how do i loose fat but not muscle, confused ?

thedodgeruk
thedodgeruk Posts: 132 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
im male 5ft 9 and 165 lbs, want to get to about 154;bs then play it by ear
MFP says to loose 2lbs a week i need to eat 1200 caloires , but im also doing weights as well as cardio
so what calories should i be heading for

after a comment , i wish to add that i was diagnosed with Dyslexia last year, thats why spelling and wrong words apear , sorry

Replies

  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    I've afraid of this too and have been reading up on it a bit...

    First, you should not be trying for 2lbs a week. That'll results in more muscle loss. To preserve muscle your calorie deficit should be pretty small, meaning your goal weight loss should be pretty slow. I am at 0.5 lbs / week. And you need to eat your exercise calories to keep your deficit small. And yeah, 1200 is way too low for a man taller than 5ft who does any kind of work out.

    Second, you need to get enough protein. 1gram per pound of lean body weight (so like your goal or so).
  • schobert101
    schobert101 Posts: 218 Member
    You cannot lose fat selectively without losing muscle. If you are in calorie deficit you will lose both. You can minimize the muscle loss by smaller caloric deficit, focusing on weight/strength training etc. To actually gain muscle you would need to be in caloric excess and your weight would increase.
  • lindsaylove07
    lindsaylove07 Posts: 444 Member
    Loose: not tight, ie "I need to make my pants more loose after eating this big dinner"

    Lose: to misplace, ie "I am going to lose my pants later, this will be a problem at a restraunt with a no pants no service policy"
  • Loko_Ino
    Loko_Ino Posts: 544 Member
    You can keep and lose at same time..
    You can up your protein to help your muscles say and incorporate weight training to help also
  • Loko_Ino
    Loko_Ino Posts: 544 Member
    Loose: not tight, ie "I need to make my pants more loose after eating this big dinner"

    Lose: to misplace, ie "I am going to lose my pants later, this will be a problem at a restraunt with a no pants no service policy"


    LOL
  • thedodgeruk
    thedodgeruk Posts: 132 Member
    Loose: not tight, ie "I need to make my pants more loose after eating this big dinner"

    Lose: to misplace, ie "I am going to lose my pants later, this will be a problem at a restraunt with a no pants no service policy"

    sorry im dyslexic
  • AmerTunsi
    AmerTunsi Posts: 655 Member
    You shouldn't worry too much about this as you are already doing strength training and cardio. The people who do purely cardio are the ones at risk of losing the muscle mass.
  • AmerTunsi
    AmerTunsi Posts: 655 Member
    Loose: not tight, ie "I need to make my pants more loose after eating this big dinner"

    Lose: to misplace, ie "I am going to lose my pants later, this will be a problem at a restraunt with a no pants no service policy"


    Was that really necessary? ... and it's "restaurant" not restraunt. o.O
  • dannylives
    dannylives Posts: 611
    1800 calories. Nothing lower than 1500. Im not sure about the 1800 because I dont know how tall you are and exercise level and all that, but 1200 is too low.
  • boopiejones
    boopiejones Posts: 73
    i wouldn't shoot for 2lbs a week. just eat clean, lift heavy and hammer when doing cardio and the results will come.

    and i agree that 1,200 calories is waaayyy too low for a guy, unless you are very small - like 120lbs or less. i'm eating about 3,500 calories a day and only maintaining my weight at about 165lbs.

Categories