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Maintaining weight but gaining muscles?

reviewqueen360
reviewqueen360 Posts: 8 Member
edited November 2024 in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Ok i am 130 5'5 my macros are CARBS: 209 G PER DAY.
PROTEIN: 140 G PER DAY.
FATS: 52 G PER DAY..
Im really confused it says i need to eat 2100 calories a day but im not sure if im considered lightly active or not lol. My exercises are at home using 10-20lb weight i do monday 35 minutes of cardio then 30 minutes of abs. tuesday i do legs and butt 40 minutes anx abs for 20 minutes using 20 lbs dumbell, wednesday is triceps and biceps for 60 minutes also using 20 pounds, thursday is leg day 40 minutes and abs 20 minutes, friday is cardio 35 minutes and abs 30 minutes and saturday is legs 40 minutes abs 20 minutes. Am i doing ok? Im so lost. Thank so much.

Replies

  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    Don't include purposeful exercise in your activity level - that is just how much you are active on a normal day; then you eat back a portion of your exercise calories (assuming you did the MFP calorie guidelines)
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    If you are using a TDEE and important bf numbers to MFP you don't (I use a variation on this); if you are using the MFP calculator then inadvertently including your exercise can potentially screw up calorie recommendations
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    To answer your question, you are doing fine. Are you happy with your body shape? You are not likely gaining muscles but you are training the ones you have some. To gain muscle, you'd have to eat in a slight deficit and engage in progressive resistance weight training. Does that matter to you? The answer to that is the answer to my first question.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    If you want optimal progress then switch to a properly designed program rather than attempt to make up your own. Really hard to understand what you are actually doing (Cardio means what? Legs means what?). But it seems a really scatter-gun approach. Abs five times a week and isolation arm exercises once a week? Sorry but that sounds an awful and unbalanced program.
    Am i doing ok?
    Are you making measurable progress?
    What are your metrics for measuring progress?
    What are your actual defined goals? What does your end target look like?
    Im so lost.
    In what way?
    If it's calories then passage of time and your weight will tell you if 2100 is correct or not. "It says" doesn't tell people how you came by that estimate. MyFitnessPal maintenance goal perhaps? TDEE calculator? Two different things.
    If lost about macros then you are aiming for more protein than you need. Fat is about right. Carbs are fine but overall I would set minimum protein and fat goals with the remainder of calories coming from whatever macro suits you best.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    If the weights you're using are fairly easy and you're doing a ton of reps, they're probably too light. If they are a challenge for a lower number or reps, they're probably right on target. You will likely need heavier weights for lower body than upper body.
  • KarenSmith2018
    KarenSmith2018 Posts: 302 Member
    mmapags wrote: »
    To answer your question, you are doing fine. Are you happy with your body shape? You are not likely gaining muscles but you are training the ones you have some. To gain muscle, you'd have to eat in a slight deficit and engage in progressive resistance weight training. Does that matter to you? The answer to that is the answer to my first question.

    you need to be in a surplus, not a deficit to gain muscle mass as well as strength training. Progressive weight training is not the only way to gain muscle mass but there must be a the lifting of heavy weights.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    karenbeckwith5 wrote: »
    mmapags wrote: »
    To answer your question, you are doing fine. Are you happy with your body shape? You are not likely gaining muscles but you are training the ones you have some. To gain muscle, you'd have to eat in a slight deficit and engage in progressive resistance weight training. Does that matter to you? The answer to that is the answer to my first question.

    you need to be in a surplus, not a deficit to gain muscle mass as well as strength training. Progressive weight training is not the only way to gain muscle mass but there must be a the lifting of heavy weights.

    Your right. Typo on my part.
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