shredding without muscle loss?

PAYNEMAKER
PAYNEMAKER Posts: 40 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I've got 5 pounds to go to be at my goal. But Idont want to lose anymore muscle. Ideas ? Routines?meal plans?thanks

Replies

  • Stage14
    Stage14 Posts: 1,046 Member
    edited May 2015
    Congrats on being so close to your goal! Why do you want to lose that last 5lbs? Is it to achieve a goal weight or because there is something you are trying to physically improve on your body?
  • 365andstillalive
    365andstillalive Posts: 663 Member
    Simple answer: you can't.

    You've been losing muscle mass all along and you'll continue to throughout the next few lbs. Running a small rather than large deficit helps, but doesn't stop the loss of muscle entirely.

    You could always do a small bulk once you're done?
  • PAYNEMAKER
    PAYNEMAKER Posts: 40 Member
    trying to get my full 6 pack back..but this last step seems to be the hardest
  • markiend
    markiend Posts: 461 Member
    Close to goal, I would look less at the scale and more at the mirror. For many , as soon as they get to the desired weight, they stop and bounce 5lb up

    However , I am not sure that you can really lose your 5lb without some muscle loss in much the same way as gaining fat when bulking. The slow recomp approach or bulking / cutting until you are where you want to be seems reasonable
  • HamsterManV2
    HamsterManV2 Posts: 449 Member
    TLDR:
    Calculate TDEE. Eat at -500 calories. Be sure to have 1g of protein for every lb of LEAN muscle mass (you may have to calculate that depending on your current BF% and weight. Continue doing weights/resistance exercises.

    This will ensure you are losing as little muscle as possible while cutting mostly fat. Exercising will make your body keep the muscles and take from fat instead. Eating at a deficit is required for your goals.
  • PAYNEMAKER
    PAYNEMAKER Posts: 40 Member
    Definitely was planning on doing a small bulk period afteruote="365andstillalive;32468403"]Simple answer: you can't.

    You've been losing muscle mass all along and you'll continue to throughout the next few lbs. Running a small rather than large deficit helps, but doesn't stop the loss of muscle entirely.

    You could always do a small bulk once you're done?[/quote]

    De
  • PAYNEMAKER
    PAYNEMAKER Posts: 40 Member
    HamsterManV2 wrote: »
    TLDR:
    Calculate TDEE. Eat at -500 calories. Be sure to have 1g of protein for every lb of LEAN muscle mass (you may have to calculate that depending on your current BF% and weight. Continue doing weights/resistance exercises.

    This will ensure you are losing as little muscle as possible while cutting mostly fat. Exercising will make your body keep the muscles and take from fat instead. Eating at a deficit is required for your goals.

    Thanks..looks like I'll continue on and bulk later
  • Stage14
    Stage14 Posts: 1,046 Member
    PAYNEMAKER wrote: »
    trying to get my full 6 pack back..but this last step seems to be the hardest

    Losing 5lbs in and of itself isn't likely to help with that. I'd stop worrying about the scale and focus on body recomp. Eat with a very slight calorie deficit and step up the weight training another notch. It will be slow going, but that is the best way to burn fat while keeping as much muscle as possible.

    The other option is to go ahead and start a bulk and cut cycle.
  • PAYNEMAKER
    PAYNEMAKER Posts: 40 Member
    Thanks for the input
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    I have to agree that the last 5 pounds aren't going to be significant enough for your appearance to really reflect them. I'd focus on body fat percentage and the tape measure rather than the scale at this point. It's a lot easier to maintain the muscle you have than to lose muscle along with your last 5 pounds that you'll then need to rebuild.
  • martinel2099
    martinel2099 Posts: 899 Member
    You can't prevent muscle loss while eating at a calorie deficit, but you can mitigate muscle loss while eating at a deficit. I'd check out some of the other posts here that tailor to the cutting / bulking cycle. Factors that come into play for showing off the rock hard abs are body % and good ole genetics.
  • PAYNEMAKER
    PAYNEMAKER Posts: 40 Member
    GREAT points ...I won't focus on scale but on my calories fat intake and protein total. Thanks this last step does seem tricky...im not 20 anymore
  • HamsterManV2
    HamsterManV2 Posts: 449 Member
    Just cut weight. You will lose muscle and fat, and the amount of which depends on how you eat and train. If you continue to lift while on a cut, you won't get bigger but you will preserve what muscle mass you have and the weight losses will come mostly from fat. Eat at -500 calories from your TDEE, and lose 5lbs in around 5 weeks. Be sure to calculate your TDEE once a month to keep it updated.
  • PAYNEMAKER
    PAYNEMAKER Posts: 40 Member
    Thanks..will do

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