Confused lose weight or gain muscle?

seedrah6

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*

TavistockToad

Well you can't do both unless you recomp, so it's up to you...

sijomial

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.

batorkin

Just maintain a calorie goal until you lose those 10 pounds, while doing 20-60 minutes of cardio or interval 3-7 days a week, and lifting weights 2-3 times a week. If you are sore the next day, take an extra day off. Lots of people make it way more complex than it needs to be.

"Just losing weight" via dieting can result in flabby skin that may never recover fully because you'll lose muscle mass. Always diet AND exercise in my opinion. You'll lose those 10 pounds in no time, and if you keep exercising/lifting you will get toned over time. It will take longer than losing 10 pounds though.

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!

jemhh

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.

sardelsa

Definitely start lifting now.

If are concerned about your body composition, do not lose weight then worry about toning. Lift while you lose weight. Looking toned will result from losing fat and revealing muscle. If you are close to goal and aren't satisfied, then you can work on recomp.. eating at maintenance and lifting.

And ignore all that advice about pushing your muscles so hard and feeling an everlasting burn, that is not what you have to do, at all. That is a way to increase your chance of injury, impair recovery and actually prevent muscle building. Follow an established program where you progress over time for best results.

rybo

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

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

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

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

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.