how to gain muscle once at goal weight...?

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Natalia333
Natalia333 Posts: 12
in Health and Weight Loss
Im at goal weight 125 and im 5'9" i still have a little lower belly pooch that i cant seem to get rid of but definatly dont want to look gross and under weight.. i would like to just start toning . wuestion is how do i just weight lift and not gain back all the previous weight? and do i add on calories or stay the same?

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  • jesz124
    jesz124 Posts: 1,004 Member
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    Have you tried the search option above ^ I use it frequently to get answers as you can bet someone has asked your questions loads of times before. I think it's a really good way to get info quickly without having to wait for people to reply etc x
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,708 Member
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    Im at goal weight 125 and im 5'9" i still have a little lower belly pooch that i cant seem to get rid of but definatly dont want to look gross and under weight.. i would like to just start toning . wuestion is how do i just weight lift and not gain back all the previous weight? and do i add on calories or stay the same?
    If you intend to gain muscle, then you WILL gain weight. There's no way around it.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • amclaws25
    amclaws25 Posts: 128 Member
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    Im at goal weight 125 and im 5'9" i still have a little lower belly pooch that i cant seem to get rid of but definatly dont want to look gross and under weight.. i would like to just start toning . wuestion is how do i just weight lift and not gain back all the previous weight? and do i add on calories or stay the same?
    If you intend to gain muscle, then you WILL gain weight. There's no way around it.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    Agreed. But it won't be fat so you will still be trim. :) Who cares what the scale says. Inches and hard muscle is where it's at. :)
  • Natalia333
    Natalia333 Posts: 12
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    i will try it thank you!
  • Going4Lean
    Going4Lean Posts: 1,077 Member
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    I can't believe you weight that much.
    I am 5'9 180lb and people tell me i am too lean already.
  • Natalia333
    Natalia333 Posts: 12
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    I agree im not worried about muscle weight im just worried about ending up with added fat back on if i dont balance my nbutrition correctly
  • Natalia333
    Natalia333 Posts: 12
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    people tell me in to skinny all the time i was dropping weight to loose my baby stomach but thgats the only thing i cant seem to loose... i kinda am giving up i would like to tone it back up n be a bit more for sure! and i think its ridiculous how people get put down just as much for being to skinny just as to over weight... you look like you are quite toned up though, is all you do strength training?
  • 78Octane
    78Octane Posts: 68
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    I would start at about maintenance calories plus 150 - 200 calories extra to pack on solid lean muscle mass without the risk of adding fat. It will be trial and error for a couple weeks or a couple months. It is much harder to estimate how many calories building muscle than losing weight. You goal at this point should be to put on muscle mass without fat.
  • Natalia333
    Natalia333 Posts: 12
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    I would start at about maintenance calories plus 150 - 200 calories extra to pack on solid lean muscle mass without the risk of adding fat. It will be trial and error for a couple weeks or a couple months. It is much harder to estimate how many calories building muscle than losing weight. You goal at this point should be to put on muscle mass without fat.

    thank you that is helpful
  • jawheb
    jawheb Posts: 295 Member
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    You will gain weight, but good muscle weight. If you eat the right foods you won't gain the fat back. Strength training is great for women. It helps prevent osteoporosis. It's great for your overall health. I say go for it. Once you start you'll love it!
  • whiteheaddg
    whiteheaddg Posts: 325 Member
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    I asked a similar question last week and received some good responses

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/691264-maintenance-phase-body-composition-advice-sought
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
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    I can't believe you weight that much.
    I am 5'9 180lb and people tell me i am too lean already.

    :huh: She's a woman. You're a man...


    Have you lifted before? If not, start with a good beginner's compound routine. I really like Stronglifts5x5. A lot of women like New Rules of Weight Lifting for Women. I've also heard really good things about Starting Strength. Start with low weight. REALLY focus on form (watch videos or get someone to help you). After that you can switch to a "hypertrophy" type program which is higher volume and will include some isolation moves.

    Figure out your maintenance. Eat there for a month or so (if you haven't already). Then start adding calories. 10% over is a good start. If you don't gain on that go with 15%. Stop increasing when you start gaining a pound every 2 weeks. You'll gain fat, muscle, and a lot of "other" stuff like water, glycogen and maybe even increased bone density.

    I did this last winter. I gained 10lbs. I'm sure some of it was fat but it was really hard to tell how much and where it went. Bulking is fun! It took me a while to get back into the dieting mind set though.
  • alexis831
    alexis831 Posts: 469 Member
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    1.First I would start adding your calories back SLOWLY! Like 100 a week. Your body can freak out if you just go back fast.
    2.Also just be aware that even though MY goal weight is 105… I am aiming for about 101-102 range because I know once I stop exercising and eating more my body will naturally weigh a little more because of water and food. So you might want to do the same. Just a thought.
    3.To maintain your weight in a pretty non-workout lifestyle you need to be eating around 1726 calories a day. If you workout and you want to stay the same weight I would eat those back.
    4.Weigh yourself at the same time 1x a month and if you notice, a significant increase cut your calorie intake a little for the next month. Don’t freak out…. If its about the same next month cut a little more out. Don’t go 6 months and then find out you are 8 pounds up! Note that if you are doing weights you might go up in muscle and down in fat. So be aware if you are lifting that might be the reason.
    5.If you are looking to tone and don’t care about bulking up I would start lifting 3x a week and no 3-5 pound weights… you are gonna need at least 8-10 lb weights.
    6.Protein does help, so a shake might be an option if you like that or more chicken if you want to go natural.
    7.Remember when you do a weight workout you do burn calories too. How much would be dependent on what you lift so estimate and eat those back if you feel like it.
    8.I got a fitbit so I know exactly how much I burn EVERY day. That and with my HRM for my cardio I can gage very effectively how much to eat. Might be something to look into.
    9.If you are doing weights and think you might freak out at a gain in weight since you might gain when you start lifting and are not in a deficit I would purchase a body fat tester and use it more then the scale!
    10.And I noticed you said your tummy isn’t where you want it even though your weight is. I would think about staying in a small deficit while lifting. A small one like 100 calories would still enable you at building some muscle or toning up and it would also help burn fat like crazy. In order to get that fat on your belly taken off you might need the weight portion to do it.

    So many options man! Congratz on your journey girl. Nice job!
  • jamk1446
    jamk1446 Posts: 5,577 Member
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    bumping for good advice :smile:
  • alexis831
    alexis831 Posts: 469 Member
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    Also, know that toning and bulking are WAY different. If you are looking for toning, you won't gain as much muscle as bulking. Toning can be done in a large deficit OR small deficit, OR no deficit. If you want to loose that belly fat and keep about the same weight do a small deficit. Personally when I am loosing weight or body fat I loose fat and tone at the same time with a good weight workout 3x a week. Bulking is done in a calorie surplus. 2 different things here.
  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,306 Member
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    I'm five nine...and last year I got down to 150...and i wouldn't want to be any thinner... have a best good friend look at you and tell you what you they think.
  • Louiyen
    Louiyen Posts: 69
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    Seems like you're at the weight you currently want to be so I say stay within your caloric maintenance. At the same time you should lift weight. Your body burns approximately 1200 calories daily doing nothing but sitting around anyways. Any additional work you add, i.e. working out, running, or just daily routine around the house are extra calories burned. To lose the belly fat, I'm a huge huge huge believer in intermittent fasting (IF). I have been on doing it for 3 weeks now and lost 3 lbs of fat and the appearance of muscles are just beginning to show even my lower abdominal fat. it's amazing. IF isn't a type of dieting but more like a simpler way of eating. you're still getting the same amount of calories you would normally intake but within a limited timeframe. To make this short. I recommend that you fast for 16 hrs (this include the time you are sleeping), and after the 16 hr fast, you can eat whatever you want for the next 8 hours. The time you want to fast and feast is up to you. I generally fast from 7 p.m to 2 p.m. and feast between 2 pm to 7pm. If you would like further information as to why or how it works than message. me. I hope this helps.

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