Should I decrease or increase calories

Valerieemartinezz

Ok so I am 18f go to the gym 6 days a week 138lbs and 5’3 I want to decrease my body fat percentage and gain muscles. I’m confused how much calories I should consume. I currently eat 1300-1400 should I decrease my calories to lose fat or increase my calories to gain muscle. I am 27% body fat and I really wanna be toned and get rid of stomach fat. Any advice / tips would be appreciated thanks !

pinggolfer96

You are confused cause you’re shooting for two things at once. One requires a caloric deficit and one requires a calorie surplus. To be toned....you need to lose body fat in a reasonable deficit. If you’re truly that high bf, is cut before starting a bulk. I start my bulls around 5-6% bodyfat and start cutting around 15-16 percent or when the mirror says so.

TavistockToad

Valerieemartinezz wrote: »

Ok so I am 18f go to the gym 6 days a week 138lbs and 5’3 I want to decrease my body fat percentage and gain muscles. I’m confused how much calories I should consume. I currently eat 1300-1400 should I decrease my calories to lose fat or increase my calories to gain muscle. I am 27% body fat and I really wanna be toned and get rid of stomach fat. Any advice / tips would be appreciated thanks !

Set MFP to lose 0.5lbs per week. How many calories is that?

What lifting program are you using?

Valerieemartinezz

TavistockToad wrote: »

Valerieemartinezz wrote: »

Ok so I am 18f go to the gym 6 days a week 138lbs and 5’3 I want to decrease my body fat percentage and gain muscles. I’m confused how much calories I should consume. I currently eat 1300-1400 should I decrease my calories to lose fat or increase my calories to gain muscle. I am 27% body fat and I really wanna be toned and get rid of stomach fat. Any advice / tips would be appreciated thanks !

Set MFP to lose 0.5lbs per week. How many calories is that?

What lifting program are you using?

If I set it to lose 0.5 lbs per week it says 1650 calories but I feel like that’s too many calories for me if I wanna lose. And I do 4 sets with 10-15 reps depends how much I’m lifting.

psuLemon

Valerieemartinezz wrote: »

TavistockToad wrote: »

Valerieemartinezz wrote: »

Ok so I am 18f go to the gym 6 days a week 138lbs and 5’3 I want to decrease my body fat percentage and gain muscles. I’m confused how much calories I should consume. I currently eat 1300-1400 should I decrease my calories to lose fat or increase my calories to gain muscle. I am 27% body fat and I really wanna be toned and get rid of stomach fat. Any advice / tips would be appreciated thanks !

Set MFP to lose 0.5lbs per week. How many calories is that?

What lifting program are you using?

If I set it to lose 0.5 lbs per week it says 1650 calories but I feel like that’s too many calories for me if I wanna lose. And I do 4 sets with 10-15 reps depends how much I’m lifting.

A few things. You would be surprised on how many calories most women actually lose on. 1650 is really not that high. The best thing to do is try a calorie level and see if you are losing 1/2-1 lb per week. Second, you should follow a structured routine that aligns to your goals. I'd recommend using the below link to help guide you.

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

TavistockToad

Valerieemartinezz wrote: »

TavistockToad wrote: »

Valerieemartinezz wrote: »

Ok so I am 18f go to the gym 6 days a week 138lbs and 5’3 I want to decrease my body fat percentage and gain muscles. I’m confused how much calories I should consume. I currently eat 1300-1400 should I decrease my calories to lose fat or increase my calories to gain muscle. I am 27% body fat and I really wanna be toned and get rid of stomach fat. Any advice / tips would be appreciated thanks !

Set MFP to lose 0.5lbs per week. How many calories is that?

What lifting program are you using?

If I set it to lose 0.5 lbs per week it says 1650 calories but I feel like that’s too many calories for me if I wanna lose. And I do 4 sets with 10-15 reps depends how much I’m lifting.

But are you following an actual program?

For me eating as much as possible and STILL losing weight is winning... why not try it for 6 weeks and then tweak as necessary?

quiksylver296

psuLemon wrote: »

Valerieemartinezz wrote: »

TavistockToad wrote: »

Valerieemartinezz wrote: »

Ok so I am 18f go to the gym 6 days a week 138lbs and 5’3 I want to decrease my body fat percentage and gain muscles. I’m confused how much calories I should consume. I currently eat 1300-1400 should I decrease my calories to lose fat or increase my calories to gain muscle. I am 27% body fat and I really wanna be toned and get rid of stomach fat. Any advice / tips would be appreciated thanks !

Set MFP to lose 0.5lbs per week. How many calories is that?

What lifting program are you using?

If I set it to lose 0.5 lbs per week it says 1650 calories but I feel like that’s too many calories for me if I wanna lose. And I do 4 sets with 10-15 reps depends how much I’m lifting.

A few things. You would be surprised on how many calories most women actually lose on. 1650 is really not that high. The best thing to do is try a calorie level and see if you are losing 1/2-1 lb per week. Second, you should follow a structured routine that aligns to your goals. I'd recommend using the below link to help guide you.

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

And get a food scale to insure you are actually eating the amount of calories you think you are. Humans tend to suck at eyeballing portions.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p1