Trying to gain muscle after losing 100 lbs

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jswigart
jswigart Posts: 167 Member
edited August 2018 in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
I have been using cardio for some time now. By exercise and eating less, I’ve managed to bring my weight down 100 lbs to 145. I am 5’6” and 63 years old. Now I want to start gaining muscle. I have upped my calorie intake and am lifting heavy weights. I feel like I am pushing myself but I’m not getting muscle soreness. Am I not pushing hard enough? I lift on one day and off one day. Eating a lot of protein. Any suggestions? I’ve been eatin about 200 calories above my maintenance.

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  • cmdmedia
    cmdmedia Posts: 21 Member
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    Wow, congratulations on your weight loss! My method of gaining muscle is doing what I can. Sometimes it hurts and becomes a set back, at which time I try to time or otherwise measure my workouts, gradually increasing. Gaining muscle doesn't happen overnight, so be patient. Hope that helps.
  • Cbean08
    Cbean08 Posts: 1,092 Member
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    Great work so far!

    Get on a solid lifting program. There's a thread around here somewhere about choosing the best lifting program for yourself.

    And then it's about consistency and patience.
  • eosborne
    eosborne Posts: 7 Member
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    Im trying the same. I had a SECA test and Metabolic Test to see how many calories I really need at rest to lose and maintain weight. I Also wanted to know if my metabolism was slow, which it was. I wanted to know how much of my body was muscle, how much was fat and how much was other body parts and organs. It made me feel better because although I had gained weight and I was building muscle. At first you don't see the muscle because its deep within. It also takes time to build if you had a body full of fat. Also, fat and muscle weight the same. So my thinking that the extra 10 pounds I gained was muscle wasn't true. It was fat. And my clothes had not changed how they fit either.
    I was working out strength training for a year and half now at least 4 days minimum per week. I had increased my calories but not on purpose and that's why I was gaining. When you build muscle it will take the place of the fat your burning. But if you gain weight by eating more and strength training you are gaining fat as well as muscle. My approach now is to lose more body fat and gain more muscle. For my sex, age height and activity level. 1500 is maintenance and I am on a 1200 calorie diet to lose weight or get to my desired weight but I am building muscle. Another note, too much cardio will cause you to lose muscle so you have to be careful when losing. it has to balance so you don't lose muscle.
  • jswigart
    jswigart Posts: 167 Member
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    eosborne wrote: »
    Im trying the same. I had a SECA test and Metabolic Test to see how many calories I really need at rest to lose and maintain weight. I Also wanted to know if my metabolism was slow, which it was. I wanted to know how much of my body was muscle, how much was fat and how much was other body parts and organs. It made me feel better because although I had gained weight and I was building muscle. At first you don't see the muscle because its deep within. It also takes time to build if you had a body full of fat. Also, fat and muscle weight the same. So my thinking that the extra 10 pounds I gained was muscle wasn't true. It was fat. And my clothes had not changed how they fit either.
    I was working out strength training for a year and half now at least 4 days minimum per week. I had increased my calories but not on purpose and that's why I was gaining. When you build muscle it will take the place of the fat your burning. But if you gain weight by eating more and strength training you are gaining fat as well as muscle. My approach now is to lose more body fat and gain more muscle. For my sex, age height and activity level. 1500 is maintenance and I am on a 1200 calorie diet to lose weight or get to my desired weight but I am building muscle. Another note, too much cardio will cause you to lose muscle so you have to be careful when losing. it has to balance so you don't lose muscle.

    So, do I understand, you are trying to gain muscle while in a calorie deficite? My understanding is that you must go over your maintenance calories with a lot of protein to gain muscle.

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