Weight loss and muscle building?

[mac2thefuture]

Hello, i guess i need to lose circa 1 stone in weight to be 'healthier' so i need to consume less calories and do more cardio.

But, i'd like to attain an athletic, musclier build / look which means more calories and less cardio etc etc hence confused.com

Can anyone tell me how i make these two opposites work out?

Should i consume more, better calories? What is a target intake etc etc ?

Thanks

[JoshMKB24]

Well to get a more athletic build you need lean muscle. If you are also looking to shed pounds, its not the easiest thing to do. Better calories is the way to go. Fat is also your friend as long as its good fat. Eating on a regular basis is good too. Here is how my normal non-weekend days look

7am breakfast
1030am snack
1230pm lunch
330pm snack
7pm dinner

I eat a lot of eggs, chicken breasts, fish, vegetables, and peanuts. It sucks.......can't wait till I get married and put like 3 sticks of butter into a pizza, and roll it up and eat it like a burrito

[Huntn]

I assume that if you work out, you loose more fat weight than you gain from muscle mass and become more athletic in appearance.

[eric/]

Originally Posted by Huntn

I assume that if you work out, you loose more fat weight than you gain from muscle mass and become more athletic in appearance.

Well what happens is that your muscles require more energy to not only operate but exist as well.

So your body eats those fat stores, while you build muscle, and it has a compounding effect.

[mac2thefuture]

i'm confused by the fine line - i need to eat more food to gain muscle bulk but i also need/want to lose some excess.

If i don't eat enough i wont gain the fit look.....

[Huntn]

Originally Posted by eric/

Well what happens is that your muscles require more energy to not only operate but exist as well.

So your body eats those fat stores, while you build muscle, and it has a compounding effect.

My example might be best applied to an obese person? Besides weight, you can judge good progress by waist size reduction...

[rbrian]

You don't necessarily need to eat more to grow muscle. Just work your muscles - when the fibres break, they'll grow back bigger and stronger. The fuel for this comes from your food and fat stores - work out, eat the same amount, and your fat will turn into muscle. When you've run out of fat, then and only then do you need to eat more to build more muscle.

Here's some pictures to help you understand:

You start off fat


You work out, lose fat and gain muscle


Then, when you've run out of fat, eat more to gain muscle


You can go straight from 1 to 3 by working out, a lot.

[mobilehaathi]

To drop fat you might consider looking for and dropping/reducing empty calories in your diet (e.g. soda, alcohol, highly processed food-like items). Exercise is necessary too.

[rbrian]

Originally Posted by mobilehaathi

Exercise is necessary too.

Exercise is essential. You can lose wait by reducing your calorie intake, but the only way to build muscle is to use your muscles. The more you use them the bigger they get.

[mobilehaathi]

Originally Posted by rbrian

Exercise is essential. You can lose wait by reducing your calorie intake, but the only way to build muscle is to use your muscles. The more you use them the bigger they get.

Yep, although you'll notice I was specifically addressing fat loss.

[rbrian]

Originally Posted by mobilehaathi

Yep, although you'll notice I was specifically addressing fat loss.

Indeed, but the OP wants both!

Sadly, there's no easy way to get fit, otherwise I'd be fitter! Thin is easy - just east less. It's too much effort to get off the sofa and go to the fridge, so even though I'm a couch potato, I'm slim.

[JoshMKB24]

Losing weight is 80% diet

[mobilehaathi]

Originally Posted by rbrian

Indeed, but the OP wants both!

Sadly, there's no easy way to get fit, otherwise I'd be fitter! Thin is easy - just east less. It's too much effort to get off the sofa and go to the fridge, so even though I'm a couch potato, I'm slim.

Yeah, we'll Ive never been particularly interested in pumping myself up, so I gave advice based on what I do know. Besides it seems like others are covering the building muscle angle.

Also, it sounds like OP wants to be healthier, which isn't merely a question of being skinny. You gotta eat well (not necessarily less) and get some exercise!

[jasonvp]

Originally Posted by mac2thefuture

Can anyone tell me how i make these two opposites work out?

Should i consume more, better calories? What is a target intake etc etc

You can do both, but it takes effort and discipline. Both from a change in diet and a focus on exercising. Basically, you want to reduce (but not eliminate) your carbohydrate intake, and increase your protein intake. You also want to do both cardiovascular exercises and anaerobic (weight lifting) ones. The former will help cut the fat off, and the latter will help built muscle.

This can't be a "do it until I'm satisfied with the results" kind of thing. It's a lifestyle. And that's where the effort and discipline come into play.

Me, 5 days a week:

• Up at 0450 to do 30 minutes of cardio
• Breakfast consists of eggs, bacon, white toast, OJ (the last two: major carbs).
• Lunch is a green salad with a lot of chicken and turkey in it. Thin on carbs save for the salad dressing.
• Mid-day snack: protein bar (with, unfortunately, 30g of carbs as well)
• Dinner is a random mix of proteins, fats, and carbs

Me, 3 nights a week:

• After work and before dinner: 60 minutes of mass-building weight lifting

It's not difficult, it just takes discipline to stick with it.

jas

[niuniu]

Don't cut the cardio. The faster you drop bodyfat the sooner you can see how your build is developing, and in the end, that's where your motivation will come from - how you look in the mirror.

[JoshMKB24]

One thing I've tried in the last 2 months is go gluten free, besides booze......haha, but it does seem to work well. I'm in pretty good shape, so just trying to change up my approach to get the body out of its routine, which is also important. Keep changing up the routine so your body doesn't get comfortable and adapt

[boss.king]

Im doing the exact same thing. I assume you know the principles of bulking and cutting, if not then Google it.

The best way to do it is to bulk slowly first while doing a heavy weights routine. Once you have the desired muscle mass, you can then start to cut. No point cutting first because you are going to gain fat while bulking if you do it right. Also, protein is your new best friend, eat lots of it every day, and go for runs regularly. Google high intensity interval training, its the only cardio worth doing for weight loss.

Lastly, im not sure what sort of athletic physique you're after but I can't stress enough that a good weights programme is key developing muscle quickly and making sure you develop symmetrically. If you already do one, then just keep going, if not look up starting strength or stronglifts, they will start you off with the strength you need. This isn't a short journey you're embarking on, but its a worthwhile one. Good luck

[JoshMKB24]

[Liquorpuki]

Originally Posted by mac2thefuture

i'm confused by the fine line - i need to eat more food to gain muscle bulk but i also need/want to lose some excess.

If i don't eat enough i wont gain the fit look.....

Your body is only good at doing one thing at a time - either burning fat, or building muscle. Losing weight means you're gonna lose some muscle mass along with the fat. Building muscle means you're gonna gain some fat along with the muscle. So you gotta pick one or the other, then switch until you get the look you want. Like boss.king said, this is why bodybuilders go through bulking and cutting phases.

Here's Lee Priest while bulking and after cutting. He's a pro so it's extreme but you get a general idea of what it takes for someone to get ripped and not look like a 10 year old once they're down to 10% bodyfat

[Huntn]

Originally Posted by mobilehaathi

To drop fat you might consider looking for and dropping/reducing empty calories in your diet (e.g. soda, alcohol, highly processed food-like items). Exercise is necessary too.

Originally Posted by rbrian

Exercise is essential. You can lose wait by reducing your calorie intake, but the only way to build muscle is to use your muscles. The more you use them the bigger they get.

My understanding is that when you are overweight and cut calories, your body goes into survival mode, trying to hang onto fat. Exercise is the catalyst that forces your body to burn those stores it does not want to. And serious exercise is great because not only do you burn calories while exercising, but you continue to burn calories after the workout, as your body repairs muscle tissue.

[boss.king]

Originally Posted by Huntn

My understanding is that when you are overweight and cut calories, your body goes into survival mode, trying to hang onto fat. Exercise is the catalyst that forces your body to burn those stores it does not want to. And serious exercise is great because not only do you burn calories while exercising, but you continue to burn calories after the workout, as your body repairs muscle tissue.

Youve got to cut a stupid amount of calories to go into survival mode. Cutting at about 500 below maintanance is perfectly fine, and will result in weight loss even without exercise. Its basic calories in vs calories out.

[Liquorpuki]

Originally Posted by Huntn

My understanding is that when you are overweight and cut calories, your body goes into survival mode, trying to hang onto fat. Exercise is the catalyst that forces your body to burn those stores it does not want to. And serious exercise is great because not only do you burn calories while exercising, but you continue to burn calories after the workout, as your body repairs muscle tissue.

It's actually the opposite - when you're really obese, your fat cells have become insulin resistant and are trying to push calories away. It's only when you're extremely lean that your body reverses itself and tries to partition everything you eat into fat tissue. Which is why unless you have superior genetics it's a challenge to get ultra lean.

[JoshMKB24]

Originally Posted by Huntn

My understanding is that when you are overweight and cut calories, your body goes into survival mode, trying to hang onto fat. Exercise is the catalyst that forces your body to burn those stores it does not want to. And serious exercise is great because not only do you burn calories while exercising, but you continue to burn calories after the workout, as your body repairs muscle tissue.

Thats another reason why they say you should eat a lot of small meals instead of just having your standard meals every day. You keep your body running and metabolism going!

[designs216]

Originally Posted by rbrian

Indeed, but the OP wants both!

Sadly, there's no easy way to get fit, otherwise I'd be fitter! Thin is easy - just east less. It's too much effort to get off the sofa and go to the fridge, so even though I'm a couch potato, I'm slim.

I'm always amazed by these movie stars that gain muscle and get ripped at the same time. Christian Bale comes to mind. He yo-yo's between action hero and famine victim. Then I remember they have the cash to hire dieticians and personal trainers and get paid millions.

[mrsir2009]

Eat minimal carbohydrates and replace them with fat and protein, and you’ll lose weight in no time. From there you just need to work out to get the muscles, and then boom Worked for me.