Eating back calories and getting lean???

chloeealicee
chloeealicee Posts: 204 Member
edited November 29 in Fitness and Exercise
Hi,
I'm struggling to understand few things. i currently stand at a weight of 133lbs and 23% bf. My goal is losing some fat and to gain muscle in it's place. I go to the gym 4 times a week focusing on high intensity and strength training.

My questions are... how important is diet in the equation? as mine is good in the week (around 1800 calories a day) but terrible on weekends (probably reaching the 2500-3000 mark)

And also do i need to eat back what i burn on my gym days in the week? or is eating them back on the weekend instead okay? or is it a waste to eat them back all together?

Any advice will be greatly apprciated! Thanks! :)

Replies

  • 75in2013
    75in2013 Posts: 361 Member
    Diet is the most important part in losing weight. You need to have a calorie deficit overall (average +/-7days for example).

    Workout is the most important part to build muscle/tone/get lean etc.

    For most people it's very difficult to achieve both goals at the same time. That's why the majority of bodybuilders go through bulk-cut-cycles for example.

    Check out this thread: Recomposition: Maintaining weight while losing fat! I think you'll find a lot of good info there.

  • lseed87
    lseed87 Posts: 1,105 Member
    There's been lots of talk about what to do with the calorie burns. I'm one of the ones that thinks half or less is fine to eat back. Others say not to eat. Others eat all of them back. Just got to find what works for you. Still hungry? Have something small.

    I really hate the word diet XD It should be healthy but yet everyone has a different idea on what that means. I like moderation. Maybe you aren't getting enough food on the weekdays so you end up having more on the weekends? Time to experiment, i guess? Maybe track everything and check the macros and see what the whole week is at
  • chloeealicee
    chloeealicee Posts: 204 Member
    I have tried switching it up and eating more in the week but i still end up eating the same on the weekend just because i love unhealthy food and fried breakfast and ice cream and yeah.

    But so because i'm trying to build muscle exercise is more important?
  • orsolya_kiss
    orsolya_kiss Posts: 18 Member
    What you need is flexible dieting... :)
    Here's everything you need to know about it: http://www.iifym.com/category/how-to-diet-for-fat-loss/
    It helped me A LOT, I can have something yummy every day, I don't have cravings anymore and I'm reaching my goals, too :)
    Good luck!
  • chloeealicee
    chloeealicee Posts: 204 Member
    That link was really helpful, thank you!
  • orsolya_kiss
    orsolya_kiss Posts: 18 Member
    I'm glad I could help :)
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    If you are trying to recomp (gain muscle and lose fat) you have to eat at only a very small deficit so eat back your exercise calories. Remember that this is a very, very slow process. Diet is very important. Make sure you eat plenty of protein.

    What strength training program are you doing? For muscle growth a program with progressive overload is highly recommended. It could be a body weight program but it's easier to achieve with lifting heavy.
  • chloeealicee
    chloeealicee Posts: 204 Member
    My typical weekly routine consists of a mix of low weight, high rep sessions and visa versa as well as a spin or bootcamp lesson or two a week.
    i'm not sure if it that's classed as an intense routine worthy of eating them back completely
  • Sumiblue
    Sumiblue Posts: 1,597 Member
    Staying on deficit, hitting protein macro & progressive lifting is how you get lean. I try to stay on target all week but the occasional holiday meal or splurge doesn't hurt. Weekly adds up. I'm a flexible dieter. I went from 137-115, 30% BF-20ish? doing what I described. I do 1-2 short Hiit workout a week and lift heavy 4x/wk. I eat my exercise calories back.
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