Losing 80lbs but trying to maintain muscle

[Dollylala]

Hello! I'm new and I'm on a hunt to figure the best rounded way to work out, the best nutritional recommendations to keep lean mass, and the most efficient way to burn fat.

My current stats are such
Starting weight 247 (march 2012)
Current Weight 225
Goal weight 145(aiming for may 2013)
Body fat % 44

I know I have such a long long way to go, the numbers still are very daunting to me, even tho the number is going down.
My work out when I started was 10 minutes of cardio followed by core, free hand weights, lunges, then followed by another 10 on cardio. First 6 weeks I met with a personal trainer every other week, he showed me lots of great core exercises. The gym I joined provides me with someone to take my measurements every 6 weeks, I lost 11.5 inches all over which is great in my first 6 weeks, I also lost 17 lbs but half of that weight showed up as lean mass and I want to keep as much as I can. So I upped my protein to around 120g a day I was intaking around 90-100g per day but my trainer says I need more, so more it is. I tend to not intake as much carbs as my calorie counter reccomends around 10% more than what I'm getting in, will that effect where the weight loss comes from?

Let me get you up to speed on my current diet and exercise routine. I'm currently intaking around 1550 calories a day. I use my fitness pal to track it all. As far as my work out I now do 18 min of cardio on the elliptical to warm up then move to cable weights where I work a body area for 3 days low weight 3 sets of 15-20 , and I always include core at the end since I'm heavier in the mid area my core is so so weak. Then I hit cardio again sometimes it's 10 on the bike, or like today 15 min on the treadmill. I work out 5-6 days a week. I'm always open to switching things up. Sorry this is so lengthy I wanted to make sure I included everything so no one had any questions, again what can I do differently to maintain lean mass and rid my body as much fat as possible.


Thanks for reading

 

[Grant1312]

Hey,

if i was training you i would suggest on one goal at a time and that is to loose the weight then you can build off the foundation of the hard work at goals you have achieved to gain the muscle you then want.

with regards to your current situation that is a great job in loosing the weight you already have.

but with your main goal i would say set your main goal then set little goals to keep oyu motivated to keep going because every time you reach one of your sub goals you can get that instant feeling like "what Ive done this week or month is really counting" and will help you get motivated to read you next sub goal until finally you reach your main goal and start on your way to building the muscle.

so set your goals something like this;

Main Goal: 145 by may 2013

then set sum or mini goals like this week im going to loose 5lbs

or you could set another goal like im going to complete my circuit workouts in 3,4 or 5 mins less time by next month.

so that should help you keep on track in the gym, also remember to always have fun exercising so get your friends/ family involved and get outside or in the gym and have mini challenges with them or play a sport with them.


also with regards with your nutrition get your current trainer to sit aside with you before or after a session and show you what your resting calorie and nutrient intake needs or be and what it should be with the workout your doing and why, because until you understand why you need to be doing these things you wont believe them fully.

also with the people i train Ive seen a higher weight and fat loss when they have a good diet that is giving them the nutrients and calories to get them trough the workouts and help there body to fight the fat and repair after the intense workouts.

a great thing i like to say to people is.....

"if your not sweating your not moving and if your not moving your not loosing"

Hope that helps,

Grant

 

[Albert Smith]

If you burn 500 more calories than you eat every day for a week, you should lose about 1-2 pounds.
If you want to lose weight faster, you'll need to eat less and exercise more.

For instance, if you take in 1,050 to 1,200 calories a day, and exercise for one hour per day, you could lose 3-5 pounds in the first week, or more if you weigh more than 250 pounds. It's very important not to cut calories any further -- that's dangerous.

For rapid weight loss, I recommend focusing on fruits, veggies, egg whites, soy products, skinless poultry breasts, fish, shellfish, nonfat dairy foods, and 95% lean meat.

Here are more tips more tips for you:

• Eat vegetables to help you feel full.
• Drink plenty of water.
• Get tempting foods out of your home.
• Stay busy -- you don't want to eat just because you're bored.
• Eat only from a plate, while seated at a table. No grazing in front of the 'fridge.
• Don't skip meals.

Keeping a food journal -- writing down everything you eat -- can also help you stay on track.