Trying not to gain fat while building muscle and I need advice?

tshook12397

I started weight training/lifting and eating more protein/clean food (I don't count calories like I used to because I was obsessing over them and it got unhealthy)

I'm just so worried I'm going to get fat instead of burning it! And i'm concerned I haven't lost enough fat to even be doing weight training without getting fat. Can anyone help me out? My goal is to have abs or at least a few defining lines. I just feel really lost on how to get there.

I have the skinnyfat look right now. I definitely have some fat to lose but I look ok in clothes (not as lean as I want but considered "skinny"). I'm 126 pounds and 5'4" (female).

kshama2001

I don't understand why weight lifting and getting fat are linked in your mind. (?)

If you eat more than you burn you will gain weight, but what does that have to do with weight lifting? Weight lifting is the solution to losing the skinnyfat look.

Please note that since the weight lifting is new you may have an initial and temporary water weight gain. My own scale went up 7 pounds. Took a few weeks to drop back off. I knew it wasn't fat and so I didn't freak out about it.

tshook12397

I'm worried about the increase in calories needed to gain that muscle instead of losing it causing fat gain.

Nony_Mouse

Check out the recomp thread in the Maintaining Weight forum. Basically, you eat at maintenance, and engage in a progressive strength training programme. You will build muscle and lose fat, but it is slow.

livingleanlivingclean

tshook12397 wrote: »

I'm worried about the increase in calories needed to gain that muscle instead of losing it causing fat gain.

What are your goals?
If you're eating more calories, and following a progressive lifting program you will grow muscle, but there is no way to just grow muscle - you will end up putting on fat too. Keeping your calorie surplus minimal will keep fat gain to a minimum.

You mention wanting to get leaner? This requires a deficit, and in most cases, unless you're lucky enough to experience some newbie gains, lifting will only help maintain your muscle, not grow any.

If you are at a healthy weight for your height, but want to change your body composition, you could consider recomp. This is eating at maintenance whilst lifting, and you would lose fat (slowly) whilst gaining muscle (slowly) without much change in weight.

If you want to get results I would suggest tracking still - you either want to be in a calorie deficit, or know you're at maintenance or a small surplus depending on your goal.

ninerbuff

tshook12397 wrote: »

I started weight training/lifting and eating more protein/clean food (I don't count calories like I used to because I was obsessing over them and it got unhealthy)

I'm just so worried I'm going to get fat instead of burning it! And i'm concerned I haven't lost enough fat to even be doing weight training without getting fat. Can anyone help me out? My goal is to have abs or at least a few defining lines. I just feel really lost on how to get there.

You get definition by reducing your body fat percentage down. Which means you have to be in a calorie deficit.

I have the skinnyfat look right now. I definitely have some fat to lose but I look ok in clothes (not as lean as I want but considered "skinny"). I'm 126 pounds and 5'4" (female).

See above.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

tshook12397

ninerbuff wrote: »

tshook12397 wrote: »

I started weight training/lifting and eating more protein/clean food (I don't count calories like I used to because I was obsessing over them and it got unhealthy)

I'm just so worried I'm going to get fat instead of burning it! And i'm concerned I haven't lost enough fat to even be doing weight training without getting fat. Can anyone help me out? My goal is to have abs or at least a few defining lines. I just feel really lost on how to get there.

You get definition by reducing your body fat percentage down. Which means you have to be in a calorie deficit.

I have the skinnyfat look right now. I definitely have some fat to lose but I look ok in clothes (not as lean as I want but considered "skinny"). I'm 126 pounds and 5'4" (female).

See above.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

I was 120 pounds (lowest ive been in 7 years) a few months ago and I felt like i was starving myself trying to maintain that and I still didn't have any definition lines. From my understanding muscle can help burn calories and I was hoping it would help me lose fat without being so hungry all the time. I just want to be efficient and not get stuck in a loop of endlessly gaining and losing fat while maintaining a healthy sustainable lifestyle.

Nony_Mouse

Srsly, recomp. So long as you're patient, it will do exactly what you're looking for (probably not visible abs, unless you get your body fat quite low, but some definition should be achievable).

And yes, muscle does use more calories, but it's really not a huge amount.

medic2038

tshook12397 wrote: »

ninerbuff wrote: »

tshook12397 wrote: »

I started weight training/lifting and eating more protein/clean food (I don't count calories like I used to because I was obsessing over them and it got unhealthy)

I'm just so worried I'm going to get fat instead of burning it! And i'm concerned I haven't lost enough fat to even be doing weight training without getting fat. Can anyone help me out? My goal is to have abs or at least a few defining lines. I just feel really lost on how to get there.

You get definition by reducing your body fat percentage down. Which means you have to be in a calorie deficit.

I have the skinnyfat look right now. I definitely have some fat to lose but I look ok in clothes (not as lean as I want but considered "skinny"). I'm 126 pounds and 5'4" (female).

See above.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

I was 120 pounds (lowest ive been in 7 years) a few months ago and I felt like i was starving myself trying to maintain that and I still didn't have any definition lines. From my understanding muscle can help burn calories and I was hoping it would help me lose fat without being so hungry all the time. I just want to be efficient and not get stuck in a loop of endlessly gaining and losing fat while maintaining a healthy sustainable lifestyle.

If you're wanting efficiency then you're probably going to want to cut to lower bodyfat, then work on building some. Unfortunately as a female you're going to have a bit more trouble with putting on lean mass than a man (not that you can't, it's just a bit harder). Bulk/Cut cycles are the quickest way to realistically see changes, which is why the vast majority of people serious about bodybuilding do it that way.
Recomping IS a thing, but it's much more drawn out (generally).

kimny72

OP, I just wanted to add that a person's ability to get defined abs at a reasonable weight has a genetic factor. For some women especially, visible abs can mean maintaining a very low weight/ body fat level.

As others have pointed out, you have two choices for getting there or at least getting as close as you can.

1. Bulk/cut cycles - this may be a quicker option but you have to be able to deal with the fact that you WILL put on some fat while bulking, that's why you then have to cut
2. Recomp - this is eating at maintenance and focusing on a progressive strength program to build muscle. The downside is this is super slow, we're talking about seeing small changes over months or even years.

misnomer1

If you don't want to worry about counting calories (nothing wrong with it), you shouldn't worry about adding/losing fat either. Just lift and eat, reassess every 4-6 weeks about how you look and weigh, and shift food intake up/down accordingly.

If you want to worry about adding too much fat, you should start counting calories. Whether to be in a surplus, deficit or maintenance is a secondary decision.

PAV8888

Your question is not gaining fat while building muscle.

There is only one answer: body re-composition as close to MAINTENANCE calories as you can.

This maximises your ability to build muscle while avoiding any fat gains (assuming that you succeed and do not increase in weight any more than minimally)