Is it a good idea to try and build muscle?

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jaycich
jaycich Posts: 44 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey everybody I'm Jay,

Okay let me try and lay this out. I'm 200 lbs and I'm trying lose 25 lbs ASAP. Okay, I know muscle burns fat and that I can build muscle by losing weight at the same time. But after seeing the amount of protein needed to get the muscle I wanted, I started wondering.... That much protein requires a lot of food and would probably slow the fat burning. Should I shed the weight before I start trying to build muscle in order to lose weight quicker.

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  • Wetcoaster
    Wetcoaster Posts: 1,788 Member
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    So much fail in this attempt.
  • jaycich
    jaycich Posts: 44 Member
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    Could you explain?
  • cassique
    cassique Posts: 164 Member
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    Losing weight requires eating a a caloric deficit, building muscle requires eating at a caloric surplus. Because of this you can't do both at the same time. Lose the fat first, you will start to see your muscles that you already have once you shed that layer of fat. Eat enough protein to keep yourself from losing too much muscle and do strength training to keep your muscles strong.
  • longtimeterp
    longtimeterp Posts: 614 Member
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    Calorie Cycle...eat higher calories days you lift, eat lower days you don't. ALWAYS eat sufficient protien, around 1gm/lb of body weight. And new to lifting can def put on muscle while in a deficit, so LIFT BIG BRAH!
  • jaycich
    jaycich Posts: 44 Member
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    Losing weight requires eating a a caloric deficit, building muscle requires eating at a caloric surplus. Because of this you can't do both at the same time. Lose the fat first, you will start to see your muscles that you already have once you shed that layer of fat. Eat enough protein to keep yourself from losing too much muscle and do strength training to keep your muscles strong.

    This is exactly what it seemed like. Thank you,
  • jaycich
    jaycich Posts: 44 Member
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    Calorie Cycle...eat higher calories days you lift, eat lower days you don't. ALWAYS eat sufficient protien, around 1gm/lb of body weight. And new to lifting can def put on muscle while in a deficit, so LIFT BIG BRAH!

    Thanks for the tip, that make perfect sense.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    Hi Jay! I know you said you want to lose the weight "ASAP", but when it comes to weight loss, slow and steady really does win the race. It's the way you keep it off for good!

    I'm no pro, but this is how I understand it... Set up your goals on MFP to lose the weight. If you only have 25 pounds to lose, don't set your goal for any more than 1 pound a week. That way you will be given a reasonable calorie goal that will give you all the nutrition you need while keeping you at a calorie deficit.

    Meanwhile start your weight training. You might get some gains if you're new to weights, but even if you don't, it will help you to hold on to as much muscle as possible while you are eating at a deficit. Make sure you focus on your protein goal as well to help preserve your muscle.

    Then once you lose the weight, you can increase calories and focus on building muscle.

    Hope that makes sense, and I'm sure if I got something wrong someone will come along to correct me! Good luck!

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