Muscle gain and weight loss...

Every body is different, for me I have not lost a pound eating at my TDEE plus eating back my exercise calories with the most nutritious calories I can. So I think I may have to try not eating back my exercise calories if I want to lose more fat, and somehow maintain protein. Really difficult since meat is expensive and I don't like it much.

There might be some beginner gains but typically you won't grow your muscles and lose weight at the same time. Muscle growth requires a calorie surplus while weight loss requires a calorie deficit. It would be unproductive to try to balance both. Focus on losing weight first by cutting your calories. At this stage weight lifting will help you maintain your muscles.

It is very difficult to gain muscle and lose weight. After all, to gain muscle, you have to gain weight. Take 5 lbs of muscle and fat... the 5 lbs of muscle is much leaner and takes up less space than the fat. You need to be at a calorie surplus to gain muscle... the surplus varies from person to person, but what I learned in my Sports Nutrition class, it's usually about 200-300 above your TDEE.

I think the best thing for you to do is to lose the weight first. Keeping your intake higher than your BMR is a great start and I applaud you for not eating too low. So many people at below their BMR. Figure out what your average TDEE is and maybe go 250-500 calories below that. It sounds like you do not have a lot to lose so maybe get yourself on 1 lb a week first and once you get closer to your goal weight, adjust to the 1/2 lb setting.

If you're doing cardio at the gym or outside or wherever, the most accurate way to tell calories burned is from a heart rate monitor. If you can't get one now or can not afford one ( they are pricey ), then you can maybe think to eat back 50-75% of your calories. Gym machines may overestimate burns, but again this depends on the person and the machine. Also, exercising ( walking or running ) outside burns more calories than doing them inside. This is only if you do MFP way with the built in deficit and eating back calories.

Once you get to your goal, you might want to revisit the muscle building. If you do strength training now, you can keep the muscle you have. A lot of people lose their muscle when they are on large deficit and doing all cardio. ( I think I lost some muscle. I can't pick up the 40 lb water bottles at Costco like I used to ).

Hi. I'm 5'4 at a struggling 150 lbs. I did the while TDEE and BMR thing and I'm eating above my BMR but below my TDEE...trying to lose some weight but I'm also trying to gain muscle. On that note...should I be eating more to gain the muscle? I see people eating about 2200 calories and I don't understand that because I thought you'd gain weight....I'm trying to figure out if the calories I'm I taking is enough and I'm not eating too little or too much...

I think I'm confusing myself....

Help please.

Eating at maintenance or a surplus helps build muscle, though it takes time. Except for newbie gains, you won't get any muscle while eating at a deficit.

What does your lifting routine look like and how long have you been lifting for?

I keep hearing you can't gain muscle and lose weight, but I did it. I don't lift super heavy, but do it by doing cardio to get my hear rate up to fat burning speed, then lift with out resting between sets, reps or routine changes more than about 30 seconds. My cardiologist recommended building muscl forst to increase the fat burning rate. I also alternate cardio when "resing" my muscles from lifting. I am not bulking up, but have more strength than before and move higher weights, all while losing.

Good luck.

How are you determining that you're building muscle? Building strength is not the same as building muscle mass.