Keep/gain lean muscle but then want to lose weight

strength train while eating at a defict

and making sure to hit your protein goals (not the one MFP gives you). i think it's 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight.

strength train while eating at a defict

and making sure to hit your protein goals (not the one MFP gives you). i think it's 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight.

I think its 1g protein per lb lean body mass (you can work this out with an online body fat calculator) this is a lot easier than trying to eat 1g protein per lb body weight...

At least, thats what I'm doing....

yeah, you're right. it's lean body mass.

What the others said. Strength train while eating at a calorie deficit. And lots o' protein.

Ok so this probably sounds like a stupid question but what should my calorie deficit be? I always get confused when people tell me to have a deficit

Go to one of the links I mentioned above and find you maintenance calorie level. I suggest eating at a 10% cut. So for example if your maintenance is 2000 calories a day. Subtract 200 from that number everyday. I personally wouldn't do a deficit of 500 calories especially if you're working out. My maintenance is about 1500-1600 (since I am only 4'10" 104lbs. So I normally try to eat between 1400-1600 (I try to net 1300-1400 on my workout days) calories a day and get most of my deficit from exercise.

These numbers might be different for you if you're taller and weigh more. I don't have much to lose. SO basically I just eat at my maintenance. Sometimes a bit more on my workout days.

you can MAINTAIN muscle mass but it is IMPOSSIBLE to GAIN muscle mass while eating at a deficit... you can eat at a deficit and lose weight, lose inches and if being really careful, you can prevent major musle mass loss but you will never gain muscle mass while eating at a deficit I dont care how much strength training you are doing...

science disagrees with this...especially in overfat, novice or untrained individuals eating adequate protein.

put up or shut up...

http://www.livestrong.com/article/362906-can-you-build-muscle-on-a-calorie-deficit/


While this is not impossible to do, it can be quite difficult and requires several specific circumstances to be in place. First, you must be significantly overweight with a high body fat percentage. Second, you must consume a diet conducive to muscular hypertrophy. Third, you must engage in a consistent program of weight training.

Body Composition Requirements

Because the human body is designed to sacrifice muscle when losing weight as a survival mechanism, only a certain body type will permit the simultaneous growth of muscle and loss of overall mass. If you're significantly overweight, your body may be able to support increased muscle mass even on a caloric deficit, provided it has less fat to maintain. If you're relatively lean and/or muscular, however, it is much more difficult for your body to increase muscle mass while experiencing a caloric deficit.

Lift heavy (for you) and get your protein and rest. Don't eat in too large of deficit either. Research shows that the most effective amount of protein is between 0.75-1.0g of protein per pound of lean mass.

you can MAINTAIN muscle mass but it is IMPOSSIBLE to GAIN muscle mass while eating at a deficit... you can eat at a deficit and lose weight, lose inches and if being really careful, you can prevent major musle mass loss but you will never gain muscle mass while eating at a deficit I dont care how much strength training you are doing...

science disagrees with this...especially in overfat, novice or untrained individuals eating adequate protein.

My personal exprience backed up with Bodpod results shows that you most certainly can gain lean mass while in a deficit.

I went from about 250 ~45% BF (138 pounds of lean mass) to 210 @ 28% BF (149 pounds of lean mass). Took a year to do it but it can happen when you just start lifting.

I stand partially corrected..it CAN happen, its VERY VERY hard to do... and takes a certain body type, one that the OP , a female with only 15 pounds to lose, doesnt have...

ETA: wait..where did I read she only had 15 pounds to lose, because now I dont see it...

the debate is relevant... or is it only IRRELEVANT becaue YOU say so?? self-proclaimed expert.... you cant state something is true because YOU said so...again, put up or shutup

I stand partially corrected..it CAN happen, its VERY VERY hard to do... and takes a certain body type, one that the OP , a female with only 15 pounds to lose, doesnt have

I come from a background where I lifted weights and wrestled most of my life, then got fat and out of shape over the course of 10 years or so. So, I think that part of my results are the fact that I probably had some muscle memory and a good amount of muscle mass to start with. I'm also male and females generally are going to have issues building a lot of muscle even when eating in a surplus.

So my results are not typical but they can happen.

gotcha and agree on all points...

SURE ABOUT THAT BIG GUY??

go away

A pound of fat and a pound a muscle weight the same, exactly, but the volume of a pound of fat is about twice that of muscle, hence the loss in body size losing fat and gaining muscle. You are so correct, too many people are focused on weight loss and not the body becoming healthy!!! The scale can be your enemy, but the mirror never lies!!!!

Another report on gaining muscle while losing fat, and yes, it is true, I am doing it. http://scoobysworkshop.com/gain-muscle-lose-fat/

SURE ABOUT THAT BIG GUY??

go away

again, because YOU say so?? anything to offer of substance?? or you just try & bully folks into taking your crappy advice

Yo, take a deep breath and lighten up.

OP, the first response you got was the only one you needed.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/maki1.htm

Protein Intake

A Couple of Paragraphs in :



The nitrogen balance test uses nitrogen loss in the form of sweat, urine, feces, shedding of skin, and loss of hair on a day-to-day basis. If there is a positive balance in nitrogen levels, it means there has been more nitrogen ingested than excreted, and so, tissue growth can be a direct result. A negative balance shows researchers that more nitrogen is being excreted than taken in, and this means, of course, that more protein is being lost than produced. Basically, the protein requirement for sedentary adults involves replacing routine losses-the task, so to speak, is to keep the leaky bucket topped up.

So why did researchers in North America come to the conclusion that the RDA is only a rationed 0.8 grams per kilogram? Well it seems they concluded that 0.36 grams per kilogram of lean bodyweight in protein is lost per day. With a safety margin in place, it has been bumped up to 0.45 grams per kilogram of lean bodyweight, and then bumped up again to approximately 0.75 grams per kilogram. This is to replace the amount which may be lost during digestion, as well as making up for a lack in quality of protein.

The general protein requirement for sedentary adults is just enough that if one follows this guideline they will supply themselves with enough amino acids to replace each day's loss without allowing for exercise and the growth of muscle tissue. It's ironic that the RDA for children (who are experiencing growth) is greater than the RDA for adults. The Academy of Sciences and the nutrition board insist that exercise (which leads to musculo-collagenous hypertrophy among other changes in the body) doesn't generate an increase in one's protein requirements (1). Note that RDA can vary from place to place; Russia, Denmark, and Britain have different RDA standards.

Exercise adds a new dimension to the issue because the body, with an increased need for protein, has to rely heavily upon dietary sources rather than draw from it's own stores. If this need is not met during exercise then the body will start to draw upon its muscle tissue as a source. Though it may seem that humans don't need much protein, the facts haven't been established as to how much an exercising individual should be taking in.

Recent research shows that the RDA doesn't appear to meet the needs of exercising adults. One of the top researchers in this field, Dr Peter Lemon, stated in a recent review paper that, "the RDA for those engaged in strength training should be about 1.7 - 1.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body mass per day". Dr Lemon came to this conclusion after citing several studies (Fern, 1991, Tarnopolsky et al., 1992) which used amounts of protein ranging from 1.3 - 3.3 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight.

At Kent University researchers tested 3 different groups of people:
1.On a low protein diet which was 0.9 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight.
2.Another group eating 1.4 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight.
3.A group eating 2.4 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight.

Both sedentary and strength training groups were involved. The results showed that 1.4 grams resulted in protein synthesis while there were no changes in the low protein group and, finally, the group that ingested 2.4 grams of protein did not see any more increased protein synthesis than the 1.4 grams of protein group.

Another study conducted at the Letterman Army Institute of Research in San Francisco showed that subjects on a higher protein intake (2.8 g/kg/day), coupled with intense strength training, gained a whopping 3.28 kg (7.2 lbs) of lean mass. The study was done over a 40-day period and the subjects were trained to near exhaustion (2). Another study of weightlifters over a 3 month period, with the protein increased from 2.2g/kg/day to 3.5 g/kg/ day, resulted in a 6% increase in muscle mass and a 5% increase in strength (3).

Susan M Kleiner, who holds a PhD in nutrition and human performance from Case Western Reserve University, states in her book, Power Eating, that for muscle building an intake of 1.6-2.2 grams per kilogram of bodyweight is recommended. Dr Michael Colgan, in Optimum Sports Nutrition, claims that the RDA doesn't meet the needs of athletes who train in an intense fashion. So, the evidence provided by some of the highly regarded "experts" in this field indicates that the addition of extra protein has been shown to display positive effects which produce muscle growth.