Weight loss vs muscle gain

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xcaranicolex
xcaranicolex Posts: 38 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Okay guys, I have lost about 20lbs through diet mainly (also some cardio but honestly not a whole lot) I would like to lose another 15 or so (or to look 15lbs smaller and more "fit") , since I'm still kinda doughy. My question I guess is at what point did/do you stop looking at a scale loss and start focusing on muscle gain? I've recently started a bit of strength training but with the deficit that I've been maintaining for weight loss, I wouldn't build muscle right? I guess I'm just confused as to what point I should be switching focus from just losing lbs to "toning" (I know ppl here hate that word lol) and how to adjust calories to do that...

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  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
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    Your goal, imo, is to preserve as much muscle as you can while you lose the fat you want to lose. Only once you're in the ballpark weight-wise would you try to recomp, let alone bulk. I don't think it's a question of scale weight so much as body composition.
  • IsaackGMOON
    IsaackGMOON Posts: 3,358 Member
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    Muscle building requires a caloric surplus, generally speaking. It's hard for a woman in a deficit to build muscle. But strength is different.

    Lose until you're satisfied and at a healthy weight, they recomp or bulk.
  • peaceout_aly
    peaceout_aly Posts: 2,018 Member
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    Is it only possible to "tone" when maintaining/gaining weight? Not at a deficit? Because I'm 100% sure I've been toning at a deficit for quite a while now. Confused!
  • IsaackGMOON
    IsaackGMOON Posts: 3,358 Member
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    peaceout_aly wrote: »
    Is it only possible to "tone" when maintaining/gaining weight? Not at a deficit? Because I'm 100% sure I've been toning at a deficit for quite a while now. Confused!

    Toning is essentially losing weight so your muscles are visible to a certain degree. It's quite a grey area term and is some times used in the wrong context.

  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    Laughs at sometimes

    Muscles do two things ...they get bigger or smaller

    Drop body fat to reveal muscle = modern definition of toning
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
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    rabbitjb wrote: »
    Laughs at sometimes

    Muscles do two things ...they get bigger or smaller

    Drop body fat to reveal muscle = modern definition of toning
    Which has the effect of making muscles appear larger, though they aren't.
  • Freedom125
    Freedom125 Posts: 31 Member
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    Since you're new to weight lifting and have a little extra weight to lose, it is possible to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time while eating at a deficit. Google "newbie gains" and "beginner recomposition". If you strength train regularly and eat enough protein (generally 0.8g per lb of body weight is recommended - much more than MFP recommends) you'll be okay.

    It won't be easy or overly fast, though. It's much faster in someone who is obese to start off.

    Also keep in mind that the scale won't reflect what's actually happening, so you may want to avoid it or only weigh in every couple of weeks. Not only will you be gaining a bit of muscle, but when you work your muscles they retain extra water in order to help repair themselves, so the scale will artificially make you look heavier than you are. Here's a good article that explains what to expect and why it happens:
    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/of-whooshes-and-squishy-fat.html/

    Regardless of what you see the scale doing, you should be doing strength training now. As the poster above mentioned, when you weight too much your body gains muscle to be able to carry around the extra weight. If you eat at a deficit but don't strength train, you'll lose a lot of muscle along with the fat. If you strength train, you'll lose a lot less muscle.
  • xcaranicolex
    xcaranicolex Posts: 38 Member
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    Wow-that was fast. Thanks everyone! Your answers are all really helpful. :)
  • lifelessmind
    lifelessmind Posts: 5 Member
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    Personally, I'm doing both at the same time; running a smaller deficit (I eat between 1500-1700 calories a day; MFP wants me to be eating about 1350 for weight loss) but doing more protein and healthy fats and less carbs. I do 30-min strength training 2-3x/wk and a 30-min cardio 2x/wk.

    I started all this about 5 weeks ago, and have lost 6.5lb according to the scale so far (and a lot of it has been in the last week or so actually; I was "stuck" in a 2-lb fluctuation for a couple weeks). With the muscle I'm starting to build, I expect the fat burn to start picking up a bit more soon.

    I could lose pounds faster, but last time I tried doing it through a larger calorie deficit I felt sluggish all the time, couldn't eat foods that I love, and wasn't getting good exercise in. This time around, I have more energy, I'm feeling pretty good, I'm eating foods I like (just less of them) and I'm making progress that I'm happy with.

    For me, it's nice to see the number on the scale drop, but ultimately the scale number isn't the important metric. I'm viewing it more as a long-term thing. It might take me a little longer to get to my goal size, but when I get there I'll already be well on my way to the fit look I'm also aiming for, and I really love the idea of not getting to one goal ("weight") only to have to start working towards another (muscle) from scratch.

    If you're starting strength training, you should make your deficit smaller and make sure you're eating good foods that will promote muscle growth. I usually have a slightly-carby snack pre-workout (for the faster energy), and something with some protein after (big fan of my peanut butter/banana/chocolate protein shake).

    Just my two cents :)
  • IsaackGMOON
    IsaackGMOON Posts: 3,358 Member
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    lifelessmind wrote: »
    Personally, I'm doing both at the same time; running a smaller deficit (I eat between 1500-1700 calories a day; MFP wants me to be eating about 1350 for weight loss) but doing more protein and healthy fats and less carbs. I do 30-min strength training 2-3x/wk and a 30-min cardio 2x/wk.

    I started all this about 5 weeks ago, and have lost 6.5lb according to the scale so far (and a lot of it has been in the last week or so actually; I was "stuck" in a 2-lb fluctuation for a couple weeks). With the muscle I'm starting to build, I expect the fat burn to start picking up a bit more soon.

    I could lose pounds faster, but last time I tried doing it through a larger calorie deficit I felt sluggish all the time, couldn't eat foods that I love, and wasn't getting good exercise in. This time around, I have more energy, I'm feeling pretty good, I'm eating foods I like (just less of them) and I'm making progress that I'm happy with.

    For me, it's nice to see the number on the scale drop, but ultimately the scale number isn't the important metric. I'm viewing it more as a long-term thing. It might take me a little longer to get to my goal size, but when I get there I'll already be well on my way to the fit look I'm also aiming for, and I really love the idea of not getting to one goal ("weight") only to have to start working towards another (muscle) from scratch.

    If you're starting strength training, you should make your deficit smaller and make sure you're eating good foods that will promote muscle growth. I usually have a slightly-carby snack pre-workout (for the faster energy), and something with some protein after (big fan of my peanut butter/banana/chocolate protein shake).

    Just my two cents :)

    It's pretty hard for a woman to gain muscle whilst eating in a deficit. I'm fairly certain you aren't building muscle in a deficit. And the amount of muscle needed to burn a significant amount of fat would have to be quite a lot...
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    edited July 2015
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    lifelessmind wrote: »
    I started all this about 5 weeks ago, and have lost 6.5lb according to the scale so far (and a lot of it has been in the last week or so actually; I was "stuck" in a 2-lb fluctuation for a couple weeks). With the muscle I'm starting to build, I expect the fat burn to start picking up a bit more soon.
    If you exchange 20 pounds of fat for 20 pounds of muscle -- a not insignificant task, particularly for a woman and all the more so in a deficit -- in a day you'll passively burn about enough extra calories to cover one 12 ounce Dr Pepper.

  • MamaBirdBoss
    MamaBirdBoss Posts: 1,516 Member
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    peaceout_aly wrote: »
    Is it only possible to "tone" when maintaining/gaining weight? Not at a deficit? Because I'm 100% sure I've been toning at a deficit for quite a while now. Confused!

    If you're flabby like me, you can gain some actual muscle mass on a moderate deficit...even a high deficit if you start out with a high fat mass.

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