Confused lose weight or gain muscle?

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seedrah6
seedrah6 Posts: 56 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi all I’m new here and 2 weeks in I’m asking myself if I really want to lose the weight I gained very recently or try to lift weights and tone up which was my initial goal before this random weight gain. I am curvy so I don’t want to get skinny and even if I lose the 10lbs I won’t be toned.

So should I wait until then to build muscle or start now? *scratches head*

Replies

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Well you can't do both unless you recomp, so it's up to you...
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    If your goal weight is less than you weigh now then lose weight.
    If your goal weight is the same as you weigh now then don't diet.

    Irrespective of the above if you want to end up stronger and with more muscle then start training now - don't wait as that would make no sense at all with your stated goal.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    tyrindor wrote: »

    P.S. By lifting I mean going to the breaking point. Lifting weights is near pointless if you just do 12 reps and aren't struggling yet. You want your arms to feel completely dead, and if you aren't feeling an everlasting "burn" throughout the day you didn't push hard enough and probably not building muscle. It's painful but that's what you gotta do to rebuild stronger muscles. Also, load up on protein in every meal!

    Hogwash. An "everlasting 'burn' throughout the day" is not indicative of a good or productive workout. If you are going to lift weights, follow the instructions given in an established program (one from a trainer who made it for you or one of the many good beginner programs you can find) and don't start randomly lifting until your arms ache. That's terrible advice.

  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    sijomial wrote: »
    If your goal weight is less than you weigh now then lose weight.
    If your goal weight is the same as you weigh now then don't diet.

    Irrespective of the above if you want to end up stronger and with more muscle then start training now - don't wait as that would make no sense at all with your stated goal.

    This
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,400 MFP Moderator
    edited October 2017
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    TavistockToad wrote: »
    Well you can't do both unless you recomp, so it's up to you...

    Not really. If the person is new to lifting they can do both. Even an intermediately lifter can achieve some gains on a more moderate deficit.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10611633/gaining-muscle-in-a-deficit#latest


    OP, if you want to be toned, follow a progressive overload lifting program, set a moderate deficit and eat adequate protein.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you#latest
  • seedrah6
    seedrah6 Posts: 56 Member
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    The most confusing thing about being in shape is all the different advice lol. I am still confused however I started circuit training...sooo that's gotta help? HA
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
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    seedrah6 wrote: »
    So should I wait until then to build muscle or start now? *scratches head*

    do you want to build muscle, or do you want to gain strength? i ask because if you're a brand-new lifter they don't necessarily go together. if you started strength work right now, the muscles you already have would get stronger first - at least for a while. and visually, those changes would make them look a little bit different as well.

    [can't promise they'd look the way that you want. i had a maximum of about ten pounds to lose when i started lifting and i went all-out for both - strength AND losing the weight. both things happened, but a) i hit a wall in my strength progress after a couple of months and b) the muscle that showed once the fat had been lost wasn't really the look i'd been picturing, personally]

    women grow actually new muscle - tissue and cells they didn't have before - extremely slowly, relative to men. the numbers i know say that even if you're intentionally trying to add mass, you'd probably only grow about a pound of physically new muscle tissue per month. that apparently lasts for about a year, and then after that it slows down even more. so it's not like you're going to blow up and get huge just from touching a barbell a couple of times.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
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    seedrah6 wrote: »
    The most confusing thing about being in shape is all the different advice lol. I am still confused however I started circuit training...sooo that's gotta help? HA

    It will ultimately depend on your goals.. being "in shape" is pretty generic..and there are many ways to get there.

    While circuit training won't be as optimal in retaining muscle as progressive resistance training, you might still be satisfied with the end results.

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