Question: How to lose weight and NOT gain muscle!

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Replies

  • samntha14
    samntha14 Posts: 2,084 Member
    oops quoting error
  • samntha14
    samntha14 Posts: 2,084 Member
    Lift lighter weights with higher reps. That builds skinny lean muscle. Heavy weights that you can only lift 5-6 times into muscle failure will build the bulky muscle.
    (It's already been said like 10 times, but here's one more.) I call BS! I hardly look bulky nor do ANY of the women on my program. Hell, I don't even have good definition. When most people look at me (not flexing) I just look skinny to them. We may be beginners but I know fitness competitors who lift seriously heavy who are lean and mean. NOBODY would ever accuse them of being "bulky".
  • merzback
    merzback Posts: 453 Member
    This should not even remotely be a concern

    I agree completely.
  • dmpizza
    dmpizza Posts: 3,321 Member
    You are putting the cart waaaaaaayyyy before the horse.
    Just keep working out, and eating right. You will not turn into a female Arnold, unless you become a competitive body builder and consume 6,000 calories a day.
  • pinkglitz
    pinkglitz Posts: 28
    I would rather weigh more and be tight than skinny and flabby. That's what I'm mad at right now, when I was younger I was tubby but it was solid, I didn't jiggle when I walked, now I got cellulite and wobbly bits all over so my plan is to drop the weight but tone up as I go too.

    I don't like looking ripped as a female either but I don't want to look doughy so that's more important to me. I think you have to be a real slave to the gym and weights to get bulky muscles (and eating mega protein) though so I wouldn't worry about it.
  • gamerkiwi
    gamerkiwi Posts: 93 Member
    Just because you gain muscle, you're not going to get bulky. Getting any real amount of muscle requires a caloric surplus (the opposite of what you want to lose fat) and lots of dedication. Imagine if all those hard-gainers out there, gaining half a pound of lean mass a week on their 3000Cal diets and lifting heavy-weights with discipline and dedication that puts the greatest monks to shame, saw you, a woman on a caloric deficit diet, gain a bunch of bulk.
  • TheBraveryLover
    TheBraveryLover Posts: 1,217 Member
    If you're losing weight, you're not gaining muscle. You should try to keep the muscle you have though and to do that, keep a decent amount of protein intake (much higher than MFP recommends) and do strength training/weight lifting.
  • davesmellslikenirvana
    davesmellslikenirvana Posts: 1
    How many grams of protein should I take if I don't want to gain muscle and lose weight
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,990 Member
    How many grams of protein should I take if I don't want to gain muscle and lose weight
    You don't gain muscle losing weight. There are a couple of exceptions, but for general overweight population, gaining muscle while on calorie deficit isn't going to happen.
    .6 to .8 grams per pound of body weight seems to be an average according to the National Academy of Sciences, Food and Nutrition Board.

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