Information Overload - 2+2 = 9?

Annie3623

Ok, so I can put my hands up and with 100% certainty say that I'm struggling.

I know what my goal is and I've hit a bit of a wall where my diet is concerned. It's fair to say that I'm a little underwhelmed by all the contradictory information thats available out there. I'm not really sure what is right for me. About a year ago, I had an epic "I'm fat/disgusting/ew" week, swift trip to the gym and actually I haven't looked back. I have two 60 minute personal training sessions a week, these are constructed of mainly weight based (body or free weights) exercises. Yes I'm stronger, and my body shape has changed considerably. From november I kicked off my half marathon training and ran two times a week in addition to my gym sessions. I also ride horses twice a week.

What I am trying to get to is a lean, toned women. It pretty much boils down to while my lifestyle is very different from a year ago. I have no clue where to go from here and what I should be eating. I need some help, I don't mean "eat a balanced diet" help. I mean grams of protein to consume for build muscle and reduce body fat. What diet is reasonable while training for a half marathon, that won't damage muscle growth, will allow me to improve my training all round, without damaging my health in the long run. I just can't figure it out.

I have no clue where to start at all.

PeachyPlum

This thread is the best place to start:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

Try checking that out, and then if you have specific questions we can try to help you out!

Annie3623

Thank you! Lots of reading and so many different links, MFP seems to think I should be eating 1200 calories a day. That just doesn't seem realistic to me. My estimated BMR is 1437, however my garmin connect estimates in any given day I will go through 1600 without exercise.

Will 1200 or 1400 a day + exercise damage muscle growth?

Some articles suggest that you can't "lose weight" and develop muscle, typically a diet would end up increasing your fat % while your overall weight might decrease it isn't neccessarily healthier. I want to increase muscle while decreasing fat %, I'm not sure the above estimates reflect what I'm trying to achieve.

PeachyPlum

Annie3623 wrote: »

Thank you! Lots of reading and so many different links, MFP seems to think I should be eating 1200 calories a day. That just doesn't seem realistic to me. My estimated BMR is 1437, however my garmin connect estimates in any given day I will go through 1600 without exercise.

Will 1200 or 1400 a day + exercise damage muscle growth?

Some articles suggest that you can't "lose weight" and develop muscle, typically a diet would end up increasing your fat % while your overall weight might decrease it isn't neccessarily healthier. I want to increase muscle while decreasing fat %, I'm not sure the above estimates reflect what I'm trying to achieve.

You definitely don't want to eat below your BMR, so if MFP is telling you to eat 1200 I'd adjust it manually to go higher.

There are basically two ways to achieve gaining muscle and losing fat.

One is to do a bulking/cutting cycle, where you eat above maintenance and lift weights, resulting in muscle gain and fat gain. Then once you've bulked up, you cut the calories to lose the fat quickly.

If that doesn't sound like fun to you (right before bikini season), you can eat at maintenance (TDEE) or just a little above. It's much slower, but over time you can increase your lean muscle and reduce body fat percentage simultaneously.

If your Garmin says you burn 1600 calories without exercise, and you're fairly confident that's accurate, I'd set MFP with that as your goal and eat back most of my exercise calories.