Maintaning weight, but trying to reduce bodyfat %

Hey guys! I asked this question before, but didn't really get an answer. I'm currently around 120-125lbs (fluctuate a lot!) and I want to keep it that way. However, I'm very flabby and I always feel like I have no energy. I have a very poor diet, which consists of a lot of junk food and sweets. I want to start working out, but I can barely run for 1 minute without wanting to pass out.

How do you think I can reduce my body fat % but increase my muscle mass at the same time? Or would I have to LOSE weight first, THEN gain the weight back after by doing strength training?

I currently maintain my weight by eating around 3000 calories a day (without working out). This is what I'm thinking might work- start cutting out all the junk food and eat protein rich foods like peanut butter and eggs. And start working out about 2-3 times a week for maybe 30 minutes  each time (hopefully build up my endurance level). Should I do cardio or strength training? I really just want to be more toned and fit.

I can tell you with 100% certainty that if you do, indeed, replace a diet of primarily junk food and refined sugar foods with a diet of healthy protein from lean meats, fish, whole grains, nuts, eggs, etc. (and including fruits and vegetables, of course) AND if you start exercising more, particularly doing weight-training, your body fat% will obviously go down. But you should do both cardio and strength training.  I only do 20-30 minutes of weights a day and around 30 minutes of true cardio (where I have  my heart rate in a set target zone) a day.  My body fat % has dropped from 25.2% on May 3rd to 15.4% on July 28th.

<<< How do you think I can reduce my body fat % but increase my muscle mass at the same time?>>>

• eat a well balance diet of protein, healthy carbs, and no transfats and sparingly saturated fats
• avoid eating junk foods with processed/refined sugars
• start the day off with a good breakfast full of a lot of healthy protein (eggs, lean meat, fish, fortified whole grains, cereals, nuts, etc. etc.)
• lift weights intelligently--consult with someone who knows what your goals are---and/or carefully search the net for advice on losing body fat% through weight training
• it is not an either/or choice--some cardio should be included with your daily weight-training
• But in my opinion
  
• 1) eating good protein from healthy foods and
  
• 2) doing even 15-30 minutes of weight-training a day (varying the weight exercises to give muscles a time to rest) will definitely mean you will lose body fat% and
  
• 3) cut out junk food.
  

1) Start by getting objective information about your actual bodyfat percentage. Terms like "flabby" are subjective and don't really mean much, as everyone has a different idea of what "flabby" is. I had a girlfriend who was 5'4", 105lbs and a size 2 and she always said she was flabby. Healthy bodyfat percentages vary by age and are higher for women than for men -- women require the extra bodyfat for their reproductive systems. Typically, a 25-30 year old woman should have bodyfat between 15% and 25%, possibly a tad higher. Men of the same age should have between 8% to 15%.

2) Set a specific goal. "More lean muscle and less bodyfat" is not specific. Everybody wants that. Set a specific bodyfat percentage goal, factoring in age, gender, and what is healthy.

3) 3000 calories is WAY too much caloric intake for your weight and goals. For maintenance, you should be taking in about 15 calories per pound of bodyweight which is around 2000 calories.

4) The ONLY way to simultaneously lose bodyfat and gain muscle mass is to eat a very lean diet high in protein and very low in carbohydrates, while including weight training and cardio. Weight training increases muscle mass, but only if you have a high protein diet (the body uses protein to build muscle). Your aim should be about 150 grams to 185 grams of protein PER DAY. Cardio burns fat, but only if your diet is lean and low in carbohydrates (excess carbs are stored as fat, and too many carbs will also prevent your body from burning the fat stores you have).

So your diet should look something like this:

2000 calories per day

175 grams of protein (700 calories in protein)

LESS than 600 calories per day from fat (66 grams or less)

about 700 calories per day from carbs

You should split this up into at least 4 different meals to keep your metabolism going. If you only eat once or twice a day, your metabolism slows and your body stores fat more easily. If you're having a hard time getting enough protein from normal foods, buy a high quality protein powder (Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Gold Standard is excellent) and have one or two protein shakes a day to supplement your protein intake.

P.S. Peanut butter and eggs are poor choices. Peanut butter is almost all fat, and eggs are high in fat and cholesterol. You'd be better off eating lean chicken (boneless, skinless breast meat) lean pork, and fish (tuna is ok, but fresh fish -- especially salmon -- is high in omega 3s)

Following these principles, I've lost 30 pounds over the past 12-16 months, while maintaining or boosting my muscle mass. I've gone from a high of 26% bodyfat to a low of 9% and am currently stable at around 12%

1) Eggs are high in food cholesterol, but that doesn't necessarily equate to blood cholesterol.  There is a lot of debate concerning how many whole eggs should be eaten a week.  So if you are worried about the food cholesterol, eat egg whites which are high in protein and have no food cholesterol.  Egg whites are very healthy to eat, in other words.. I recommend you do some Googling and read some of the "egg" threads about the pros and cons of eating whole eggs.  I guarantee, unless you have some odd allergy to eggs, egg whites are an extremely healthy, low-calorie, high-protein food to eat.

2) Peanut butter is a lot like nuts.  Eating some such as 2 tbs. a few times a week has many healthy benefits.  Every healthy food list I have ever seen, has nuts, eaten in moderation, as part of a healthy diet.  Again, you can Google for this information and make your own decisions.  If you are concerned about the fat in peanut butter, there are some good alternatives. 1)  I highly recommend Naturally More Peanut Butter with flax seed. 2) Fitnutz peanut butter mix is very low in fat and high in nutrients.  It can only be ordered online.  3) PB2 mix has many Calorie Count members giving it rave reviews. These peanut butter alternatives are low in fat and high in nutrients.  Naturally More tastes the best but has more calories compared to the mixes. 

Original Post by pilgrimdude:

1) Eggs are high in food cholesterol, but that doesn't necessarily equate to blood cholesterol.  There is a lot of debate concerning how many whole eggs should be eaten a week.  So if you are worried about the food cholesterol, eat egg whites which are high in protein and have no food cholesterol.  Egg whites are very healthy to eat, in other words.. I recommend you do some Googling and read some of the "egg" threads about the pros and cons of eating whole eggs.  I guarantee, unless you have some odd allergy to eggs, egg whites are an extremely healthy, low-calorie, high-protein food to eat.

2) Peanut butter is a lot like nuts.  Eating some such as 2 tbs. a few times a week has many healthy benefits.  Every healthy food list I have ever seen, has nuts, eaten in moderation, as part of a healthy diet.  Again, you can Google for this information and make your own decisions.  If you are concerned about the fat in peanut butter, there are some good alternatives. 1)  I highly recommend Naturally More Peanut Butter with flax seed. 2) Fitnutz peanut butter mix is very low in fat and high in nutrients.  It can only be ordered online.  3) PB2 mix has many Calorie Count members giving it rave reviews. These peanut butter alternatives are low in fat and high in nutrients.  Naturally More tastes the best but has more calories compared to the mixes. 

All true. The O.P. seemed to be suggesting peanuts and eggs as the basis for a high protein diet -- since she didn't mention any other foods -- and that's what I was discouraging against. Most research I've done suggest eggs and/or peanut butter as PART of a lean high-protein diet, but they shouldn't be the major component or basis of one. Consider this: just 2 Tbsp of all-natural peanut butter is 210 calories, over 70% of which comes from fat, and provides only 8g grams of protein. If one is trying to eat a lean diet and use peanut butter as a major source of protein, it would be very easy to go way overboard on both fat content and total calories. And since most people couple peanut butter with other things like bread, milk, and/or jam, they are adding tremendous amounts of sugars and calories into their diet. I don't know about anyone else, but I don't particularly enjoy eating 2 Tbsp of pure peanut butter straight out of the jar just for 8 grams of protein. In contrast, 6 ounces of lean chicken is less than 20% fat, and has about the same calories and 5 TIMES the protein as 2 Tbsp of peanut butter. Plus it's an actual meal. So I was just trying to show that there are leaner, healthier, more efficient ways of achieving a lean, high-protein, diet. If you like nuts, or peanut butter, or eggs, enjoy them -- just know what you're getting nutritionally from the foods you eat and factor that into your goals.

danakeman75:  Well-stated.  I definitely agree.  I have spent a long time debating if I should be throwing the hundreds of egg yolks away that I have been; thus far, I have decided to keep throwing them away.  I also think that Fitnutz is the way to go, except it is too expensive with the shipping, so I do eat Naturally More a couple times a week.  Yes, what you said makes a lot of sense.

Mimi if I were you I would post this in the fitness forum - a lot of the members who hang out there might not read this post here.

I for one was under the impression it was very very difficult to gain muscle while losing fat, and it was best to focus on first one and then the other.

As with many subjects concering health, diet, execise, etc. there are differing views about if we can lose fat while gaining muscle at the same time.  Below are just two of many sites that take one side or the other.  From my own experience, observations, and reading, I think it is possible.  However, if the experts on Calorie Count have knowledge that it is not possible, definitely take their advice.

http://stronglifts.com/how-can-you-lose-fat-b uild-muscle-at-the-same-time/

http://www.intense-workout.com/same.html

Your plan sounds simple and good. But I heard it's impossible to lose body fat % and gain muscle mass % at the same time.. Sorry. You can still do both, just at different times. Like focuse on fat loss for a month, then muscle gain for a month. When you focuse on fat loss, you usually lose muscle too. And when you focuse on muscle gain, you usually gain a little fat. But if you balance it out you will be BEAST! lol

To gain muscle you need to increase both your calorie and protein intake. Like 1-1.5 grams of protein for every pound of body weight and eat more but more of the good stuff like lean meat, whole grains, fruits, and veggies. Just because you can have 3,200 calories a day doesn't mean you can eat 2,000 calories worth of sweets and the rest good stuff. That would be unhealthy. Very low sweets and very high protein when gaining muscle. Protein shakes will aid in getting that protein in and will help your muscles recover from your workout if you take it right after your workout.

Well the thing is, I don't want to cut down my calorie content. Right now I'm about 120-125 which I think is a good weight for me. At one point in my life I WAS eating 2000 calories a day, but that made me maintain at around 118.

I think what I want to do is change the type of food that I'm eating (aka no more junk) but start working out at the same time. I don't know if that would prevent me from losing any body fat! But do you think if I just started doing a little bit of cardio and strength training..that maybe my body will naturally become leaner and more muscular at the same time?

Well since your body is in good condition working out will tone you out and you won't lose fat if you eat enough. You can cut out the junk and exercise and not lose weight. That's called being healthy and most people really suck at it.lol

MIMI-wow, did i read correctly, u maintain on 3000? umm, HOW? and no excercise?

i think start a beginner weight routine a few days a week w/o changing ur cals and see what happens after 1-2 weeks but again, 3000 cals, what is ur secret?

A very short snippet from Alwyn Cosgrove:

"At the most basic level, you need to be in a caloric deficient to lose fat and a caloric surplus to gain muscle."

I know he's written more about focusing on one then the other in his book New Rules of Lifting, but haven't been able to find it online yet.

I've never had a muscular body type. Everyone in my family are fairly skinny, but no one is really toned. A couple years ago, I used to watch what I ate and worked out at least 30 minutes a day. But that was when I had problems with my body image. I gained some weight after that, stopped working out, and started eating a lot of bad food. My typical day looks somewhat like this: Breakfast (Danish Croissant) Lunch (Ham & cheese Sandwich with all the condiments, Coconut Cake) Snack (Snickers Bar) Dinner (3-4 slices of Pizza, Cheesy sticks, 1/2 cup of Ben & Jerry's Ice cream) Snack (another 1/2 cup Ben & Jerry's). That is what I ate last Friday.

So technically, it's not that I eat a lot. I just eat a lot calorie wise because I am a fast food junky. I feel tired all the time, and I get a MAJOR 3PM slump.

Yesterday, I went the entire day with a healthy conscience and tried my best to cut out junk food. I had stuff like sashimi and edamame beans, fruit smoothies, pasta with tuna, frozen yogurt instead of ice cream, nuts & avocado salad. I also went for a 20 minute walk with my 5lb dumbells (hey it's a start!) I'm not sure if it's the placebo effect, but I honestly felt so much happier and better about myself. I definitely did not get a 3PM slump, I was actually motivated for life.

Today.. I have not been so good. But hey baby steps right

GREAT JOB!!

I remember when I first tried to change my ways it was SO hard. What worked for me is not cutting everything out all at once. Let yourself have what you used to have. Just baby steps towards a good diet. If you restrict all at once your setting yourself up for failure. Just be conscious of what you are eating and try and do better and soon enough you will be eating healthy, happy, and not even wanting that ben&jerry's ice cream..

KEEP GOING, YOU CAN DO Iiiiitt lol

MIMI- ahh, ur so lucky, i dont come from a slim family so maybe its all in the genetics.

a walk WITH weights is MORE than a start!! thats amazing!!  again, id say keep the higher cals, dont deproive urself and dont completly cut out foods u like, strike a balance.  u dont need to be a cardio junky, walks+some stregnth should be good, u r so lucky, that all sounded delicious!! lol

I don't think it's a placebo effect. Eating well, getting some fresh air and exercising are all great for energy levels!

I like the sound of what you ate the first day, but if I ate that all on the same day I would be really tired, like you said. So I normally eat closer to the second day but will throw in a piece of dessert or sweets if I feel like it - seems to work for me.

Your ideas seem sound; to start exercising and cut the garbage out of your diet.  What you'll end up accomplishing would still be up in the air, I guess.  It will depend on how your body reacts.

If you don't know your body fat % already, you might want to get that tested before you start, just so you know where you're at to begin with.  Then start with adding some exercise.  Get yourself out 3x a week for walks.  Strength workouts a couple times a week would be great, too.  I don't mean to discourage you, but I think it will be hard to build much endurance with less.  And at some point, you'll have to push yourself harder to keep getting the benefits.

I keep my carb/protein/fat ratios at 50/30/20, but that's just what's worked for me, and seems to come pretty naturally.  I think cutting out the garbage and replacing it with quality food will be a big change for you (in a positive way).  I still keep my treats (10 to 20g of chocolate almost every day, alcohol and some junk food like tortilla chips on occasion).  More protein by itself isn't going to magically help you, but if more protein means less fat and/or refined sugars, then it is a good thing.

My diet would look more like (at least now, since I've "fixed" some things up):

 Breakfast: Bowl of Kashi cereal, skim milk, raisins, or a protein/meal replacement shake & banana.  I think it's important to start the day off with a decent meal, not something that's full of sugar.

Snack: Fruit or cottage cheese or Kashi granola bar

Lunch: Subway Chicken Breast 6" sandwich, or salmon/steak/chicken & rice & veggies

Snack: Similar to previous snack, maybe with my chocolate.  VitaTop or VitaMuffins are also good!

Dinner: 5 to 7 ounces of protein (steak/chicken/salmon or whatever), carb (pasta, rice, potato), and veggies.  Skim milk to drink.  Dessert might be a half cup of Chapman's frozen yogurt or some fruit.

Often don't have the late snack, depending on how hungry I am. 

I also often fit in a PB&J if I'm still hungry, some cottage cheese, some fruit.  Chips, beer, etc are often left for "special" occasions, like getting together with friends, although I must admit I find it difficult to BBQ even at home without a beer in my hand.  But that's because our deck gets hot, and I need something cold to drink. :)

Anyway, my $0.02 worth.  Hope it helped in some way.

Clint