Should I lose weight first or lose weight and gain muscle

sultank101
sultank101 Posts: 87 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey guys . It’s my first time posting here . I have a question that’s been bothering me lol. So last year march I went on a weight loss journey tracking calories but eating junk food and stuff and working out daily .I lost 17 kg till July but got demotivated and gained the weight back . Now I’m back on my journey . People keep telling me that I need to build muscle and lose weight . I’m a bit hesitant because I can’t eat 140-150g of protein and don’t really know how many days a week to strength train and cardio . My two questions are:is it better to lose fat and build muscle
And if yes , is it possible to build muscle if I eat around 700 calories under my maintenance and do cardio daily along with 2-3 days strength training

Replies

  • gymoclock1
    gymoclock1 Posts: 7 Member
    3 different types of fat cells are present in the body: white, brown, and beige and they can be stored in 3 ways - essential, subcutaneous, or visceral fat.
    Essential fat is the healthy fat that is required to make muscle and bones.
    Subcutaneous fat is the stored fat required for energy.
    Visceral fat is the excess fat that is unhealthy and needs to be shed. This is possible with high intake of proteins thus advice is to have protein rich food.

    So losing weight without proper knowledge is harmful and can do more harm to your body than good, slow down metabolism. So start right this time.

    Further the protein proportions can be varied over a period of time and can be increased or decreased based on fat changes occurring during process of weight loss.
  • sultank101
    sultank101 Posts: 87 Member
    What if I have a large deficit but manage to fit my macro nutrients required for it ?like a calculator says I need 150g so what if I fit that in 1700 calories daily
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    sultank101 wrote: »
    What if I have a large deficit but manage to fit my macro nutrients required for it ?like a calculator says I need 150g so what if I fit that in 1700 calories daily

    A large deficit makes any chance of building muscle far more remote.
    You haven't actually mentioned your weight and size so there's no context to what 1700 cals means to you.
    (e.g. I'm often eating a lot more than 3,000 to maintain so 1700 would be disastrous for me!)
    What are your estimated calories to maintain current weight?

    A small allowance also makes sticking to your diet much harder. Bearing in mind you lost and regained you don't wnt to keep repeating that yo-yo.
    Protein is just one factor (and just one macro!), carbs are also muscle sparing as is good training and a moderate calorie deficit. If you want to get maximum benefit from your training you need good energy levels for your workout and also for recovery from exercise.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,307 Member
    Exercise and training can evolve over time.

    For most people movement and exercise is a net benefit during weight loss and absolutely worth doing regardless of whether the result is increased muscle growth or "just" increased muscle retention.

    Large deficits are not exactly ideal in promoting muscle growth, but an untrained individual is still likely to benefit from training.

    What you SHOULD address is why you immediately transitioned from weight loss to regain.

    You became demotivated while doing something that was sustainable for you?

    Somehow it sounds as if you were still relying on applying will power to power through weight loss.

    You don't need to change everything in your life and you don't need to do so immediately; but, in trying to lose a good 40lbs, you should probably start considering what long term structural live changes you're willing to make such that you're building a future where you're leaner... regardless of how motivated you are.

    This often requires time so that you can figure things out so as to enter maintenance with the tools you will need during the next few years during which you will need to maintain in order to avoid further rebounds
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,617 Member
    sultank101 wrote: »
    What if I have a large deficit but manage to fit my macro nutrients required for it ?like a calculator says I need 150g so what if I fit that in 1700 calories daily

    Do you want to accomplish your goals, or go fast? Both may not be possible.

    Since you don't say how big you are now, we don't know how fast 1700 would be for you. I wouldn't eat as low as 1700, especially 1700 without eating back exercise, if I wanted to gain muscle. Since you're 100% male-er than me, likely younger than me, and almost certainly bigger than me, good odds your calorie needs are higher than mine.

    You best bet is to adopt a calorie deficit for moderate fat loss (weight loss rate 0.5-1% of current weight, toward the lower end of that if less than 50 pounds to a healthy goal weight), get good overall nutrition (including but not exclusively adequate protein), faithfully do a well-designed progressive strength training program to gain strength and keep/grow muscle, and do enough cardio to develop/maintain a healthy cardiovascular system.

    It won't be fast. It will require patience and persistence. (I agree with those saying not to force it to require maximum willpower on top of those.)

    Most health authorities suggest the minimum for cardiovascular would be about 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise or half that if intense exercise (or a combination). If untrained, start with the moderate intensity for best fitness results, not the intense type just to cut the time investment. Work your way up. Anything is better than nothing, of course.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,431 MFP Moderator
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1


    Just dropping this in here as well. A structured lifting routine is a key component to gaining muscle.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    sultank101 wrote: »
    What if I have a large deficit but manage to fit my macro nutrients required for it ?like a calculator says I need 150g so what if I fit that in 1700 calories daily

    We often see people on here with unnecessarily high protein goals and unnecessarily low calorie goals. You haven't given us enough information yet for us to determine if that is the case for you. Please answer the following:

    1. age
    2. height
    3. current weight
    4. goal weight

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