New and trying to find ideal exercises for keeping muscle and better metabolism

surfbug808
surfbug808 Posts: 251 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm completely new to learning how to lose weight!

I'd like to lose a minimum of 10 lbs, but ideally 25lbs total.
But, I don't want to lose muscle mass...

My calorie intake recommendation by MFP is 1200/day, which is manageable for me/female.

I'm still figuring out an ideal weight-loss fitness routine. Normally, I stretch every morning/evening, surf and/or swim 3x/week, for at least an hour or more each session. But, the more I read about exercise types for best weight-loss without losing muscle, the more it sounds like these are not enough to maintain muscle while dropping calories.

So... if I mix it up...:

Basic strength training 30 minutes 2-3x/week
Cardio 1 hour 2x/week (zumba or soccer)
And keep my swim and surf routine minimum 1 hour 3x/week
Daily stretching

Does this sound adequate? Or am I adding too much of the wrong stuff?
I can easily maintain this as I love exercise, I just don't know what combo would be best with losing calories while keeping muscle mass and generating metabolism long-term.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated! :smile:

Replies

  • wiigelec
    wiigelec Posts: 503 Member
    Can't lose weight without losing muscle but you can minimize with proper strength training and protein intake...
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    firef1y72 wrote: »
    What rate of loss has mfp given you for those 1200 Calories, the fewer pounds you have to lose the smaller the rate you should be going for.

    The best way of retaining as much muscle as possible is to lose the weight slower (0.5lb/week or less) while doing progressive resistance training.

    Agree with this, and will just remind you that MFP does not include exercise calories.
    Log them and eat them back. You need to fuel your workouts.

    Cheers, h.
  • surfbug808
    surfbug808 Posts: 251 Member
    Thanks for the tips everyone!

    MFP has me at 1lb/week weight loss w 1200 cal/day.

    I am eating high protein (fish, eggs, chicken, some other occasional lean meats), whole veggies/fruits, and low carbs.
    Ok, I'll put in progressive resistance training to my workouts.

    I'm trying to eat back the calories after workouts, but am not that hungry overall... I"m not sure if that's normal at first or maybe I ought to do more snacking thru the day to keep the calories at 1200... any other feedback would be great.

  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    wiigelec wrote: »
    Can't lose weight without losing muscle but you can minimize with proper strength training and protein intake...

    And a smaller, more modest calorie deficit.
  • Pamela_Sue
    Pamela_Sue Posts: 563 Member
    MFP recommends the following:

    If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal
    If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal
    If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lb/week is ideal
    If you have 15-25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lb/week is ideal
    If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lb/week is ideal
  • surfbug808
    surfbug808 Posts: 251 Member
    jjpptt2 wrote: »
    wiigelec wrote: »
    Can't lose weight without losing muscle but you can minimize with proper strength training and protein intake...

    And a smaller, more modest calorie deficit.

    Is this to say that maybe I need to up my calorie intake (in this case, a bit above 1200) so I have a lower deficit if my priority includes maintaining muscle?
    Pamela_Sue wrote: »
    MFP recommends the following:

    If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal
    If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal
    If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lb/week is ideal
    If you have 15-25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lb/week is ideal
    If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lb/week is ideal

    My first aim is 10lbs, but ultimately 25lbs. Thanks for this info too!

    Appreciate all the tips as I refine my diet/exercise routine.
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    surfbug808 wrote: »
    jjpptt2 wrote: »
    wiigelec wrote: »
    Can't lose weight without losing muscle but you can minimize with proper strength training and protein intake...

    And a smaller, more modest calorie deficit.

    Is this to say that maybe I need to up my calorie intake (in this case, a bit above 1200) so I have a lower deficit if my priority includes maintaining muscle?

    A smaller deficit is more ideal for goals related to body comp/muscle retention.

  • magnusthenerd
    magnusthenerd Posts: 1,207 Member
    wiigelec wrote: »
    Can't lose weight without losing muscle but you can minimize with proper strength training and protein intake...

    LOL, no. You generally can't lose significant weight without losing lean tissue, which is not the same as muscle. If you add enough fat to the body, you also have lean tissue like cell structures, water, and blood that supplies the fat with metabolic machinery. That isn't really much of an issue at losing 10 pounds, and probably not on the measurable (with the tools we have for living subjects) level for 25 pounds.

    And on top of this, you're scaring off a beginner who can probably actually gain muscle and can definitely gain strength in a deficit.

    The idea of losing muscle (particularly beyond just glycogen) when losing weight in an individual doing strength training is really only a concern at the level of leanness of doing a body building prep.
  • surfbug808
    surfbug808 Posts: 251 Member
    magnusthenerd wrote: »
    wiigelec wrote: »
    Can't lose weight without losing muscle but you can minimize with proper strength training and protein intake...

    LOL, no. You generally can't lose significant weight without losing lean tissue, which is not the same as muscle. If you add enough fat to the body, you also have lean tissue like cell structures, water, and blood that supplies the fat with metabolic machinery. That isn't really much of an issue at losing 10 pounds, and probably not on the measurable (with the tools we have for living subjects) level for 25 pounds.

    And on top of this, you're scaring off a beginner who can probably actually gain muscle and can definitely gain strength in a deficit.

    The idea of losing muscle (particularly beyond just glycogen) when losing weight in an individual doing strength training is really only a concern at the level of leanness of doing a body building prep.

    Thanks for this valuable insight! I looked up the difference between lean tissue and muscles. And it helps to know that it isn't a significant factor when losing 10-25 lbs. I just want to make sure I'm losing more of the unwanted weight while retaining, or it sounds like possibly gaining muscle overall. I've shifted my workout schedule to include more whole body strength training. Anything else to consider in order to maintain/gain muscle while at a calorie deficit?
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    Your revised plan is very reasonable. I would add resistance training 100% to reap all the benefits.
  • wiigelec
    wiigelec Posts: 503 Member
    edited September 2019
    magnusthenerd wrote: »
    And on top of this, you're scaring off a beginner who can probably actually gain muscle and can definitely gain strength in a deficit.
    My apologies if recommending proper strength training and appropriate protein intake was scary...

  • surfbug808
    surfbug808 Posts: 251 Member
    wiigelec wrote: »
    magnusthenerd wrote: »
    And on top of this, you're scaring off a beginner who can probably actually gain muscle and can definitely gain strength in a deficit.
    My apologies if recommending proper strength training and appropriate protein intake was scary...

    LOL... uh nope! Taking all the good advice and encouragement I can get! :)

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