Need to lose fat and gain muscle!!!
igolvera210
Posts: 7 Member
I’m trying to bulk up while losing stomach fat and I’m having a hard time because I’m not familiar with diets for it I’m currently working out and bulking little by little but no stomach fat loss is occurring.....help!!!
0
Replies
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1. You can't only lose fat on your stomach or choose where you lose it. Your body chooses where the fat is lost from.
2. It is very hard to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time - building muscle requires extra energy, and losing fat requires an energy deficit. This is why people do cut/bulk cycles.
I'm sure there will be others who can provide more information and a more detailed explanation for you.6 -
What's your bodyfat %? Most males should not be bulking unless they are under around 12% bodyfat. The fact you say you have stomach fat leads me to believe you're not 12% or less bodyfat.4
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Recomp can happen at a higher BF%, but it seems to be limited. I have built up chest and shoulders a bit and lost a little more girth with weight bouncing around more than it did during steady maintenance, but staying in range.0
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Packerjohn wrote: »What's your bodyfat %? Most males should not be bulking unless they are under around 12% bodyfat. The fact you say you have stomach fat leads me to believe you're not 12% or less bodyfat.
I’m not sure my body fat percentage but I’m sure it’s over 12 but under 200 -
@CarvedTonesCarvedTones wrote: »Recomp can happen at a higher BF%, but it seems to be limited. I have built up chest and shoulders a bit and lost a little more girth with weight bouncing around more than it did during steady maintenance, but staying in range.
Recomp isn't limited to higher BF%, it's a totally normal and usual occurrence not something special. Eric Helms....
https://muscleandstrengthpyramids.com/calorie-deficit-gain-weight/
Bret Contreras trains and recomps people to physique show standards.
https://bretcontreras.com/to-bulk-and-cut-or-not/
You really shouldn't project your results onto a young male like the OP. Being older changes everything (unfortunately!).
OP - you need to have a serious think about your priorities.
If you want to lose body fat and gain muscle then choose between eating at maintenance or eating at a very small deficit. The bigger the deficit the faster the fat loss but chances of building muscle get more remote the bigger the deficit.
If building muscle is more of a priority then maintenance or a very, very small surplus but then you are deferring getting leaner and it's not optimal to bulk from a higher BF%.
Whatever you do optimise your training with a really good program designed for your lifting status, that's what drives muscle growth and I see so many young men doing frankly awful routines and wasting the years when muscle growth is relatively easy.6 -
@CarvedTonesCarvedTones wrote: »Recomp can happen at a higher BF%, but it seems to be limited. I have built up chest and shoulders a bit and lost a little more girth with weight bouncing around more than it did during steady maintenance, but staying in range.
Recomp isn't limited to higher BF%, it's a totally normal and usual occurrence not something special. Eric Helms....
https://muscleandstrengthpyramids.com/calorie-deficit-gain-weight/
Bret Contreras trains and recomps people to physique show standards.
https://bretcontreras.com/to-bulk-and-cut-or-not/
You really shouldn't project your results onto a young male like the OP. Being older changes everything (unfortunately!).
OP - you need to have a serious think about your priorities.
If you want to lose body fat and gain muscle then choose between eating at maintenance or eating at a very small deficit. The bigger the deficit the faster the fat loss but chances of building muscle get more remote the bigger the deficit.
If building muscle is more of a priority then maintenance or a very, very small surplus but then you are deferring getting leaner and it's not optimal to bulk from a higher BF%.
Whatever you do optimise your training with a really good program designed for your lifting status, that's what drives muscle growth and I see so many young men doing frankly awful routines and wasting the years when muscle growth is relatively easy.
I said it can happen at a higher BF%. I did not say it was limited to a higher BF%.
Get off my lawn!
2 -
@CarvedTonesCarvedTones wrote: »Recomp can happen at a higher BF%, but it seems to be limited. I have built up chest and shoulders a bit and lost a little more girth with weight bouncing around more than it did during steady maintenance, but staying in range.
Recomp isn't limited to higher BF%, it's a totally normal and usual occurrence not something special. Eric Helms....
https://muscleandstrengthpyramids.com/calorie-deficit-gain-weight/
Bret Contreras trains and recomps people to physique show standards.
https://bretcontreras.com/to-bulk-and-cut-or-not/
You really shouldn't project your results onto a young male like the OP. Being older changes everything (unfortunately!).
OP - you need to have a serious think about your priorities.
If you want to lose body fat and gain muscle then choose between eating at maintenance or eating at a very small deficit. The bigger the deficit the faster the fat loss but chances of building muscle get more remote the bigger the deficit.
If building muscle is more of a priority then maintenance or a very, very small surplus but then you are deferring getting leaner and it's not optimal to bulk from a higher BF%.
Whatever you do optimise your training with a really good program designed for your lifting status, that's what drives muscle growth and I see so many young men doing frankly awful routines and wasting the years when muscle growth is relatively easy.
Thanks for the input I’m new to this and I’m gaining muscle pretty well I just have 𝙛𝙖𝙩 around my stomach but I gotta either do one or the other and my goal is to get bigger not smaller I’m guessing I’ll work on the bulking part and run on days I’m not lifting0 -
igolvera210 wrote: »
@CarvedTonesCarvedTones wrote: »Recomp can happen at a higher BF%, but it seems to be limited. I have built up chest and shoulders a bit and lost a little more girth with weight bouncing around more than it did during steady maintenance, but staying in range.
Recomp isn't limited to higher BF%, it's a totally normal and usual occurrence not something special. Eric Helms....
https://muscleandstrengthpyramids.com/calorie-deficit-gain-weight/
Bret Contreras trains and recomps people to physique show standards.
https://bretcontreras.com/to-bulk-and-cut-or-not/
You really shouldn't project your results onto a young male like the OP. Being older changes everything (unfortunately!).
OP - you need to have a serious think about your priorities.
If you want to lose body fat and gain muscle then choose between eating at maintenance or eating at a very small deficit. The bigger the deficit the faster the fat loss but chances of building muscle get more remote the bigger the deficit.
If building muscle is more of a priority then maintenance or a very, very small surplus but then you are deferring getting leaner and it's not optimal to bulk from a higher BF%.
Whatever you do optimise your training with a really good program designed for your lifting status, that's what drives muscle growth and I see so many young men doing frankly awful routines and wasting the years when muscle growth is relatively easy.
Thanks for the input I’m new to this and I’m gaining muscle pretty well I just have 𝙛𝙖𝙩 around my stomach but I gotta either do one or the other and my goal is to get bigger not smaller I’m guessing I’ll work on the bulking part and run on days I’m not lifting
Running will not shrink your midsection unless it puts you in a calorie deficit...which would also be the same thing as just eating less to put you in a calorie deficit.3 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »igolvera210 wrote: »
@CarvedTonesCarvedTones wrote: »Recomp can happen at a higher BF%, but it seems to be limited. I have built up chest and shoulders a bit and lost a little more girth with weight bouncing around more than it did during steady maintenance, but staying in range.
Recomp isn't limited to higher BF%, it's a totally normal and usual occurrence not something special. Eric Helms....
https://muscleandstrengthpyramids.com/calorie-deficit-gain-weight/
Bret Contreras trains and recomps people to physique show standards.
https://bretcontreras.com/to-bulk-and-cut-or-not/
You really shouldn't project your results onto a young male like the OP. Being older changes everything (unfortunately!).
OP - you need to have a serious think about your priorities.
If you want to lose body fat and gain muscle then choose between eating at maintenance or eating at a very small deficit. The bigger the deficit the faster the fat loss but chances of building muscle get more remote the bigger the deficit.
If building muscle is more of a priority then maintenance or a very, very small surplus but then you are deferring getting leaner and it's not optimal to bulk from a higher BF%.
Whatever you do optimise your training with a really good program designed for your lifting status, that's what drives muscle growth and I see so many young men doing frankly awful routines and wasting the years when muscle growth is relatively easy.
Thanks for the input I’m new to this and I’m gaining muscle pretty well I just have 𝙛𝙖𝙩 around my stomach but I gotta either do one or the other and my goal is to get bigger not smaller I’m guessing I’ll work on the bulking part and run on days I’m not lifting
Running will not shrink your midsection unless it puts you in a calorie deficit...which would also be the same thing as just eating less to put you in a calorie deficit.
So what is best then to lose fat while working out? I weigh 212 and I’m 5’11 but I have not a huge stomach but I do have some handles to lose what I’m scared of is losing weight and looking small I wanna look the same just leaner and less fat0 -
igolvera210 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »igolvera210 wrote: »
@CarvedTonesCarvedTones wrote: »Recomp can happen at a higher BF%, but it seems to be limited. I have built up chest and shoulders a bit and lost a little more girth with weight bouncing around more than it did during steady maintenance, but staying in range.
Recomp isn't limited to higher BF%, it's a totally normal and usual occurrence not something special. Eric Helms....
https://muscleandstrengthpyramids.com/calorie-deficit-gain-weight/
Bret Contreras trains and recomps people to physique show standards.
https://bretcontreras.com/to-bulk-and-cut-or-not/
You really shouldn't project your results onto a young male like the OP. Being older changes everything (unfortunately!).
OP - you need to have a serious think about your priorities.
If you want to lose body fat and gain muscle then choose between eating at maintenance or eating at a very small deficit. The bigger the deficit the faster the fat loss but chances of building muscle get more remote the bigger the deficit.
If building muscle is more of a priority then maintenance or a very, very small surplus but then you are deferring getting leaner and it's not optimal to bulk from a higher BF%.
Whatever you do optimise your training with a really good program designed for your lifting status, that's what drives muscle growth and I see so many young men doing frankly awful routines and wasting the years when muscle growth is relatively easy.
Thanks for the input I’m new to this and I’m gaining muscle pretty well I just have 𝙛𝙖𝙩 around my stomach but I gotta either do one or the other and my goal is to get bigger not smaller I’m guessing I’ll work on the bulking part and run on days I’m not lifting
Running will not shrink your midsection unless it puts you in a calorie deficit...which would also be the same thing as just eating less to put you in a calorie deficit.
So what is best then to lose fat while working out? I weigh 212 and I’m 5’11 but I have not a huge stomach but I do have some handles to lose what I’m scared of is losing weight and looking small I wanna look the same just leaner and less fat
Pick a quality program, follow it for 6 months.
at your size, you could probably do a slow cut or a recomp.1 -
igolvera210 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »igolvera210 wrote: »
@CarvedTonesCarvedTones wrote: »Recomp can happen at a higher BF%, but it seems to be limited. I have built up chest and shoulders a bit and lost a little more girth with weight bouncing around more than it did during steady maintenance, but staying in range.
Recomp isn't limited to higher BF%, it's a totally normal and usual occurrence not something special. Eric Helms....
https://muscleandstrengthpyramids.com/calorie-deficit-gain-weight/
Bret Contreras trains and recomps people to physique show standards.
https://bretcontreras.com/to-bulk-and-cut-or-not/
You really shouldn't project your results onto a young male like the OP. Being older changes everything (unfortunately!).
OP - you need to have a serious think about your priorities.
If you want to lose body fat and gain muscle then choose between eating at maintenance or eating at a very small deficit. The bigger the deficit the faster the fat loss but chances of building muscle get more remote the bigger the deficit.
If building muscle is more of a priority then maintenance or a very, very small surplus but then you are deferring getting leaner and it's not optimal to bulk from a higher BF%.
Whatever you do optimise your training with a really good program designed for your lifting status, that's what drives muscle growth and I see so many young men doing frankly awful routines and wasting the years when muscle growth is relatively easy.
Thanks for the input I’m new to this and I’m gaining muscle pretty well I just have 𝙛𝙖𝙩 around my stomach but I gotta either do one or the other and my goal is to get bigger not smaller I’m guessing I’ll work on the bulking part and run on days I’m not lifting
Running will not shrink your midsection unless it puts you in a calorie deficit...which would also be the same thing as just eating less to put you in a calorie deficit.
So what is best then to lose fat while working out? I weigh 212 and I’m 5’11 but I have not a huge stomach but I do have some handles to lose what I’m scared of is losing weight and looking small I wanna look the same just leaner and less fat
To lose fat, you consume less calories than you burn.1 -
igolvera210 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »igolvera210 wrote: »
@CarvedTonesCarvedTones wrote: »Recomp can happen at a higher BF%, but it seems to be limited. I have built up chest and shoulders a bit and lost a little more girth with weight bouncing around more than it did during steady maintenance, but staying in range.
Recomp isn't limited to higher BF%, it's a totally normal and usual occurrence not something special. Eric Helms....
https://muscleandstrengthpyramids.com/calorie-deficit-gain-weight/
Bret Contreras trains and recomps people to physique show standards.
https://bretcontreras.com/to-bulk-and-cut-or-not/
You really shouldn't project your results onto a young male like the OP. Being older changes everything (unfortunately!).
OP - you need to have a serious think about your priorities.
If you want to lose body fat and gain muscle then choose between eating at maintenance or eating at a very small deficit. The bigger the deficit the faster the fat loss but chances of building muscle get more remote the bigger the deficit.
If building muscle is more of a priority then maintenance or a very, very small surplus but then you are deferring getting leaner and it's not optimal to bulk from a higher BF%.
Whatever you do optimise your training with a really good program designed for your lifting status, that's what drives muscle growth and I see so many young men doing frankly awful routines and wasting the years when muscle growth is relatively easy.
Thanks for the input I’m new to this and I’m gaining muscle pretty well I just have 𝙛𝙖𝙩 around my stomach but I gotta either do one or the other and my goal is to get bigger not smaller I’m guessing I’ll work on the bulking part and run on days I’m not lifting
Running will not shrink your midsection unless it puts you in a calorie deficit...which would also be the same thing as just eating less to put you in a calorie deficit.
So what is best then to lose fat while working out? I weigh 212 and I’m 5’11 but I have not a huge stomach but I do have some handles to lose what I’m scared of is losing weight and looking small I wanna look the same just leaner and less fat
Eat fewer calories than you burn in a day. That is the best way to lose fat IMO. If you follow a good lifting program and eat plenty of protein you won't lose much muscle, you might even gain some for a while.2 -
igolvera210 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »igolvera210 wrote: »
@CarvedTonesCarvedTones wrote: »Recomp can happen at a higher BF%, but it seems to be limited. I have built up chest and shoulders a bit and lost a little more girth with weight bouncing around more than it did during steady maintenance, but staying in range.
Recomp isn't limited to higher BF%, it's a totally normal and usual occurrence not something special. Eric Helms....
https://muscleandstrengthpyramids.com/calorie-deficit-gain-weight/
Bret Contreras trains and recomps people to physique show standards.
https://bretcontreras.com/to-bulk-and-cut-or-not/
You really shouldn't project your results onto a young male like the OP. Being older changes everything (unfortunately!).
OP - you need to have a serious think about your priorities.
If you want to lose body fat and gain muscle then choose between eating at maintenance or eating at a very small deficit. The bigger the deficit the faster the fat loss but chances of building muscle get more remote the bigger the deficit.
If building muscle is more of a priority then maintenance or a very, very small surplus but then you are deferring getting leaner and it's not optimal to bulk from a higher BF%.
Whatever you do optimise your training with a really good program designed for your lifting status, that's what drives muscle growth and I see so many young men doing frankly awful routines and wasting the years when muscle growth is relatively easy.
Thanks for the input I’m new to this and I’m gaining muscle pretty well I just have 𝙛𝙖𝙩 around my stomach but I gotta either do one or the other and my goal is to get bigger not smaller I’m guessing I’ll work on the bulking part and run on days I’m not lifting
Running will not shrink your midsection unless it puts you in a calorie deficit...which would also be the same thing as just eating less to put you in a calorie deficit.
So what is best then to lose fat while working out? I weigh 212 and I’m 5’11 but I have not a huge stomach but I do have some handles to lose what I’m scared of is losing weight and looking small I wanna look the same just leaner and less fat
"Leaner and less fat" describes recomp to a T.
With your stats and description though I would have thought a small deficit/slow rate of weight loss would be more appropriate than recomp at maintenance calories.4 -
igolvera210 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »igolvera210 wrote: »
@CarvedTonesCarvedTones wrote: »Recomp can happen at a higher BF%, but it seems to be limited. I have built up chest and shoulders a bit and lost a little more girth with weight bouncing around more than it did during steady maintenance, but staying in range.
Recomp isn't limited to higher BF%, it's a totally normal and usual occurrence not something special. Eric Helms....
https://muscleandstrengthpyramids.com/calorie-deficit-gain-weight/
Bret Contreras trains and recomps people to physique show standards.
https://bretcontreras.com/to-bulk-and-cut-or-not/
You really shouldn't project your results onto a young male like the OP. Being older changes everything (unfortunately!).
OP - you need to have a serious think about your priorities.
If you want to lose body fat and gain muscle then choose between eating at maintenance or eating at a very small deficit. The bigger the deficit the faster the fat loss but chances of building muscle get more remote the bigger the deficit.
If building muscle is more of a priority then maintenance or a very, very small surplus but then you are deferring getting leaner and it's not optimal to bulk from a higher BF%.
Whatever you do optimise your training with a really good program designed for your lifting status, that's what drives muscle growth and I see so many young men doing frankly awful routines and wasting the years when muscle growth is relatively easy.
Thanks for the input I’m new to this and I’m gaining muscle pretty well I just have 𝙛𝙖𝙩 around my stomach but I gotta either do one or the other and my goal is to get bigger not smaller I’m guessing I’ll work on the bulking part and run on days I’m not lifting
Running will not shrink your midsection unless it puts you in a calorie deficit...which would also be the same thing as just eating less to put you in a calorie deficit.
So what is best then to lose fat while working out? I weigh 212 and I’m 5’11 but I have not a huge stomach but I do have some handles to lose what I’m scared of is losing weight and looking small I wanna look the same just leaner and less fat
"Leaner and less fat" describes recomp to a T.
With your stats and description though I would have thought a small deficit/slow rate of weight loss would be more appropriate than recomp at maintenance calories.
Ok how do I go about doing it that way?0 -
igolvera210 wrote: »igolvera210 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »igolvera210 wrote: »
@CarvedTonesCarvedTones wrote: »Recomp can happen at a higher BF%, but it seems to be limited. I have built up chest and shoulders a bit and lost a little more girth with weight bouncing around more than it did during steady maintenance, but staying in range.
Recomp isn't limited to higher BF%, it's a totally normal and usual occurrence not something special. Eric Helms....
https://muscleandstrengthpyramids.com/calorie-deficit-gain-weight/
Bret Contreras trains and recomps people to physique show standards.
https://bretcontreras.com/to-bulk-and-cut-or-not/
You really shouldn't project your results onto a young male like the OP. Being older changes everything (unfortunately!).
OP - you need to have a serious think about your priorities.
If you want to lose body fat and gain muscle then choose between eating at maintenance or eating at a very small deficit. The bigger the deficit the faster the fat loss but chances of building muscle get more remote the bigger the deficit.
If building muscle is more of a priority then maintenance or a very, very small surplus but then you are deferring getting leaner and it's not optimal to bulk from a higher BF%.
Whatever you do optimise your training with a really good program designed for your lifting status, that's what drives muscle growth and I see so many young men doing frankly awful routines and wasting the years when muscle growth is relatively easy.
Thanks for the input I’m new to this and I’m gaining muscle pretty well I just have 𝙛𝙖𝙩 around my stomach but I gotta either do one or the other and my goal is to get bigger not smaller I’m guessing I’ll work on the bulking part and run on days I’m not lifting
Running will not shrink your midsection unless it puts you in a calorie deficit...which would also be the same thing as just eating less to put you in a calorie deficit.
So what is best then to lose fat while working out? I weigh 212 and I’m 5’11 but I have not a huge stomach but I do have some handles to lose what I’m scared of is losing weight and looking small I wanna look the same just leaner and less fat
"Leaner and less fat" describes recomp to a T.
With your stats and description though I would have thought a small deficit/slow rate of weight loss would be more appropriate than recomp at maintenance calories.
Ok how do I go about doing it that way?
Train hard and effectively.
Set your calorie goal to lose half a pound a week.
Log your food and exercise carefully/consistently.
After a period of weeks make adjustments to your calorie goal (if necessary) based on your actual weight loss results.
Tracking tape measurements and taking progress photos can also be helpful.9
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