Maintaining Weight, Gaining muscle, losing muscle fat %

2024_JT

Hey everyone, new to myfitnesspal!

I decided to start tackling my health goals at the beginning of this year to see how far discipline will take my body. As well as dealing with a 7-year relationship that has come to closure.

Currently Ht:5'11 Wt:183.5 lbs | MFP Calorie goals: 2,500 kcal /day with moderate activity 4-5x a week gym 1 Hour & 30 minute sessions
Protein: 141g Carbs: 300g Fats: 85g | Estimated BMR: 1800kcals | BF% from Body scanner at gym:26% BF, Skeletal Muscle Mass (SMM): 76.1lbs

Current diet:
Breakfast: 5 Eggs + 6 oz Rice
Lunch: Chicken 6-8oz + 6.5 oz Rice + Protein Shake
Dinner: Protein (Usually Pork,Steak or Chicken) 6-8z + 8 oz of Rice + Protein Shake
Snacks: Oatmeal + Protein, Protein Bars, Fruits, Greek yogurt smoothie

AVG Macros:
Protein Avg: 166g
Carbohydrates 233g
Fats: 66g
Net Average Calories 2200kcal ~


My goal by the end of the year is to hit 18-20% BF range.
I wonder if this is feasible?
I've been told by trainers to stay on course and not to add cardio to my regimen but nonetheless, I do want to burn more body fat % each month.

After my last check-in after a month of consistent diet and workouts, I could only lose 0.5% and gain 1.2 lbs of SMM.

I'm wondering if there's any advice that the community can share to assist with accelerating my body fat loss while being able to keep the muscle gains going.

Thank you in advance, wishing you all a strong year of growth and discipline!

AnnPT77

Fast fat loss and fast muscle gain are not strictly compatible goals. Neither is a super realistic goal, alone, either. Either one (at a realistic pace) requires patience and persistence, besides.

Unfortunately.

Here's a thing, though: Figuring out how to achieve big goals via almost imperceptibly tiny daily steps is a wonderful, useful life skill. It applies not only to body weight and muscle gain, but to financial stability, education, career success, building rich relationships with other people, and more.

BTW: Don't you eat any veggies/fruit? That may not expedite your goals, but it would better support them.

Trainers who tell you to do no cardio are giving you bad advice. Do some, not too intense, and fuel it (vs. trying to get on the "lose weight fast" train). It's good for you.

I know a year or two or five sounds like a lot. It's not. It's an investment in your future happiness, and you have (we hope) many decades of life ahead of you to receive the payoff. I wish I'd been a better investor myself, in that way. The catch-up effort has been going OK for me for the most recent 20-some years, though.

Best wishes!

2024_JT

AnnPT77 wrote: »

Fast fat loss and fast muscle gain are not strictly compatible goals. Neither is a super realistic goal, alone, either. Either one (at a realistic pace) requires patience and persistence, besides.

Unfortunately.

Here's a thing, though: Figuring out how to achieve big goals via almost imperceptibly tiny daily steps is a wonderful, useful life skill. It applies not only to body weight and muscle gain, but to financial stability, education, career success, building rich relationships with other people, and more.

BTW: Don't you eat any veggies/fruit? That may not expedite your goals, but it would better support them.

Trainers who tell you to do no cardio are giving you bad advice. Do some, not too intense, and fuel it (vs. trying to get on the "lose weight fast" train). It's good for you.

I know a year or two or five sounds like a lot. It's not. It's an investment in your future happiness, and you have (we hope) many decades of life ahead of you to receive the payoff. I wish I'd been a better investor myself, in that way. The catch-up effort has been going OK for me for the most recent 20-some years, though.

Best wishes!

Thank you, you're right rome wasn't built in one day. Thank you for your advice I'll implement that into my fitness goals. I'll start adding that cardio into my cooldowns. I appreciate you sharing your own experience, it's going to be a difficult journey.

In terms of nutrition, I only add frozen fruits to my shakes and vegetables..... Haven't incorporated them as I take a daily vitamin and fiber gummies to replace the nutrition. Vegetables make me too full to the point I won't be able to hit my calories. I've tried the spinach, broccoli, arguilla route and find myself way to full to get close to 2500 kcal.

mtaratoot

AnnPT77 wrote: »

Trainers who tell you to do no cardio are giving you bad advice. Do some, not too intense, and fuel it (vs. trying to get on the "lose weight fast" train). It's good for you.

Yes, this is a possible thing to look out for. Cardiovascular exercise does more than burn fat. It's actually good for you. Doing large amounts of cardio can reduce your muscle mass gain and your strength goals, but your heart and lungs benefit. It can also help improve other health markers.

A good balance is a good idea. That whole moderation thing.

I also would consider adding some more vegetables to your routine.

Retroguy2000

A bf % goal is pointless, even if you can get accurate readings, which they generally aren't. Your goal should be based on how you feel, unless there is any sort of body dysmorphia, which I'm not suggesting here in your case.

You can and should add cardio, preferably zone 2 so it doesn't impact your lifting, and preferably separate from the lifting sessions.

You may be doing a slow recomp, if the numbers are to be believed. You should track with your waist measurement and some pics too.

Your protein is ideal. I agree with the trainer, you should stay the course. It takes time to change the body. You didn't get to your current state in a few months. If you feel you need to lose fat faster then add some zone 2 cardio, or drop a couple hundred calories from the carbs and fats, without going low on fats. Note the faster you lose weight, the more likely you are to lose muscle with it.

AnnPT77

2024_JT wrote: »

AnnPT77 wrote: »

Fast fat loss and fast muscle gain are not strictly compatible goals. Neither is a super realistic goal, alone, either. Either one (at a realistic pace) requires patience and persistence, besides.

Unfortunately.

Here's a thing, though: Figuring out how to achieve big goals via almost imperceptibly tiny daily steps is a wonderful, useful life skill. It applies not only to body weight and muscle gain, but to financial stability, education, career success, building rich relationships with other people, and more.

BTW: Don't you eat any veggies/fruit? That may not expedite your goals, but it would better support them.

Trainers who tell you to do no cardio are giving you bad advice. Do some, not too intense, and fuel it (vs. trying to get on the "lose weight fast" train). It's good for you.

I know a year or two or five sounds like a lot. It's not. It's an investment in your future happiness, and you have (we hope) many decades of life ahead of you to receive the payoff. I wish I'd been a better investor myself, in that way. The catch-up effort has been going OK for me for the most recent 20-some years, though.

Best wishes!

Thank you, you're right rome wasn't built in one day. Thank you for your advice I'll implement that into my fitness goals. I'll start adding that cardio into my cooldowns. I appreciate you sharing your own experience, it's going to be a difficult journey.

In terms of nutrition, I only add frozen fruits to my shakes and vegetables..... Haven't incorporated them as I take a daily vitamin and fiber gummies to replace the nutrition. Vegetables make me too full to the point I won't be able to hit my calories. I've tried the spinach, broccoli, arguilla route and find myself way to full to get close to 2500 kcal.

I'd encourage you to work on that. Supplements are just not the same as nutrients from food, from various perspectives.

There are beneficial phytochemicals in foods that aren't in supplements. Our useful gut microbes thrive on the diverse fibers in foods; supplemented fiber doesn't have equivalent utility. Researchers continue to identify new beneficial and even essential nutrients: Those aren't in supplements until benefits are demonstrated scientifically, but they've been in traditional foods all along.

Work on eating more veggies and fruits. Get as many nutrients from food as you can manage. Won't hurt, might help.

mtaratoot

AnnPT77 wrote: »

2024_JT wrote: »

AnnPT77 wrote: »

Fast fat loss and fast muscle gain are not strictly compatible goals. Neither is a super realistic goal, alone, either. Either one (at a realistic pace) requires patience and persistence, besides.

Unfortunately.

Here's a thing, though: Figuring out how to achieve big goals via almost imperceptibly tiny daily steps is a wonderful, useful life skill. It applies not only to body weight and muscle gain, but to financial stability, education, career success, building rich relationships with other people, and more.

BTW: Don't you eat any veggies/fruit? That may not expedite your goals, but it would better support them.

Trainers who tell you to do no cardio are giving you bad advice. Do some, not too intense, and fuel it (vs. trying to get on the "lose weight fast" train). It's good for you.

I know a year or two or five sounds like a lot. It's not. It's an investment in your future happiness, and you have (we hope) many decades of life ahead of you to receive the payoff. I wish I'd been a better investor myself, in that way. The catch-up effort has been going OK for me for the most recent 20-some years, though.

Best wishes!

Thank you, you're right rome wasn't built in one day. Thank you for your advice I'll implement that into my fitness goals. I'll start adding that cardio into my cooldowns. I appreciate you sharing your own experience, it's going to be a difficult journey.

In terms of nutrition, I only add frozen fruits to my shakes and vegetables..... Haven't incorporated them as I take a daily vitamin and fiber gummies to replace the nutrition. Vegetables make me too full to the point I won't be able to hit my calories. I've tried the spinach, broccoli, arguilla route and find myself way to full to get close to 2500 kcal.

I'd encourage you to work on that. Supplements are just not the same as nutrients from food, from various perspectives.

There are beneficial phytochemicals in foods that aren't in supplements. Our useful gut microbes thrive on the diverse fibers in foods; supplemented fiber doesn't have equivalent utility. Researchers continue to identify new beneficial and even essential nutrients: Those aren't in supplements until benefits are demonstrated scientifically, but they've been in traditional foods all along.

Work on eating more veggies and fruits. Get as many nutrients from food as you can manage. Won't hurt, might help.

Many years ago, a friend of my mother tried to convince her to get into a multi-level marketing company selling gummies that allegedly replaced fruits and vegetables. It seemed goofy to me even back then in my youth. My mother was smart enough not to bite the bait - I think a bout of Amway cured her of that. She did buy and use the product for years, though, in part to support her friend. I won't mention the name; I'm sure you're aware of it. It's still quackery. They are mostly corn syrup and glycerine. Basically candy with some supplemented ingredients. No thanks. Pass the parsnips and rutabaga please....

nossmf

I'm curious, @AnnPT77 where you stand on V-8 or similar premixed drinks which purportedly feature fruits or veggies. I don't drink them, prefer the flavor of the real deal, but my boss and my best friend both swear by them.

AnnPT77

nossmf wrote: »

I'm curious, @AnnPT77 where you stand on V-8 or similar premixed drinks which purportedly feature fruits or veggies. I don't drink them, prefer the flavor of the real deal, but my boss and my best friend both swear by them.

V-8 original contains semi-real veggies, to some extent, from concentrate. High in sodium, if a person cares about that (I don't). Only 1 gram of fiber, so most of that has been taken out. Some reasonable micros, for around 50 calories a cup. Ingredients are:

Vegetable Juice (Water and Concentrated Juices of Tomatoes, Carrots, Celery, Beets, Parsley, Lettuce, Watercress, Spinach), Salt, Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid), Natural Flavoring, Beta Carotene, Citric Acid.

Some of the newer V-8 branded juices (V-8 Splash) are more questionable, i.e., less produce, a good-sized dose of HFCS. (I don't think HFCS is the devil, but it is literally empty calories, a thing not to swim in, metaphorically speaking.)

So, I think V-8 original is a better choice than a lot of other popular beverages, but not really as beneficial as eating actual vegetables.

The gummies (or powders and that sort of thing) can be (IMO) pretty ridiculous.

If OP is using a regular mainstream gummy multi-vitamin, that can be a band-aid or (for those actually eating somewhat nutritiously) an insurance policy, but not a bad thing in itself . . . but just not a full substitute for food-sourced nutrients.

My opinion: People who care about health, body body composition, or athletic performance should eat their fruits and veggies, and not just the classic bro-broccoli: Varied. Colorful.

What's truly ridiculous is the supplements that claim they contain (making up realistic numbers here) 17 or 43 different vegetable and whole fruit or "adaptogen" ingredients in a 5 or 20 gram scoop. There's no way there's enough of any one thing in there to do much good. There may be research backing up the ingredients, but it's not research supporting those tiny amounts of those ingredients. Those tend to be wallet-lighteners, too.

I'm a big believer in nutrition being about the totality of one's eating. V-8 can contribute some nutrition to a diet, and it's pretty low in calories (plus I think it tastes nice), so it's not a bad thing. But there's no getting optimal amounts of veggies/fruit from it, in any reasonable intake, I think. Also not varied enough.

Longer reply than you wanted, no doubt . . . but you've been here a while, and you knew who you were asking.

2024_JT

AnnPT77 wrote: »

nossmf wrote: »

I'm curious, @AnnPT77 where you stand on V-8 or similar premixed drinks which purportedly feature fruits or veggies. I don't drink them, prefer the flavor of the real deal, but my boss and my best friend both swear by them.

V-8 original contains semi-real veggies, to some extent, from concentrate. High in sodium, if a person cares about that (I don't). Only 1 gram of fiber, so most of that has been taken out. Some reasonable micros, for around 50 calories a cup. Ingredients are:

Vegetable Juice (Water and Concentrated Juices of Tomatoes, Carrots, Celery, Beets, Parsley, Lettuce, Watercress, Spinach), Salt, Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid), Natural Flavoring, Beta Carotene, Citric Acid.

Some of the newer V-8 branded juices (V-8 Splash) are more questionable, i.e., less produce, a good-sized dose of HFCS. (I don't think HFCS is the devil, but it is literally empty calories, a thing not to swim in, metaphorically speaking.)

So, I think V-8 original is a better choice than a lot of other popular beverages, but not really as beneficial as eating actual vegetables.

The gummies (or powders and that sort of thing) can be (IMO) pretty ridiculous.

If OP is using a regular mainstream gummy multi-vitamin, that can be a band-aid or (for those actually eating somewhat nutritiously) an insurance policy, but not a bad thing in itself . . . but just not a full substitute for food-sourced nutrients.

My opinion: People who care about health, body body composition, or athletic performance should eat their fruits and veggies, and not just the classic bro-broccoli: Varied. Colorful.

What's truly ridiculous is the supplements that claim they contain (making up realistic numbers here) 17 or 43 different vegetable and whole fruit or "adaptogen" ingredients in a 5 or 20 gram scoop. There's no way there's enough of any one thing in there to do much good. There may be research backing up the ingredients, but it's not research supporting those tiny amounts of those ingredients. Those tend to be wallet-lighteners, too.

I'm a big believer in nutrition being about the totality of one's eating. V-8 can contribute some nutrition to a diet, and it's pretty low in calories (plus I think it tastes nice), so it's not a bad thing. But there's no getting optimal amounts of veggies/fruit from it, in any reasonable intake, I think. Also not varied enough.

Longer reply than you wanted, no doubt . . . but you've been here a while, and you knew who you were asking.

What are some vegetables you can recommend me that is easy on the stomach? I don't want to do the broccoli again.
Thank you!

AnnPT77

2024_JT wrote: »

AnnPT77 wrote: »

nossmf wrote: »

I'm curious, @AnnPT77 where you stand on V-8 or similar premixed drinks which purportedly feature fruits or veggies. I don't drink them, prefer the flavor of the real deal, but my boss and my best friend both swear by them.

V-8 original contains semi-real veggies, to some extent, from concentrate. High in sodium, if a person cares about that (I don't). Only 1 gram of fiber, so most of that has been taken out. Some reasonable micros, for around 50 calories a cup. Ingredients are:

Vegetable Juice (Water and Concentrated Juices of Tomatoes, Carrots, Celery, Beets, Parsley, Lettuce, Watercress, Spinach), Salt, Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid), Natural Flavoring, Beta Carotene, Citric Acid.

Some of the newer V-8 branded juices (V-8 Splash) are more questionable, i.e., less produce, a good-sized dose of HFCS. (I don't think HFCS is the devil, but it is literally empty calories, a thing not to swim in, metaphorically speaking.)

So, I think V-8 original is a better choice than a lot of other popular beverages, but not really as beneficial as eating actual vegetables.

The gummies (or powders and that sort of thing) can be (IMO) pretty ridiculous.

If OP is using a regular mainstream gummy multi-vitamin, that can be a band-aid or (for those actually eating somewhat nutritiously) an insurance policy, but not a bad thing in itself . . . but just not a full substitute for food-sourced nutrients.

My opinion: People who care about health, body body composition, or athletic performance should eat their fruits and veggies, and not just the classic bro-broccoli: Varied. Colorful.

What's truly ridiculous is the supplements that claim they contain (making up realistic numbers here) 17 or 43 different vegetable and whole fruit or "adaptogen" ingredients in a 5 or 20 gram scoop. There's no way there's enough of any one thing in there to do much good. There may be research backing up the ingredients, but it's not research supporting those tiny amounts of those ingredients. Those tend to be wallet-lighteners, too.

I'm a big believer in nutrition being about the totality of one's eating. V-8 can contribute some nutrition to a diet, and it's pretty low in calories (plus I think it tastes nice), so it's not a bad thing. But there's no getting optimal amounts of veggies/fruit from it, in any reasonable intake, I think. Also not varied enough.

Longer reply than you wanted, no doubt . . . but you've been here a while, and you knew who you were asking.

What are some vegetables you can recommend me that is easy on the stomach? I don't want to do the broccoli again.
Thank you!

In general, if you have some physical issue with eating the broccoli or other veggies/fruits, try phasing in more veggies/fruits gradually, using ones you like in smaller amounts. A big increase in fiber in particular all at once can cause fullness, perceived bloating, gassiness. If you've not been eating much in the way of whole veggies/fruits, your gut microbiome needs time to adapt. Introducing one item at a time, and starting with small portions, will give you a chance to see what your body tolerates best.

If you're finding the broccoli too filling, maybe consider leafy greens, or something with higher water content like tomatoes or cucumbers?

If bloating or gassiness has been a problem, maybe start with "low FODMAP" veggie/fruit choices? Some people find that those things easier to tolerate (because they avoid some common fibers that can be more difficult to digest/metabolize for some people). Examples might include bananas, blueberries, cantaloupe, grapefruit, honeydew, kiwi, lemon, lime, oranges, and strawberries, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, bok choy, carrots, chives, cucumbers, eggplant, ginger, lettuce, olives, parsnips, potatoes, spring onions, and turnips.

You may find cooked vegetables easier to tolerate than raw - some people do. Many people find roasted veggies more flavorful than steamed or boiled, though. (On the other hand, if you find the flavors off-putting, steamed or boiled may be a good plan. You can even use a blender or food processor to puree veggies into something like soup or cut up veggies small and mix them with your rice.)

It's good to experiment, start small, start with something non-intimidating and easy, proceed gradually, see what works.

Best wishes!

HoneyBadger302

2024_JT wrote: »

What are some vegetables you can recommend me that is easy on the stomach? I don't want to do the broccoli again.

Ann gave a great response, I will add that raw broccoli is murder for my gut, although I have found that well-cooked (ie slightly overdone) or frozen then cooked is more tolerable. The cruciferous veggies can be tough for some to eat in general.
If your body isn't used to the natural fibers and such that come with veggies, you may find some, ah, discomfort in adding them back in - but bear with it, your gut will thank you. Anything you can throw in a protein smoothie is a great way to add some without adding a ton of volume to a meal - if you don't mind a thick shake, experiment, there's a lot that can go in a blender and not taste too bad at all (also a ton of smoothie recipe ideas out there). I would have a preference for whole veggies blended in over a powder, but if you absolutely hate veggies, a greens powder would be a better compromise than just relying on a multi vitamin, but still doesn't replace actual food.