New to strength training: Nutrition and program help please

AnnaChanges

Hey I started exercising at the gym 3 times a week.

I am doing 15 minutes of cardio and then legs, chest, shoulders and abs (3x15) (my lifting program was given to me by a trainer at the gym it takes me 45 minutes to finish).

I lost 60 lbs I have some lose skin and very low muscle composition so I am trying to gain muscle now (I had to start before but I was on crutches for 4 months and an injury before that so I didn't get the chance).

I am maintaining right now but I am confused as to 1)what to eat on days I train, 2) should I eat at maintenance or more(and how much more)? 3) Will I gain weight if I continue with weight lifting? 4) Should I do more cardio?

Any help is greatly appreciated

DancingMoosie

If you want to build muscle, eat a very slight surplus, and lift heavy. You will only gain weight if you eat at a surplus. If you don't want to gain any weight, and you still have some extra body fat, you may be able to eat at maintenance and do a recomp. That way, you will very slowly lose body fat and build a little muscle. Eat at least .8grams of protein per 1lb lean body mass. You can custom set your macros to reflect this. I find that carbs right before lifting (like a banana) help to give me energy for the workout.

martyqueen52

If you want to build muscle mass, you need SURPLUS calories, period.

1. It doesn't matter what you eat. Try to get 0.8g or protein per lb of body weight. So if you are 130lbs, you need to get in at least 104g of protein. Fill in the rest of your calories with fats and carbs.... the food source doesn't matter at all, I promise. Just watch sodium intake because that can cause some wild *kitten* water weight in some people.

2. Your weight will fluctuate wildly, especially since you are female. You might gain some weight after a few weeks of eating at a surplus of calories, but, if you lift heavy and hard don't worry. And DO NOT RELY ON THE SCALE... go with how you feel and look. Try eating at maintenance for a few weeks and see how you feel / look. If you want to gain a little more, eat an extra 100 calories for a few weeks. If that's still not enough, add another 100. Start slow and find that "sweet" spot for you.

rybo

You don't have to eat anything special on days you lift, MAYBE a few extra carbs but that's not really needed. Get adequate protein, 80-100 grams is plenty. I would start at maintenance, see how that goes for 3-4 weeks, then adjust up/down depending on what you want and how you feel. You don't need to do more cardio. You can if you enjoy it, but it's certainly not required.

jacksonpt

rybo wrote: »

You don't have to eat anything special on days you lift, MAYBE a few extra carbs but that's not really needed. Get adequate protein, 80-100 grams is plenty. I would start at maintenance, see how that goes for 3-4 weeks, then adjust up/down depending on what you want and how you feel. You don't need to do more cardio. You can if you enjoy it, but it's certainly not required.

Agreed.

At this point, I wouldn't change up calories or macros based on rest vs workout days. Hit your calorie goal for the week, do it for 3-4 weeks and see how it goes. Lifting in and of itself won't cause you to gain anything (well, you'll gain strength if you're doing it right)... your diet/calorie intake will determine that. A surplus will lead to gain, a deficit will lead to loss regardless of exercise.

As for cardio... that's largely personal preference, but it's not necessary for your goals.

paj315

There's lots of different opinons on how you should eat to build muscle and strength so you'll get a ton of different advice on here. I think the most important things are
1. Eat at least at your maintenance calories
2. be consistent and track so if you're not meeting your goals you can adjust your calories either up or down as needed. You may not need to track forever, just until you get into a groove.

I follow a plan set up for me by eat to perform, a plan for weight lifters.
They recommend for me eating at maintenace on my lifting days with a protein equal to my body weight and 75 g fat with the rest of my calories in carbs. On non lifting days I lower my carbs to achieve a calorie deficit, which you wouldn't need to do since you're where you want to be weight wise. Also, (acording to my plan) I eat most of my carbs centered around my workout (50g C and 25g P before and after) with the rest being eaten at dinner and evening snack, as sort carb loading for the next days workout.

Hope that helps!!

AnnaChanges

Thank you so much everyone for your helpful answers. So I will do as most suggested I will eat at maintenance for 3-4 weeks and see how it goes. I don't usually hit my protein goals since I don't enjoy eating meat but now I see I should try at least to eat the protein amount recommended by mfp then will increase it to 0.8/lb