Gaining muscle, losing fat questions

nadunk
nadunk Posts: 7
in Food and Nutrition
January 22, 2014 2:25 pm
I would like any advice on dieting.

I am a 22yr old female. 5'10", 137 lbs. I am trying to build muscle and most importantly reduce body fat. I have had my calorie goal at 1240 a day, but now realizing that may be too low and impacting my progress. I work out about 5 days a week with a good mix of cardio, weights, and body weighted exercises. My BMR is calculated in about 1460. Considering this information, would a 1400 calorie goal be more appropriate? I try to keep carbs under 100g and protein as close to 100g as I can get it. I consider my diet well rounded with lots of vegetables, lean meats, and good fats. Any advice or suggestions are very appreciated!

Replies

  • __freckles__
    __freckles__ Posts: 1,238 Member
    January 22, 2014 2:25 pm
    I would like any advice on dieting.

    I am a 22yr old female. 5'10", 137 lbs. I am trying to build muscle and most importantly reduce body fat. I have had my calorie goal at 1240 a day, but now realizing that may be too low and impacting my progress. I work out about 5 days a week with a good mix of cardio, weights, and body weighted exercises. My BMR is calculated in about 1460. Considering this information, would a 1400 calorie goal be more appropriate? I try to keep carbs under 100g and protein as close to 100g as I can get it. I consider my diet well rounded with lots of vegetables, lean meats, and good fats. Any advice or suggestions are very appreciated!

    You need to eat at a calorie surplus in order to build muscle. If your BMR is 1460, eating at 1400 is not going to get you any muscle. In fact, you'll probably lose some. You need to eat about 20% above your TDEE.

    I'm the same weight, but 2 inches shorter than you and am eating 2200 calories a day and trying to build muscle. So, I would play around with your numbers, but bottom line, you gotta eat way more than that honey.
  • odddrums
    odddrums Posts: 342 Member
    Sounds like you've got a good hold on things. If you're not trying to lose weight, I'd say focus on weight lifting 3 times a week and drop cardio to 1-2 times a week. Make sure you eat all your exercise calories back and play around with your calorie numbers a bit, 1500 seems low for someone as tall as you. Play around with your calories if you start to feel sluggish, you can't gain muscle when you're too tired to function.

    Everyone will tell you you can't gain muscle without eating more so you might want to start there. You will need to eat more to gain more muscle. How much is something you'll need to figure out. Try adding 100-200 calories a day for a week and seeing if you maintain. After 2 weeks, if you don't gain, add more and try it again. Once you start gaining, go back 100-200 calories and level off. Also EAT MORE WHEN YOU LIFT. This is key. If you eat less every day and more on the days you lift, you'll level out and [hopefully] gain some muscle faster.

    Weight lifting will help you gain strength and muscle, plus lose fat. Look into Starting Strength, it's a great program and the book is really, really helpful in explaining everything you should be doing. Stronglifts is okay and it's free, but you do get what you pay for and I believe starting strength is worth the money [plus it's cheap on amazon].

    Everything else sounds fine, keep your macros where the are and keep trying to lift heavier and heavier with good form. A spotter or trainer helps a lot when starting, they'll keep you from doing something incorrectly and avoiding injury.

    Message me if you have other questions!
  • kdiamond
    kdiamond Posts: 3,329 Member
    You're gonna need a lot more than 1400 at 5'10"!!!

    I'd personally start at 1800 and work up from there. I am 5'3" and 110 pounds and my maintenance is over 1900!! And you need to eat at least at maintenance if not more to gain any sort of muscle. Keep up with the weights and add some healthy calories. You'll get good results.
  • skinnyinnotime
    skinnyinnotime Posts: 4,078 Member
    You shouldn't be eating below your BMR. Try 1600 and a little extra on lifting days.
  • nadunk
    nadunk Posts: 7
    I appreciate all of your posts! I will work on increasing my weights as well. Any diet tips on cutting body fat? Or just increasing calorie intake while increasing my weight lifting? Although I'm tall, I'm pretty small framed and naturally thin just have the HARDEST time getting any cut or seeing any change in my body. Feel like a skinny flabby person if you know what I mean haha
  • skinnyinnotime
    skinnyinnotime Posts: 4,078 Member
    No diet tips for fat loss other than eat at a deficit and the muscles you're retaining will help burn fat too.

    You need to eat more to nourish your body, it's better to eat more and lose slower than lose quickly, which usually means more muscle loss.
  • leaner426
    leaner426 Posts: 89 Member
    I just saw a post on "Lean bulk". If you look it up on the internet it is all about eating and working out to add muscle. Have you read up on that?
  • nadunk
    nadunk Posts: 7
    No I haven't I will check that out!
  • nadunk
    nadunk Posts: 7
    Thanks for the advice. I'm not trying to really lose weight, just see some better results with my workout!
  • Temple_Fit
    Temple_Fit Posts: 299 Member
    Clean bulk eat & heavy lifting! The muscle you build will help w/ the fat loss. Take a fat burner. I take Cayenne.
  • MrsRobertson1005
    MrsRobertson1005 Posts: 552 Member
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1090814-one-year-can-change-your-life-pic-heavy
    This post and the blogs that go with it do a great job of explaining eating and working out to get lean
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    Thanks for the advice. I'm not trying to really lose weight, just see some better results with my workout!
    The calories you list sound like 'losing weight' calories - I follow the lean gains methods http://www.leangains.com/search/label/Leangains Guide and on my 'rest' days I eat 1400-1600 calories workout days 1000 calories more. Even workout days I'm still likely under TDEE when you include the extra burn from the lifting and I'm looking to lose a good chunk of weight!

    So, if you want increased muscle from lifting, typically for a 'normal' routine, you'd go maybe 250 calories over your TDEE every day.
    With lean gains you alternate days over (work out) and days under or at maintenance (rest), the idea being that it gets food when it needs it - if nothing else, the reduced deficit from the off days means you won't put as much fat on even if gains are reduced.

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