Confused on Where to Go From Here

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stephaniemarie416
stephaniemarie416 Posts: 49 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi everyone! I am looking for some advice from those of you who may have been in my situation. I was an avid MFP user when I first started my "journey" about a year and a half ago, which was initially to lose some extra weight I had put on due to a sedentary job (and lifestyle as well, unfortunately). I was never really overweight, but I was carrying an extra 15 pounds or so that I didn't need. I have since reached my goal weight, and have dropped below it and am now sitting right on the edge of being underweight. My goals have definitely changed since I've started living a healthier lifestyle and I do not desire to be simply "skinny" anymore, but to become strong and healthy with lean muscle.

I am kind lost on where to go from here.

I have recently started lifting heavy (for me at least) down in hopes of becoming stronger, and eventually rebuilding my curves (muscle this time instead of fat :)), have been eating more, and I have also cut my cardio down quite a bit. Here's where I am stuck: while I have lowered my body fat percentage a bit, but I am still hanging on to some extra fat on my thighs/calves that I'd ideally like to get rid of. The problem is that I really do not want to lose anymore weight. I have very little fat on my upper body anymore, and I'm afraid I'll just end up wasting away if I keep cutting calories/doing cardio to lose body fat. I am also afraid of losing the little bit of muscle I've built up. What do I do now? Should I try to do both at once, or would it be better to focus on one or the other? I've seen so many conflicting things on losing body fat while building muscle (as far as whether this is an attainable goal). Has this actually happened for anyone? What should I focus on now? I know I can get to where I want to be, but there's just so much conflicting information out there, I don't know what to do. Any help/advice is greatly appreciated!

Thank you & happy new year!!

Replies

  • Mischievous_Rascal
    Mischievous_Rascal Posts: 1,791 Member
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    You'll need to eat above your maintenance and add resistance/strength training to build muscle, with adequate protein and fat intake. Google body recomposition if you don't want to go the traditional bulking/cutting route. It takes time and patience, but it works!
  • stephaniemarie416
    stephaniemarie416 Posts: 49 Member
    Options
    You'll need to eat above your maintenance and add resistance/strength training to build muscle, with adequate protein and fat intake. Google body recomposition if you don't want to go the traditional bulking/cutting route. It takes time and patience, but it works!

    Thank you! I will do some more research. I was thinking the typical bulk followed by a cut would be the only option to get where I need to be, and it may be, but it's a great idea to try other alternatives that may have worked for others to see where they get me. Also, I think it's easy to forget that it takes LOTS of time to get where I want to be...and frustrating!

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