Shifting body fat & gaining muscle?

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phelaphant

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Hi all,

About 9 months ago I lost about 4.5 stone in weight, however since then I haven't really been hitting the gym on a regular basis (Due to a pretty stressful degree course!)

Anyway, in this period I only put on a couple of pounds and Im now motivated again to go back! Im 6ft 2inches and weigh 14 stone 7 pounds, I feel I look fairly slim but iam carrying a good bit of body fat.

I want to burn the fat but I also want to gain some muscle. After having a read round these forums the general consensus is you can't really do both, you need to be in a calorie deficit to lose fat but you need to be in a calorie surplus to gain muscle.

Do you think it is possible to combine the two? ie have 3 days of doing cardio/Hiit etc and being in a calorie deficit, and then say 2/3 days of weight training and loading up on carbs/proteins etc?

Or should I do a month or more of shedding the fat, then start training to bulk up?

Any ideas is much appreciated!

Shane
 
I am something of a novice myself but have learned a great deal while on the weight loss jorney I am currently on, and have been for the past few months. During that time I have done cardio work and weight training, and have lost 47-48 lbs. I am SURE I have built muscle in that time, in spite of my ongoing calorie deficits. So, I can say from personal experience, that YES it is possible to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time, even in the midst of a calorie deficit.

However, I have a LOT more weight to lose than you! I think the people on this forum will be able to give you good advice for how to transform your physique if they have more specifics about exactly what your goals are. There are many very knowledgable people here, and they will give you good advice for your situation--good luck!
 
Think of a boxer or pro athlete who has eaten a few pies and is out of shape. Will he do tons of cardio on a marathon runners diet and lose his muscle bulk? No.

Code: 
Cardio + Resistance training + Sensible diet=muscle fed and fat burned
 
Thanks for the replies!

Tribal
What would you suggest as a sensible diet? Low fat, high proteins/carbs? Whats a good amount of calories/grams of carb/protein/fat I should be aiming for to lose fat but not too low so i can feed the muscle? I have a 9-5 office job, so apart from 5-6 sessions a week at the gym I don't do any other strenuous activities!

Greenhorn Gal
Thats a pretty impressive weight loss! Keep up the good work and thanks for the advice. I know when I lost my weight I did some resistance training with the cardio and put on a bit of muscle! So thinking about my initial post I guess it can be done!
 
Yes it is certainly possible, especially in the early stages however the general consenxus is that it is better to focus on one at a time. You will get results faster if you bulk to your full potential ans then cut at a later stage if necessary.

Calories will depend on your BMR. Calculate that first, pick a number according to your goals, try it out for a couple of weeks then adjust if necessary.

Try to get 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight then fill in the rest of the cals with carbs and fats. Both are very important in building muscle
 
phelaphant said:
Thanks for the replies!

Tribal
What would you suggest as a sensible diet? Low fat, high proteins/carbs? Whats a good amount of calories/grams of carb/protein/fat I should be aiming for to lose fat but not too low so i can feed the muscle? I have a 9-5 office job, so apart from 5-6 sessions a week at the gym I don't do any other strenuous activities!
Click to expand...

- Eat complex carbs, dietary fibre (such as from beans and legumes,oats), high quality protein foods and healthy fats (fish oil supps, flax seed, omega 3) and a multivitamin. You can make your own protein shakes and instead of sugary snacks like doughnuts eat healthy ones like peanuts, low fat yoghurt, banana, apple etc.
 
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