How can i loose more fat, instead of gaining muscle.

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sjkiestler
sjkiestler Posts: 9
in Fitness and Exercise
How can I loose more weight, instead of gaining muscle. I eat around 1000 calories a day, and burn 500 off at the gym using the elliptical,bike, and treadmill. I just feel like more of it is muscle gained instead of loosing weight. any suggestions?

Thanks!

Replies

  • shastacrystal
    shastacrystal Posts: 262
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    You are definitely not eating enough calories!!
  • Just_Dot
    Just_Dot Posts: 2,289 Member
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    The more muscle you gain, the more fat you burn, so you actually WANT to gain muscle.
  • ladyhawk00
    ladyhawk00 Posts: 2,457 Member
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    Read these threads about metabolism and the importance of eating enough to fuel your body. Good luck to you!

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficits

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo
  • KatieM7
    KatieM7 Posts: 588 Member
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    I agree you are not eating enough and muscle burns calories. So you want the muscle!
  • FaeFae
    FaeFae Posts: 243 Member
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    whether the scale goes down or not you are still transforming your body! Eventually the number on the scale will go down. Its not about the number though its about how you look and feel. Take your measurements and focus on those results!
  • superbeffie
    superbeffie Posts: 93 Member
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    You aren't eating NEARLY enough. 1200 is minimum without any exercise. What you are doing will put your body into starvation mode and shut down your metabolism.
  • bangarangbree
    bangarangbree Posts: 39
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    Gaining muscle is good! It burns lots of fat and enables you to basically live a better life. And you are not eating near enough calories! It is very likely your metabolism is moving super slowly. eat right and the weight will begin to go!
  • cleo77
    cleo77 Posts: 93 Member
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    you want to gain muscle, for this is the only way to burn fat. you are eating too few calories for your fitness level. your body is going to hold on to the fat, while your muscles are wasting away because you are in starvation mode.
  • shallott
    shallott Posts: 14 Member
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    I am not a doctor; however, I can already tell you that even if you didn't burn off 500 calories a the gym you not taking in enough calories to sustain your metabolism for regular activity, let alone building muscle and burning fat. You are actually putting your body into starvation mode, which means your body will hang onto every calorie you put into it and try to store it as fat. Second, if you are a woman, it is hard to put on bulky muscle because our bodies do not have enough testosterone to support that type of growth. Third, the more lean muscle you have the more calories your body burns during workouts, recovery and everyday activities.
    Do activities that make you feel good about yourself, eat responsibly and don't compare yourself to anyone else and you should reach your goals successfully.
    Good Luck!!
  • sjkiestler
    sjkiestler Posts: 9
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    Thank you guys for the input, i wasn't aware that muscle burned more fat. I was only stuck on the fact that "muscle weighs more than fat" and i really just want the number on the scale to go down. And I am not trying to put my body into starvation, i cut out all of my junk food, and have been eating lots of fruits and lean protein which doesn't have as many calories but is very fulfilling, I am never hungry and eat 4 times a day, eating 1200 calories would require me to eat even though im not hungry. any suggestions
  • amymeenieminymo
    amymeenieminymo Posts: 2,394 Member
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    Your body is only netting 500 calories. That is far too few. You should be eating a minimum of 1200 calories a day and then whatever you burn on top of that. So if you're burning off 500 calories, you should be eating a minimum of 1700 calories on those days.
  • amymeenieminymo
    amymeenieminymo Posts: 2,394 Member
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    Thank you guys for the input, i wasn't aware that muscle burned more fat. I was only stuck on the fact that "muscle weighs more than fat" and i really just want the number on the scale to go down. And I am not trying to put my body into starvation, i cut out all of my junk food, and have been eating lots of fruits and lean protein which doesn't have as many calories but is very fulfilling, I am never hungry and eat 4 times a day, eating 1200 calories would require me to eat even though im not hungry. any suggestions

    Muscle doesn't weight more than fat in the sense that you're thinking. Five pounds is five pounds whether it is muscle or fat. What they mean is by volume. So say you have an amount of fat that is the shape and size of a brick....and then you have a brick of muscle that is the same size and shape, but it will weigh more because muscle is more dense. So if you're burning fat and gaining muscle, the scale may go up a little, but you'll be smaller, leaner, and healthier, which is way better than any number on a scale.

    If the scale isn't giving you the results you want, measure by inches, clothes and pictures. Take your measurements once a month to see your progress, judge by how well your clothes fit and take pictures once a month. When I lost 50 pounds, I took pictures every ten pounds, and I really didn't think I would see a difference between each picture but even 10 pounds between losing 30 and 40 you could see a huge difference in the pics.

    Not feeling hungry is a symptom of starvation mode because your metabolism is shutting down to conserve itself. Think of yourself on a nice spring day, you energy is up, you're happy and feel great. You go out for a run and you feel like you could go all day. This is your metabolism when you're feeding it right. The more you feed it (within your calorie range) the better it will work and help you burn.

    Then think of yourself on a day that you zapped of energy and it's 100 degrees outside. Your laying around like a lump, even getting off the couch makes you sweat so you just lay around because trying to do anything makes you even more hot and tired. This is your metabolism when you're not feeding it enough. It slows way down so that it can hold on to as much food and energy as possible, because running like normal would burn through the food that you've got in your system.

    I hate to say eat even if you're not hungry, but you need to in order to get your metabolism back up and running. On the days when you need more calories but you're not hungry for them, eat something high in calories but low in volume. Nuts and seeds are great for this, even just a glass of fat free skim milk will provide 80-100 calories but won't fill you up that much.
  • iplayoutside19
    iplayoutside19 Posts: 2,304 Member
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    If you're only netting 500 calories you are likely losing muscle.

    It's thermodynamicly impossible to gain muscle in any calorie deficit.
  • sunleigh
    sunleigh Posts: 84 Member
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    i am not even going to talk about starvation mode, i am going to say you are hurting your body and doing more harm then good only taking in 500 calories a day. you need calories to live, to breath, to function and be healthy. If you need more calories, try high calorie good foods, like nuts or peanut butter, put some on your celery. walnuts are wonderful and full of good fats your body needs. Aim for 3 meals and 2 snacks a day. I know when i do not eat i get on a cycle of not being hungry. Make good choices but try to take in more.

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