Which first: fat loss or muscle gain?

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kittyninja
kittyninja Posts: 118
in Health and Weight Loss
This is kind of a re-post, since I only got 1 legit answer the last time I asked...
I'm currently at a healthy weight (stats are on my profile). I don't know my body fat percentage, but I assume it's between 20-25%.
I want to lose fat and gain muscle, but I know the human body is inefficient at doing both at the same time.
My question is, should I lose fat or gain muscle first?

Replies

  • wannabehealthy1980
    wannabehealthy1980 Posts: 55
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    If your not happy with the amount of fat your carrying, I'd lose it first.
    Otherwise, it doesn't matter which order you do it in as far as I know.

    I would fear losing all the gained muscle if you try the fat loss second though.... Just a thought...
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
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    My question is, should I lose fat or gain muscle first?

    Which seems more appealing to you right now, given your current physique:

    a) You get to eat more.
    b) You will gain muscle.
    c) You will gain fat.


    Or would you rather face this:

    a) You remain eating in a slight calorie deficit.
    b) You lean out even more and lose more fat.
    c) You MIGHT lose a little lean mass on the way.

    Which of these seems more appealing for you right now?
  • SaraTV
    SaraTV Posts: 3 Member
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    It doesn't work that way. Your body doesn't do just one thing or another, but you will lose muscle as you age if you don't work on keeping it and/or growing it. That's just one of the reasons why people tend to get "fatter" as they age.

    Fat and muscle will be lost when you lose "weight" if you don't challenge your body to grow muscles along the way. The food you choose to eat will have the biggest impact on your body shape and size, after genetics and such .

    As a body work therapist and trainer I say, concentrate on strength training. Muscles take up less space and burn more calories both at rest and play. As you build muscle your body will need more calories to maintain it's weight and you will lose fat along the way. Eat healthy foods, not too much, drink water, strength train a couple of days a week -challenge yourself and do some cardio. Enjoy being alive and in your body.
  • gp79
    gp79 Posts: 1,799 Member
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    I agree with what SS has said above. It's really a personal preference. I see guys in the gym who should have stopped bulking a few years ago. He lifts alot but is easily 30-35% body fat. At 18%'ish body fat I've decided to continue trying to lose fat. My reason is because I've never really seen what my body looks like with a lesser amount of body fat and I need to make sure my abs really do exist.
  • jellyedge
    jellyedge Posts: 6
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    SaraTV is exactly right. Strength training will add muscle and burn calories. The more muscle you have the more calories your body will burn. By building muscle, you will be losing fat.
  • kittyninja
    kittyninja Posts: 118
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    If your not happy with the amount of fat your carrying, I'd lose it first.
    Otherwise, it doesn't matter which order you do it in as far as I know.

    I would fear losing all the gained muscle if you try the fat loss second though.... Just a thought...

    I'm not dumb- I know the way to maintain muscle mass while losing fat is to continue weight training and make sure to eat enough protein and fat, while cutting carbs (within a reasonable range). I have that covered.
  • deekaydee
    deekaydee Posts: 158 Member
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    SaraTV is exactly right. Strength training will add muscle and burn calories. The more muscle you have the more calories your body will burn. By building muscle, you will be losing fat.

    From what I can tell, I'm not sure it is true to say "strength training will add muscle". The research I have done indicates that you add muscle by eating at a calorie surplus (with specific macronutrient goals) along with strength training. If you aren't eating at a calorie surplus, strength training may help your muscles get a bit stronger and perhaps more defined, but your body won't actually ADD muscle.

    I am at a healthy weight, but still have fat to lose. I'm shooting for about 10 lbs additional weight loss. I strength train heavy 3x per week and eat at a slight calorie deficit (250 per day). I do this because, while I still want to lose some weight, I want to minimize muscle loss.

    I plan to keep this up until I have lost the remaining fat I want to lose. Then, I can focus on building more muscle by eating at a slight calorie surplus; understanding that I will likely gain both fat and muscle. Once I've added more muscle, I can go back to the calorie deficit to cut that additional fat.

    That's the way I understand it, but I'm by no means an expert.
  • delipidation
    delipidation Posts: 34 Member
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    SaraTV is exactly right. Strength training will add muscle and burn calories. The more muscle you have the more calories your body will burn. By building muscle, you will be losing fat.
    +1. My mantra at the moment is this: "I don't need to be lighter; I need to be stronger."
  • kittyninja
    kittyninja Posts: 118
    Options
    It doesn't work that way. Your body doesn't do just one thing or another, but you will lose muscle as you age if you don't work on keeping it and/or growing it. That's just one of the reasons why people tend to get "fatter" as they age.

    Fat and muscle will be lost when you lose "weight" if you don't challenge your body to grow muscles along the way. The food you choose to eat will have the biggest impact on your body shape and size, after genetics and such .

    As a body work therapist and trainer I say, concentrate on strength training. Muscles take up less space and burn more calories both at rest and play. As you build muscle your body will need more calories to maintain it's weight and you will lose fat along the way. Eat healthy foods, not too much, drink water, strength train a couple of days a week -challenge yourself and do some cardio. Enjoy being alive and in your body.

    Look. The point is this: muscle can't grow out of nothing. Without a couple hundred extra calories, you can not build new muscle. You can strengthen what you have, but you can't build new muscle with a calorie deficit, plain and simple.
    I've already said that I know it is possible to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time, but THE HUMAN BODY IS NOT EFFICIENT AT DOING BOTH AT THE SAME TIME. I've tried it. I've failed. Moving on.
  • kittyninja
    kittyninja Posts: 118
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    My question is, should I lose fat or gain muscle first?

    Which seems more appealing to you right now, given your current physique:

    a) You get to eat more.
    b) You will gain muscle.
    c) You will gain fat.


    Or would you rather face this:

    a) You remain eating in a slight calorie deficit.
    b) You lean out even more and lose more fat.
    c) You MIGHT lose a little lean mass on the way.

    Which of these seems more appealing for you right now?

    The second one appeals to me more right now, mostly because I'm already having a hard time eating enough and I don't want more fat on me than I already have. That's the whole point...
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
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    The second one appeals to me more right now, mostly because I'm already having a hard time eating enough and I don't want more fat on me than I already have. That's the whole point...

    Then continue cutting for a while longer.

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