struggling to loose fat over muscle

kainaible

So I have been on a weightloss journey for a few years now. I started out in the beginning counting calories and biking to work, and I managed to gain a lot of muscle and loose some fat.
Now, I would like to lean down and look thinner. I am strong and I can build muscle way to easily, so my arms and thighs and calves are really bulky, and I'm extremely self consious about it.
I work a new job where I speed walk 3-5 miles a day, and I pair that with watching what I eat.
I no longer count calories, I found myself panicking if I got even a little over my daily calorie count and it made me cranky and ynhappy.
So now I simply stay away from sugars and salt and am just mindful of what I eat.
But I am struggling to lean down.
Someone told me to use cardio, but when I spend hours every day walking, I don't exactly want to come home and jog for an hour.
I was doing a regular weight lifting routine with 5lb weights, but I stopped because it seemed like it was making me even bulkier.
Help?!

Hornsby

You don't get bulky on a calorie deficit. Start counting calories, get enough protein to retain the LBM that you have, and eat at a deficit and lift heavy. Throw some cardio in for good measure.

In reality, if you aren't tracking how much food you are eating, you are probably eating more than you should be. Doesn't matter where those calories come from whether it's Twinkies or broccoli. If you are eating too much, you won't lose weight.

TeaBea

So I have been on a weightloss journey for a few years now. I started out in the beginning counting calories and biking to work, and I managed to gain a lot of muscle and loose some fat.
Now, I would like to lean down and look thinner. I am strong and I can build muscle way to easily, so my arms and thighs and calves are really bulky, and I'm extremely self consious about it.
I work a new job where I speed walk 3-5 miles a day, and I pair that with watching what I eat.
I no longer count calories, I found myself panicking if I got even a little over my daily calorie count and it made me cranky and ynhappy.
So now I simply stay away from sugars and salt and am just mindful of what I eat.
But I am struggling to lean down.
Someone told me to use cardio, but when I spend hours every day walking, I don't exactly want to come home and jog for an hour.
I was doing a regular weight lifting routine with 5lb weights, but I stopped because it seemed like it was making me even bulkier.
Help?!

Relax.....you can't build ANY appreciable amount of muscle while eating at a calorie deficit. To lose fat you will need to eat at a deficit.

Women have to work really hard to gain muscle .... eating at a surplus and lifting HEAVY weights. Women just don't have the natural hormones to "bulk" up. 5 pound dumbbells won't do it.

To keep the muscle you have (this means losing mainly fat) .....you want a small calorie deficit, you want to eat enough protein, and yes.....you want to strength train. Body weight exercises are a good place to start.......push ups, planks, squats.

If your muscles get sore, they will hold water.....this is not the same as building muscle. If you lose fat (covering) your muscles....your muscle will show......again, this is not the same as building muscle.

psuLemon

Like the others mentioned, you lose weight through a calorie deficit but you maintain your current lean body mass (muscle, tissue, bone density, etc..) through resistance training and protein. Also, try not to confuse fat loss and getting stronger as gaining new muscle. As mentioned, gaining new muscle is very difficult, especially for women.

Now if you want to get lean, then you want to have a small deficit (20% below your TDEE) or no more than 1 lb per week, aim to get 1 g of protein per lb of lean body mass, and concentrate on weight training. Since muscle is tight and lean, the more you keep, the more lean you will be.

AmyRhubarb

Agree that there's no way you're bulky with 5lb weights, or even with cycling. I use dumbbells from 8-20lbs - you can see my arms in my current pic - bulky? Hardly. Lean and strong? Yes!

I also agree with the advice to maintain a s small calorie deficit and hit the weights (preferably heavier than 5lbs ), and be patient. Fat will decrease while maintaining your lean muscle.

Good article on this here: http://www.livestrong.com/blog/lose-fat-without-losing-muscle/

ahoy_m8

I'm interested in others' opinions on here, but I suspect the lower your body fat%, the more it helps to count kcal & macros. Lean people with naturally low leptin have less margin for diet error.

12by311

Count calories. Log what you eat.

Sorry, you aren't gaining muscle crazy fast.