Fat Loss or Lean Bulk?

hiitsscott
hiitsscott Posts: 34 Member
in Motivation and Support
Keen on opinions based on experience and wondering what others have done in the same situation. I'm currently 146 lbs, 5 ft 5 in height, 30 inch waist, male and going off pictures of examples of BF% about 16% body fat. So my question is, do you think losing fat or building muscle should be the priority? I want lower body fat percentage, but I am wondering if building more muscle is the best way to achieve that in the long run?

Replies

  • hiitsscott
    hiitsscott Posts: 34 Member
    edited August 2015
    .
  • 6502programmer
    6502programmer Posts: 515 Member
    So first off, this is the wrong forum of likely the wrong site. take anything you get with a grain of salt. Second, you can't really be certain of your BF just by looking at pictures and comparing.

    Assuming your estimate is correct, 16% BF is smack in the middle of the "fitness" range for males. Conventional wisdom says you can add five pounds of muscle per year (I think. That's what I remember seeing from a non-broscience page.). Assuming you did that (and maintained current fat level), you'd go from 146 to 151 in a year. Your LBM would go from 127 to 132, and you'd still have 23 pounds of fat. At that level, after putting on five pounds of muscle, you'd be at 14% BF (132 pounds of LBM / 151 pounds of overall weight). To get that same BF%, you can eat at a deficit for a few weeks, drop some fat, and you're done.

    The real question is do you want a number, or a "look". If it's a look, bulk and cut. If it's a number, cut.
  • pmm3437
    pmm3437 Posts: 529 Member
    http://www.healthyforms.com/helpful-tools/body-fat-percentage.php

    Estimates 15%

    http://www.calculator.net/ideal-weight-calculator.html?ctype=standard&cage=32&csex=m&cheightfeet=5&cheightinch=5&cheightmeter=180&printit=0&x=90&y=14

    At 146, your in the healthy BMI range. Your still at the upper end of the range, so you still have some spare fat you could shed quickly to lower your BF% more rapidly than a recomp/lean bulk would be able to.

    Dropping 5 lbs. w/ 2" off the waist in a month or 2, the updated estimate would be 12% BF.

    My recommendation would be to start/continue lifting, while maintaining a deficit. This will help you preserve muscle while losing, and give you the faster results your seeking. Once you get down to a happy %, or the low end of your BMI range, switch up to a recomp or lean bulk. Continue that until your happy with the final results.
  • hiitsscott
    hiitsscott Posts: 34 Member
    6502programmer wrote: »
    So first off, this is the wrong forum of likely the wrong site. take anything you get with a grain of salt. Second, you can't really be certain of your BF just by looking at pictures and comparing.

    Assuming your estimate is correct, 16% BF is smack in the middle of the "fitness" range for males. Conventional wisdom says you can add five pounds of muscle per year (I think. That's what I remember seeing from a non-broscience page.). Assuming you did that (and maintained current fat level), you'd go from 146 to 151 in a year. Your LBM would go from 127 to 132, and you'd still have 23 pounds of fat. At that level, after putting on five pounds of muscle, you'd be at 14% BF (132 pounds of LBM / 151 pounds of overall weight). To get that same BF%, you can eat at a deficit for a few weeks, drop some fat, and you're done.

    The real question is do you want a number, or a "look". If it's a look, bulk and cut. If it's a number, cut.

    Definitely more interested in how I feel and look than the numbers, I've got a little bit of noticeable fat hanging off me which I feel someone of my weight shouldn't have. So I'd like to be able to look at myself and not see that ever again.
    pmm3437 wrote: »
    http://www.healthyforms.com/helpful-tools/body-fat-percentage.php

    Estimates 15%

    http://www.calculator.net/ideal-weight-calculator.html?ctype=standard&cage=32&csex=m&cheightfeet=5&cheightinch=5&cheightmeter=180&printit=0&x=90&y=14

    At 146, your in the healthy BMI range. Your still at the upper end of the range, so you still have some spare fat you could shed quickly to lower your BF% more rapidly than a recomp/lean bulk would be able to.

    Dropping 5 lbs. w/ 2" off the waist in a month or 2, the updated estimate would be 12% BF.

    My recommendation would be to start/continue lifting, while maintaining a deficit. This will help you preserve muscle while losing, and give you the faster results your seeking. Once you get down to a happy %, or the low end of your BMI range, switch up to a recomp or lean bulk. Continue that until your happy with the final results.

    So would you say those two months would be enough to get lean enough? I have had a problem with binging over the past year and I have this constant feeling of needing to eat/fear of wanting to eat which makes me think any attempt I make at cutting is not going to last long enough.
  • yusaku02
    yusaku02 Posts: 3,472 Member
    build muscle first, then cut the fat

    I did it all backwards and effectively wasted a year.
    I got fat a few years back (5' 10" and 200lbs) and I focused just on weight loss. I basically turned myself into a skeleton with no fat or muscle by the time I got down to 153lbs (my goal had been my high school weight of 146-148). Now I'm slowly gaining weight and strength and currently sitting around 178lbs.
  • hiitsscott
    hiitsscott Posts: 34 Member
    yusaku02 wrote: »
    build muscle first, then cut the fat

    I did it all backwards and effectively wasted a year.
    I got fat a few years back (5' 10" and 200lbs) and I focused just on weight loss. I basically turned myself into a skeleton with no fat or muscle by the time I got down to 153lbs (my goal had been my high school weight of 146-148). Now I'm slowly gaining weight and strength and currently sitting around 178lbs.

    When you were building muscle did you notice any fat loss during that phase? I'm wondering if the amount of fat you have remains the same or if it actually decreases as you put on muscle and burn more calories at rest?
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I wouldn't recommend bulking at a BF% higher than 10%...12% tops...

    you might just want to consider a recomp..basically eating around maintenance and hitting the weight room hard...
  • yusaku02
    yusaku02 Posts: 3,472 Member
    hiitsscott wrote: »
    yusaku02 wrote: »
    build muscle first, then cut the fat

    I did it all backwards and effectively wasted a year.
    I got fat a few years back (5' 10" and 200lbs) and I focused just on weight loss. I basically turned myself into a skeleton with no fat or muscle by the time I got down to 153lbs (my goal had been my high school weight of 146-148). Now I'm slowly gaining weight and strength and currently sitting around 178lbs.

    When you were building muscle did you notice any fat loss during that phase? I'm wondering if the amount of fat you have remains the same or if it actually decreases as you put on muscle and burn more calories at rest?

    lol, I still am trying to build muscle, though my routine is focused on strength instead of hypertrophy so I guess I'm still doing it wrong :p
    If you add muscle (calorie surplus is necessary) you are going to add some fat as well (also a result of the surplus) but as long as your eating is kept in check it shouldn't be very much fat. Try to eat maybe 500kcal above maintenance for a couple months and then evaluate if your muscle and fat gain is where you want it to be.
  • hiitsscott
    hiitsscott Posts: 34 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    I wouldn't recommend bulking at a BF% higher than 10%...12% tops...

    you might just want to consider a recomp..basically eating around maintenance and hitting the weight room hard...

    I thought recomp was a longer term process of cutting and then bulking?

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