Fat Loss and Maintaining Muscle Mass

mes1119

I have a question for all you smart folks out there:

I am currently aiming to lose these last 10 or so pounds of fat while maintaining my muscle mass. I am an ex-athlete so muscle mass has never really been an issue with me. I was the 12 year old girl that was constantly being asked how I got such big guns. I guess it was a combo of athletics and genetics. I swam through college and lifted heavily but never watched my food intake. Which is basically what got me to where I am now.

All that muscle mass is still around (and I LOVE it). I'm currently about 21.3% body fat which leaves about 107 pounds of lean mass (5'3" and 136 pounds). I was wondering what kind of plan would help me shed this last bit of fat while maintaining the muscle I have. Right now I have been running 3x a week and light resistance training 5x a week as well. I have bought The New Rules of Lifting for Women and I would like to start the program but it advocates 1800+ calories a day. I'm scared eating like that is what got me to where I am now.

I currently eat 1500ish calories a day depending on exercise. I have to admit I am not always great with my food intake and do very poorly on the weekends. I aim for 40carb/30protein/30fat.

So basically I'd like to figure out how to lose the layer of fat on my body while maintaining the muscle I have. I'm not very interested in gaining muscle mass but I am not against it either.

Thanks

_SusieQ_

I have lots of smart folks on my FL that might be able to help.

infamousmk

You have to eat to feed the muscles! Everyone I know that has ate more and followed a heavy lifting plan looks amazing. Additionally, I have started lifting heavy and eating a bit more, and although I haven't lost any weight, I've lost an entire pant size in the last two months.

joec63

To keep as much lean muscle as possible then weight train and eat 50P/30C/20F... or at a minimum 40/40/20. Eat only foods with one ingredient , ie; chicken, fish, turkey, broccoli, spinach,egg whites, etc. Stay off the red meat even if it's lean. Stay off the bread....it's tough I know. Lift at least three days a week. Try it for a month and you will lean up.

_GlaDOS_

I would say start NROLFW (or a different strength training program), and eat the 1800 calories per day. I know it's scary to increase calories at first, but your body will thank you. Also, ditch the scale for at least a month, take measurements, and enjoy the extra food and awesome lifting sessions! :drinker:

Rae6503

How much are you eating on the weekends? I'd try to average 1800 including your weekends, so yeah, you can eat more on weekends and less during weekdays.

Yes, start the New Rules program, or I just started Strong Lifts 5x5. It's a free program on the internet.

I am also trying to lose the last bit of fat while maintaining muscle mass (I just "bulked" through the winter where i tried to actually gain muscle and well the fat that comes with it). I am trying to eat 2300 on workout days and 2000 on non-workout days but I'm kind of big. 5'9" and 160lbs.

infamousmk

To keep as much lean muscle as possible then weight train and eat 50P/30C/20F... or at a minimum 40/40/20. Eat only foods with one ingredient , ie; chicken, fish, turkey, broccoli, spinach,egg whites, etc. Stay off the red meat even if it's lean. Stay off the bread....it's tough I know. Lift at least three days a week. Try it for a month and you will lean up.

Hi, you don't have to eat this way, you know... my friend Rachel (who posted just above me) has some killer frucking results and she's never limited her diet like this.

odusgolp

How much are you eating on the weekends? I'd try to average 1800 including your weekends, so yeah, you can eat more on weekends and less during weekdays.

Yes, start the New Rules program, or I just started Strong Lifts 5x5. It's a free program on the internet.

I am also trying to lose the last bit of fat while maintaining muscle mass (I just "bulked" through the winter where i tried to actually gain muscle and well the fat that comes with it). I am trying to eat 2300 on workout days and 2000 on non-workout days but I'm kind of big. 5'9" and 160lbs.

I just want to sit and listen to you talk so I learn something... *L* We're the same height, same weight, but I'm over 30% body fat and eating 1300 cals/day....

tgzerozone

It is inevitable that you would loose some muscle mass when getting rid of the fat unfortunately. I guess it's all about minimizing it.

Personally I would stick to 300-500 cals below my maintenance with a 50/30/20 protein/carbs/fat ratio. Stick to lean protein like chicken breast, fish etc. Try and get most of your fat from good fats like flax, canola, olive etc.

Rae6503

To keep as much lean muscle as possible then weight train and eat 50P/30C/20F... or at a minimum 40/40/20. Eat only foods with one ingredient , ie; chicken, fish, turkey, broccoli, spinach,egg whites, etc. Stay off the red meat even if it's lean. Stay off the bread....it's tough I know. Lift at least three days a week. Try it for a month and you will lean up.

This kind of diet does work but it's not required. It's very restrictive and hard for people to stick with. It's generally more accepted to use a minimum fat and protien amount instead of percentages:

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/diet-percentages-part-1.html
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/protein-intake-while-dieting-qa.html

Also, I find "clean" eating overrated and difficult.

http://www.wannabebig.com/diet-and-nutrition/the-dirt-on-clean-eating/

mes1119

I know I should do the NROLFW but a lot of it preaches about gainin muscle mass. I guess it doesn't seem very applicable for someone that already has the muscle mass.

I do love lifting though so I will probably give it a try. I just need to learn to be more stable with my calorie intake. I am very intimidated to lift at the gym though. Every time I have in the past I attracted unwanted attention:grumble:

joec63

To keep as much lean muscle as possible then weight train and eat 50P/30C/20F... or at a minimum 40/40/20. Eat only foods with one ingredient , ie; chicken, fish, turkey, broccoli, spinach,egg whites, etc. Stay off the red meat even if it's lean. Stay off the bread....it's tough I know. Lift at least three days a week. Try it for a month and you will lean up.

Hi, you don't have to eat this way, you know... my friend Rachel (who posted just above me) has some killer frucking results and she's never limited her diet like this.

Hi,

Of course you don't have to eat like this . However eating clean is the quickest way to succes. An old axiom is abs are built in the kitchen. Bobdybuilding is my hobby and this is the type of diet all top builders use with tremendous success. It does take some sacrifice...no argument there. I understand there are some that want their cake and eat it too. I'm an all in kind of guy. No shortcuts for me. Good luck!

Lukazetta

I suggest look up your BMR and your TDEE

For example:
If your TDEE is around 2500, calories under that will lose more body fat.
If your BMR is around 1800, calories under that will lose more lean muscle.

You just have to find that perfect balance by finding your sweet spot between your TDEE and BMR where you don't lose too much lean muscle but still lose weight.

Good luck!

Rae6503

I know I should do the NROLFW but a lot of it preaches about gainin muscle mass. I guess it doesn't seem very applicable for someone that already has the muscle mass.

I do love lifting though so I will probably give it a try. I just need to learn to be more stable with my calorie intake. I am very intimidated to lift at the gym though. Every time I have in the past I attracted unwanted attention:grumble:

Well.... don't dress like you are in your avatar. Wear some headphones. Practice your "I'm a ***** so don't talk to me" look. You'll do fine.

But really you won't actually gain much muscle if you are on a deficit. New Rules actually is a program designed for fat loss (I think) so don't worry about it.

joec63

To keep as much lean muscle as possible then weight train and eat 50P/30C/20F... or at a minimum 40/40/20. Eat only foods with one ingredient , ie; chicken, fish, turkey, broccoli, spinach,egg whites, etc. Stay off the red meat even if it's lean. Stay off the bread....it's tough I know. Lift at least three days a week. Try it for a month and you will lean up.

This kind of diet does work but it's not required. It's very restrictive and hard for people to stick with. It's generally more accepted to use a minimum fat and protien amount instead of percentages:

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/diet-percentages-part-1.html
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/protein-intake-while-dieting-qa.html

Also, I find "clean" eating overrated and difficult.

http://www.wannabebig.com/diet-and-nutrition/the-dirt-on-clean-eating/

It is difficult as I've said and takes sacrifice. At the end of the day it comes down to personal goals. If you want to eat clean 60, 70, 80% of the time then that is your personal choice. I can read countless posts on here of people asking how to lose weight but yet don't want to take the time and effort to plan out their meals ahead of time to acheive long term success. We can agree to disagree. I eat clean 97% of the time. It's what works for me.

tgzerozone

PS: Looked at your stats. I'd up the cals to 1700 - 1800 with said macros on 50/30/20 as explained earlier.

mes1119

First of all, thanks for responding

To the above post, I would never wear that in the gym! Hahaha, it wouldn't be allowed!

So I calculated my TDEE and BMR based on my body fat percentage and it roughly 2200 and 1400. It estimates I should eat around 1700 a day for fat loss...

Does this sound about right?

Rae6503

First of all, thanks for responding

To the above post, I would never wear that in the gym! Hahaha, it wouldn't be allowed!

So I calculated my TDEE and BMR based on my body fat percentage and it roughly 2200 and 1400. It estimates I should eat around 1700 a day for fat loss...

Does this sound about right?

I'd do a litlte bit more than that. If you only have a few pounds to lose, most people suggest either a half pound a week (250 off TDEE) or 10% off TDEE. So I'd go with 1900 or so.

mes1119

As for the ratio, I'm scared if I lower my carbs too much I'll be groggy and grumpy.

I like to run 3x a week (usually no more than 5 miles) just for cardio health and if I didn't have enough carbs in my body I wouldn't be able to complete that.

Lukazetta

First of all, thanks for responding

To the above post, I would never wear that in the gym! Hahaha, it wouldn't be allowed!

So I calculated my TDEE and BMR based on my body fat percentage and it roughly 2200 and 1400. It estimates I should eat around 1700 a day for fat loss...

Does this sound about right?

Yes, that sounds about right.

However it's ultimately up to you to decide how much you need depending on the intensity level of the workout.

Rae6503

As for the ratio, I'm scared if I lower my carbs too much I'll be groggy and grumpy.

I like to run 3x a week (usually no more than 5 miles) just for cardio health and if I didn't have enough carbs in my body I wouldn't be able to complete that.

I know the other repliers disagree with me but I wouldn't worry about going that high on protien. 100-120 grams of protein a day should be fine, probably at least 40 grams of fat and the rest can be whatever you want (1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass, 0.3 grams of fat per pound of total body mass).

Lukazetta

As for the ratio, I'm scared if I lower my carbs too much I'll be groggy and grumpy.

I like to run 3x a week (usually no more than 5 miles) just for cardio health and if I didn't have enough carbs in my body I wouldn't be able to complete that.

I know the other repliers disagree with me but I wouldn't worry about going that high on protien. 100-120 grams of protein a day should be fine, probably at least 40 grams of fat and the rest can be whatever you want (1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass, 0.3 grams of fat per pound of total body mass).

I agree with THEM. It's common for low card diets to include even more protein that the lean mass, 10-15% more.