Fat loss, gain muscle help!

Hi, I´m 25 years old and 174cm tall. This week I started doing morning cardio 45 minutes where I burn 450 calories (according to my heart monitor) 5 days a week and then in the evenings weight lifting very slow intensity 4 times a day again for about 40 minutes. My goal is to lose fat and gain muscle. Right now I´m 69kg and my goal is to be 63 or maybe less :) But I´m still struggling how much should I eat to lose weight or fat ? I´m huge yoyo dieter. Please give me your advice :) thank you bye Lucie
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Replies

  • redfisher1974
    redfisher1974 Posts: 614 Member
    Did you add your info and goals to this site? It will tell you all this!
  • pander101
    pander101 Posts: 677 Member
    Start with what the site tells you and adjust from there.
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
    You wont be able to lose fat AND gain muscle at the same time. To lose fat you need a calorie deficit. To gain muscle you need, among other things, a calorie excess.

    Lose fat first, losing some muscle in the process, then build muscle, gaining some fat at the same time, and repeat.
  • TravelsWithHuckleberry
    TravelsWithHuckleberry Posts: 955 Member
    edited November 2014
    While it is hard to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time -- at least outside of newbie gains -- it can be very difficult for women to put on muscle, so retaining your existing lean muscle mass is hugely important! For that reason, I'd actually disagree with HMonsterX's suggestion to cut now and bulk later.

    The cardio will make it hard for you to add weight to your lifts as you progress, but if you don't care about that too much, then keep doing what you're doing. If you do care about lifting heavier as you continue, then you may have to cut back on some of the cardio and/or eat more when you stall out on your lifts.

    Personally, I'd recommend you do some research on your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) and use a 15-20% deficit of that as your calorie range rather than what MFP tells you. There are calculators at IIFYM.com. That said, there are other things to consider, so I'd definitely take a look at this thread and see what various folks have to say about it: Thoughts on TDEE calculators and Switching from MFP to TDEE

    Whatever you decide, with that amount of activity, you need to make sure you're eating enough to fuel your body, so some research into your BMR and your TDEE will at least give you some general ideas and something to compare with MFP, which often underestimates the number of calories for very active people. If the number of calories recommended seems too high, I'd encourage you to at least try it for a month or so. I am definitely eating more calories than I thought I could and am still losing an average of over 1 pound per week.

    I'd also suggest that you ignore the scale for a few weeks if you're new to lifting -- water retention and other various factors can make it go a little wonky at first. I'd HIGHLY recommend that you take your measurements and a set of pictures as soon as possible, and use those to gauge your progress until the scale settles down.

    Here is one other thread definitely worth looking at:
    A Guide to Get You Started on Your Path to Sexypants

    Good luck! :)
  • azwen
    azwen Posts: 237 Member
    I'm not sure what you mean by lifting at "very slow intensity". What kind of weights are you lifting? Are you following a program or just improvising?
    I recommend you eat what MFP tells you; some people decide to eat only a portion (say, half) of their exercise calories in case they are overestimated. Make sure you eat 1g of protein per lb. of lean body weight per day. It's very important if you want to maintain your muscle mass that you lift heavy 3-4 times a week, and get plenty of protein. In the past five months, I've lost 17.2 lbs. More importantly, my body fat % has dropped from 39% (ugh) to 27.5% (better, but not my final goal). I've lost inches all over; even my stubborn belly has shrunk by 5". I'm 5'7" 135.8 lbs. I eat between 1200-1500 calories a day typically. Like I said, I aim for 100g protein per day, because I have approx. 100 lb. lean body weight. I lift weights 3-4 times a week, and do cardio 5-6 days a week. (Stair master, treadmill, Zumba, Hip Hop Abs, hiking) Once a week, I lift weights with a personal trainer; he's really helping me learn to push myself and see more results. I've increased the amount of weight I can lift. It's important to me to maintain my muscles while I'm losing fat. When I've lost another 10 lbs. or so, I'll probably increase my calories and keep lifting to hopefully gain muscles. :-)
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,160 Member
    Luciiisekk wrote: »
    Hi, I´m 25 years old and 174cm tall. This week I started doing morning cardio 45 minutes where I burn 450 calories (according to my heart monitor) 5 days a week and then in the evenings weight lifting very slow intensity 4 times a day again for about 40 minutes. My goal is to lose fat and gain muscle. Right now I´m 69kg and my goal is to be 63 or maybe less :) But I´m still struggling how much should I eat to lose weight or fat ? I´m huge yoyo dieter. Please give me your advice :) thank you bye Lucie

    You may want to read this short research article on the scientific reason we yo yo on deficient diets. The point about TDEE mentioned by crabada would worth your time and the article below touches on that as well and why it is hard to know the real TDEE due or our hormone/brain involvement. Best of luck this time.

    jissn.com/content/11/1/7
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
    MrM27 wrote: »
    You may want to read this short research article on the scientific reason we yo yo on deficient diets. The point about TDEE mentioned by crabada would worth your time and the article below touches on that as well and why it is hard to know the real TDEE due or our hormone/brain involvement. Best of luck this time.

    jissn.com/content/11/1/7
    What is it that you don't understand about that study not being based on the general population. You are purposely spreading misinformation. The study is a good one but for elite athletes. Not the general population. You refuse to acknowledge that. Stop linking it to everyone as if it were going to help them. KNOCK IT OFF!!!!

    Is this how you run your company? Is this the method of spreading information you take with your employees? Do they know you're on this site constantly spreading false information? How would you feel if they found out?
    wfp1ytpsufo6.gif

    OP- With the exception of newbie gains, you will not gain muscle in a deficit, you will however retain it. Eat at a caloric deficit and you will lose weight.

  • Spocky
    Spocky Posts: 62 Member
    Well I am 170cm tall and 69 kg now and I could lose fat and gain muscles at the same time. Because of this, the scale went down very slowly. I was lifting weight at home with dumbbels and going to the gym once a week for the last 2 months. About yoyo dieting - eat small amounts in every 3 or 4 hours. My opinion.
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
    Luciiisekk wrote: »
    Hi, I´m 25 years old and 174cm tall. This week I started doing morning cardio 45 minutes where I burn 450 calories (according to my heart monitor) 5 days a week and then in the evenings weight lifting very slow intensity 4 times a day again for about 40 minutes. My goal is to lose fat and gain muscle. Right now I´m 69kg and my goal is to be 63 or maybe less :) But I´m still struggling how much should I eat to lose weight or fat ? I´m huge yoyo dieter. Please give me your advice :) thank you bye Lucie

    When you say gain muscle, you need to clarify your goals. Are you looking to add additional muscle mass (make existing muscles bigger) or simply have your existing muscles be more visible? Two very different things with different approaches.
  • Spocky
    Spocky Posts: 62 Member
    edited November 2014
    Then explain, please what do you mean by that. I am not blind so I can see myself in the mirror. Update: And I have recently changed from a 33size jeans to a size 28.
  • redfisher1974
    redfisher1974 Posts: 614 Member
    True story, I was 220 and now I'm 193 eating at a deficit and lifting heavy as I can. I look much more ripped and my arms look bigger but in fact my arms went from 17" to 16" so even though I look bigger muscle wise they are smaller.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
    Spocky wrote: »
    Then explain, please what do you mean by that. I am not blind so I can see myself in the mirror. Update: And I have recently changed from a 33size jeans to a size 28.

    You're losing fat (thus getting smaller), you are NOT gaining muscle, although you could be retaining it.
  • redfisher1974
    redfisher1974 Posts: 614 Member
    Liftng4Lis wrote: »
    Spocky wrote: »
    Then explain, please what do you mean by that. I am not blind so I can see myself in the mirror. Update: And I have recently changed from a 33size jeans to a size 28.

    You're losing fat (thus getting smaller), you are NOT gaining muscle, although you could be retaining it.

    This^ They will look bigger cause you removed the fat layer off them.
  • Spocky
    Spocky Posts: 62 Member
    Okay, what you say makes sense but my point of origin was a very low amount of muscles on my body. (I was afraid of lifting because I had laser eye surgery.) I can see that I have built big shoulders and biceps, triceps, etc but I agree that I were not able to see them if I had big layers of fat on my body. I lost weight very slowly so my cal. deficit was not big.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
    Spocky wrote: »
    Okay, what you say makes sense but my point of origin was a very low amount of muscles on my body. (I was afraid of lifting because I had laser eye surgery.)

    Ok sorry, as an LDO, I need to ask what having lasik done has to do with lifting weights?
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,624 Member
    Spocky wrote: »
    Then explain, please what do you mean by that. I am not blind so I can see myself in the mirror. Update: And I have recently changed from a 33size jeans to a size 28.


    You lost body fat and thus your existing muscle became more visible. If you had lost fat and gained muscle you liekly would be the same clothing size, or larger.