Deficit Surplus or Maintenance?

Nightmare_Queen88

I didn't know where to post this so....here it goes. I started my journey back in March of 2016 at 268 lbs. My objective was to lose weight at first and then to lose weight and maintain muscle. Now that I've done that and I'm pretty much at a comfortable enough weight, I want to focus on losing fat and gaining muscle. But here's the thing, how? Do I stick at being in a deficit or do I switch to eating in a surplus? Or should I go into maintenance? I'm so confused.. I've read that I can still gain muscle and lose fat in a deficit as long as I'm eating high protein and low carb. True or false? Keep in mind that when I want to gain muscle I don't want bulk up. I just want to be fit not skinny. So any help I can get would be great.

richardgavel

If you're at a weight you like, then you won't be at a deficit. That leaves recomposition (eating at maintenance) or repeated surplus/deficit cycles. You're not going to become super bulky by gaining muscle, no one adds it that quickly. Also, protein alone is not enough, you also need resistance training, ideally full body that progressively increases. One example is Stronglifts 5x5.

I would suggest looking at the stickies for the maintenance forum and the weight training forum for more details.

kathykrupa297

Change ur fp that you want to paint aim weight and the calories u need. I would recommend eating more protein and less carbs in addition with weight training. If you want to tone then do more reps but with a lighter weight. Also remember that muscle will help u burn more even when resting. I'm no professional but this comes from my trainer.

lorrpb

Congrats on reaching your goal. Read the thread in this maintenance forum about "recomp". Recomp means eating at maintenance or a very slight deficit and doing weight training. This helps lose fat and build muscle while maintaining overall weight. This sounds like what you want. It seems to be working well for me. You won't bulk up--that's very hard for women to do.

cwolfman13

Eat maintenance...get into the weight room with a solid program and go to town.

sijomial

Have a read as this sounds exactly what you want....
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat/p1

@cwolfman13 described it perfectly, it's not complex or unusual, just the perfectly natural and normal way your body responds to the appropriate training stimulus.

PS - congrats on your success, maintenance is fun and you've earned it.