Trying to lose fat and gain muscle

jerrysaysmoo
jerrysaysmoo Posts: 4 Member
edited December 21 in Health and Weight Loss
What would be the best approach to this.
I’m trying to lose some excess fat on my chest and my belly
I’m 5’11 at 170 lbs
Currently I’m eating a caloric deficit and low carbs in order to burn fat.
I’m wondering if this is the right approach.
Cause I do know to gain muscles you need to need excess calories

Replies

  • nastroazzurro
    nastroazzurro Posts: 7 Member
    Strength training.
    Do compound exercises and carry a on with your calorie deficit.
    Check macros too.
    Working really well for me.
  • goldthistime
    goldthistime Posts: 3,213 Member
    edited May 2019
    Your best bet is to keep your deficit small.

    ETA: while still strength training of course
  • nastroazzurro
    nastroazzurro Posts: 7 Member
    You can’t reduce fat in specific areas.
    You’ll lose it all over with your stomach being the last and hardest part to lose.
  • whmscll
    whmscll Posts: 2,255 Member
    nastroazzurro wrote: »
    Strength training.
    Do compound exercises and carry a on with your calorie deficit.
    Check macros too.
    Working really well for me.

    This is working well for me also.

  • TrishSeren
    TrishSeren Posts: 587 Member
    You wouldn’t gain muscle in a deficit, but eat plenty of protein and weight train to retain the muscle you do have. Once you’ve lost some fat, then look at recomp or bulking.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,098 Member
    nastroazzurro wrote: »
    You can’t reduce fat in specific areas.
    You’ll lose it all over with your stomach being the last and hardest part to lose.

    There's no universal rule for the last place every body stores fat. Stomach may be true for you, not necessarily for OP.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    What would be the best approach to this.
    @psuLemon nailed it in terms of deficit, protein and training.

    I’m trying to lose some excess fat on my chest and my belly.
    You don't get to choose where it comes from, you may find the places you want to lose it from the most are the areas that genetically you hold on it the longest!

    I’m 5’11 at 170 lbs
    Goal weight? To me it doesn't sound like you have a lot of weight to lose but no idea of your current and desired physique.

    Currently I’m eating a caloric deficit and low carbs in order to burn fat.
    You don't have to go low carb, that's a choice not a requirement. If that's how you prefer to eat to create a deficit and if that doesn't impact your training performance then go for it. If it makes adherence harder or spoils your training performance then don't.

    I’m wondering if this is the right approach.
    Depends primarily on the quality of your training and the size of your deficit.

    Cause I do know to gain muscles you need to need excess calories.
    You don't know that as it's not an absolute rule. Your body doesn't have a mode switch that stops muscle protein synthesis just because you are in a deficit. An excessive deficit would clearly be a bad idea though.
    A calorie surplus may be optimal for speed of muscle gain but it's not a "need".

    If you are young, male and undertrained I would expect you would be able to gain muscle in a sensible deficit if you train well.


    What is noticeable is that your title says you want to gain muscle but you give no details of what training you are actually doing. You don't diet to gain muscle you train to gain muscle.

  • nastroazzurro
    nastroazzurro Posts: 7 Member
    Well I’m on a deficit around 300 cals daily on non training days, and am gaining muscle and strength, so it is possible.
    I do find though that eating well on days I train help my workout massively.
    On training days I eat slightly less than my maintenance calories so am still in a (small) deficit.
    I have plateaued a couple of times and I’ve upped my cals to get me going again.
    My macros are 45% protein, 25% fat and 30% carbs.
    Don’t always hit these (protein being the hardest to get to) but come close most days.
    Carbs seem low but I find it’s plenty for me as I don’t eat anything refined or starchy.
    I’m type 2 diabetic so hence the low carbs.
    And gin and soda is my tipple; carb free!
    Great to hear other people’s routines and diet information. Very interesting!
  • jerrysaysmoo
    jerrysaysmoo Posts: 4 Member
    edited May 2019
    I’m currently just trying to lose some fat and gain some muscle mass. I dropped from 180 to 168.
    Which is around the weight I wanna be at but my body is not where I wanna be at.

    What would be the best approach to this?
    In the post @psulemon posted before
    http://sci-fit.net/2017/bulking-deficit-gaining/
    Should I just keep at a caloric deficit with high protein intake?
    I’m seeing the slow muscle gains and fat loss.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,432 MFP Moderator
    jerrysaysmoo wrote: »
    I’m currently just trying to lose some fat and gain some muscle mass. I dropped from 180 to 168.
    Which is around the weight I wanna be at but my body is not where I wanna be at.

    What would be the best approach to this?
    In the post @psulemon posted before
    http://sci-fit.net/2017/bulking-deficit-gaining/
    Should I just keep at a caloric deficit with high protein intake?
    I’m seeing the slow muscle gains and fat loss.

    It depends what your priority is. Do you want to get lean faster or are you ok with a recomp where you eat at maintenance and work our hard to concurrently gain some muscle and lose fat?
  • jerrysaysmoo
    jerrysaysmoo Posts: 4 Member
    I’m okay with a recomp because I want to lose fat and gain some muscle, which is my goal. Which id assume the inexperienced slow cut is the best way to approach this?
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