Shed off the fat and put on the muscle

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any tips on how to quickly shed off excess body fat and get more weight for muscle in return?

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  • lynnk1971
    lynnk1971 Posts: 40 Member
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    I cut down on sugar (nothing over 5g of sugar per 100g) and started strong curves... It seems to be doing the job
  • kirstinheard
    kirstinheard Posts: 28 Member
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    Wish I could help that's my dilemma too:-( feel free to add me maybe we can learn from each other. Good luck :-)
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    lynnk1971 wrote: »
    I cut down on sugar (nothing over 5g of sugar per 100g) and started strong curves... It seems to be doing the job

    You don't eat any fruit?
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    any tips on how to quickly shed off excess body fat and get more weight for muscle in return?

    Other than newbie gains you can't really lose fat and gain muscle at the same time unless you do recomp, which is slooooooow.
  • nettaboo216
    nettaboo216 Posts: 11 Member
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    Cardio can help burn fat....you can also try lifting weight or do other workouts combined with cardio....I'm not to sure about the building muscle part tho
  • nettaboo216
    nettaboo216 Posts: 11 Member
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    If u eat a lot of carbs you can cut down on it and eat it in moderation
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
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    Most of the above responses (TavistockToad being the exception) are not particularly helpful or correct.

    There is no FAST way to do either shedding fat or building muscle, and it's pretty much impossible to do both simultaneously.

    Shed Fat = lose weight = eat less calories than you burn
    Build Muscle = lift heavy and eat at a calorie surplus (ie eat more calories than you burn)

    That's overly simplified, but you can clearly see (per the bolded) why it's not possible to do both at the same time (save for newbie gains as described above)
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
    edited March 2015
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    any tips on how to quickly shed off excess body fat and get more weight for muscle in return?

    Other than newbie gains you can't really lose fat and gain muscle at the same time unless you do recomp, which is slooooooow.

    I have a question about recomp. What does it look and feel like along the way? Like do you see the muscle getting ever so slightly larger over time (with incrementally greater circumference)? Or does the fat reduce and the muscle size stays the same (same circumference)?

    Is it that when you tense your muscles, you can start to much more clearly see and feel them contracting under your skin and fat, while the fat overtop sort of looks the same? (I think that might be starting to happen to me - I've been eating at maintenance for a few months but working as hard as I can, and I think my quads and hamstrings are a little larger than they were, but everything else looks the same.)
  • kimzy132124
    kimzy132124 Posts: 75 Member
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    Other than newbie gains you can't really lose fat and gain muscle at the same time unless you do recomp, which is slooooooow. [/quote]

    What is recomp? I've been training for over month hard core and I have only lost maybe 7 lbs but have doubled muscle... It's annoying because I'm 230 and need to get down to about 150 (135 ideally)
  • Jragan82
    Jragan82 Posts: 3
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    keep your protein on the high side of what you should consume. Whats working for me is after i do my weight training i do 30 minutes of hiit cardio on the bike. The fat is coming off I am managing to not lose muscle. I lift on the heavy side to.
    Check out Chris Jones, Physiques of greatness on youtube. He knows his stuff
  • prattiger65
    prattiger65 Posts: 1,657 Member
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    Other than newbie gains you can't really lose fat and gain muscle at the same time unless you do recomp, which is slooooooow.

    What is recomp? I've been training for over month hard core and I have only lost maybe 7 lbs but have doubled muscle... It's annoying because I'm 230 and need to get down to about 150 (135 ideally) [/quote]

    No you haven't. More likely, you have shed some fat and your existing muscle is more visible. Also, when you train hard, assuming you mean resistance training, you will also have glycogen "pump" that could make it appear you have gained mass.
  • Rlavigne93
    Rlavigne93 Posts: 119 Member
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    I started with the same goal, but after a few months I finally admitted it wasn't working. Building muscle takes calorie surplus, losing fat takes a deficit.

    What gets doubly frustrating is having to strength train on a deficit to just to keep from LOSING muscle. Lately I've just been concentrating on losing fat, and am planning on shifting focus once I'm down to my goal.
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
    edited March 2015
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    No you haven't. More likely, you have shed some fat and your existing muscle is more visible. Also, when you train hard, assuming you mean resistance training, you will also have glycogen "pump" that could make it appear you have gained mass.

    Exactly. Also don't confuse strength gains with muscle gains. Just because you're increasing your lifts doesn't in and of itself mean you're building muscle.

  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,089 Member
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    To reduce body fat , eat at a deficit.
    If you'd like to gain muscle, eat at a surplus and lift heavy things
  • Dustinsteven22
    Dustinsteven22 Posts: 280 Member
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    P90X worked well for me in this area. Fitness and nutrition is not quick. To achieve results takes time and complete dedication. Cutting calories, increasing calories, pushing a car down the street, whatever you decide to do will not matter unless you develop a cohesive plan (nutrition, exercise, support). Many times I find that people are doing the right things, but fail to get results because they are lacking in one of the key areas. Everything matters: type of food, type of exercise, type of support.
  • Amclean93
    Amclean93 Posts: 40 Member
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    It's not impossible to do both at once. You don't need to be eating a surplus of calories to gain muscle mass. Given it's easier to gain muscle and strength when eating a surplus of calories, your body can still make lean gains without the need to consume more calories than you burn. I was able to do both, but it is hard work. I followed an intermittent fasting programme. If you want more info pm me on my routine. But for you if you do cardio in a fasted state the fat will come off, but you need to be careful not to do intense cardio in a fasted state or you will body will start to burn muscle as its energy source instead of fat. It's advised to do an hour or so brisk walking in a fasted state. So if you can do that most mornings before breakfast or something you will begin to lose fat and not waste muscle. Additionally weight-training, specifically, muscle hypertrophy training will help you build muscle. If you can weight-train 4-5 times per week, working the muscles to failure and recovering properly you will be rockin. Make sure your diet is on point, i.e. eating high lean protein meals, good carbs (brown rice, sweet potato, wholewheat etc) eat lots of veggies (green vegetables specifically) and limit your sugar intake you will be on track. Also supplements will help along the way, things such as; BCAA's- which is an amino acid which will help prevent your body from going catabolic and burning muscle as its energy source. Protein shakes and multi-vitamins might also be worth while researching.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    any tips on how to quickly shed off excess body fat and get more weight for muscle in return?

    Other than newbie gains you can't really lose fat and gain muscle at the same time unless you do recomp, which is slooooooow.

    Other than that, Mrs Lincoln, how did you like the play?
  • foursirius
    foursirius Posts: 321 Member
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    Eat at a deficit and be more active?