How do I get lean?

Calamitycazza

Hi there,

Basically long story short, I want to become lean! I currently eat 1,350 calories a day and I am worried about consuming more as I have a phobia of gaining weight. I have slowly started gaining back the weight I lost but I feel that it's because I'm not eating enough food for my body so I'm binging.

I do understand that if I want to become lean, I will need to up my intake, but I have no idea what to and when I do, what sort of foods i need to be eating (macros etc), I am also totally clueless as to what exercises I need to be doing and how many times a week I should do them!

I know you all probably get these questions all the time, but I just want to become fit and healthy, not skinny. And after researching on the the internet, I still feel confused as all the articles I read told me different things!

Please help me!
Carrie

rybo

The simple answer, follow an established beginner strength routine, I'm a fan of ones that are full body, 3x a week. Add a little bit any form of cardio you enjoy, if you want. It's not required.
Stop fearing food and worrying about the minutia of it all. Try for 80-100 grams of protein, keep the majority of your diet whole foods, eat as many vegetables as you can tolerate, don't panic if you eat something "bad". Keep the majority of your diet spot on so that you can indulge the occasional treat guilt free. The frequency and amount of that indulgence is something you will have to determine yourself so as not to trigger binging.
As far as calorie totals, use a decent TDEE calculator, start there eating at maintenance for at least 3-4 weeks. See how your energy levels are and whether your weight goes up/down/holds steady and adjust as needed from there.
Leanness is all about reducing body fat. A strength program will retain muscle so that as you lose weight, the majority of it is fat.

AllanMisner

Step 1 - Commit to becoming lean, really commit, like you’re marrying the idea.
Step 2 - Begin adopting things that will lead to being lean and make them a part of your lifestyle. This usually involves eliminating foods that cause you issues (sugar, alcohol, bread, pasta, tropical fruits) and adding foods that nourish your body (hint, you won’t find it in a box).
Step 3 - Lift heavy weights. This will change your hormones (testosterone) slightly, which will lead to a leaner body.
Step 4 - Make sure you’re getting plenty of sleep. Our hormones are set based on our circadian rhythm, so give your body the rest/recovery time it needs.
Step 5 - Find active ways to reduce stress (cortisol is a hormone that is not your friend if you want to be lean) such as hiking, playing sports, biking, etc.

VegasFit

AllanMisner wrote: »

Step 1 - Commit to becoming lean, really commit, like you’re marrying the idea.
Step 2 - Begin adopting things that will lead to being lean and make them a part of your lifestyle. This usually involves eliminating foods that cause you issues (sugar, alcohol, bread, pasta, tropical fruits) and adding foods that nourish your body (hint, you won’t find it in a box).
Step 3 - Lift heavy weights. This will change your hormones (testosterone) slightly, which will lead to a leaner body.
Step 4 - Make sure you’re getting plenty of sleep. Our hormones are set based on our circadian rhythm, so give your body the rest/recovery time it needs.
Step 5 - Find active ways to reduce stress (cortisol is a hormone that is not your friend if you want to be lean) such as hiking, playing sports, biking, etc.

^^^
Step 2 is especially true for me. Diet is a game changer. I do need to work on getting more sleep though. That's a never ending battle.

Sam_I_Am77

AllanMisner wrote: »

Step 1 - Commit to becoming lean, really commit, like you’re marrying the idea.
Step 2 - Begin adopting things that will lead to being lean and make them a part of your lifestyle. This usually involves eliminating foods that cause you issues (sugar, alcohol, bread, pasta, tropical fruits) and adding foods that nourish your body (hint, you won’t find it in a box).
Step 3 - Lift heavy weights. This will change your hormones (testosterone) slightly, which will lead to a leaner body.
Step 4 - Make sure you’re getting plenty of sleep. Our hormones are set based on our circadian rhythm, so give your body the rest/recovery time it needs.
Step 5 - Find active ways to reduce stress (cortisol is a hormone that is not your friend if you want to be lean) such as hiking, playing sports, biking, etc.

Springfield1970

Calamitycazza wrote: »

Hi there,

Basically long story short, I want to become lean! I currently eat 1,350 calories a day and I am worried about consuming more as I have a phobia of gaining weight. I have slowly started gaining back the weight I lost but I feel that it's because I'm not eating enough food for my body so I'm binging.

I do understand that if I want to become lean, I will need to up my intake, but I have no idea what to and when I do, what sort of foods i need to be eating (macros etc), I am also totally clueless as to what exercises I need to be doing and how many times a week I should do them!

I know you all probably get these questions all the time, but I just want to become fit and healthy, not skinny. And after researching on the the internet, I still feel confused as all the articles I read told me different things!

Please help me!
Carrie

Bulking was the best thing I ever did to get lean. I followed a progressive weight lifting routine and ate 250 calories a day over my needs...(enjoyed being full for once), did this for 2/3 months, gained 9lb and slowly cut the unavoidable fat gain with a cut. The end result? Even at the top of my bulk 132lb I was slim and carved. After losing a few pounds of fat again I was bodpod tested at 15%.
It was the best I'd ever felt in my life, plus the added feel good about food factor was amazing.

We are in the gaining weight forum if you'd like to join us!

jacksonpt

Are you looking to gain weight or lose? Lean is a function of body fat, healhty is a function of, well, a lot of things.

• Start with an appropriate calorie intake, and get the binging under control.
• Start with a reasonably balanced diet including fats, carbs, and protein, real food, fruits, veggies, meat, dairy, and grains/starch. Add in some treats as you wish, but understand what a "treat" is.
• Start with some exercise. Do what you want, but work hard at it.

Once you get that down, then move on to some of the finer details.

Calamitycazza

jacksonpt wrote: »

Are you looking to gain weight or lose? Lean is a function of body fat, healhty is a function of, well, a lot of things.

• Start with an appropriate calorie intake, and get the binging under control.
• Start with a reasonably balanced diet including fats, carbs, and protein, real food, fruits, veggies, meat, dairy, and grains/starch. Add in some treats as you wish, but understand what a "treat" is.
• Start with some exercise. Do what you want, but work hard at it.

Once you get that down, then move on to some of the finer details.

I'd like to lose weight! I'm not fat, but I'm not thin either! Ideally I'd like to lose weight and become lean!

hesn92

Look into a couple different routines and pick one. You can try looking through bodybuilding.com but I've found if you just look at routines on that site they seem a little complicated for a beginner. I liked the strong lifts routine. It's really simple and effective. I notice changes to my body within a couple weeks. (Small changes of course but I could still tell. Tighter stomach being the first thing I see) good luck. Oh and yes you need to eat more calories and more protein.