lose body fat while maintaining muscle

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leehazzy
leehazzy Posts: 7 Member
in Getting Started
First day on here and I must say, this app is amazing.

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  • leehazzy
    leehazzy Posts: 7 Member
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    To maintain my muscle I am going to vary my diet depending on what I'm doing at the gym that day. Say I was doing cardio I am going to keep my carb intake low but keep my protein intake the same as always. Weight lifting days i will increase my carb intake slightly to give my muscle the fuel it needs while maintaining my high level of protein intake.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
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    You don't need carbs/fuel for cardio days?
  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
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    No you have it wrong.

    Carbs you need for fuel especially for cardio. Your plan is to make that resource scarce when you are most likely to need it.

    Resistance training is what helps preserve muscle and for that you need extra protein for muscle repair.
  • jmasci20
    jmasci20 Posts: 82 Member
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    So the trick is 1) add resistance training and 2) proportionally increase the protein percentage, all while maintaining a calorie deficit?
  • leehazzy
    leehazzy Posts: 7 Member
    edited March 2015
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    AmyRhubarb wrote: »
    You don't need carbs/fuel for cardio
  • leehazzy
    leehazzy Posts: 7 Member
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    AmyRhubarb wrote: »
    You don't need carbs/fuel for cardio days?
    I wouldn't have thought so.
  • keithcw_the_first
    keithcw_the_first Posts: 382 Member
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    I think you've got the right idea, depending on how intense your cardio is. If it's "training" intense, then you'd want more carbs. Keep your protein between .8 and 1 g a day and vary your carbs according to your needs that day. On rest days, go for fats and low carbs.
  • leehazzy
    leehazzy Posts: 7 Member
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    999tigger wrote: »
    No you have it wrong.

    Carbs you need for fuel especially for cardio. Your plan is to make that resource scarce when you are most likely to need it.

    Resistance training is what helps preserve muscle and for that you need extra protein for muscle repair.
    I will be having carbs just not a lot.
  • leehazzy
    leehazzy Posts: 7 Member
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    keithcw_the_first wrote: »
    I think you've got the right idea, depending on how intense your cardio is. If it's "training" intense, then you'd want more carbs. Keep your protein between .8 and 1 g a day and vary your carbs according to your needs that day. On rest days, go for fats and low carbs.
    So for intense cardio I will need more carbs? My protein intake is always high. I aim for 200g a day.
  • keithcw_the_first
    keithcw_the_first Posts: 382 Member
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    I can't really speak to the subject a whole lot more, not being a professional. My research (or "research") has always been from the strength training side of things.

    I do imagine that for intense cardio you would still need sufficient carbs to aid in recovery, just as one needs sufficient carbs to aid in recovery from intense strength training.

    If you're doing endurance stuff then I have no idea. I would still guess yes. You're going to have to replenish your carbs at some point unless you're trying a fully ketogenic solely fueled by fat diet.

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