Am I understanding this correctly?

lporter229

So I have been on the site for several months and I have learned a lot from a lot of knowledgeable people. But sometimes it's hard to sort through the conflicting info to decide what's accurate and more importantly, what will work for you. I decided to jot down some of that info that I think will be helpful in achieving my goals and I am looking for comments (if I am getting this right or not)...hopefully I will be able to determine who is steering me in the right direction. So here goes...

1. I need a surplus of calories to build muscle, and a deficit of calories to lose fat. Therefore, I should not expect to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time.

2. I am currently 117lbs, 5' tall and around 25-28% body fat based on fat2fit calculators. My ultimate goal is to look toned with muscle definition. For my age (40), I should not have less than 21% BF. So I should focus first on losing a few pounds of extra fat by focusing on calorie burning exercises (and some strength training to avoid too much muscle loss) and when I have reached a good point, then switch to more strength training and up my calorie intake to build muscle.

3. When I begin my muscle building phase, I should also expect to add on a few pounds of fat from all those extra calories. So eventually, I will decrease my calorie intake back down and eat at my TDEE, which will be increased from where I started because I now have more muscle.

Does this sound correct? Assuming it is, my big question is, how do I know when I am at the right place to switch from a calorie deficit to a calorie surplus and focus on strength training? I am assuming I will continue to lower by BF% as I build muscle.

Please feel free to correct me if I am on the wrong track here....Thanks for your help!

lporter229

Anyone? Please?

lporter229

Gonna bump this one more time...hoping somebody sees it that will respond.

pantsdailyon

1. I need a surplus of calories to build muscle, and a deficit of calories to lose fat. Therefore, I should not expect to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time.

I've heard the same thing, but I don't buy it. You see people all the time here talking about losing inches without losing weight. That's from gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time. Maybe someone wordier than I could come give a detailed answer.

wackyfunster

Those are general truisms, but not necessarily fact. It is quite possible to put on muscle without putting on fat, or to put on muscle while losing fat, especially if you are relatively untrained. That is actually pretty normal for people during their first 6 months of weight training (oh how I miss those days!). Other strategies such as calorie/carb-cycling and intermittent fasting allow for muscle gain while losing fat/maintaining body fat levels as well. This forum is more geared around needing to lose a lot of body fat, but you will find there are quite a few pretty knowledgeable folks here regarding getting toned/sculpted/whatever-you-want-to-call-it.

Acg67

1. I need a surplus of calories to build muscle, and a deficit of calories to lose fat. Therefore, I should not expect to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time.

I've heard the same thing, but I don't buy it. You see people all the time here talking about losing inches without losing weight. That's from gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time. Maybe someone wordier than I could come give a detailed answer.

Generally speaking newbies to lifting, the obese and people coming off a long layoff from lifting can gain some muscle in a deficit. Still better to eat in a small surplus and then cut off the accumulated fat after you're done

Rae6503

So I have been on the site for several months and I have learned a lot from a lot of knowledgeable people. But sometimes it's hard to sort through the conflicting info to decide what's accurate and more importantly, what will work for you. I decided to jot down some of that info that I think will be helpful in achieving my goals and I am looking for comments (if I am getting this right or not)...hopefully I will be able to determine who is steering me in the right direction. So here goes...

1. I need a surplus of calories to build muscle, and a deficit of calories to lose fat. Therefore, I should not expect to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time.

2. I am currently 117lbs, 5' tall and around 25-28% body fat based on fat2fit calculators. My ultimate goal is to look toned with muscle definition. For my age (40), I should not have less than 21% BF. So I should focus first on losing a few pounds of extra fat by focusing on calorie burning exercises (and some strength training to avoid too much muscle loss) and when I have reached a good point, then switch to more strength training and up my calorie intake to build muscle.

3. When I begin my muscle building phase, I should also expect to add on a few pounds of fat from all those extra calories. So eventually, I will decrease my calorie intake back down and eat at my TDEE, which will be increased from where I started because I now have more muscle.

Does this sound correct? Assuming it is, my big question is, how do I know when I am at the right place to switch from a calorie deficit to a calorie surplus and focus on strength training? I am assuming I will continue to lower by BF% as I build muscle.

Please feel free to correct me if I am on the wrong track here....Thanks for your help!

Sounds good to me. Except after #3, your gaining muscle phase, you could eat below your TDEE to lose that little bit of fat you gained while building muscles.

JNick77

1. I need a surplus of calories to build muscle, and a deficit of calories to lose fat. Therefore, I should not expect to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time.

Basically, yes. You might have something called "newbie" gains but you should not expect to gain any substantial muscle mass but you can still get stronger. You can definitely go through body re-composition though.

2. I am currently 117lbs, 5' tall and around 25-28% body fat based on fat2fit calculators. My ultimate goal is to look toned with muscle definition. For my age (40), I should not have less than 21% BF. So I should focus first on losing a few pounds of extra fat by focusing on calorie burning exercises (and some strength training to avoid too much muscle loss) and when I have reached a good point, then switch to more strength training and up my calorie intake to build muscle.

Ideally you should do strength training and cardio to help improve your body composition while on a calorie deficit. When you've reached your weight and bodyfat goals and determine you want to put on muscle mass, you'll need to change your calorie consumption and possibly your strength training programming.

3. When I begin my muscle building phase, I should also expect to add on a few pounds of fat from all those extra calories. So eventually, I will decrease my calorie intake back down and eat at my TDEE, which will be increased from where I started because I now have more muscle.

Yes, since you'll be eating some ridiculous amount of calories you can expect to gain a certain amount of fat back. Depending on where those calories come from / how "clean" you eat will determine your body composition at the end of the mass gain. So you'll probably do something like this, Cut -> Bulk -> Cut -> Maintain.

carolynmittens

1. I need a surplus of calories to build muscle, and a deficit of calories to lose fat. Therefore, I should not expect to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time.

I've heard the same thing, but I don't buy it. You see people all the time here talking about losing inches without losing weight. That's from gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time. Maybe someone wordier than I could come give a detailed answer.

this is something i don't understand either... i'd be curious to see any scientific backing on this claim. it gets thrown around a lot on here. i've seen some RIPPED indonesian farmers who absolutely do not eat anywhere near a calorie surplus everyday. they have huge muscles from hoeing in the fields all day and digging holes to plant coffee trees and lugging huge bags of burnt rice (for fertilizer) around all over the place. and all they ate were 3 small meals of rice and veggies or ramen-like noodles. hardly any protein (sometimes a few tiny fish) and definitely not more calories than they burned all day. yet their muscles were pretty big. hmmm.

marathon64

Who says you should not have less than 21% bodyfat?

lporter229

Yes, since you'll be eating some ridiculous amount of calories you can expect to gain a certain amount of fat back. Depending on where those calories come from / how "clean" you eat will determine your body composition at the end of the mass gain. So you'll probably do something like this, Cut -> Bulk -> Cut -> Maintain.

This is the core of what I was getting at and did not want to be wrong if that was my plan. Thanks for simplifying it for me.

Thanks to everyone for taking time to post on this. I appreciate the great advice that is given on this site.

Rae6503

1. I need a surplus of calories to build muscle, and a deficit of calories to lose fat. Therefore, I should not expect to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time.

I've heard the same thing, but I don't buy it. You see people all the time here talking about losing inches without losing weight. That's from gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time. Maybe someone wordier than I could come give a detailed answer.

this is something i don't understand either... i'd be curious to see any scientific backing on this claim. it gets thrown around a lot on here. i've seen some RIPPED indonesian farmers who absolutely do not eat anywhere near a calorie surplus everyday. they have huge muscles from hoeing in the fields all day and digging holes to plant coffee trees and lugging huge bags of burnt rice (for fertilizer) around all over the place. and all they ate were 3 small meals of rice and veggies or ramen-like noodles. hardly any protein (sometimes a few tiny fish) and definitely not more calories than they burned all day. yet their muscles were pretty big. hmmm.

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-energy-balance-equation.html

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/adding-muscle-while-losing-fat-qa.html

JNick77

1. I need a surplus of calories to build muscle, and a deficit of calories to lose fat. Therefore, I should not expect to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time.

I've heard the same thing, but I don't buy it. You see people all the time here talking about losing inches without losing weight. That's from gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time. Maybe someone wordier than I could come give a detailed answer.

this is something i don't understand either... i'd be curious to see any scientific backing on this claim. it gets thrown around a lot on here. i've seen some RIPPED indonesian farmers who absolutely do not eat anywhere near a calorie surplus everyday. they have huge muscles from hoeing in the fields all day and digging holes to plant coffee trees and lugging huge bags of burnt rice (for fertilizer) around all over the place. and all they ate were 3 small meals of rice and veggies or ramen-like noodles. hardly any protein (sometimes a few tiny fish) and definitely not more calories than they burned all day. yet their muscles were pretty big. hmmm.

There's a big difference between being ripped and putting on mass. Being ripped implies that your bodyfat is low enough to expose the striations and definition in your muscle. Putting on muscle mass implies that you're growing, literally adding size, your muscles. You can be ripped and still not have significant muscle mass. You can have significant muscle mass and not be ripped.

lporter229

There's a big difference between being ripped and putting on mass. Being ripped implies that your bodyfat is low enough to expose the striations and definition in your muscle. Putting on muscle mass implies that you're growing, literally adding size, your muscles. You can be ripped and still not have significant muscle mass. You can have significant muscle mass and not be ripped.

Agreed.

lporter229

Who says you should not have less than 21% bodyfat?

This is from all of the charts I have seen, based on my age. I am 40 and still have not given up on having children (another story altogether). I don't want to do anything that would put my body in a difficult position for this. From what I have read, a woman having too little body fat can have trouble conceiving.