Calories and Muscles

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CortneyZimm
CortneyZimm Posts: 25 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
what is the least amount of calories a woman can intake, but still gain muscle? I hear people eat quite a bit while trying to get muscle mass, but I also want to drop 40lbs while I'm lifting.

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  • CortneyZimm
    CortneyZimm Posts: 25 Member
    edited February 2017
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    But won't more muscle, burn more calories and eventually result in weight loss?
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    Yeah, you can't really do both outside of some noob gains. Building muscle requires quite a bit of energy. Lifting will help you preserve the muscle mass you have though so that when you cut the fat, you'll look all awesome and whatnot.
  • CortneyZimm
    CortneyZimm Posts: 25 Member
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    Man...that sucks.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    Maintenance calories during a body recomp. Otherwise, stick to losing weight and lifting to retain muscle.

    Even when women bulk, it's an extremely slow process...1-2 pounds of muscle a month at the most.
  • CortneyZimm
    CortneyZimm Posts: 25 Member
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    So, I guess I'm attacking the fat first.
  • CortneyZimm
    CortneyZimm Posts: 25 Member
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    What are Marcos? I am not a nutrition expert. Lol. Obviously.
  • CortneyZimm
    CortneyZimm Posts: 25 Member
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    Oh, i see. Thank you for answering my question everyone.
  • JohnnyPenso
    JohnnyPenso Posts: 412 Member
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    CortneyZimm wrote: »
    So, I guess I'm attacking the fat first.
    Yes but as @Look_its_Kriss noted above, you should also lift while losing weight to help retain the muscle you have now, and to firm and tone. If you try to lose weight with a calorie deficit and no weight training, you will also lose muscle and you'll be starting from a much lower point than you need to once you lose the weight you want. Lift and lose is the best method, IMO.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    CortneyZimm wrote: »
    what is the least amount of calories a woman can intake, but still gain muscle? I hear people eat quite a bit while trying to get muscle mass, but I also want to drop 40lbs while I'm lifting.

    If you have never strength trained before or lifted weights, you might get some "newbie" gains, where you will gain some muscle initially while in a deficit. It very likely won't be that much though. Make sure you follow a good full body, compound movement centered lifted program. There are tons to choose from.
  • Chadxx
    Chadxx Posts: 1,199 Member
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    Look_Its_Kriss wrote: »
    There is always going to be some muscle loss with weight loss, even lifting during loss doesn't 100% prevent it from happening. Its Helpful tho.

    This gets repeated a lot but it simply isn't true, at least not for beginners. You can not only preserve but even build muscle while burning fat. You just can't do it nearly as well, especially women. It has been done over and over, though. I agree that it is best to prioritize but to accept muscle loss as unavoidable is just making excuses for poor training and nutrition. Keep your deficit reasonable, your protein up, and lift heavy.
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
    edited February 2017
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    OP- please don't wait to start lifting, do it WHILE you are losing weight. It will make a tremendous difference in your shape and even if you are not adding muscle and you'll still get stronger. You'll be happy you did!
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
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    JohnnyPenso wrote: »
    CortneyZimm wrote: »
    So, I guess I'm attacking the fat first.
    Yes but as @Look_its_Kriss noted above, you should also lift while losing weight to help retain the muscle you have now, and to firm and tone. If you try to lose weight with a calorie deficit and no weight training, you will also lose muscle and you'll be starting from a much lower point than you need to once you lose the weight you want. Lift and lose is the best method, IMO.

    ^This this this! Start lifting now.. it will help you retain what you have. It will make such a huge difference in your body composition. Once you get to goal, you can always add more muscle but best not to lose what muscle you have right now! As mentioned above, lift weights, get adequate protein and don't lose too fast and you will be golden. Believe me, I have gone about it both ways, and lifting while losing gave me results that were.. well..wow.. let's just say that. ;)
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,940 Member
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    Short answer is that since you're a beginner with a good supply of available fat stores you are in a unique position where it is quite possible...

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/adding-muscle-while-losing-fat-qa.html/

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