Weight loss and muscle gain

lovefriesam

Hi, I recently started MFP and my question is what am I supposed to follow as for how much carbs,fat and protein? I want to lose some weight but I want to gain muscle. Do I follow fat loss or muscle gain? Any help would be appreciated.

Lillymoo01

You can't gain muscle while you are losing weight. Start with losing weight (while doing strength training to minimalise muscle loss) and once you reach maintenance look at building up your muscles. Another way of preventing muscle loss is slow weight loss and adequate protein. The default macros given here should ensure that. Throw in some cardio for overall endurance and fitness also.

kimdoucet

Actually you can do both simultaneously but it's not an easy feat. It would require a bit of cycling macro nutrients and your workout protocols would have to be on point. Keeping it all together could send you bonkers and could turn out to be an epic fail for lack of how/knowledge. I'd suggest losing the fat first then building later.

middlehaitch

MFP gives a good basic PFC breakdown percentage. Another popular one is 40c 30f 30p.
The general consensus is .8-1 of mid BMI for weight, or ideal weight for protein. .35+ for fats and use carbs as filler.

You may make small, and I mean small, muscle gains on a deficit, but you are more likely to retain a tad more muscle and add strength. It is well worth lifting while in a deficit, just make sure you are eating back some of your exercise calories to fuel your workout.

Cheers, h.

lovefriesam

Thank you so much guys! I'll listen to ya'lls suggestions. I appreciate the help.

trigden1991

I know everyone is being optimistic and saying what you want to hear however in reality as a female eating in a deficit, you will not gain any appreciable muscle mass.

However the good news is that getting leaner will reveal the muscle you do have which will make you look "toned".

fit_knitter

I think it's possible. At least that's what my own scans have shown. My dr uses the inbody body composition analyzer and between my first scan and my second it did show about a 1lb gain in skeletal muscle mass while I had lost about 4lbs. I assume the scan is somewhat accurate if it's in a doctor's office who specializes in bariactric patients who are trying to lose weight. It was 4 weeks between the two scans and I don't eat at a huge deficit plus I do weight train at least 3 days a week. I'm not swearing it's accurate though and am waiting until my next scan to see if I have another increase in skeletal muscle mass.

californiagirl2012

Actually you CAN gain muscle while you lose fat. Many have proven this. Start with the recommendations MFP gives you and tweak from there. Most people do better with a little more protein and slightly less carbs. A good base to start with is 40/20/40 % on protien/fat/carbs, and then tweak from there depending on your own body, how you feel, and results over time. Always be consistent and give it at least 3 weeks before you tweak so you can really determine what is best for you. Have fun!!!!!

sardelsa

trigden1991 wrote: »

I know everyone is being optimistic and saying what you want to hear however in reality as a female eating in a deficit, you will not gain any appreciable muscle mass.

However the good news is that getting leaner will reveal the muscle you do have which will make you look "toned".

Yup this.

Not sure how close you are to your goal weight but if you still have a way to go, once you get there and think you could use more mass you can think of actual muscle building. Until then.. eat in a small deficit, get adequate protein (0.8-1g per lb lean body mass) and lift.

lovefriesam

sardelsa wrote: »

trigden1991 wrote: »

I know everyone is being optimistic and saying what you want to hear however in reality as a female eating in a deficit, you will not gain any appreciable muscle mass.

However the good news is that getting leaner will reveal the muscle you do have which will make you look "toned".

Yup this.

Not sure how close you are to your goal weight but if you still have a way to go, once you get there and think you could use more mass you can think of actual muscle building. Until then.. eat in a small deficit, get adequate protein (0.8-1g per lb lean body mass) and lift.

I'm 8 lbs away. This makes sense. Thank you.

lovefriesam

californiagirl2012 wrote: »

Actually you CAN gain muscle while you lose fat. Many have proven this. Start with the recommendations MFP gives you and tweak from there. Most people do better with a little more protein and slightly less carbs. A good base to start with is 40/20/40 % on protien/fat/carbs, and then tweak from there depending on your own body, how you feel, and results over time. Always be consistent and give it at least 3 weeks before you tweak so you can really determine what is best for you. Have fun!!!!!

Thank you. The more I read the more I get confused on how much. But I'll stick to what MFP gave me.

lovefriesam

middlehaitch wrote: »

MFP gives a good basic PFC breakdown percentage. Another popular one is 40c 30f 30p.
The general consensus is .8-1 of mid BMI for weight, or ideal weight for protein. .35+ for fats and use carbs as filler.

You may make small, and I mean small, muscle gains on a deficit, but you are more likely to retain a tad more muscle and add strength. It is well worth lifting while in a deficit, just make sure you are eating back some of your exercise calories to fuel your workout.

Cheers, h.

I read that people don't eat what they worked out. I simply get more confused. I try to eat them, but my tummy is too full to eat those up as well. I 'll try that approach. Thank you.

psuLemon

While you can gain muscle in a deficit, it's not a lot, and will be limited by many factors (being female is one of those). But if you want to sustain or try to gain, following a good progressive overload lifting program is a great place to start. Having a small deficit (10-15% below maintenance) and adequate protein (.6-.8g per lb) will help.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1

In the end, if you aren't getting DEXA scans to confirm, it doesn't matter if you are going to gain muscle or not, as long as you are happy with your body.