building muscle while losing fat

I need some recommendations on how many Kcals I should eat to lose fat while building muscle. Seems like a magic place I cannot find. Do I eat my BMR? more? less? How many grams of protein per body weight should I eat? Follow a low carb diet perhaps? Thanks in advance for your advice!

Replies

  • jlclabo
    jlclabo Posts: 588 Member
    some say that its impossible to gain muscle while eating at a deficit... thats not true. im not a specialist, a pro, a trainer, or dietician.... but i would "suggest" eating about 10% below your tdee..... and go from there. will probably have to fiddle with that a little to suit your personal needs, but would be a good start. plus dont skimp on protein, you have to have it to build muscle.....
  • lindzgayle
    lindzgayle Posts: 131 Member
    I was told to aim for .8g - 1g of protein per pound of lean body mass. Not body weight, just lean body mass. Do you know your number for that?
  • HappyStack
    HappyStack Posts: 802 Member
    Aside from "newbie gains" it's next to impossible to build any appreciable lean mass whilst in a calorie deficit.

    What people usually misconstrue as muscle gain is a drop in body fat and "the pump", where your muscles swell with a bunch of stuff in the few days after a heavy workout.

    You can hover at TDEE and "slow gain" but you won't see a noticeable difference for a long, long time.
  • Yanicka1
    Yanicka1 Posts: 4,564 Member
    It is really slow to recomp. I suggest you find your TDEE, ( google is your friend) eat 10-20% below that number, do a strength training program and be patient
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    Sure, technicaly you can gain muscle on a calorie deficit but it will be a teeny tiny amount, especially considering OP is a woman (which makes it hard enough to gain muscle - very little testosterone) and doesn't have much to lose. What will more likely happen is that the muscles you have will become more visible as you lose the fat.

    Good news is, you can definitely retain your muscle mass and build strength and endurance on a calorie deficit. As far as protein, 1g per pound of LBM is recommended, as said above. If you don't know your LBM number, go with 0.6g to 0.8g per pound of total body weight. Normally for women, this is somewhere around 100g. Or you can set your macros by percent - 40% carbs, 30% fat and 30% protein.

    Here's a good website for determining calories:

    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
  • I am interested in this too, ideally I would like to maintain and build muscle if possible while losing approx 85lbs.

    How I have worked it out so far is like this, taken my BMR which is about 2150 (based on my pervious sedentary life) and I will eat about 1800 cals a day. Then on top of that I will work out and burn around 600 cals a day ( I am big so this should be possible). My cardio will, initially at least be long, moderate cardio in the morning in a fasted state to maximise fat burning and I will do strength training twice a week (increasing to 3 times a week). I will also try to increase the amount of quality protein in my diet (bit tricky as I am veggie but I can use protein powders and eggs).

    I believe doing it this way will probably take me longer to lose the weight but it should be a healthier, longer lasting weight loss. As my fitness improves I will add in yoga and perhaps some HIIT. My target weight is 147lbs. When I get to that I will alter my plan to rehaping my body with more emphasis on resistance training, weight lifting etc.
  • jayjay12345654321
    jayjay12345654321 Posts: 653 Member
    I am definitely not knowledgeable on building muscle with these scrawny legs and arms, but from what I've read from the guys and girls who are lifters, they go through bulking periods rather than a simultaneously state of lose fat/build muscle. I'm sure there's got to be a good reason for that. Look for a response from anyone with their shirt off or wearing a sports bra in front of a mirror. They'll know what to tell you! Lord knows I don't. :laugh:
  • tallblondie
    tallblondie Posts: 4 Member
    This is my first time using these posts, so hopefully I'm replying correctly . It seems general consensus is eating 20% less than total daily energy expenditure and 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body weight. I love you guys and appreciate all the advice!
  • arabianhorselover
    arabianhorselover Posts: 1,488 Member
    I still don't understand how a person can gain strength without gaining muscle, but I know it can be done.
  • GradatimFerociter
    GradatimFerociter Posts: 296 Member
    This is my first time using these posts, so hopefully I'm replying correctly . It seems general consensus is eating 20% less than total daily energy expenditure and 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body weight. I love you guys and appreciate all the advice!

    The most important thing is to use some metric for assessing your progress so you can adapt what you are doing. Take measurements etc.
  • GradatimFerociter
    GradatimFerociter Posts: 296 Member
    I still don't understand how a person can gain strength without gaining muscle, but I know it can be done.

    CNS adaptions, increased motor unit recruitment etc

    The internet is full of explanations (with decidedly variable cogency) if you are so inclined.

    :)
  • mccindy72
    mccindy72 Posts: 7,001 Member
    I am definitely not knowledgeable on building muscle with these scrawny legs and arms, but from what I've read from the guys and girls who are lifters, they go through bulking periods rather than a simultaneously state of lose fat/build muscle. I'm sure there's got to be a good reason for that. Look for a response from anyone with their shirt off or wearing a sports bra in front of a mirror. They'll know what to tell you! Lord knows I don't. :laugh:

    You can't do both at the same time. Muscle requires excess building material in order to create additional bulk. Calories above maintenance are required. Fat burning requires a deficit which forces the body to burn stored fat for energy. Calories below maintenance are required. Obese people will sometimes have both happen at the beginning of exercise, but it's not sustainable. Lose the fat while doing weight training to maintain current muscle, then when goal fat loss is achieved, eat at a surplus with a heavy lifting program to add muscle. It's difficult for women to add bulk to muscle, so it will be slow process.
    You could also intermittenty eat a deficit, lose fat, and then eat at a surplus and heavy lift to add muscle.
  • __freckles__
    __freckles__ Posts: 1,238 Member
    Aside from "newbie gains" it's next to impossible to build any appreciable lean mass whilst in a calorie deficit.

    What people usually misconstrue as muscle gain is a drop in body fat and "the pump", where your muscles swell with a bunch of stuff in the few days after a heavy workout.

    You can hover at TDEE and "slow gain" but you won't see a noticeable difference for a long, long time.

    Happystack ripped the words right out of my mouth.
  • __freckles__
    __freckles__ Posts: 1,238 Member
    This is my first time using these posts, so hopefully I'm replying correctly . It seems general consensus is eating 20% less than total daily energy expenditure and 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body weight. I love you guys and appreciate all the advice!

    No, 20% less than your TDEE is eating in a calorie deficit. If you eat that way and weight lift the best you can hope for is to retain LBM. In order to build muscle you need to eat at a surplus so at least 20% above your TDEE.
  • tallblondie
    tallblondie Posts: 4 Member
    I am definitely not knowledgeable on building muscle with these scrawny legs and arms, but from what I've read from the guys and girls who are lifters, they go through bulking periods rather than a simultaneously state of lose fat/build muscle. I'm sure there's got to be a good reason for that. Look for a response from anyone with their shirt off or wearing a sports bra in front of a mirror. They'll know what to tell you! Lord knows I don't. :laugh:

    You can't do both at the same time. Muscle requires excess building material in order to create additional bulk. Calories above maintenance are required. Fat burning requires a deficit which forces the body to burn stored fat for energy. Calories below maintenance are required. Obese people will sometimes have both happen at the beginning of exercise, but it's not sustainable. Lose the fat while doing weight training to maintain current muscle, then when goal fat loss is achieved, eat at a surplus with a heavy lifting program to add muscle. It's difficult for women to add bulk to muscle, so it will be slow process.
    You could also intermittenty eat a deficit, lose fat, and then eat at a surplus and heavy lift to add muscle.
  • tallblondie
    tallblondie Posts: 4 Member
    Good advice