Best foods to eat to lose fat and gain muscle???

SarahYoung84
SarahYoung84 Posts: 1
in Health and Weight Loss
Can anyone just list what foods are the best to lose weight but also to gain muscle?

And also what percentage of carbs/protein/fat should i be aiming for?

I go to the gym 5-7 times a week and do about 55 minutes of cardio then 10 minutes on the weight machines. I have also just started the Jillian Michaels 30 day shred today.

Any advice appreciated.

Ps, that is NOT me in my profile pic but how i would love to look.

Replies

  • Jemmuno
    Jemmuno Posts: 413 Member
    bump. would love to here some answers to these questions as well.
  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
    To calculate your TDEE-15% use this free calculator: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    Plug in the information and it will give you a good picture of what your goals should be and a sample meal to give you a good breakdown

    Eating healthy is probably the easiest thing to do: you simply dont eat junk foods, boxed foods, fast foods, etc. The fats you incorporate should be from natural sources. The proteins you purchase should be as fresh as possible. Same goes for everything else.

    Push water.... staying hydrated is so very important.
  • yodapooper
    yodapooper Posts: 62
    Bump!
  • mrseelmerfudd
    mrseelmerfudd Posts: 506 Member
    it is extremely difficult to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time, however a high protein diet can help somewhat and the right exercises!!
  • jesz124
    jesz124 Posts: 1,004 Member
    You'll need to look at changing your gym routine if you want to build muscle. 10 minutes on the machines won't achieve what your looking for by the sounds of it. Try searching on here for new rules of lifting for women or strong lifts to get some good information about exercising to build muscle.
  • betterdad88
    betterdad88 Posts: 3 Member
    Like it was stated before. It is difficult to lose weight and gain muscle. Since, when you lose weight. You have a tendency to lose muscle. You can eat a higher protein diet and you can prevent a lot of that loss muscle. Plus, as you lose weight and you lose the fat. Your muscles seem to magically appear. In other words, you get rid of all the nasty stuff covering them. Once you get down to your goal. Then you can start building the muscles.
  • jstandfield
    jstandfield Posts: 150 Member
    You want to start with a ratio of 40 carbs 40 protein and 20 fat. As your body changes you may need to tweak it a little. Take in good clean protein like tuna, baked skinless chicken, turkey and lean beef. Cottage cheese is good also Greek yogurt. As far as carbs go cut back on simple carbs and increase complex carbs but don't cut out the simple. You need simple carbs first thing in the morning and immediately after your workout. This is a good starting point. I hope this helps.
  • manderson27
    manderson27 Posts: 3,510 Member
    To lose fat you need a to eat at a calorie deficit and to retain your muscle mass you need to lift heavy along with your cardio.

    I do 10mins cardio to warm up then lift heavy for 45-60 mins then 15 min cardio cool down. If I am going to longer cardio I do it on a seperate day to my lifting. I am losing fat and maintaining my lean mass.

    To increase muscle you need to eat at a calorie surplus and lift heavy. I am not at that point yet.

    I am sure someone will go into more detail for you, there are some very knowledgeable people on here. I am just starting out on the lifting thing.
  • abbylg1983
    abbylg1983 Posts: 177 Member
    I agree with those that said change your gym routine. 10 min on weight machines is pretty much wasting your time. The New Rules of Weightlifting for Women author absolutely hates weight machines- except for a handful, like the lateral pull down.

    Try bench pressing with dumbbells. I have found that bench pressing with two dumbbells is way harder than using a barbell- even if the two dumbbells add up to less weight than one barbell. Also dumbbell rows, dumbbell swings, deadlifts, shoulder presses with dumbbells are all good. I like just simple squats and lunges variations; you can use weights with those if you want. Tricep dips and pushups are also really good.

    With an hour of cardio a day, you might be burning off muscle as well. Maybe you can shorten your cardio but make it more intense- do sprints and climbs, mix it up.

    For foods, you can't go wrong with lean protein and veggies. Eggs, chicken breasts, and fish are favorites for people who are trying to gain muscle. If you're reducing your calories by quite a bit, you're probably not going to gain muscle, even if you do notice yourself getting stronger.
  • smaschin
    smaschin Posts: 91
    lose weight = burn more than you put in whatever it is.

    To gain muscle, break it down through exercise and eat protein to help repair it.

    Gaining muscle will burn caloires in turn losing fat and chaning shape.

    There is no magic list, only calories in vs calories out

    peace

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