Should I focus on losing fat, or gaining muscle?

hai_immissemma
hai_immissemma Posts: 13
edited October 3 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm 5'2 and currently 112 lbs (not much muscle, mostly flab). I have some fat to lose to get to my goal (which could be anywhere from 100 to 105 lbs or maybe even more- but I'm more concerned about what I end up looking like, and less concerned with the exact number). My goal / dream body includes both: less flab and strong, toned muscles. I'm using a website called bodybuilding.com, and they have two plans to choose from- fat loss or muscle gain. In the end, I want both. Would it be more effective to use the fat loss plan, or the muscle gain plan, based on my current weight and goals? Should I do one after the other? Any help is appreciated.

Replies

  • dls06
    dls06 Posts: 6,774 Member
    :wink: Gaining muscle. I don't think you could have much fat to lose.
  • Jfearn64
    Jfearn64 Posts: 353 Member
    Gaining muscle. You have a very small amount of fat to lose. Muscle takes more calories to feed than fat. If you build the muscle, the fat will take care of itself.
  • grassette
    grassette Posts: 976 Member
    If you are gaining muscle, you are losing fat, unless the diet makes you load up on calories, or skews it in such a way that you get showy muscles. I would check for that. Other than that, muscles are healthy because they protect your body from injury.
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    I'm at the same point. I keep waffling about what I want to do because yeah, I wanna do both! As it is, I'm eating about maintenance....

    I really should just suck it up and switch to a little over maintenance...
  • slickracer
    slickracer Posts: 63
    Muscle gain. Your so close to the weight you want to be it's almost in the noise region. Just concentrate on toning up. At first try and increase your lifting capacity (higher weight) but for toning you will quickly move to stabilizing the weight and doing lots of reps.
  • slickracer
    slickracer Posts: 63
    I'd actually much more recommend finding some sports you enjoy that will naturally build muscle. Bike riding, basketball, rock climbing. It's a lot more fun to gain muscle that way and your much more likely to keep it up if you enjoy it.

    Beats a sweaty old gym any day!!
  • nt828
    nt828 Posts: 8
    Jamie Easons LiveFit program on bodybuilding.com is amazing. I have built about 3 pounds of muscle in a month on that plan and I haven't followed the nutrition to the letter-just been doing the workouts. So so awesome.
  • fiberartist219
    fiberartist219 Posts: 1,865 Member
    You are already a healthy weight. I say work on the muscle!

    I'm 5'2" and I'm at 160lbs, so I'm going to work on the fat first. If I were 112, I would not bother trying to lose any fat at all. I remember when I weighed that much, and my ribs were sticking out. I'm a small frame too, so I'm thinking 105 is a little low for being healthy.
  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    The idea of doing lots of reps for "toning" is pretty outdated. Women should lift exactly the same as men. There is really no reason not to.

    And I really enjoy going to the sweaty gym! (I hate showering afterwards but that's a different post).
  • koosdel
    koosdel Posts: 3,317 Member
    Muscle gain. It will accentuate your awesomness.
  • catherine4211
    catherine4211 Posts: 944 Member
    Jamie Easons LiveFit program on bodybuilding.com is amazing. I have built about 3 pounds of muscle in a month on that plan and I haven't followed the nutrition to the letter-just been doing the workouts. So so awesome.

    I'm curious - how do you know you built 3 pounds of muscle? Do you have one of those special scales?
  • mabug01
    mabug01 Posts: 1,273 Member
    My vote is for muscle building. It's feels great to be strong!
  • hai_immissemma
    hai_immissemma Posts: 13
    Thanks to everyone who answered. I thought that was what I should do :)
  • joejccva71
    joejccva71 Posts: 2,985 Member
    In order to build NEW muscle tissue especially if you are pretty lean (as you are), then you need to eat at a calorie surplus. It doesn't have to be much...maybe 5% is good. Remember a few things:

    1. New muscle tissue requres a calorie surplus unless you are so morbidly obese (which you aren't) that you are using your current fat stores as energy (calories) to provide new muscle tissue growth.

    2. You will gain a little bit of fat when you eat a calorie surplus to build new muscle, and at a 5% surplus (for a woman) your fat gain will be hardly even noticeable but will happen. See #4.

    3. Women build muscle no where near the rate that men do unless you are on the juice.

    4. Doing IF (intermittent fasting) and Carb Cycling is probably a good thing to do while doing a slight surplus to keep fat level increase at a bare minimum.

    5. You can eat that 5% calorie surplus increase and you will build slowly, and you won't "get all big and bulky". It takes a LONG to get to that point building up naturally.

    6. People that think they are building muscle on a calorie deficit aren't actually building new muscle or it's VERY minimal. They are toning and conditioning the current muscle (underneath the fat) that they have. So in essence it makes them look like new muscle is building when it's just conditioning.
  • Lift_hard_eat_big
    Lift_hard_eat_big Posts: 2,278 Member
    Look into body recomposition
  • FaithHopeBELIEVE
    FaithHopeBELIEVE Posts: 626
    I am in the exactly same place!!! I am also 5'2" but 116 and 25% body fat. My goal is 105 lbs but I really dont care if it gets down ther as long as I lose about 5% body fat. I think we need to do both cardio and weight lifting/toning in order for this to happen. I have been doing THAT for years. Since joining this site 3-4 weeks ago I have learned I need to EAT.
  • AliciaLucas_72
    AliciaLucas_72 Posts: 112 Member
    In order to build NEW muscle tissue especially if you are pretty lean (as you are), then you need to eat at a calorie surplus. It doesn't have to be much...maybe 5% is good. Remember a few things:

    1. New muscle tissue requres a calorie surplus unless you are so morbidly obese (which you aren't) that you are using your current fat stores as energy (calories) to provide new muscle tissue growth.

    2. You will gain a little bit of fat when you eat a calorie surplus to build new muscle, and at a 5% surplus (for a woman) your fat gain will be hardly even noticeable but will happen. See #4.

    3. Women build muscle no where near the rate that men do unless you are on the juice.

    4. Doing IF (intermittent fasting) and Carb Cycling is probably a good thing to do while doing a slight surplus to keep fat level increase at a bare minimum.

    5. You can eat that 5% calorie surplus increase and you will build slowly, and you won't "get all big and bulky". It takes a LONG to get to that point building up naturally.

    6. People that think they are building muscle on a calorie deficit aren't actually building new muscle or it's VERY minimal. They are toning and conditioning the current muscle (underneath the fat) that they have. So in essence it makes them look like new muscle is building when it's just conditioning.

    I just learned a few things so thank you now I have a few questions for you joe if you don't mind. I am currently on a weight loss journey as I have quite a bit of weight to lose but I am also looking to get fit and strong as I have 5 kids 6 and under that I want to keep up with and play with and be around for in general, anyway I digress.. do you recommend any websites or books etc that I can refer to for strength and stamina building. And should one build up new muscle or can conditioning what you got give you the same results? While my ultimate goal is to loose weight and be storng and healthy I wouldn't mind looking like a hot momma at the end of the journey either...lol Thanks for your insight and anyone else who has any other advice about this I appreciate it!! Thanks. And Hai thanks for starting this dialog, good luck on your journey.
  • KokomoJoe
    KokomoJoe Posts: 435
    :wink: Gaining muscle. I don't think you could have much fat to lose.

    ^^^^^

    THIS
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