Lose Fat, Gain Muscle, Impossible? Tell me what to change please!

bitterrevenge
bitterrevenge Posts: 25 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi, Little bit of background info, I'm a 25 year old female, 5'4 and weight just under 11 stone.

I can lose weight, thats not a problem, but as soon as I'm down to goal weight I fall off the wagon.

I've started to do it differently this time, with the help of my father in law who devised my weight lifting plan and I was wondering if there was anything you would change in order for me to lose fat and gain muscle.

I lift weight 3 x a week Day1 - chest/biceps Day2 - Shoulders/legs Day3 - back/tricep
I then do cardio once, sometimes twice a week - either swimming or interval training on the treadmill/bike

I am currently eating around 1500-1700 calories a day and have a single cheat meal on a sunday where I don't count calories but I still try to be sensible.
My food is generally "healthy" food, chicken, eggs, sweet potato, spinach etc

Thanks in advance


Replies

  • IsaackGMOON
    IsaackGMOON Posts: 3,358 Member
    edited July 2015
    Losing fat and gaining muscle is possible at the same time, it's called a recomp - it's just really really slow. You need to be eating at around maintenance for this though.

    If I were you, I'd just go for the cut and bulk regimen. I'm not a huge fan of bodybuilding splits, especially if you're a beginner.

    Programs such as;
    • New Rules of Lifting For Women
    • Strong Curves
    • ICF 5x5
    • Stronglifts 5x5

    In terms of nutrition, this is a good frame work for macros;
    • 0.6-0.8g of protein per lb of body mass
    • 0.4-0.45g of fat per lb of body mass
    • fill rest of calories with carbs

    To be perfectly honest, your father in law gave you some pretty lousy advice. You're not going to build muscle in a deficit, strength is a definite yes, you'll probably lose fat too.

    If you want to bulk, either create a daily surplus of your TDEE by 250 calories (0.5lb gain per week) or 500 calories (1lb gain per week).
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    So are you trying to lose weight at this time? or is your main focus putting on muscle? It's hard to do both at once especially if you're eating at a calorie deficit. I think this is a great weightloss plan (depending on the accuracy of your logging and the actual calorie count of the "cheat" meal).
  • bitterrevenge
    bitterrevenge Posts: 25 Member
    Thanks guys, he didn't devise the lifting plan as a way to build muscle, just as a way to get me into weight lifting, it's something I've always been interested in but not something I've had the confidence to just go to the gym and start doing myself. He just talked me through what to do for each muscle group with the plan for me to change my workout every month or two to get more advanced.

    My main goal at the minute is to lose fat and just create a nicer shape, building muscle would be a bonus. I'd like to continue lifting the way I am so that I can be become more advance and get into weight lifting properly.

    My Calorie intake is fairly accurate, I lost weight on 1200 calories for months so getting extra calories is a bonus for me, the cheat meal isn't to exravegant, I'll eat normally during the day then just pick whatever i fancy for a main course from a restaurant
  • IsaackGMOON
    IsaackGMOON Posts: 3,358 Member
    bitterrevenge wrote: »
    Thanks guys, he didn't devise the lifting plan as a way to build muscle, just as a way to get me into weight lifting, it's something I've always been interested in but not something I've had the confidence to just go to the gym and start doing myself. He just talked me through what to do for each muscle group with the plan for me to change my workout every month or two to get more advanced.

    My main goal at the minute is to lose fat and just create a nicer shape, building muscle would be a bonus. I'd like to continue lifting the way I am so that I can be become more advance and get into weight lifting properly.

    My Calorie intake is fairly accurate, I lost weight on 1200 calories for months so getting extra calories is a bonus for me, the cheat meal isn't to exravegant, I'll eat normally during the day then just pick whatever i fancy for a main course from a restaurant

    You're probably not going to gain muscle while in a deficit. I would've thought going for the programs I listed would be better... but whatever floats your boat.

  • bitterrevenge
    bitterrevenge Posts: 25 Member
    What would you suggest doing if I were to stick to the program that I am doing, increasing my calories? As I mentioned at the moment I am overweight so I still need to lose the fat.
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    bitterrevenge wrote: »
    My Calorie intake is fairly accurate, I lost weight on 1200 calories for months so getting extra calories is a bonus for me, the cheat meal isn't to exravegant, I'll eat normally during the day then just pick whatever i fancy for a main course from a restaurant

    I highly recommend accurate logging and logging any meal you eat (even if it is a "cheat" meal). But I'm kind of a numbers nerd. Once you get closer to your goal weight, start looking at your body fat%. For people who lift, scale weight is a bit tricky. Having a goal of 20% body fat (or whatever) becomes a more logical goal for people who lift. That's when recomposition might come in. But lifting now will go a long way at preserving the muscle you have.
  • jeffpettis
    jeffpettis Posts: 865 Member
    edited July 2015
    If your goal is to lose fat you need to create a deficit. Continue lifting while you are losing the fat to maintain the muscle you have. As a beginner you have the ability, for a short time, to gain a little muscle while you are losing fat. This will be short lived but take advantage of it.

    Try to focus on one goal at a time. If you need to lose fat then focus on doing that until you are at a point that you are happy with the way your body looks then shift your focus to gaining muscle, slowly. As a beginner don't try to recomp or anything else. Focus on ONE goal at a time.

    Also as a beginner I would suggest doing a good full body routine three times a week. Leave the body part splits for when you are a little more advanced.
  • SingRunTing
    SingRunTing Posts: 2,604 Member
    jeffpettis wrote: »
    If your goal is to lose fat you need to create a deficit. Continue lifting while you are losing the fat to maintain the muscle you have. As a beginner you have the ability, for a short time, to gain a little muscle while you are losing fat. This will be short lived but take advantage of it.

    Try to focus on one goal at a time. If you need to lose fat then focus on doing that until you are at a point that you are happy with the way your body looks then shift your focus to gaining muscle, slowly. As a beginner don't try to recomp or anything else. Focus on ONE goal at a time.

    Also as a beginner I would suggest doing a good full body routine three times a week. Leave the body part splits for when you are a little more advanced.

    I was going to respond, but this sums up what I would have said.
  • nikkishai
    nikkishai Posts: 407 Member
    Hi there! I found this article very helpful when I began my fat loss & muscle gain/maintenance program. Hope you find it useful.

    http://www.muscleforlife.com/build-muscle-lose-fat/
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    jeffpettis wrote: »
    If your goal is to lose fat you need to create a deficit. Continue lifting while you are losing the fat to maintain the muscle you have. As a beginner you have the ability, for a short time, to gain a little muscle while you are losing fat. This will be short lived but take advantage of it.

    Try to focus on one goal at a time. If you need to lose fat then focus on doing that until you are at a point that you are happy with the way your body looks then shift your focus to gaining muscle, slowly. As a beginner don't try to recomp or anything else. Focus on ONE goal at a time.

    Also as a beginner I would suggest doing a good full body routine three times a week. Leave the body part splits for when you are a little more advanced.

    This however I will recommend Stronglifts or New Rules of lifting for women or ice cream fitness I think is the name...

    I started with Strong lifts 5x5 and it's great...moved to a 3x5 and now an intermediate program...best decision I ever made.

    I wear a size 4 (in Canada) and weigh 149 at present...can't complain about that.
  • loulamb7
    loulamb7 Posts: 801 Member
    SezxyStef wrote: »
    jeffpettis wrote: »
    If your goal is to lose fat you need to create a deficit. Continue lifting while you are losing the fat to maintain the muscle you have. As a beginner you have the ability, for a short time, to gain a little muscle while you are losing fat. This will be short lived but take advantage of it.

    Try to focus on one goal at a time. If you need to lose fat then focus on doing that until you are at a point that you are happy with the way your body looks then shift your focus to gaining muscle, slowly. As a beginner don't try to recomp or anything else. Focus on ONE goal at a time.

    Also as a beginner I would suggest doing a good full body routine three times a week. Leave the body part splits for when you are a little more advanced.

    This however I will recommend Stronglifts or New Rules of lifting for women or ice cream fitness I think is the name...

    I started with Strong lifts 5x5 and it's great...moved to a 3x5 and now an intermediate program...best decision I ever made.

    I wear a size 4 (in Canada) and weigh 149 at present...can't complain about that.

    +3 on this recommendation. Get on one of the weight lifting programs suggested, otherwise the benefits won't be maximized.

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