Increasing lean body mass while losing weight

running_free_1984
running_free_1984 Posts: 115 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Dear MFP,

I'm trying to increase lean mass and lose weight. Up to this point i have been gaining muscle and losing fat. I know this because my weight has not changed but measurements have decreased. I exercise a lot, typically 120-160 mins strength training per week and running 3-4 days in the week (distances between 3 and 8 miles building back up to 13 miles in the next 2-3 months).

I'm strong and have stamina but i want to increase my speed more and i think that the final stone i need to lose is making this hard. So there it is, need to lose more weight and increase/ maintain muscle. Up till now I've lost 49.2 lbs and i have a super Spartan race to look forward to in sept.

I'm really not a fan of limiting my food intake and i drink a protein shake each morning (phd diet). I'm not keeping my food diary atm as i have very little time to log food right now. But typically I'm getting 1600-2000 cals a day. At the weekend, i enjoy myself and have some drinks and if we order food then i enjoy it.

So any advice, i know there will be a lot of different suggestions and opinions. Thanks in advance.

Replies

  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    Not likely you're gaining any significant muscle if you're eating at a deficit.
  • Dylanss180
    Dylanss180 Posts: 11
    If you don't want to change your diet but still want to loose fat. You need to change your excercises so that they are short but intense.

    What worked for me is I do 40 minutes of weights (I am working hard and sweating with the weights) followed by 20-25 minutes of High intensity Cardio 5 days a week. Keep the workouts intense and I guarantee you will burn off more fat and keep the muscle you have.

    Steady state cardio (40 minutes on a treadmill or bike etc) only makes you loose muscle. I am not going to go into detail but you can look it
  • running_free_1984
    running_free_1984 Posts: 115 Member
    I don't think I'm eating at a deficit right now, like i said i don't like limiting food, i just can't function. I just want to reduce body fat and better my performance i guess.
  • running_free_1984
    running_free_1984 Posts: 115 Member
    If you don't want to change your diet but still want to loose fat. You need to change your excercises so that they are short but intense.

    What worked for me is I do 40 minutes of weights (I am working hard and sweating with the weights) followed by 20-25 minutes of High intensity Cardio 5 days a week. Keep the workouts intense and I guarantee you will burn off more fat and keep the muscle you have.

    Steady state cardio (40 minutes on a treadmill or bike etc) only makes you loose muscle. I am not going to go into detail but you can look it

    I have read this about steady state cardio but I'm doing a half marathon in March so I've got to keep that in mind too. I'll see if i can increase the intensity while in using weights.
  • doz83
    doz83 Posts: 3
    The other thing you have to bear in mind is whether the strength training you are doing is actually doing you any good. I read the New Rules of Lifting for Women and I have to say it was a complete eye opener about the types of weights women should be lifting (i.e. heavy). The author made a really interesting observation that when strength training women use 2-3 pound weights yet the bag they carry (or children) in their every day lives are unusually much heavier!
  • running_free_1984
    running_free_1984 Posts: 115 Member
    The other thing you have to bear in mind is whether the strength training you are doing is actually doing you any good. I read the New Rules of Lifting for Women and I have to say it was a complete eye opener about the types of weights women should be lifting (i.e. heavy). The author made a really interesting observation that when strength training women use 2-3 pound weights yet the bag they carry (or children) in their every day lives are unusually much heavier!

    I recently moved to 4/5 lb weights when strength training. When i do my usual two shreds my arms feel like they're going to drop off. But i am noticing more definition with the heavier weightsI'm going to read this lifting for women rules thing, it sounds really interesting. I'd love to get time to go to the gym and do that as I'm definitely built for lifting and strength. But for now ill have to stick to lifting the kids, goodness knows they are rather heavy. I was throwing them up in the air yesterday and that was a killer but they wouldn't let me stop!!! I think Mikey must weigh 7-10 kg and issy even more lol

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