Lose fat/gaining muscle vs. lose fat with/cal reduction
AmyzNewGroove
Posts: 142 Member
I'm trying to go Sherlock Holmes on this and ive got myself very confused.
Looking at scooby's TDEE calculator it gives you the different goal options, most of which involve "lose fat with X % calorie reduction." I get that. How does the goal change when you are trying to lose fat and gain muscle though? Does that mean that while losing fat at a % of TDEE cut, we are burning some muscle, too?? Do I want to do that if only the name of reaching a goal scale weight???
So here's the thing. I'm a female, 5'5"; 136lbs; 31 yo; moderate activity level; 25% BF (measured recently in a Bod Pod); and at this point I've been gaining/losing the same 2 lbs for four weeks. Measurements haven't changed in 2 weeks (although to be fair, TOM just ended last Monday). I carry a lot of fat in my chest (saggy C cup) and my thighs. Those measurements haven't changed at all in the 5 weeks since I've started tracking measurements. So I'm starting to wonder if I'm going about this from the wrong angle...maybe instead of trying to cut weight, I should be trying to develop muscle in the chest/thighs and let the muscle blast the fat...? Is that doable? If so, how??
Thoughts? Experiences? Suggestions? Bueller??
ETA: I lift machine weights 2x/week, run 2x/week, and do a Kettlebell DVD 1-2/week. Hate lifting love cardio, trying to swap those feeling around but I'm just my there yet!
Looking at scooby's TDEE calculator it gives you the different goal options, most of which involve "lose fat with X % calorie reduction." I get that. How does the goal change when you are trying to lose fat and gain muscle though? Does that mean that while losing fat at a % of TDEE cut, we are burning some muscle, too?? Do I want to do that if only the name of reaching a goal scale weight???
So here's the thing. I'm a female, 5'5"; 136lbs; 31 yo; moderate activity level; 25% BF (measured recently in a Bod Pod); and at this point I've been gaining/losing the same 2 lbs for four weeks. Measurements haven't changed in 2 weeks (although to be fair, TOM just ended last Monday). I carry a lot of fat in my chest (saggy C cup) and my thighs. Those measurements haven't changed at all in the 5 weeks since I've started tracking measurements. So I'm starting to wonder if I'm going about this from the wrong angle...maybe instead of trying to cut weight, I should be trying to develop muscle in the chest/thighs and let the muscle blast the fat...? Is that doable? If so, how??
Thoughts? Experiences? Suggestions? Bueller??
ETA: I lift machine weights 2x/week, run 2x/week, and do a Kettlebell DVD 1-2/week. Hate lifting love cardio, trying to swap those feeling around but I'm just my there yet!
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I'm going to bump because I'd be interested to know who does tdee with no cut either. My bf is 22-23% and I carry my weight in my chest too but with 10ff cup.0
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I'm going to bump because I'd be interested to know who does tdee with no cut either. My bf is 22-23% and I carry my weight in my chest too but with 10ff cup.
Oh honey my back hurts just reading your bra size!!! Where do you even find a 10ff??0 -
Kiki wrote something up on one of the other topics about this...but searching on here is not very easy...so hear goes
TDEE means eating maintenance calories which means you shouldn't gain or lose. If you provide yourself the right amount of protein (about 1gr per pound of body weight) you could gain some muscle mass and lose fat. There are differing opinions out there, but based on what I have read that you can gain lean muscle mass while maintaining weight...it is possible but not highly likely because of the numbers I will talk about in a moment.
Now during the cut phase it is highly improbable to actually gain lean muscle mass because you must provide yourself with enough calories to build muscle (need 2500 calories to gain one pound of lean muscle) on top of BMR, so if you crunch the number you can see how it would be difficult to do so eating at cut. However, when you are a bigger person, you already have a lot of muscle because it takes muscle to carry higher weights, the problem with low caling is that you tend to lose lots of muscle during the weight loss journey. So, that is why we stress a smaller deficit, higher protein so that you can hold on to more lean muscle mass..then adding the strength training...seo once the fat burns off you have toned muscles that will be revealed. So it almost seems like you gained muscle mass during the process, but really, you have just kept more muscle during "slower" weight loss, toning up what was already there.
Ok true Bulkinging - if you are on the smaller side and want to really gain more muscle mass, then you would bump your TDEE by 15% which is about .5lbs per week gain, half of which will be fat and the other lean muscle mass. The bulk cycle usually should last about 10-12 weeks, so you would gain about 5-6lbs of weight and again half of which should be muscle. Then you can drop your calories a little until you start losing weight. KEY NOTE...you do not want to drop weight quickly because you don't want to lose the precious muscle you gained. So, me personally, when I finally do my bulk cycle I plan to drop by 200 calories to see how it goes and then add 100 or so every couple weeks until I lose the fat.
Hope this helps!0 -
Ok thanks Lucia that was helpful. I dont think bulking is the route I want to take right now...maybe I just need to be more patient with my trouble areas and trust that the fat WILL eventually melt from those areas. I am starting to wonder if I should change my calorie deficit to 10% (instead of 15) as it seems I have hit a plateau and I'm starving all.the.time... Maybe go up in just protein and see if it makes a diff...0
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While lifting to maintain during cut, does that help with the weight loss and shaping of your body....inches lost?0
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Lol, seriously none of my friends believe me, apparently i wear them well??? Thankfully bra companies now realize that d is not the biggest size anymore.0
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Lol, seriously none of my friends believe me, apparently i wear them well??? Thankfully bra companies now realize that d is not the biggest size anymore.
Girl, I am several letters BEYOND you!! There are only a few choices in sizes like ours~ I use the Goddess line and have to order online. The bottom line is to WEAR THE CORRECT SIZE no matter what!!!!
(BTW~ there are bras that go up 'M' cup)0 -
Ok thanks Lucia that was helpful. I dont think bulking is the route I want to take right now...maybe I just need to be more patient with my trouble areas and trust that the fat WILL eventually melt from those areas. I am starting to wonder if I should change my calorie deficit to 10% (instead of 15) as it seems I have hit a plateau and I'm starving all.the.time... Maybe go up in just protein and see if it makes a diff...
You are 136lbs at 5'5", try the 10%...me I would eat healthy TDEE cals with lots of protein and lift heavy and do 2 good HIIT sessions a week...hold lean mass and burn off fat, but it won't equate necessarily to weight on the scale...
You sound like you are looking for definition, tone and decreased fat....0 -
You are 136lbs at 5'5", try the 10%...me I would eat healthy TDEE cals with lots of protein and lift heavy and do 2 good HIIT sessions a week...hold lean mass and burn off fat, but it won't equate necessarily to weight on the scale...
You sound like you are looking for definition, tone and decreased fat....
Yes, exactly that Ok...as crazy as it feels, I'll eat my TDEE, and see what happens. Thanks again! As usual, your insight and advice is invaluable!!! 0 -
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