Lose weight and gain muscle?

It's highly unlikely you will gain muscle while eating at a deficit. But strength/resistance training will help you keep more lean muscle as you lose weight.

To keep more lean muscle add strength/resistance training, treat protein goals as a minimum and keep your deficit moderate.

Squats are great for lower body. Body weight exercises are okay in the beginning too. But look for something more rounded.

Google - Your Are Your Own Gym.

Check out these Instagrams:

Buffbunny (Heidi Somers)
Leanmachine21 (Sami B.)
Faithlfit (faith leatherman)
Jessicaarevalo_ (Jessica Arevalo)

I assume this is the type of physique you're looking to get from your description? Most of them have YouTube channels too. All are body builders, not cardio bunnies

bbell1985 wrote: »

Ditch the squat challenge and get a barbell on your back. Stay in a deficit. Lose fat, save muscle by weight training, reveal it when the fat is gone.

This! Although make sure you have excellent squat form before you start adding weight (to prevent injury)

So basically if I am trying to lose belly fat I need small portions lots of protein and lots of cardio?

calliteer wrote: »

So basically if I am trying to lose belly fat I need small portions lots of protein and lots of cardio?

Nope, you can't spot reduce. If you want to loose belly you eat at a deficit until you body decides it wants to loose the fat stored there.

calliteer wrote: »

So basically if I am trying to lose belly fat I need small portions lots of protein and lots of cardio?

No....

You need the RIGHT amount of calories (less than TDEE, but more than BMR) a mild caloric deficit (between 250 and 500 calories less than maintenance/TDEE) is best for fat loss. Your portions can be whatever you want as long as you're eating the right amount of calories each day.

You need the RIGHT amount of protein- 0.6 to 1 gram per pound of lean body weight (total body weight minus fat) is usually recommended, depending on how active you are and if you lift weights.

You don't need "lots" of cardio. You might want to do some, but not lots. I'd suggest maybe 20-30 minutes of hiit (high intensity interval training) cardio 2 to 3 times per week.

You should do some STRENGTH TRAINING to preserve muscle and so your body will be more likely to use stored body fat for energy rather than muscle (lose body fat, keep muscle). Maybe 1 hour 3 times per week? Or 30 to 45 minutes 5 times a week... whatever works best for you and your schedule.

You can't spot reduce belly fat. You just need to reduce overall body fat percentage until it comes off your belly.

Awesome!

Maybe you could get a few dumbbells for working out at home- that's what I did at first. And check out Fitnessblender on YouTube- they have all kinds of at home workouts including home weight lifting routines and bodyweight strength exercises and hiit... all for free!!

calliteer wrote: »

What is a calorie deficit? Like my fitness pal gives me 1700 calories a day so I just try to stay under that?

Try to eat around 1700 if that's what myfitnesspal gave you. They calculate your deficit for you when you put in your stats and goals. You don't need to eat less than 1700.

Look up TDEE and BMR and CICO. It's good information to be aware of.

A calorie deficit is what results in weight loss.

The body uses a certain amount of calories just to exist (before activity and exercise) this is called BMR (basal metabolic rate). For example mine is 1320 calories.

Then you perform activities all day long- walking, thinking, driving, chores, etc. and you also perform exercise. This burns additional calories and the total calories you burn per day is your TDEE (total daily estimated expenditure). This is also considered your "maintenance" calories because if you eat exactly as many calories as you burn you will stay the same weight. For example my TDEE is 1830 calories.

A calorie deficit is when you eat fewer calories than your TDEE - the amount less is your deficit. I chose a calorie deficit of 300 calories so I set my daily calorie goal for 1530 calories (1830 - 300 = 1530).

You'll notice my daily calorie goal is higher than my BMR- this is good because if you consume less than your BMR there can be some negative side effects.

Having a calorie deficit means you will lose weight because the body is not getting calories from food to use, so it uses stored energy from your body to make up the difference (it pulls energy/calories from your stored body fat and muscle).

Calorie deficit = weight loss
Calorie surplus = weight gain
Maintenance calories = stay the same weight

Also the amount of calorie deficit you have determines the rate at which you will lose weight. A pound of fat is 3500 calories, so if you consume 3500 less calories per week this means you will lose approximately 1 pound. 3500 calories divided by 7 days in a week is a calorie deficit of 500 calories per day.
My calorie deficit of 300 calories per day should result in a weight loss rate of 0.6 pounds per week.

This calculation is somewhat imperfect because you lose both fat and muscle and water when "weight" is lost, but it's a good way to estimate.

Hope this is helpful?
Luckily myfitnesspal does most of the work for you, but I find it useful to know the why's and how's of how it all works.

You just don't want to do tons of cardio and no strength. Some people will do hours on the treadmill (and nothing else) and then wonder why they aren't getting buff and feel starving all the time.

middlehaitch wrote: »

courtneyfabulous wrote: »

A calorie deficit is what results in weight loss.

The body uses a certain amount of calories just to exist (before activity and exercise) this is called BMR (basal metabolic rate). For example mine is 1320 calories.

Then you perform activities all day long- walking, thinking, driving, chores, etc. and you also perform exercise. This burns additional calories and the total calories you burn per day is your TDEE (total daily estimated expenditure). This is also considered your "maintenance" calories because if you eat exactly as many calories as you burn you will stay the same weight. For example my TDEE is 1830 calories.

A calorie deficit is when you eat fewer calories than your TDEE - the amount less is your deficit. I chose a calorie deficit of 300 calories so I set my daily calorie goal for 1530 calories (1830 - 300 = 1530).

You'll notice my daily calorie goal is higher than my BMR- this is good because if you consume less than your BMR there can be some negative side effects.

Having a calorie deficit means you will lose weight because the body is not getting calories from food to use, so it uses stored energy from your body to make up the difference (it pulls energy/calories from your stored body fat and muscle).

Calorie deficit = weight loss
Calorie surplus = weight gain
Maintenance calories = stay the same weight

Also the amount of calorie deficit you have determines the rate at which you will lose weight. A pound of fat is 3500 calories, so if you consume 3500 less calories per week this means you will lose approximately 1 pound. 3500 calories divided by 7 days in a week is a calorie deficit of 500 calories per day.
My calorie deficit of 300 calories per day should result in a weight loss rate of 0.6 pounds per week.

This calculation is somewhat imperfect because you lose both fat and muscle and water when "weight" is lost, but it's a good way to estimate.

Hope this is helpful?
Luckily myfitnesspal does most of the work for you, but I find it useful to know the why's and how's of how it all works.

Just to clarify.

MFP uses a NEAT formula for calculating ones deficit. This does not include ones exercise, just ones BMR and daily activity ( inc food digestion etc). MFP expects one to eat back exercise calories.

Unfortunately most calculators used for calories burnt through exercise, including MFP, are only estimates based on population averages.

To get a more accurate calorie burn estimate it is best to eat back anywhere between 50-100% (a constant percentage) of ones exercise calories and then compare ones actual losses against the amount one is expecting to lose as per ones input in MFP.
Adjusting ones exercise calorie percentage up or down to meet ones weekly loss goal may be needed.

TDEE- one can use an off site calculator to get a calorie goal that includes exercise then input the number, minus the deficit one wishes, into MFP. Again this is an estimate and may need adjusting.

Using a TDEE calculator is good if one is very consistent in their exercise routine.

Using MFP's NEAT is good to use if one doesn't exercise consistently.

NEAT= Non Exercise Activity Thermogenisis.

TDEE= Total Daily Energy Expenditure

Cheers, h.

Yes thank you.

I exercise regularly and prefer to have consistent macros and not have to estimate my calorie burn every time so that's why I prefer the TDEE method.