The most confusing question about losing weight!

[wael44]

I have this question since ages....I read tens of articles...I educated myself about fat loss and nutrition but still unable to answer this question very clearly!!

The question is:

If I want to lose weight, how can I balance between calories deficit and building muscles!Ok, lifting weights is important because it increases the metabolism!
But, If i make a calories deficit to lose weight, how am I gonna build muscles!
Also, if I want to lose weight, should I keep increasing the weights that I left!! for example,,,I started three months ago with lifting 50 lb chest, now I can do 100 lb!! chest muscle got bigger but the fats are still in there and it looks ugly!!

Please,please and please, I really need a help about this!

Should I keep increasing the weights to lose weights and should I make a huge calories deficit or no?

Thanks a lot,
Forums is the only way that I can get a satisfying answer!!!

[Bonnie]

Do you do any cardiovascular training ?..weights alone is not adequate for fat loss.Nor does it necessarily work the heart & lungs as they need to be.Sometimes it is also about what time you eat, certain foods in your daily diet.So feel free to post how a typical eating day looks & your workouts

[ashley1981]

hi istarted m diet in jan 2010 I was 404 pound and gole was to lose body fat and build muscle. I found the best thing for me was a high protein diet and training twice aday. All cardio carried out first thing in the morning on a empty stomach and weights in the afternoon followed by 20 mins cardio. In the morning carry out interval training and the cardio after the weights a mixture of interval and normal cardio.

95% of fitness trainers say you are better get to the weight you want and then bulking with muscle i have been doing both for 7 months i have lost 161 pound body fat has gone from 49.6 to 26.4 % and i have gained lean muscle.

you do need to post diet and trainig to fully answer question a bit better

[Bonnie]

If 95 % of trainers say that, they should be out of a job.None of us on here promote fat loss without weight training, it needs be a combination.However working out on an empty stomach ?..Energy is derived from * eaten *carbohydrates & free fatty acids..It needs BOTH to be effective & if you haven't eaten any carbohydrates, it will take it from your muscle, meaning your weights workout will be less effective, at least that is understanding.

[Boss Man]

I don't think he's saying lose weight without doing any weights, I think he's saying lose before you bulk, rather than try to bulk whilst still in a high body fat % state.

at leats that's interpretation of what he said.

As for training on an empty stomach. No, no, no. Couldn't agree with you more Bonnie.

[Bonnie]

So umm what is bulking ?

[Boss Man]

Adding muscle basically. An abbreviation of bulking up.

[Bonnie]

But you can do that & still work on losing fat right ?

[wael44]

Oh guys u made me more confused

diet:

Breakfast:
2 white boiled egges + half a pita whole grain bread
or
a turkey slice+ 2 whole grain toasts

Lunch:
6 oz chicken breast +celery+Mushrooms+onions+cauliflower+broccoli = whether fried with olive oil or boiled as a soup

Dinner:
A tuna can or fried shrimps with the same above veggies or a 3 oz salmon fried as well + half pita bread

I take granola bars as snacks or apples or cherries or banana or grapes or orange + drinking water

I dont eat meat at all,,,I dont drink milk ,,,I dont eat :cheese,pasta,rice and I dont drink sodas

I am on this diet since 3 months,,,,I moved from 102.5 kg to 91 kg now....I go to gym 5 days a week or 4 ,,,,I do cardiovascular for 30 mins and weight lifting for 90 minutes!

I am just scared that I dont build muscles because diet is not high in calories,,,,and am afraid that muscles tissue are eaten away due to the lack of carbs
Because,,in lsat 2 weeks,, weight has not changed,,,,its stable on 91 kg !!!
How can I lose weight and build muscles at the same time? How can I make body take from the stored fats instead of eating the muscles!?

[Bonnie]

Whether or not you eat meat, you need 23 g of protein 6 times a day to build muscle, so forget snacks. Plan 6 equal meals, not all of them need to have carbs, three would probably be adequate.Pita is okay for a fuel sense, but not sure it is the best option for nutrition, are you allergic to rice, or just prefer not to eat it ? What about yams or sweet potato ? Eat a piece of fruit directly after a workout with protein, when it comes to fat loss, fruit unfortunately is not your friend.Limit tuna to 2 times weekly as there is mercury safety issues with tuna.Pour yourself a glass of water with each meal.Every meal should contain 23 g of lean protein, vegetables & healthy fats.Are you using olive oil to cook with ? It is GOOD you don't drink soda, no one should drink soda. Your body burns fat at rest, the way to make sure it does is to build muscle & do cardiovascular work, to speed up the metabolism, so it burns more of the fat.That comes down to fueling the body with what it NEEDS to do the work you ask of it.What does a day in the gym look like ?

[wael44]

W

Thanks Bonnie....So I understand from what u said that I have to drink protein shakes!? Because its the only way I can get such big amounts of Protein a day!
I am not allergic to rice,,,,but am just scared from the carbs it has and I cant control its portion not like the pita that I can control what I eat!

The same issue with potatoes,I read somewhere that it is one thing that I should avoid if I want to lose weight!

A day in gym looks like:
1) 15 mins Cylindrical activity and burn 120 caloreis
2)weight lifting 60 mins roughly
3) cardio runing for 10 mins

I try to burn around 250 calorie with each visit to gym!

The weight training is as follows:
Monday= Chest and tri
Tuesday=Back and bi
Wed= Shoulders
Thrus=repeat monday
fri= repeat tuesday

Thats roughly about it with some changes sometimes....and I go to gym at 9 at night ...and I dont eat anything after gym but water

thanks a lot of ur help.....let me know what do u think?

[wael44]

Whether or not you eat meat, you need 23 g of protein 6 times a day to build muscle, so forget snacks. Plan 6 equal meals, not all of them need to have carbs, three would probably be adequate.Pita is okay for a fuel sense, but not sure it is the best option for nutrition, are you allergic to rice, or just prefer not to eat it ? What about yams or sweet potato ? Eat a piece of fruit directly after a workout with protein, when it comes to fat loss, fruit unfortunately is not your friend.Limit tuna to 2 times weekly as there is mercury safety issues with tuna.Pour yourself a glass of water with each meal.Every meal should contain 23 g of lean protein, vegetables & healthy fats.Are you using olive oil to cook with ? It is GOOD you don't drink soda, no one should drink soda. Your body burns fat at rest, the way to make sure it does is to build muscle & do cardiovascular work, to speed up the metabolism, so it burns more of the fat.That comes down to fueling the body with what it NEEDS to do the work you ask of it.What does a day in the gym look like ?

Thanks Bonnie....So I understand from what u said that I have to drink protein shakes!? Because its the only way I can get such big amounts of Protein a day!
I am not allergic to rice,,,,but am just scared from the carbs it has and I cant control its portion not like the pita that I can control what I eat!

The same issue with potatoes,I read somewhere that it is one thing that I should avoid if I want to lose weight!

A day in gym looks like:
1) 15 mins Cylindrical activity and burn 120 caloreis
2)weight lifting 60 mins roughly
3) cardio runing for 10 mins

I try to burn around 250 calorie with each visit to gym!

The weight training is as follows:
Monday= Chest and tri
Tuesday=Back and bi
Wed= Shoulders
Thrus=repeat monday
fri= repeat tuesday

Thats roughly about it with some changes sometimes....and I go to gym at 9 at night ...and I dont eat anything after gym but water

thanks a lot of ur help.....let me know what do u think?[/quote]

[Bonnie]

You can use protein shakes.Though I do understand your fear of carbohydrates.I have just recently done a carb cut & now cycle them in low, med, high days, according to the intensity of workouts.If you eat rice, choose brown or even wild rice, as it is less processed, I cook 1/2 ( 1 cup cooked ) a cup of rice at a time & split it up over, two workout days.Yams & sweet potato are preferred over white potato, due to the starch content, I also split those in half & eat them on workout days only.Oatmeal is your best friend when it comes to carbs & its a whole grain.The whole idea behind fat loss is to keep your metabolism from being lazy & settling into a pattern.Though some would argue its good to have a regulated metabolism, it doesn't make sense to me, the energy you use should dictate the energy you put in.

Low carb day ( day off of gym ) 50 g complex carb, first meal of the day...rest of the day protein, veg & healthy oils, no fruit.

Med day ( cardio ) 100 g of complex..breakfast, lunch & dinner ..fruit & protein after workout only. Rest of the day protein, veg & healthy fats.

High carb day ( weights day ) 100 - 200 g of complex ..breakfast, lunch, afternoon meal, dinner..fruit & protein after workout only. After dinner, protein & vegetables & healthy fats.

With every meal you should include protein, veg, healthy fats,water.Just put the carbs in where they are needed.I was terrified of carbs, until I took the fitness theory & weight training course & now understand the fuel systems of the body.I have been eating this way now for a week & STILL lost a pound so far.Though body fat % is low so won't lose a lot now.If there is more to lose, it would

If you workout, you MUST have protein afterwards & protein needs a small amount of carbs ( fruit preferably ) to enable the body to absorb it.Within 45 minutes of the workout.

I need to know your goals in weights, because I see an unbalance workout, focusing a lot on arms, no legs or spine etc.Hope this isn't to confusing for you, feel free to ask questions.

[wael44]

thanks Bonnie

goal is reach 75 kg or 80 kg!!1 I started at 102.2 kg.....an I want also to build muscels.....It is true that I dont excersice legs because legs and thighs are the most places that I have fat at...

thighs and back are really big....so I dont wanna bulk them more,,,,I just do cardio and bike to lose weight there...

3 months ago I was earing pants with 40 in size!! Because even if 38 fits waist,,,the pants are tight from thighs!!! this is why I always have to take bigger waist sizes!!! and this is the reason I wanna work out more and build body!!!

[Bonnie]

What cardio machine is it you like ? If you want to lose fat, you need to do cardio at least 3 x a week ( minimum 20 mins ) preferably 2 x intervals & one time steady state.The fat will come off first, in the LAST place it went on.So whatever part of you got fat first, will be the LAST place it will come off of.