Lose body fat but increase calories

jerri_anderson
jerri_anderson Posts: 25 Member
edited November 16 in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
Hey everyone,

I'm hoping to get advice please on the following. I will outline my routine for people to see what i'm doing and what I should change.

I have lost 18kg since I had my daughter in April 2014.

I am now 62kg, my height is 152cm or 5'2.

I have scales that tell me my body fat is 35%.

My goal now is not so much to lose weight, but to lose body fat and gain more muscle.

I was eating 1520 calories for almost 2 years and this has helped but now I want to gain muscle, I know I need to increase my calorie intake to do this but I don't want to gain weight (get fatter) again.

I have a routine at the moment that is the following:
Monday 60min walk with the dog
Tuesday arms workout
Wednesday run 6km
Thursday leg workout
Friday 60min walk dog
Saturday Abs workout
Sunday run 6km


So i guess my question is...what should i increase my calories too in order to stay a similar "weight" but to increase muscle and lose fat?

Any advice is recommended

Replies

  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Eat your maintenance calories and look into doing a recomp.
    I think there's a thread about it in the "maintaining weight" section.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Here it is:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat#latest
  • jerri_anderson
    jerri_anderson Posts: 25 Member
    Thank-you Christine_72!
  • hanibunni
    hanibunni Posts: 9 Member
    There are websites that you can use to calculate your TDEE and will give you maintenance, cutting or bulking calories. That's where I would start... Bodyweight scales aren't usually very accurate either. Is there anywhere you can get a proper fat pinch done, or maybe buy some cheap calipers?
    Lastly are you lifting heavy on your arm/leg days? :)
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Change your training would be my advice if you want to gain muscle - pick a proper program as arms/leg/abs means even if you are doing compound lifts you are only hitting major muscle groups once a week.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,428 MFP Moderator
    I'd agree, with sijomial. You definitely want to look into a good proper program. Below is a list to see what would fit your goals. Also, if you are at 35%, that is a bit high and you may want to consider cutting down about another 12-15%. Although, if you got it from scale, it can definitely be off.


    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1
  • StealthHealth
    StealthHealth Posts: 2,417 Member
    I would recommend gradually increasing calories to find maintenance figure whilst starting a progressive full body resistance training plan - I don;t think your run/walk/arms/legs/abs program is going to be the most efficient method of increasing muscle.
  • Xhalesmoke
    Xhalesmoke Posts: 5 Member
    I found the book 'Bigger Leaner Stronger' to be very helpful with this, there is also 'Thinner Leaner Stronger' that may be more what you're looking for. Here is the website: www.muscleforlife.com

    They're also on Amazon in Kindle format.
  • jetsman37
    jetsman37 Posts: 11 Member
    First off you need to hit the weights harder. I would suggest doing an upper/lower body split twice a week. I would also lay off the long moderate cardio sessions. They are not condusive to gaining muscle. I would instead do HIIT training 2 times per week and focus on the weights. Finally, make sure you are getting enough protein. Set your macros so you are getting a minimum of .8 grams of protein per lb of bodyweigjt each day. If you do these things you will see your body composition change drastically and you will maintain and increase lean muscle mass.
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