Calories to build muscle

taranbatt
taranbatt Posts: 18 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
How can I figure the calories I need to consume to be able to build muscle? On strength training there is not a calories earned like the cardio tracker. Everything Im reading is saying that I need to eat more to gain muscle, but I also know I need to eat less to loose fat. Im sooo confused as how to figure this out. I was doing 1200 cals then I switched to about 1500 and started doing SL on the 13th and I havnt lost and weight in 2 weeks. I am 5 ' 1 and 130 lbs. I do cardio 60-90 min 6 days a week, and I have a desk job but I am on my feet helping several departments about 4 hours out of the work day.

Replies

  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    Practically speaking you aren't going to be capable of both losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time, you will have to choose one.

    Muscle gain requires caloric surplus which means you won't lose fat.

    Some say if you are at maintenance calorically you can do both but trying to ride that fine line is next to impossible and will likely just result in subpar muscle gain.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    So much info....

    You really need to figure out your TDEE and stay around maintenance to +5%. At your Ht/Wt/Gender you're not going to build muscle and lose fat. I say that meaning you could put on a miniscule amount, but you really wouldn't notice it.

    Since you literally just started SL, you're not going to lose weight right away, even in a deficit. The body retains water for repair when a new workout regimine is started, or the intensity is changed on a current one.

    Cutting back your cardio would also be another place to investigate. That is a TON of cardio. That's great if you like it, but I would replace those sessions with shorter HIIT and heavy lifting in order to build with your TDEE 5%.

    I'm all over the place, but:

    Figure out TDEE. Stay at maintenance or add 5% for recomp.

    Cut the steady state cardio down, replace with HIIT. (still find time for the long cardio sessions if you like it)

    Stay with SLs.
  • DeadliftAddict
    DeadliftAddict Posts: 746 Member
    Practically speaking you aren't going to be capable of both losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time, you will have to choose one.

    Muscle gain requires caloric surplus which means you won't lose fat.

    Some say if you are at maintenance calorically you can do both but trying to ride that fine line is next to impossible and will likely just result in subpar muscle gain.

    ^This. You can't really be on the fence with this or you will most likely be spinning your wheels for way longer that you want. Pick a goal and stick with it. You will get the results you want with less stress.

    Use one of the online calculators to start. This will give you an estimate of your TDEE. Remember these are an estimate and not exact. Eat at that estimate for 7 days. Do your best to not go over and not be too far under. Try and stick to within 50 calories under. At the end of the 7 days. Weigh yourself for the result. Did your weight stay the same? If so, great! Now add 250-500 calories. Eat that for 7 days. Did you gain a half a pound or full pound? If so, stay there and continue to track and lift. Now, don't gain too much per week or you will gain more fat than you want to. You will have to except that some fat gain will happen. Try aiming for a half pound a week and the fat gain will be minimal which you can get rid of with a smart cut. Hope this helps.
  • taranbatt
    taranbatt Posts: 18 Member
    Thanks guys! I still have quite a bit of fat to lose so I am going to stop the heavy lifting for a while and just focus on losing then I will pick back up with the weights! Thanks again :smile:
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Thanks guys! I still have quite a bit of fat to lose so I am going to stop the heavy lifting for a while and just focus on losing then I will pick back up with the weights! Thanks again :smile:

    Bad, bad, bad idea... Keep doing the weights to retain LBM... You'll then look better when you lose the weight.
  • AndiGirl70
    AndiGirl70 Posts: 542 Member
    Thanks guys! I still have quite a bit of fat to lose so I am going to stop the heavy lifting for a while and just focus on losing then I will pick back up with the weights! Thanks again :smile:

    Bad, bad, bad idea... Keep doing the weights to retain LBM... You'll then look better when you lose the weight.


    ^^^^ YES THIS! Don't stop lifting. I've struggled for the last couple months trying to figure out this same dilemma for myself. I've been stuck at the same weight for the past 4 months and I've been lifting for 3 months. My measurements have changed a bit but I figured out I need to focus more on the caloric consumption to reduce my body fat but I love the weight room now that I'm hooked. I might not build anymore muscle at the moment but I can at least keep what I have while trying to loose that last 30lbs. It all works together. Its all good.
  • navyrigger46
    navyrigger46 Posts: 1,301 Member
    Thanks guys! I still have quite a bit of fat to lose so I am going to stop the heavy lifting for a while and just focus on losing then I will pick back up with the weights! Thanks again :smile:

    Yeah, NO! Lifting heavy is even more important while cutting, that, combined with hitting your protein macro is what's going to help you maintain the lean mass you have.

    Rigger
  • DeadliftAddict
    DeadliftAddict Posts: 746 Member
    Thanks guys! I still have quite a bit of fat to lose so I am going to stop the heavy lifting for a while and just focus on losing then I will pick back up with the weights! Thanks again :smile:

    Like others have said. This would not be a good idea. Unless, you just want to still look the way you do now except a smaller version. You want your body to change as you lose the fat. You also want to preserve the muscle your body has developed while you lose fat. Continue to lift heavy while eating at a caloric deficit. The goal in the gym should be at the very least to try not lose strength. If you can progress great, but don't get weaker. You may lose a rep or two on a given lift. Eat an adequate amount of protein as well while you cut the fat. This will cause minimal muscle loss during your cut and when you body fat gets small enough you will see the muscle or "tone" that people want when they lose weight. Good luck.
  • Fsunami
    Fsunami Posts: 241 Member
    Practically speaking you aren't going to be capable of both losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time, you will have to choose one.

    Muscle gain requires caloric surplus which means you won't lose fat.

    Some say if you are at maintenance calorically you can do both but trying to ride that fine line is next to impossible and will likely just result in subpar muscle gain.

    ^This. You can't really be on the fence with this or you will most likely be spinning your wheels for way longer that you want. Pick a goal and stick with it. You will get the results you want with less stress.

    Use one of the online calculators to start. This will give you an estimate of your TDEE. Remember these are an estimate and not exact. Eat at that estimate for 7 days. Do your best to not go over and not be too far under. Try and stick to within 50 calories under. At the end of the 7 days. Weigh yourself for the result. Did your weight stay the same? If so, great! Now add 250-500 calories. Eat that for 7 days. Did you gain a half a pound or full pound? If so, stay there and continue to track and lift. Now, don't gain too much per week or you will gain more fat than you want to. You will have to except that some fat gain will happen. Try aiming for a half pound a week and the fat gain will be minimal which you can get rid of with a smart cut. Hope this helps.

    @Deadlift Addict - filing this one. Thanks for answering a question I wondered about but hadn't gotten around to asking...

    Fsunami
  • Sapporo
    Sapporo Posts: 693 Member
    Keep lifting and eat at or above maintenance. Since January I have gained about 5 lbs but I'm down 2 clothing sizes, which for me usually requires a 10-15lb loss per size. Being a bit smaller, a lot faster, and a lot stronger is good. I'm a bit of an oddball doing this at my weight but I wanted to take advantage of my strength and higher body weight to build some more muscle first.
    I just started a calorie deficit today to go for fat loss, will keep lifting though.
  • DeadliftAddict
    DeadliftAddict Posts: 746 Member
    Practically speaking you aren't going to be capable of both losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time, you will have to choose one.

    Muscle gain requires caloric surplus which means you won't lose fat.

    Some say if you are at maintenance calorically you can do both but trying to ride that fine line is next to impossible and will likely just result in subpar muscle gain.

    ^This. You can't really be on the fence with this or you will most likely be spinning your wheels for way longer that you want. Pick a goal and stick with it. You will get the results you want with less stress.

    Use one of the online calculators to start. This will give you an estimate of your TDEE. Remember these are an estimate and not exact. Eat at that estimate for 7 days. Do your best to not go over and not be too far under. Try and stick to within 50 calories under. At the end of the 7 days. Weigh yourself for the result. Did your weight stay the same? If so, great! Now add 250-500 calories. Eat that for 7 days. Did you gain a half a pound or full pound? If so, stay there and continue to track and lift. Now, don't gain too much per week or you will gain more fat than you want to. You will have to except that some fat gain will happen. Try aiming for a half pound a week and the fat gain will be minimal which you can get rid of with a smart cut. Hope this helps.

    @Deadlift Addict - filing this one. Thanks for answering a question I wondered about but hadn't gotten around to asking...

    Fsunami

    Always glad to help. I see a lot of people bashing but not often offering any good solid advice on these post.

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