Strength Training/ Fat to lose.. Calorie Surplus?

inktink

I've been holding steady around 140-150 lbs at 5'3 for at least a year now, and I go through highs and lows of discipline with getting to the slim, trim, and fit body that I want. I still have fat to lose, but I also really want to gain muscle. I know to lose weight, you need to have a calorie deficit, but to gain, you need a surplus.. I also know more muscle = higher metabolism = more fat burn.

So, this may sound like a stupid question, but what should I do? Eat at a deficit or a surplus?

As for my exercise habits, I do HIIT training, with the strength portions using body weight/heavy weights. I'm not here to argue whether HIIT training is strength or cardio, just want advice on how to eat to gain muscle. I will alter exercise as need be.

ETA: The weight part isn't what I'm focusing on, I've been a very flabby 140 and a nicely muscular 150, I don't care what the scale says so long as I like what I see in the mirror.

BarbaraCarr1981

Interested to see replies.......

tihi18

Bump

mustgetmuscles1

Option 1:
Lift the weights and eat at a small deficit until you reach a goal body fat level. Continue lifting while slowly increasing calories until you start gaining about 1-2 pounds per months. Do this until you reach your goal or body fat starts to get a little too high for your comfort level. Start lowering calories until you are losing the body fat again. Repeat.

Option 2
Eat right around maintenance and keep on lifting. Do a recomp where you are slowly gaining muscle and slowly losing body fat.

Option 3
Do option 1 until you are closer to goal then switch to option 2.

LiftAllThePizzas

Eat at a surplus ('bulk') for a while, then at a deficit ('cut') for a while. Assuming you are strength training the whole time, you will have a net gain of muscle and net loss of fat.

Barbellgirl

I would recommend option 3 above.

ryry_

Option 1:
Lift the weights and eat at a small deficit until you reach a goal body fat level. Continue lifting while slowly increasing calories until you start gaining about 1-2 pounds per months. Do this until you reach your goal or body fat starts to get a little too high for your comfort level. Start lowering calories until you are losing the body fat again. Repeat.

Option 2
Eat right around maintenance and keep on lifting. Do a recomp where you are slowly gaining muscle and slowly losing body fat.

Option 3
Do option 1 until you are closer to goal then switch to option 2.

very simply and elegantly stated

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

Option 1:
Lift the weights and eat at a small deficit until you reach a goal body fat level. Continue lifting while slowly increasing calories until you start gaining about 1-2 pounds per months. Do this until you reach your goal or body fat starts to get a little too high for your comfort level. Start lowering calories until you are losing the body fat again. Repeat.

Option 2
Eat right around maintenance and keep on lifting. Do a recomp where you are slowly gaining muscle and slowly losing body fat.

Option 3
Do option 1 until you are closer to goal then switch to option 2.

I'm currently doing Option 2. It works but it's slow. You have to be patient for that option. Like if I look at my pics from September and compare them to now, I don't see any change. But if I look at my pics from May I can.

I got down to about 21% body fat before I started recomping. The advice I was given if you're going to bulk and cut is to get down to where you're almost too lean and then bulk. I've also been told that it's a good idea to wait until you've been lifting a few months, so as to take the best advantage of your bulk.

Showcase_Brodown

Option 1:
Lift the weights and eat at a small deficit until you reach a goal body fat level. Continue lifting while slowly increasing calories until you start gaining about 1-2 pounds per months. Do this until you reach your goal or body fat starts to get a little too high for your comfort level. Start lowering calories until you are losing the body fat again. Repeat.

Option 2
Eat right around maintenance and keep on lifting. Do a recomp where you are slowly gaining muscle and slowly losing body fat.

Option 3
Do option 1 until you are closer to goal then switch to option 2.

very simply and elegantly stated

I agree. It depends on how fast you want to gain. If you stick to right around maintenance calories, then the muscle gains and fat loss will be pretty slow. You might expedite your muscle gains by going on a bulk cycle (part of Option 1 above) for a period of weeks or months.

If you are interested in a recomposition approach (close to maintenance calories), Martin Berkhan has an interesting method explained (leangains.com). Even if you're not very interested in the intermittent fasting part of it, there is quite a bit of valuable and usable information on the site. I learned a ton there after I stumbled upon it, and it may have singlehandedly gotten me interested in weight training and nutrition.

nevertoooldtodoit

bump for the helpful responses, thank you!

The_Enginerd

Option 1:
Lift the weights and eat at a small deficit until you reach a goal body fat level. Continue lifting while slowly increasing calories until you start gaining about 1-2 pounds per months. Do this until you reach your goal or body fat starts to get a little too high for your comfort level. Start lowering calories until you are losing the body fat again. Repeat.

Option 2
Eat right around maintenance and keep on lifting. Do a recomp where you are slowly gaining muscle and slowly losing body fat.

Option 3
Do option 1 until you are closer to goal then switch to option 2.

^Cannot be said any better than this. Which option you choose really depends on your own personal goals. I'm doing Option 1, the traditional bulk and cut option, because I am fine with gaining some bodyfat at where I am right now.

jimmmer

Option 1:
Lift the weights and eat at a small deficit until you reach a goal body fat level. Continue lifting while slowly increasing calories until you start gaining about 1-2 pounds per months. Do this until you reach your goal or body fat starts to get a little too high for your comfort level. Start lowering calories until you are losing the body fat again. Repeat.

Option 2
Eat right around maintenance and keep on lifting. Do a recomp where you are slowly gaining muscle and slowly losing body fat.

Option 3
Do option 1 until you are closer to goal then switch to option 2.

A pitch-perfect reply!

Dre8604

Bump

texanintokyo

bump

MrGonzo05

It's really hard to get lean. Really, really hard. If you lack the discipline to cut now, it's not going to magically appear after a bulk.

Sarauk2sf

From your ticker you still have 20lb to lose. I would not recommend bulking.

If/when you bulk, you need to do a good progressive loading strength training routine. I would recommend starting one now.

thickgirl25

bump

ikearch

If you want to focus on gaining muscle weight while still doing HIIT exercises, do the strength training first (if you do both the same day). Split up your strength training days by categories and exercises (i.e. arms and core, legs and back, chest and shoulders or whatever you choose). Each day you go back to one of these, try increasing the weight each time. Don't focus on high reps, 5-10 will do, and focus on compound exercises, since they will play into other types of muscle groups.

Maintain 1 gram of protein for every pound you are trying to get to. You don't need to focus extensively on high calories or a particular diet. Eat until you're full, drink a lot of water, stretch and get rest. Side note: some people just build muscle more easily than others.

ctinawilson

I am so glad you posted this OP, this is exactly the post I was looking for when I logged on

Defecit vs. surplus has been a confusion of mine since I started lifting heavy and I'm not happy 'winging' it anymore.

So, BUMP!

:glasses: