losing fat and gaining muscle help

[1HandInMyPocket]

For the last few months I having being trying to get into shape, more specifically, to lose fat and gain muscle. From the info I have found, apparently these two goals are mutually exclusive, but why?

I do understand, in general, to lose weight you need to take in fewer calories and do more cardio and to gain muscle you need to increase calories eaten and workout. I know that any type of cardio will also deplete muscle mass. I either read something on this board or another that when you do muscle training, your body will think that it needs its muscle, thus will take less stored energy from there and more from the fat reserves. So why couldn’t I do cardio then follow up with muscle training regardless if my caloric intake changes or not?

FYI, I always meant to post this before I saw jrich’s video posts.

Thanks

 

[Twister]

For the last few months I having being trying to get into shape, more specifically, to lose fat and gain muscle. From the info I have found, apparently these two goals are mutually exclusive, but why?

I do understand, in general, to lose weight you need to take in fewer calories and do more cardio and to gain muscle you need to increase calories eaten and workout. I know that any type of cardio will also deplete muscle mass. I either read something on this board or another that when you do muscle training, your body will think that it needs its muscle, thus will take less stored energy from there and more from the fat reserves. So why couldn’t I do cardio then follow up with muscle training regardless if my caloric intake changes or not?

FYI, I always meant to post this before I saw jrich’s video posts.

Thanks

If new , some people can still gain some muscle and lose fat. Ultimately muscles will raise your metabolism and help lose fat. I do weights first and then do cardio..its harder but the body will eat your stored carbs with the weights and when you do the cardio you're buring fat...thats why its harder.

 

[mila]

^^^^ What he said

 

[colt]

For the last few months I having being trying to get into shape, more specifically, to lose fat and gain muscle. From the info I have found, apparently these two goals are mutually exclusive, but why?

I do understand, in general, to lose weight you need to take in fewer calories and do more cardio and to gain muscle you need to increase calories eaten and workout. I know that any type of cardio will also deplete muscle mass. I either read something on this board or another that when you do muscle training, your body will think that it needs its muscle, thus will take less stored energy from there and more from the fat reserves. So why couldn’t I do cardio then follow up with muscle training regardless if my caloric intake changes or not?

FYI, I always meant to post this before I saw jrich’s video posts.

Thanks

Cardio exercise will not deplete muscle mass. It will result in gains of muscle mass to the same degree resistance training will - but it certainly won't cause you to lose accumulated muscle mass. You have to put your body in a pretty severe state of malnurishment before it will start canniblaizing its own muscle mass.

Also, you don't necessarily need to increase caloric intake to build muscle mass. You may need to increase protein intake but it is doubtful when you look at the average protein intake in the North American diet versus the body's actual protein needs. If you are working out regularly and intensely than you might need to increase your calorie intake as your basal metabolic rate will increase - but this increase in calories will not result in fat gain because they will be utilized by the increase in the body's basal metabolic rate (which will include the creation of new muscle mass). If you are already overweight the odds are that you are already taking in more calories than your body needs - the excess calories are being used to create fat stores. If you start working out I would not worry too much about needing extra calories to build muscle mass - you will likely do fine staying at the same caloric intake and focusing more on consuming healthy calories as opposed to unhealthy ones.

 

[JamesDouglas]

The weight loss industry is a multi-billion dollar a year industry, but it really shouldn't be. Everyone knows how to lose weight, everyone knows how to gain muscle, it's really as simple as you think it is. Cut out the sugar, eat healthy whole foods, and run on a treadmill to lose weight. Lift weights, eat 6 small healthy meals a day, and make sure you get enough protein to gain muscle.

 

[Samantha Jones]

getting a trainer is the best way lots of water and less sugar & salt .. more vegg and quality protein... but u know all this already! dont worry, def easier said than done, Personally I am taking a break from my P.T so I can enjoy my workouts again. Running and some fit or pole classes - Best of luck babe xoxoxo

 

[Fifi_ulla]

OP your stats (like weight, height, overall body fat percentage, age etc) really would deterimine the best approach to take between diet, weights and cardio to get the gains you seek. Without that information it makes specific advice difficult.

From a generic perspective though, it's what folks above have said...it is possible...but requires dedication and is an uncomfortable,and sometimes difficult process, especially in winter, when you REALLY don't want to leave your warm house to drive to a gym. Also, plenty of times i see people slacking off in the weights section, or there like it is a social club for their buddies and to talk to women.

My thoughts - if you find it hard to go to the gym, get a personal trainer to work out with weights 3 times a week as paying someone actually does motivate you to go. Its cheaper than an SP per hour

Alternatively find a workout buddy that pushes hard, so it is the same thing as a trainer...you know the person is waiting for you so you have to go..and you know the person will push you to your limits, which is what you need.

For cardio - do a group fitness class 3 times a week. Spin class is great, especially if you're just starting out. if you get bored of spin.., then zumba. I prefer to do a cardio class than just use a treadmill and elliptical, which bores me in 5 or 10 minutes.

Just keep at it - the key is to stay consistent at it and you will achieve your objectives.

And finally - take responsibility for what you put in your mouth.

 

[lazysausage]

0 carbs
maintain a diet of vegetables, meats, and fruits only and exercise.
easiest way without following some complex diet / routine, you can still do what u do just eat more frequent.. 5 meals of 0 carbs comes a longggggg way

 

[DB123]

0 carbs is untenable and nearly impossible to maintain - it leads to cheating, which can lead to guilt and then binging so you're back at square 1 (funny how THAT kind of cheating causes guilt...). The key is moderation, not abstinence, because that way you can maintain it and still enjoy pasta or whatever now and then.

Other than deep fried and high processed sugar content food/drinks (or excessive artificial sweeteners), there is really nothing that should be avoided at all costs. Honestly, exercise and the rest will take care of itself more or less

 

[pipelayer]

U want to lose weight and toughen up? Join a martial arts club. Make new buddies, get in shape and learn something. Also if you like it, you may do it for life. It won't be a passing fad or "new resolution".

 

[larry]

some of these suggestions are so "out there", i wonder why people do them. just eat the same or a little less, and do a little more. if u want to get strong, start lifting weights. if u want to be a better runner, start running. start easy or slow and do a simple progressive increase in weights/reps/distance/speed. don't be in a rush or you'll suffer an injury. take your time. a couple of pounds lost a week is a lot. it will happen all by itself if you eat the right amount and exercise sufficiently. you can't stop it. good luck.

 

[colt]

0 carbs
maintain a diet of vegetables, meats, and fruits only and exercise.
easiest way without following some complex diet / routine, you can still do what u do just eat more frequent.. 5 meals of 0 carbs comes a longggggg way

As noted above, 0 carbs is unrealistic and practically impossible. It is certainly impossible if you are including fruit in your diet (which you should).

 

[1HandInMyPocket]

Thank you for everyone's input.

I am about 20% body fat and would like to get to 15%. I've already cut out sugary drinks and consume mostly water now. I am also doing a lot more portion control when I am eating. It's hard for me to reduce carbs but again, I am taking notice of my portions now. I have notice some changes in my stomach area from the last 2 months.

As for my arms, I am lifting a little bit more but don't see any difference in the size of my arms. Then again, I wasn't that strong in the first place.

I never really liked going to my campus gym back in my college days and my mindset hasn't really changed, so a personal trainer is not an option I would consider. But I have considered doing a martial arts/MMA/boot camp type of classes. I guess I like more of that class environment.

I do get discourage sometimes when I don't see bigger more noticeable changes in the mirror, but I know it is a long ongoing process. I haven't gotten to the point where I cave and eat junk for a day, but I have skipped some workout days. If I do make some more noticeable changes I'll keep you all updated, perhaps as some sort of encouragement for those with the same goal. But don't expect me to post any videos of myself

 

[Deucalion]

I been going to the gym for last month and been getting exellent results i have managed to shave off 18 pounds in a month
what i can tell you is that consistency and motivation is the key you have to keep on fighting and not get discouraged just cause results are slow doesnt mean you should slow down your self keep on following a goal and a path and you will achieve it just need some patience.

Btw gym is only half of it, watching what you eat combined with gym is best way to go no fast foods no candy suger and drinking lots of water during gym or whenever bored and hungry instead of grabbing a mars bar.

 

[freedomlover]

I sometimes eat 5000 calories or more a day, yet can only gain a maximum of 15 pounds, regardless. I used to eat a whole package of bacon - 2700 calories, then 500 grams of beef, then pasta etc. I wish I had the problem of too much fat. My problem is not enough fat, not enough size etc. Women make fun of my body all the time, even the fat women.

 

[Fifi_ulla]

OP, it's good that you're seeing change. However, the mirror is not a good way to measure progress on yourself. Use a weighing scale or even take a front and side photograph every week or two to compare.

 

[trod]

Run 5k twice a week.

 

[Smash]

U want to lose weight and toughen up? Join a martial arts club.

+1 boxing or MMA classes will transform you into a sleek hard body. Plus you'll be able to kick ass.

 

[oldjones]

Run 5k twice a week.

Or more. It's the easiest exercise to master and needs the least equipment. Start with walking as briskly as you can as long as you can, once a day. Increase time, distance and speed when your original distance and pace become comfortable, and give yourself a recovery day every three or four. Eventually you'll have to break into a jog for at least part of the distance, in order to keep it at the level of 'work'. You'll be building cardio-vascular muscles as well as all your leg muscles, so don't imagine cardio isn't about mustcles.

Work is what builds muscle. Without enough work, some of the calories you take in are excess, and they get stored as fat. If you're gaining fat, you are eating too much, not working enough or most likely both. So stop taking elevators, stop driving everywhere, and do more stuff standing up than sitting. Get a push mower, and leave the sno-thrower in the garage (after you've built that cardio fitness) If there aren't enough heavy things to lift in your ordinary life's activities, go out and get some (training weights run $1-2/lb, but you could start with bags of sugar or cat litter) and start lifting them regularly until those muscles are tired. Do push ups. Do it all again a couple of days later after they've recovered and built new fibres. When that lifting is easy, do more by increasing the weight.

 

[MrBruce]

Forget most of what was said here, you're being lead down a path of minimal to no results and whole lot of wasted effort. Age and current level of health and fitness will affect how much muscle you can build but you can most certainly drop tons of fat in the same process....if things are spot on! Diet is 80% of it. You could be on an absolutely perfect training program, but without a proper diet, you will not achieve maximum results. Do some research for starters and not on forums. Most of the solid diet plans will have you eating around 50-100 grams of carbs daily with more on weight training days in addition to 1-2gms of protein per pound of bodyweight daily. There's little variety here, it's shakes, lean meat, poultry, fish, green veggies, tons of water, rinse & repeat. The more variety you have, the more cravings you will develop and the faster you'll fall off the wagon.

As for running, if you want to be a pro runner, go running. If not, you're wasting your time. Everyone that I know that runs 5K on a regular basis is weak as shit and they look it too. Look at a sprinter instead, someone who is focused on conditioning and not cardio. I haven't seen too many sprinters with saggy man boobs...

Above all else, get serious and make a fundamental change in the way you eat and train and remember to focus on conditioning and not cardio.

• Conditioning prepares you for battle. Cardio makes you really good at running slowly away.
• Conditioning fires up the metabolism. Cardio extinguishing it over time.
• Conditioning makes a man look good naked. Cardio makes a man look good in lavender skinny jeans and not much else.
• Conditioning builds legs of steel. Cardio builds legs of an underfed seabird.
• Conditioning makes you lean and hard. Cardio makes you small and soft.
• Conditioning gives you an upper body made of stone. Cardio gives you an upper body made of twigs and Jell-O.
• Conditioning makes you better at any physical activity. Cardio makes you good at cardio.
• Conditioning is sex. Cardio is cuddling and a chick-flick.
• Conditioning is testosterone. Cardio is cortisol and estrogen.
• Conditioning is pecs. Cardio is man-boobs.
• Conditioning relieves anxiety, boosts all-day energy and fires up brain function. Cardio increases anxiety and cortisol. (Runners are only happy when they run. The rest of the time they're assholes. True story.).
• Conditioning is fun. Cardio is fun when it's over.
• Conditioning is for hunters. Cardio is for Bambi's mom.
• In short, conditioning is for predators. Cardio is for prey.

Now go get 'em.