GW reached but still fat not muscle!

psmith_five

Ok, I'm 7 lbs from my ultimate weight goal of 200lbs but I sill have a lot of fat and not eough muscle.What's the best advice to stay current weight to convert my fat to muscle? Should I continue to eat at a reduced caloric intake or eat at a maintnance level and lift more? I was trying to loss the fat until I reached 185 then try to build the muscle back up to 200. Is that a reasonable plan? Is there a better way to to this?

psuLemon

Do you know your body fat %?


If you want to cut fat, 20% deficit from TDEE and weight training... and give it time.

Acg67

Ok, I'm 7 lbs from my ultimate weight goal of 200lbs but I sill have a lot of fat and not eough muscle.What's the best advice to stay current weight to convert my fat to muscle? Should I continue to eat at a reduced caloric intake or eat at a maintnance level and lift more? I was trying to loss the fat until I reached 185 then try to build the muscle back up to 200. Is that a reasonable plan? Is there a better way to to this?

You cannot convert fat into muscle. Choose a goal either continued fat loss or adding some muscle and focus on that. I'd also focus more on how I'm looking in the mirror vs arbitrary weight goals

psmith_five

So you're saying just stick with the lifting and don't worry about numbers and I'll get to my goal?

The 20% deficit from TDEE sounds like a good idea. I don't know my fat %, I don't have any calipers.

BrettPGH

Lift, lift, lift my man. And if you want to be gaining muscle you gotta eat too. Don't worry about the scale. Worry about how you feel and look.

And be sure to get your protein in.

escloflowneCHANGED

I expected to be 200lbs when I would be "done" I'm 193 now with 20.4% BF which means I set my new goal to 174lbs.

Captain_Tightpants

I'm not a low carb advocate but I've heard that for some individuals, a ketogenic diet can help them get rid of those last lbs and rip up.

Lyle McDonald has a book on the matter:
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/the-ketogenic-diet

mustgetmuscles1

My original goal when I started cutting was 170. Once I was close to that I realized I would not be as lean as I thought I would be by then and changed my goal to 160. Now that I have reached 160 I am trying to build muscle back up to 180 (lean). I calculate this should take me about 1.5-2 years.

It is up to you which one you do first but building muscle usually takes a calories surplus while cutting fat takes a calorie deficit. Not that realistic to do both at the same time. It may be possible for some but I assume it would be very difficult and not very efficient.

mustgetmuscles1

Here is a rough goal setting calculator. http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/ibw/ Instead of just picking a number out of the air you can input your stats and tell it what body fat you want to be at and it will tell you what weight goal to shoot for. You will need to have a rough guess of what your body fat is though.

psmith_five

Thank for the advice. I'l see if I can get some calipers or one of those fancy scales. Maybe I'll be able to make a better plan then.

mmapags

Just wanted to throw my .02 in on this. As others have said I would not be focused on my weight but on muscle mass and leaness. I would bulk if I were you and build a few pounds of lean mass. Yes you will add some fat also but when you go to the cut phase you maintian more mass if you cut conservatively and continue with strength training. I'd be shooting for a body fat % not a weight.

I just think it is always easier to add muscle mass then lose fat than the other way around. You will lose some lean mass along the way while losing fat. You will after a bulk too but you are starting from a higher base. Just my opinion.

californiagirl2012

Ok, I'm 7 lbs from my ultimate weight goal of 200lbs but I sill have a lot of fat and not eough muscle.What's the best advice to stay current weight to convert my fat to muscle? Should I continue to eat at a reduced caloric intake or eat at a maintnance level and lift more? I was trying to loss the fat until I reached 185 then try to build the muscle back up to 200. Is that a reasonable plan? Is there a better way to to this?

The only way to get rid of fat is a calorie deficit.

I would encourage you to start a beginner weight lifting routine. Just 3 days a week. Why?

Lifting weights is KEY. I recently had my DXA scan done and at 51.5 years of age I have the bone density of a super athletic 30 year old. That is a direct result of lifting for over 30 years. Now if that is not scientific proof that lifting weights keeps you younger I don't know what is! Also I believe it is why most people think I look much younger than I really am.

Girls, start lifting now. lift heavy and change it up often, find a lot of weight routines with free weights, make it fun, embrace it, make it part of your life. Only 3 days a week is all it would take. Crank up your tunes and learn to love it, because your body will love it and it will make your quality of life better in many ways, especially when you get older like me.

Because of this I don't have to worry about osteoporosis. If you wait until you are older and your bones start to deteriorate it's a bit too late, you can't get back what you lost, you can only start a resistance routine that will prevent further damage.

f you are a girl you don't have the hormones to get big naturally. I lift heavy and I'm still really tiny. My lean body mass is only 104 lbs and that is fairly heavy for a 5'1" female, and quite a bit of this is due to my having very dense bones from 30 years of lifting, not all muscle, and I'm still quite tiny.

My muscles really are not that big, but they show a lot of definition because I'm quite lean. If I gained some fat then I would have a softer more toned look (which is OKAY too!). Then if I gained more fat I would look bulking and hefty like I did most of my life until last year. YOU CAN HAVE WHATEVER YOU WANT. Lean and ripped, soft and toned, or hefty, it all depends on how much fat you leave on your body. Calories are the only thing that changes fat. Exercise is for changing or maintaining your lean body mass only. Lifting weights will give you the best bang for your buck for shaping your body. I finally changed my shape by putting lifting first and cardio 2nd. You cannot out exercise too many calories. I learned this the hard way ---> http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/740340-i-lost-60-lbs-at-age-51-anyone-can-any-workout

Acg67

Ok, I'm 7 lbs from my ultimate weight goal of 200lbs but I sill have a lot of fat and not eough muscle.What's the best advice to stay current weight to convert my fat to muscle? Should I continue to eat at a reduced caloric intake or eat at a maintnance level and lift more? I was trying to loss the fat until I reached 185 then try to build the muscle back up to 200. Is that a reasonable plan? Is there a better way to to this?

The only way to get rid of fat is a calorie deficit.

I would encourage you to start a beginner weight lifting routine. Just 3 days a week. Why?

Lifting weights is KEY. I recently had my DXA scan done and at 51.5 years of age I have the bone density of a super athletic 30 year old. That is a direct result of lifting for over 30 years. Now if that is not scientific proof that lifting weights keeps you younger I don't know what is! Also I believe it is why most people think I look much younger than I really am.

Girls, start lifting now. lift heavy and change it up often, find a lot of weight routines with free weights, make it fun, embrace it, make it part of your life. Only 3 days a week is all it would take. Crank up your tunes and learn to love it, because your body will love it and it will make your quality of life better in many ways, especially when you get older like me.

Because of this I don't have to worry about osteoporosis. If you wait until you are older and your bones start to deteriorate it's a bit too late, you can't get back what you lost, you can only start a resistance routine that will prevent further damage.

f you are a girl you don't have the hormones to get big naturally. I lift heavy and I'm still really tiny. My lean body mass is only 104 lbs and that is fairly heavy for a 5'1" female, and quite a bit of this is due to my having very dense bones from 30 years of lifting, not all muscle, and I'm still quite tiny.

My muscles really are not that big, but they show a lot of definition because I'm quite lean. If I gained some fat then I would have a softer more toned look (which is OKAY too!). Then if I gained more fat I would look bulking and hefty like I did most of my life until last year. YOU CAN HAVE WHATEVER YOU WANT. Lean and ripped, soft and toned, or hefty, it all depends on how much fat you leave on your body. Calories are the only thing that changes fat. Exercise is for changing or maintaining your lean body mass only. Lifting weights will give you the best bang for your buck for shaping your body. I finally changed my shape by putting lifting first and cardio 2nd. You cannot out exercise too many calories. I learned this the hard way ---> http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/740340-i-lost-60-lbs-at-age-51-anyone-can-any-workout

Why'd you do your copy pasta that tells girls to lift heavy when OP is a guy?

fatboypup

congrats ..... you're skinny fat

aproc

There is no conversion of fat to muscle. XP You either eat a surplus to gain (and gain a bit of fat too possibly) or eat a deficit to lose pounds.

But it could really go either way. You could try a slow bulk to avoid gaining too much more fat. Some like to lose most of the fat and then start a bulk. Wouldn't feel comfortable making my suggestion since I don't know what your body comp is like but I'm always all for a bulk if there isn't much fat to lose. Go by bodyfat though and track that! I ignore the scale. I'm trying to cut a little since I feel I gained a bit more fat than I wanted on my bulk, but once I lose a few I'm just going to start another bulk but reevaluate my foods and calories.

aproc

Thank for the advice. I'l see if I can get some calipers or one of those fancy scales. Maybe I'll be able to make a better plan then.

Don't get the scale! I have one of those scales that "measures bodyfat". I had a bodpod reading saying 19.6% while my scale was saying 25%. Way off.

joannathechef

Thank for the advice. I'l see if I can get some calipers or one of those fancy scales. Maybe I'll be able to make a better plan then.

you can get a rough body fat number with a tape measure and the right calculator - no need to spend money unless you want to...

just saying

mustgetmuscles1

Thank for the advice. I'l see if I can get some calipers or one of those fancy scales. Maybe I'll be able to make a better plan then.

you can get a rough body fat number with a tape measure and the right calculator - no need to spend money unless you want to...

just saying

True. You could try one of these. They will not be 100% accurate but should get you close. http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/

psmith_five

This is all seriously great info. I should have mentioned I've been doing a lot of cardio to lose the fat in preperation for Tough Mudder in 3 weeks. After that I'll focus on increasing my amount of weight lifting. I'm sill very proud of what I've accomplished so far. It just motivates me to keep going and so do yall. Thanks again everyone.

mustgetmuscles1

This is for if you decide to cut first.

Here is some advice I just gave to a friend. I will paste it here because I think it has everything you need set up a plan.

Losing fat anywhere on the body is more to do with a calorie deficit than any particular exercise. With that said the fat will burn off from wherever the body decides. You can not control this and it usually comes off in the reverse order it went on.

To lose "weight" put your calories in a moderate deficit. Notice I said "weight". To make sure the majority of your weight loss comes from "body fat" you will need to do resistance training. Muscle is very expensive to maintain calorie wise. If you do not convince your body that the muscle is necessary it will get rid of it. This can look great on the scale but is terrible for body composition. This site is full of people who reach their weight loss goals and are not happy with the way their bodies look. (That is what people usually mean by "skinny-fat") This is usually do to excessive calorie deficit (from severe dieting or excessive cardio) and no resistance training (lifting relatively heavy weights).

Is cardio necessary for fat loss? Nope. You can lose weight just with diet alone or diet with strength training combined to maximize fat loss.

Should you do cardio anyways? Yep. Many benefits of doing cardio but I recommend high intensity cardio. 20-30 minutes as hard as you can go. Try HIIT training at first. Do that about 3 times per week. Spending hours on a treadmill will burn calories but is so inefficient that I think its a waste of time.

Read this and the attached study but do NOT lower your calories that low:
http://fitnessblackbook.com/dieting_for_fat_loss/maintain-muscle-mass-on-800-calories-per-day/

Watch this video for setting up calorie goals and macros (protein, fats, carbs)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bakMu9ddQ5I

Watch this video on which kind of cardio you might want to do.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up5n86VGC3c

TonyStark30

1 everyone has to cut further than they thought, and 2 we all look better eating the carbs we've cut out lol.