftr82 wrote: »
    Butrovich wrote: »
    Most people will say you use a calorie surplus to gain muscle, then continue to weight train with a calorie deficit to lose fat and retain the muscle. I have not read anything that says you can gain muscle AND lose fat at the same time.

    It can happen, it's called body recomp. You eat at maintenance and lift heavy. Results are...like watching grass grow or paint dry.
    Depends where you are starting from!
    Someone new or returning after a break can make rapid gains, someone fully trained won't.

    Also depends on ultimate goals and priorities. Horses for courses and OP hasn't given many clues...

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