Toning/gaining muscle: Should I be maintaining, losing, or gaining?

veggieshark

Hi! I've recently begun strength training to tone up and become stronger. I don't really care about my scale number. I suppose what I've been one would call 'skinny-fat'. No muscle due to a near sedentary lifestyle, but certainly slim enough. I'm turning that around, but I don't have a clue what my caloric goal should be! I have read that unless you're eating a surplus, you can't gain any muscle. I suppose I'm scared of gaining fat. In my past week of intense working out, I haven't really changed my eating habits from when I was sedentary, so I guess I'm eating a maintenance level. However with that, in the past week I've gained 4 pounds. Now that doesn't bother me if it's muscle, and I certainly look and feel muscle growth. Any help?

18 y/o F
5'10"
was 126 pounds, as of this morning 130 pounds

steffenson

Welcome to strength training!
If you continue to eat at maintenance while lifting then you will gain some muscle while losing some fat just not as much as you would if you were in a cal surplus (more muscle gain) or deficit (more fat loss). It is called 'recomp'.
If you decide to switch to a cal surplus or deficit you will still end up gaining/losing a bit (around 2/3 and 1/3) of both fat and muscle. By which I mean if you try to lose weight then 1/3 of what you lose will be muscle or if you try a cal surplus to gain muscle about 1/3 of what you gain will be fat. That is if you only increase/decrease you cal by no more then 500cal a day and eat enough protein (about 0.8/1gram per lb of body weight).
In regards to your 4lb gain in the first week of weight training: that is not (yet) new muscle but instead a temporary gain (should not last more then 2 weeks) from inflammation as your body tries to heal all the new sore muscles.
If you maintain the same eating habits as when you were sedentary you will likely be in a cal deficit (but also much more hungry throughout the day!). If you find you are gaining/losing more weight then you feel comfortable with then adjust your cal down/up as needed.
Let me know if you have any other questions.

veggieshark

that's all very helpful! thanks so much!