Gaining muscle not losing fat
indy82
Posts: 4 Member
Hey gang!
I am not sure what I need to be doing. My fat does not seem to be going anywhere around my midsection mostly. My legs are mostly good and have been gaining muscle I can tell along with my arms but my mid section and my arms are losing no fat even though I'm gaining muscle. During the week I eat 2000 calories max sometime less around 1500. I eat only complex carbs during the weekend mostly.
Weekly routine:
Breakfast either choice of 3 eggs, Greek yogurt and fruit parfait, or 8 ounce of steel cut oats.
Snack: either protein drink or mixed nut and dry fruit not more than a handful of nuts
Lunch: zucchini noodles and spaghetti squash w a maybe half a cup of quinoa and some basil pesto
Snack: fruit most of the time
dinner: 3 eggs with whole avocado and fresh salsa on my eggs
I drink 6-10 cups of water a day depending how busy I get. No soda but maybe one cup every two weeks
During the week is the only time I eat simple carbs and I eat out 1-2 times on the weekend so I don't know if that's what's messing me up or if I have a thyroid problem?
My period have been irregular that's one thing I noticed and my mood is all over the place.
I work out 3-5 times a week working individual muscle groups and doing a little cardio. Lately been doing tire flips and battle ropes but maybe I'm not doing enough interval?
I weigh about 128 but feel extremely fat right now even though I've been working out the past year. I've been watching my carbs the past two months and nothing had budged.
Shouldn't my metabolism be increasing w muscle mass increase.
I'm in dire need of help!
At least I'm not gaining fat. I know it's the same but not moving. People say I'm skinny but I don't feel like I am because of my stomach.
I am not sure what I need to be doing. My fat does not seem to be going anywhere around my midsection mostly. My legs are mostly good and have been gaining muscle I can tell along with my arms but my mid section and my arms are losing no fat even though I'm gaining muscle. During the week I eat 2000 calories max sometime less around 1500. I eat only complex carbs during the weekend mostly.
Weekly routine:
Breakfast either choice of 3 eggs, Greek yogurt and fruit parfait, or 8 ounce of steel cut oats.
Snack: either protein drink or mixed nut and dry fruit not more than a handful of nuts
Lunch: zucchini noodles and spaghetti squash w a maybe half a cup of quinoa and some basil pesto
Snack: fruit most of the time
dinner: 3 eggs with whole avocado and fresh salsa on my eggs
I drink 6-10 cups of water a day depending how busy I get. No soda but maybe one cup every two weeks
During the week is the only time I eat simple carbs and I eat out 1-2 times on the weekend so I don't know if that's what's messing me up or if I have a thyroid problem?
My period have been irregular that's one thing I noticed and my mood is all over the place.
I work out 3-5 times a week working individual muscle groups and doing a little cardio. Lately been doing tire flips and battle ropes but maybe I'm not doing enough interval?
I weigh about 128 but feel extremely fat right now even though I've been working out the past year. I've been watching my carbs the past two months and nothing had budged.
Shouldn't my metabolism be increasing w muscle mass increase.
I'm in dire need of help!
At least I'm not gaining fat. I know it's the same but not moving. People say I'm skinny but I don't feel like I am because of my stomach.
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Replies
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Unfortunately, you can't spot reduce.
What are your goals? If you're happy with your weight, are you trying to lose weight or change your body composition? Those are usually two different things.
How did you settle on your daily calorie allotment? By inputting your numbers through MFP or maybe figuring out your TDEE from another site? How are you measuring your caloric intake? The most accurate way is to weigh all solids on a digital food scale in grams and to use measuring cups and spoons for liquids. And choosing correct entries in the database. Most people, when they eyeball, underestimate their calorie intake and overestimate how much their exercise burns away.
You don't have to cut carbs to lose weight or fat, though that is one way. But I see a lot of carbs in the menu you listed above: yogurt, fruit parfait, fruit, zucchini noodles, spaghetti squash, oatmeal, quinoa. Not much protein. Lifting weights as you are, it seems like a good idea to up your intake to support muscle repair.
Muscle is built slowly, over time, especially for women. How long have you been lifting? Gains in strength do not necessarily mean you've building muscle.
Maybe @ninerbuff can weigh-in (no pun intended) with some training info and ideas.
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I do want to change my body comp and just become leaner with some more muscle. I'm stronger but I notice my legs are bigger and also my arms a little. Mostly my legs.
I'm mainly trying to reduce fat. I know I can't spot reduce which does stink. I'm just trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong. I usually have about between 90-120 grams of protein a day. I always thought it was based off just your muscle weight and I feel like I have at least 20-30 pounds of fat in me. Should I be on taking my body weight in grams or more?
The scale doesn't really matter to me. I've been measuring how my clothes fit and also with measuring tape. I just want to be more fit.
I'm not cutting carbs all together. I'm just trying not to eat refined carbs like white bread pasta etc. I try to replace my carbs with veggies. Like today I ate about 160 grams of carbs and 90 grams of protein today 30 grams being from a protein drink.
I've been working out 3-5 times a week for about 7 months. I use weights every time changing my muscle groups every time. The only thing I don't do tons of is interval other than 15 mins of some before I work out to warm up.
As for measuring, I've calculate my tdee and its 1585 so does that mean I should only eat like 1200 calories a day?
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I am so interested to follow this thread as I could have written it myself. You look exactly like me...and my calorie intake is approx 1585, although I am consuming about 1400 per day. This week I have adjusted my macros, increased protien and fat and dropped carbs...carbs @ 30, protien and fat @ 35. I am interested to see how I handle that.0
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Ps I would say your protien is too low...but unreality am no expert1
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Would you be interested in us sharing info so we can keep each other on track?0
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I have your body type and I do more cardio right now , and I notice my mid section and arms are getting more slim.1
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Patience is what you need most. We don't know your lifting program, following and established routine like starting strength or strong curves is a good start. There are many others. I'd also keep tracking & eating as you are in 4 week blocks, if your weight goes up or down, adjust. If you are holding steady then stay there. You are basically trying to figure out if you want to recomp or cut. If you are cutting, keep the deficit small.1
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Do you know what your body fat % is? it might help to know it, so you can make a decision whether to keep cutting caloriesor eat to maintenance and do weight lifting to build more muscle if that is the look you are going for?0
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you say you are eating around 2000 calories per day then eating out on the weekend..you are not eating at a deficit if you are not losing...where did you get the idea you'd lose on 2000 per day at 128lbs??7
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Yes let's keep in touch and help each other spitapot!!
I want to recomp and I really have no idea what my body fat is. During the week I eat 1400-1500 and on the weekends it's 2000.
I was told once to be at 2000 when doing recomp. I just don't want to lost muscle and just fat so would you guys recommend staying at 1400 calories and just upping my protein??0 -
well chances are there is no muscle gain it's just getting more visible.
To gain muscle you have to be eating at a surplus of maintenance and doing a progressive load lifting program.
And with that gain of muscle comes a gain of fat as well...what are your workouts?Muscleflex79 wrote: »you say you are eating around 2000 calories per day then eating out on the weekend..you are not eating at a deficit if you are not losing...where did you get the idea you'd lose on 2000 per day at 128lbs??
I know a lot of women who can lose at 2k a day with those stats...it all depends on body comp and activity.
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well chances are there is no muscle gain it's just getting more visible.
To gain muscle you have to be eating at a surplus of maintenance and doing a progressive load lifting program.
And with that gain of muscle comes a gain of fat as well...what are your workouts?Muscleflex79 wrote: »you say you are eating around 2000 calories per day then eating out on the weekend..you are not eating at a deficit if you are not losing...where did you get the idea you'd lose on 2000 per day at 128lbs??
I know a lot of women who can lose at 2k a day with those stats...it all depends on body comp and activity.
right, but if OP is not losing then she is not one of them4 -
What we know:
1 - You estimate you are eating in a range of 1500-2k calories a day
2 - You are 33
3 - You are female
4 - You estimate you are "around 128 lbs."
5 - Your pictures show what is typically known as a "Skinny Fat" physique.
Unless you are under 5' tall or over 5' 10", your weight is in the ideal range.
Skinny Fat - This is typified by a higher than normal BFP due to repeated periods of weight loss then regain, which resulted from lost muscle mass that was never regained.
Since you are not achieving the results you expect/desire with your current routine, my recommendation would be to increase the amount of strength training ( with progressive load ) in your program, coupled with a tighter nutritional plan ( I.E. more accurate logging of what is going in, and what you are expending ).1 -
why not try cardio everyday 15-30 minutes at Fatburning pace. If that don't work then either you have a medical problem or cheating your calories.0
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I was in the same boat as you a few months back, I had gained a lot of muscle but I had a nice little ring of insulation covering almost all of it up. I'm down around 5 lbs in the last month. I can tell you how I lost it, but I fear you're going to hate this answer:
TONS of Cardio.
I had been doing roughly 30-60 minutes of either steady state, intervals, circuit or bootcamp 5 days a week. The goal being 30+ minutes at or above the "fat burning zone" on my fitbit. It wasn't enough.
I am now doing 30+ minutes of high intensity cardio (meaning all 30 minutes at or above cardio zone) 5 days a week. If I'm doing OTF or something similar I will do 13-15 minute splits of high intensity cardio, followed by 13-15 of weights, back to cardio, etc. That's enough to keep my HR elevated through the weight splits. Ideally, I try to push myself hard enough through my cardio sessions that my HR is elevated over base for at least 15-20 minutes afterward.
I cannot recommend HIIT enough. I've seen a big change from going to OTF 3 times a week, but I acknowledge that OTF is extremely expensive and not for everyone. The link below has an example OTF workout. I use the treadmill portion of that workout 2-3 times a week at my regular old gym (i printed it out and keep it in my car). My base is 5-5.5mph, Push is 7, All out is 8. Its a HARD treadmill workout and you'll probably jump the rails the first few times, but it's amazing.
Full disclosure: i'm not sure I buy this "afterburn" thing, just trying to give the girl a great treadmill workout.
http://www.self.com/fitness/2014/09/real-secret-melting-fat-afterburn/1 -
How many times has that line been used...I'm gaining muscle but not losing fat. Isnt the case like 99% of the time its fat you're gaining? Putting on muscle is hard and slow work.
Maybe get some hard data to go by?
I'm personally going for a Dexa scan and BMR analysis on Monday at a local university's lab. I'm 6'3 and 195, down from 205, and need to figure out exactly what my base burn is and what a reasonable goal is for me. Sounds like fun.2 -
How many times has that line been used...I'm gaining muscle but not losing fat. Isnt the case like 99% of the time its fat you're gaining? Putting on muscle is hard and slow work.
Maybe get some hard data to go by?
I'm personally going for a Dexa scan and BMR analysis on Monday at a local university's lab. I'm 6'3 and 195, down from 205, and need to figure out exactly what my base burn is and what a reasonable goal is for me. Sounds like fun.
sooo true! I've been lifting for years and it has been a looooooooooooong process putting on muscle...it drives me crazy when people here think they've put on 5lbs of muscle in a week or month, as well as the females that talk about how they have become "too muscly" after a few weeks of weightlifting!1 -
I do want to change my body comp and just become leaner with some more muscle. I'm stronger but I notice my legs are bigger and also my arms a little. Mostly my legs.
I'm mainly trying to reduce fat. I know I can't spot reduce which does stink. I'm just trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong. I usually have about between 90-120 grams of protein a day. I always thought it was based off just your muscle weight and I feel like I have at least 20-30 pounds of fat in me. Should I be on taking my body weight in grams or more?
The scale doesn't really matter to me. I've been measuring how my clothes fit and also with measuring tape. I just want to be more fit.
I'm not cutting carbs all together. I'm just trying not to eat refined carbs like white bread pasta etc. I try to replace my carbs with veggies. Like today I ate about 160 grams of carbs and 90 grams of protein today 30 grams being from a protein drink.
I've been working out 3-5 times a week for about 7 months. I use weights every time changing my muscle groups every time. The only thing I don't do tons of is interval other than 15 mins of some before I work out to warm up.
As for measuring, I've calculate my tdee and its 1585 so does that mean I should only eat like 1200 calories a day?
Building muscle is close to impossible on a deficit. So eating below your TDEE will not help you get the look you want.
The diet example you gave doesn't seem to be near 90-120 grams of protein a day. Unless your protein shake is MEGA size. Mine's usually 30 grams.
Maybe a session with a personal trainer (very few are qualified to give nutritional advice, btw) to evaluate where you are, check your form and maybe get you lifting heavier--on a progressive program?
It is possible to get leaner. I bought a couple dresses on clearance (non-returnable) in my regular size from my regular designer online in February. Couldn't get them zipped past my waist. Bummer.
Tried them on in May--both fit perfectly. I'm in maintenance and eat very predictably (not a very good cook). The difference was 3-4 90 ashtanga (power) yoga sessions a week (I lift full-body, once a week, have for ages). They are intense! I'm not suggesting you take up yoga, just saying that exercise can reduce body fat when it pushes you (I'm doing handstands--never did those before!). Maybe add a little HIIT and check out Strong Lifts 5x5 or hire a trainer to really give your lifting workout a bump. I would never challenge myself the way the instructors do--that's why I went back to a studio. I got sloppy on my own.0 -
What we know:
1 - You estimate you are eating in a range of 1500-2k calories a day
2 - You are 33
3 - You are female
4 - You estimate you are "around 128 lbs."
5 - Your pictures show what is typically known as a "Skinny Fat" physique.
Unless you are under 5' tall or over 5' 10", your weight is in the ideal range.
Skinny Fat - This is typified by a higher than normal BFP due to repeated periods of weight loss then regain, which resulted from lost muscle mass that was never regained.
Since you are not achieving the results you expect/desire with your current routine, my recommendation would be to increase the amount of strength training ( with progressive load ) in your program, coupled with a tighter nutritional plan ( I.E. more accurate logging of what is going in, and what you are expending ).
OP is not 'skinny fat', which is an obese level of BF at a normal weight. Clearly not the case based on the relative leanness of the rest of OP that is visible in those photos. She just has more fat on her midsection than she'd like. Not unusual. Depending on how she stores fat as a result of her genetics, she may have to get quite lean (low- or even sub-20% BF) to have that midsection fat really go away.
OP, you've got two possible routes to take. One, lose weight at a slow pace. Keep exercising, esp resistance training, to minimize loss of lean body mass. You'll eventually get to a low enough %BF that the abdominal fat will shrink, though sometimes it's difficult to see because the rest of you shrinks as well. I recommend taking measurements monthly to track progress.
The second is to recomp - you eat at maintenance and follow a progressive strength training program. Over a very, very, very long period you should lower your %BF while staying at or about your current weight. Again, I recommend taking measurements monthly to track progress, but expect that it may take a couple of months to see anything of significance.
First route is faster, but you have to eat less and you'll have all of the negatives of being at a deficit (weaker, etc). Second route is much longer but you have the benefits of performing better and eating more.1 -
Maybe if there are people you train with who have overcome this you can ask them how they changed things up?
I was in your boat a few years ago. I could have benefited from the advice of the poster above me (helpful post @stealthq). Taking it slow, working on recomp, maintaining for a bit, and be patient with strength training, take monthly measurements and pictures!
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I would suggest the following:
Copy and pasting from another post of mine:
The plan is to work out with weights 3x a week with 30-45 minutes of light cardio (bike ride to and from the gym) to gain lean muscle then do HIIT cardio the other 2x of the week to burn fat. Rest the last 2 days of the week. Overall goal is to get down to 10-12% BF and gain about 15lbs of lean muscle.
To maintain my current weight I'm multiplying BW x 15. 170 X 15 = 2550 calories a day (may be too much).
To cut fat and gain muscle I'm multiplying BW x 12 to get 2040 calories a day (again, may be too much) (on weight training days I'll be consuming more than 2040)
-So on HIIT days my macros are 50P/30F/20C. Calorie intake = 2040. Protein = 255G. Fat = 68G. Carbs = 102G.
-On weight training days my macros are the same as the above but cut in 1/2 for AM. AM = 1020 calories. 128G protein. 34G Fat. 102G Carbs. PM after workout macros are: 50P/30F/20C = 2040 calories. 102G protein. 11G fat. 383G Carbs.
-On Maintenance/rest days my macros are 50P/30F/20C. 2550 calories. 319G protein. 85G fat. 128G carbs.
So my reasoning for all of that is I believe after training the body is basically like a sponge. Ready to absorb what you throw at it basically (in moderation). Hence the high carbs, low fat, high protein after workouts.
Then when not weight training (HIIT days) or maintenance days I should be high in protein to retain and maybe even gain muscle. Low-medium levels of fat for essential body functions and energy. Low in carbs to keep fat away while also hopefully replacing current fat with muscle after burning the fat on HIIT days.
It's complicated but sounds like it works. I'm currently finishing up week one.
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Muscleflex79 wrote: »How many times has that line been used...I'm gaining muscle but not losing fat. Isnt the case like 99% of the time its fat you're gaining? Putting on muscle is hard and slow work.
Maybe get some hard data to go by?
I'm personally going for a Dexa scan and BMR analysis on Monday at a local university's lab. I'm 6'3 and 195, down from 205, and need to figure out exactly what my base burn is and what a reasonable goal is for me. Sounds like fun.
sooo true! I've been lifting for years and it has been a looooooooooooong process putting on muscle...it drives me crazy when people here think they've put on 5lbs of muscle in a week or month, as well as the females that talk about how they have become "too muscly" after a few weeks of weightlifting!
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freestylpolaris wrote: »I would suggest the following:
Copy and pasting from another post of mine:
The plan is to work out with weights 3x a week with 30-45 minutes of light cardio (bike ride to and from the gym) to gain lean muscle then do HIIT cardio the other 2x of the week to burn fat. Rest the last 2 days of the week. Overall goal is to get down to 10-12% BF and gain about 15lbs of lean muscle.
To maintain my current weight I'm multiplying BW x 15. 170 X 15 = 2550 calories a day (may be too much).
To cut fat and gain muscle I'm multiplying BW x 12 to get 2040 calories a day (again, may be too much) (on weight training days I'll be consuming more than 2040)
-So on HIIT days my macros are 50P/30F/20C. Calorie intake = 2040. Protein = 255G. Fat = 68G. Carbs = 102G.
-On weight training days my macros are the same as the above but cut in 1/2 for AM. AM = 1020 calories. 128G protein. 34G Fat. 102G Carbs. PM after workout macros are: 50P/30F/20C = 2040 calories. 102G protein. 11G fat. 383G Carbs.
-On Maintenance/rest days my macros are 50P/30F/20C. 2550 calories. 319G protein. 85G fat. 128G carbs.
So my reasoning for all of that is I believe after training the body is basically like a sponge. Ready to absorb what you throw at it basically (in moderation). Hence the high carbs, low fat, high protein after workouts.
Then when not weight training (HIIT days) or maintenance days I should be high in protein to retain and maybe even gain muscle. Low-medium levels of fat for essential body functions and energy. Low in carbs to keep fat away while also hopefully replacing current fat with muscle after burning the fat on HIIT days.
It's complicated but sounds like it works. I'm currently finishing up week one.
this is not for the OP...and most of it is false.
what is lean muscle? is there such a thing as fat muscle?
macros are a personal thing
and just because you believe it doesn't make it true.
you don't gain muscle without a progressive load lifting program and a surplus of calories (unless doing recomp)
you can\t replace fat with muscle...smh
the only cliche not in this post is starvation mode I think0 -
Wow I come back from work and this post blew up haha!!
Thank you so much for the advice guys. Stealthq I think you're right if I do body recomp I just have to be patient.
I think for sure I need to add more hiit to my routine because I barely do any cardio.
I currently do compound workout. Not sure if that's the same as progressive but I'll check that out. I lift heavy weights 3-4 sets with 6-8 reps of the heaviest I can lift and I keep adding to the weight as a I become stronger.
I know I haven't gained tons of muscle and do know that it does take time. I guess I was just hoping my metabolism would speed up a little more w a little added muscle but I guess I have to change some things and wait. I do know I've become a lot stronger which makes me happy.
I normally do yoga once a week and that's helped build strength in my core and helps a lot with balance.
As for my protein I do intake around 90-120 or so depending on the day. My protein drink is 30 grams too so that helps and I eat a ton of eggs and with the Greek yogurt it helps.
I don't believe I've left anything out.. Other then seeing a dietician which I will when I have some money lol0
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