Weightloss and muscle gain

Ughzy4968

Hello friends! Hoping I'm in the right place. Apologies for the novel below. Looking for some guidance as I really have no idea where to go from here... and the info out there on the intwerwebs is overwhelming.

I've actually been doing mfp for about a year now, after a bunch of failed stop/starts, and am down about 50 pounds from a high of 251. I started off with a goal of getting down to 180 as bmi says that's "healthy" for me. I know that's not the best standard, but at the time it was a goal that worked... now, I'm not so sure it's realistic.

I've stuck to the 1 pound a week weightloss goal on low activity (have an office job) in that time for caloric intake, though I also don't take into account any of my exercise in app... in my head it gives me a "buffer" in case I screw up or miscalculate something.

I do work out every day. Been lifting using beachbody's liift4 program for about 2-3 years and more recently moved over to their liift more program (which is 5 days of primarily lifting, but with a mix of cardio and core work). On the weekends I try to do yoga, though that's mostly recovery stuff. I do however also walk or ride a bike 20-30 minutes every day.

Anyway, the goal of losing 70 pounds along the way has kind of morphed into losing body fat/weight while putting on muscle. And both things have definitely happened. For a while I would describe it as trying to thread a needle to hit both goals, but I've kind of plateaued here around 200. Best I can tell at around 40 I want to get down to about 15 to 20% body fat. I haven't measured that in a long time though, and am not sure how far I have to go.

All that said, I'm kind of stuck on what to do next. I have adjusted my diet over time to increase protein intake (I aim for 40% protein with 30% each of carbs and fat, not easy) and I've been lowering my calorie max as the weight has come off. Now I'm at about 200 pounds doing the above workout at about 1800 calories a day... and that scale hasn't moved much. I don't expect to change what I'm doing exercise wise as it's something I've actually been able to stuck to. But what about the diet? And tips/suggestions? Should I completely change my focus here? Any suggestions appreciated!

tomcustombuilder

How long has your weight plateau been

Retroguy2000

You're getting an ideal amount of protein.

If you're happy to stay at that weight, you can "maingain" from there. Eat at maintenance, keep the weight stable, slowly gain muscle and lose waist inches. Take pics, and measure your waist and whatever else you feel is important, to track those changes over time since the scale may not move much.

Since you're not a new lifter and your noob gains may be behind you, the recomp process you seek will be slow.

One thing you may explore is your progressive overload. Are you increasing the volume/intensity over time? You'll need that for further muscle gains.

Ughzy4968

@tomcustombuilder Been stuck for a couple months now.

@Retroguy2000 I think if I can get to 189/190 I can live with that, just don't know how doable it is. My caloric deficit is 500 daily... should I cut back? Would that help with muscle gain while still burning fat, cutting weight?

As far as as lifting, I switched programs a couple months ago and bought some heavier bells, so im doing more weight, more reps and more days. Been slowly increasing the weight for different exercises as I go.

tomcustombuilder

Ughzy4968 wrote: »

@tomcustombuilder Been stuck for a couple months now.

@Retroguy2000 I think if I can get to 189/190 I can live with that, just don't know how doable it is. My caloric deficit is 500 daily... should I cut back? Would that help with muscle gain while still burning fat, cutting weight?

As far as as lifting, I switched programs a couple months ago and bought some heavier bells, so im doing more weight, more reps and more days. Been slowly increasing the weight for different exercises as I go.

a couple of months and you are no longer in a deficit if no loss. If very little loss of .5 lbs a week or less and you’ll want to decrease weekly calories if you’re already fairly active both in and out of the gym.

It’s always a good idea to keep track of your waist measurement at the navel as if this isn’t going down it means no Fatloss is happening. This helps with the “am I gaining muscle or losing fat” question.

Retroguy2000

If your weight has been stable for two months, you aren't in a 500 calorie deficit. You're at maintenance.

There isn't exact science on this, but the general opinion I see among people I follow on YT (including experts and doctors there) is that a larger deficit you describe of 500 daily would not be conducive to building muscle, especially if you're near lean already. However, cutting that way and then maingaining or bulking from your target weight would likely get you to your end goal faster than slow recomp with a smaller deficit.

Ughzy4968

@Retroguy2000 I was following you until that last sentence. Are you saying cutting calories further to hit the goal then going to maintenance intake would be fastest? Pardon my ignorance, not sure what slow recomp means.

Retroguy2000

Recomp means small calorie deficit (weight loss) or eating at maintenance, while lifting, and hopefully converting existing fat to muscle.

If you want to lose ten pounds and gain muscle, your options are:

1. Lose slowly, hope for recomp. No exact science, but say 250 cals per day at most deficit. It's not going to be optimal for you, since noob gains are behind you.
2. Cut, just focus on the fat loss, e.g. at your 500 deficit suggestion. Keep lifting to maintain the muscle you have.

Option 2 will get you to your target weight twice as quickly, and from there you'll have an easier time building muscle while eating at maintenance or maybe in a slight surplus for a lean bulk. By the time option 1 gets you to your goal weight, option 2 will probably have you with more muscle.

Ughzy4968

Thanks @Retroguy2000 appreciate all the info!