Gaining musscle after weight loss

Great work!
Have you set new goals on MFP app?
Because it will give you new macros (Protein, fat & carbohydrates) dietary goals.
(I did not know until recently that body needs fats to break down protein in order to absorb it.)
Balancing these three will boost muscle growth and fat loss.
I hope other members will contribute with more detailed information.

AsISmile wrote: »

Do keep in mind that
1) you will need to eat a calorie surplus to gain muscle. That will be hard with your fears. Do keep in mind you are not the same person you were. Yes you will gain weight, but this time it will deliberate by you making the right choices.
2) When bulking you will gain fat, at the minimum 50% of your weight gain. Almost no preventing it.

As to eating, set MFP to a 0.5 lbs gain a week, which is a 250 calorie surplus and thus a clean bulk.
Your macro's should be:
0.6-0.8 grams of protein per pound of body mass
0.4-0.45 grams of fat per pound of body mass.
Fill the rest with carbs. Also red the beginners guide to bulking

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10226536/bulking-for-beginners
This and the post linked in that thread.

All of this including lifting heavy (mainly compound movements for all over body workout), taking appropriate rest days and getting enough sleep to aid your growth. Well done and good luck.

anirud1 wrote: »

Great work!
Have you set new goals on MFP app?
Because it will give you new macros (Protein, fat & carbohydrates) dietary goals.
(I did not know until recently that body needs fats to break down protein in order to absorb it.)
Balancing these three will boost muscle growth and fat loss.
I hope other members will contribute with more detailed information.

Yeah fat helps your body absorb vitamins and minerals. It also helps your body produce hormones like testosterone. However, you don't need all that much of it so I would limit the amount to whatever you get from meat and dairy. In my experience too much fat in my diet bogs me down and hurts my cardio. I say focus on getting your protein minimum and focus mostly on getting good carbs.

This calculator from the Baylor College of Medicine will tell you not only your BMI at any particular weight,
but how many servings of various foods to eat to maintain that weight.
If you enter your healthy goal weight, this will help you plan your food intake.
https://www.bcm.edu/cnrc-apps/healthyeatingcalculator/eatingCal.html


Another common question is about percentage of carbs, fat, & protein.
Here's a table which explains the healthy ranges, from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition:
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/88/1/1/T1.expansion.html

carbs, 45 - 65% of calories (4 cal per gram)
fat, 20 - 35% of calories (9 cal per gram)
protein, 10 - 35% of calories (4 cal per gram)

So for someone with a calorie goal of 2000 per day, that would be
50% carbs, 1000 cal, 250 g
25% fat, 500 cal, 56g
25% protein, 500 cal, 125 g
(just to take the simplest example as a starting point; adjust for your own needs, to see where you feel best)

If you're wanting to gain muscle, eat at a SLIGHT surplus of calories, toward the top of the healthy range for
protein %, and work on weightlifting.


To monitor progress, here's a calculator which can give you a decent estimate of your body fat %.
It will also show you a table of the healthy BF% ranges for men & women.
http://www.webcalcsolutions.com/fitness-calculators/body-fat-navy.asp?acctnum=3


For other people reading this thread, who might be in the process of losing weight,
it's MUCH easier to maintain muscle than rebuild it.
As you're losing weight, do weightlifting.