Weight loss and muscle gain.

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webbman5
webbman5 Posts: 4
in Introduce Yourself
Hello, I'm a 28 year old male and I have only recently started to take my health seriously. I engage in some light cardiovascular exercise and I realize that this probably isn't enough to meet my goal of losing 10-20 pounds of body fat. I'm trying to motivate myself to do some serious strength training and adjust my diet accordingly. I'm now trying to keep an accurate track of my diet and my once healthy-seeming diet suddenly doesn't seem very healthy anymore. I've managed to cut my snacking habits to a minimum but I still find that I take in far to much carbohydrates, fats, and sodium. I suppose transitioning into the lifestyle of my choice is a process.

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  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,218 Member
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    Welcome. Fat loss is about diet more than exercise. The advantage of exercise is it allows you to eat more, and strength exercises help maintain muscle. While some small muscle gain is possible in a calorie deficit for those who are overweight or previously non-exercisers, it will not be substantial while you are eating at a calorie deficit. For lifting weights get an actual program. Stronglifts 5x5 is a good beginners program and there are lots of people here who use it, not to mention a stronglifts group.
  • VibrantAnnette
    VibrantAnnette Posts: 43 Member
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    I'm also working on muscle building as I've lost so much over the years. building through activities, diet and supplements.

    activities: thank goodness for muscle memory, which responds most rapidly to the activities you did when young and fit and strong, building muscle faster.

    diet: i always eat low fat protein after workouts. proteins and good fats are good for you, coconut oil, olive oil, cacao, oily fish, sesame oil and fresh nuts/seeds. frying turns oil into something not good for you, it's awful to fry food. there's a lot of validation that coconut oil causes you to get lean by increasing metabolism, and blocking absorption of bad fats and excess glucose/carbs. I like what an Italian bodybuilder wrote: get the right amount of protein, 1g for each # of body weight. I've seen the results, protein builds muscle. Muscle increases weight for awhile.

    supplements: i am now taking muscle-building supplements through a medically supervised plan. i think men are more familiar with these things. anyway, arginine pre-workout, carnitine post workout, glutamine throughout day. My Dr has now instructed me to add creatine to build more muscle.... This is all great news for me as adults reach their 40's+ they lose their growth hormone. you still have that going for you! good luck with your goals!
  • MamaMollyT
    MamaMollyT Posts: 197 Member
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    What and when you can be important for weight training vs cardio. When I weight train I try to eat enough protein and healthy fats in the early morning as I work out late morning time frame. You want some protein a few hours before. Have a healthy carb snack about 30-40 min before workout. An apple, banana etc... Then after your weight training you want to eat something with protein within two hours to help with muscle building and recovery. When I do distance running I eat more carbs but try to keep it very unprocessed. Lots of veg, some quinoa or brown rice, and more fruit. I have a very high activity level but it can still be hard to keep that last 5-10 lbs off. They always want to creep back as soon as I get lax with my diet. It is definitely important. I make turkey burger patties and cook them at the beginning of the week and those suckers are perfect for easy lunches and great for lean protein. I almost never eat out either because it is so hard to control what you are eating and the sodium is always through the roof. Keep tracking your diet and you will get it figured out. It takes some time to figure out what works for you, your schedule and routine and your body. Also I found it really helped me to get a trainer for a short period of time to get going with weight training. It really helps me a lot to get focused.
  • notelling123
    notelling123 Posts: 14 Member
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    If you've never lifted before you will see some immediate (over 3-6 months) muscle gain and fat loss even in a deficit (so long as you're not going crazy with sub 1500 per diem). If you want a program that allows you to track your exercise I recommend checking out labrada's lean body program on bodybuilding.com. It's free, and you can track your lifts with an app which is great for seeing your strength progress.

    I also followed this program as a brand new lifter. I started at 262 lbs and 36% body fat, I'm down to 226 and 22% body fat. If you work that out, I've lost 45 lbs of fat and gained about 9lbs of muscle in about 6 months. The program is demanding with 7 days a week. But I found that motivated me.

    Best of luck!
  • webbman5
    webbman5 Posts: 4
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    I appreciate all of the advice that was given. This seems like a very friendly and helpful community.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,659 Member
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    supplements: i am now taking muscle-building supplements through a medically supervised plan. i think men are more familiar with these things. anyway, arginine pre-workout, carnitine post workout, glutamine throughout day. My Dr has now instructed me to add creatine to build more muscle.... This is all great news for me as adults reach their 40's+ they lose their growth hormone. you still have that going for you! good luck with your goals!
    Most supplements aren't needed. If you're getting enough from your food, then supplementation (with the exception of protein power/drinks and creatine) is usually an extra cost with little benefits to show for them.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • tquill
    tquill Posts: 300 Member
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    I appreciate all of the advice that was given. This seems like a very friendly and helpful community.

    Ha, give it time...
  • farmerpam1
    farmerpam1 Posts: 402 Member
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    I appreciate all of the advice that was given. This seems like a very friendly and helpful community.

    Ha, give it time...


    ^^^:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: Just don't ask about "clean eating" and you'll be fine. Welcome.
  • sloth3toes
    sloth3toes Posts: 2,212 Member
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    I appreciate all of the advice that was given. This seems like a very friendly and helpful community.

    Ha, give it time...


    ^^^:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: Just don't ask about "clean eating" and you'll be fine. Welcome.

    In, for more potential humor.
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
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    You can't build any appreciable muscle mass in a calorie deficit unless you are very overweight, eating enough protein, and utilizing a strength training, ideally focusing on hypertrophy. Unless all of those are stipulations are met, if you're in a calorie deficit, the best you can hope for is to preserve as much muscle mass as possible while you lose weight, the majority of which is fat. There is an energy cost associated with building muscle and if you're in an energy deficit it's just not going to happen...
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
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    I would start by concentrating on the fat loss and getting fit. Do lots of cardio and lift weights to get fit but you wont really build in this loss mode. Start shopping in the produce isle and eat oatmeal & fruit in the morning. Skip the breads, chips and fries. This was what I did to lose the fat (beer gut gone), lose the weight (54 lbs). I feel great, run 4 times a week, lift three times a week and dropped my cholesterol over 50 points. Good luck!

    And no this is not a diet.....it is a lifestyle change.

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