How to lose weight and gain muscle at the same time
 

On JamesClear.com he states, "gaining weight (hopefully muscle) requires a calories surplus and losing weight (hopefully fat) requires a calorie deficit. It should be obvious that you can’t have both of those at the same time."

Any thoughts on this as, of course, I want to do both at the same time. :)

Oops, the link didn't work and I don't know why since I copied right off the URL address. Here is what it is: http://jamesclear.com/reader-mailba...mittent-fasting

I'm skeptical. I remember Jimmy Moore getting bod pod tests done clearly showing he was losing fat and gaining muscle. I think the lifter-bros dive down deep holes and spot a lot of science-y sounding BS so I tend to take anything they say with giant grains of salt. My advice is: If it makes you feel better and stronger, do it but don't be insane about it.

Now losing weight is another issue. Weight is bone, muscle, water, fat, poop, everything. Fat is just one component of weight loss, right?

So if you're getting stronger and fitter, can do more reps or last longer on a walk, how is that not a win even if you can't visibly see more muscle?

If you don't lose "weight" when exercising, but your clothes are getting loose, then seems like another win too.

I just advise being moderate with exercise. Don't become a hamster on a wheel because that can actually depress your metabolism.

Thanks, Nancy. What you say makes sense. I guess my question is, Should I exercise with a calorie deficit? Right now I try to keep my carbs under 20 and calories at 1500, which is about a 400 calorie deficit. It seems to be working but I haven't started a serious exercise regimen yet. Or does it even matter?

The best way to experiment is to watch both the scale and the tape measure. The scale shows your weight change in pounds and the tape measure tells whether the pound changes are fat loss and muscle gain.

If you add exercise, are you okay with seeing your "weight" not go down as fast?
for example, what if one week, you lose 1 pound of fat, and gain .5 pound of muscle. That would look like "losing .5 pound."

if you add exercise, you can still have a 400 calorie deficit. Say you averaged 300 calories of exercise a day using those charts available all over the net.
then you could eat 1800 calories and still have your 400 calorie deficit and get whatever goodness you're already getting. sounds like fun eh?

Personally, calorie counting doesn't compute for me. You have to make sure the calculator you use covers your situation. Many used in the fitness world were derived based on metabolisms of college guys, that are not insulin resistant, plus a standard higher carb diet - feh. But, it is a place to start if that's the sort of thing you like.

Thanks for responding Seejay. I would be satisfied with "losing" less and gaining muscle if it would help accomplish my goal which is to feel better and also to fit into my show clothes by next February when I start doing trade shows again.

How can I present my jewelry if it doesn't look good on me and how can I look good to active horse women if I look like an overweight couch potato? The exercise should tone me up and weight loss will just make me look better (and my clothes will fit). Also, I will be standing most of the 12-hour days and I want to be as nice as I can to my feet. Less weight=happier feet. :agree:

You don't need to have a particular body to be able to look nice and wear jewelry. I've seen many very large women who look very fashionable.

Lose weight and exercise for many reasons, but take pride in who you are now and don't shame yourself or say you can't do something because of it.

I like what Nancy said. That said, do I gather you have a wardrobe of special show clothes that you want to fit into, specifically?

The best exercise I have seen for losing inches for sure is Teresa Tapp's T-Tapp. It's pretty intense and tightens up your muscles as girdles. She was a fitness trainer for models and they care about inches, not pounds. I tried it for a while and it really does tighten and strengthen and make you sizes smaller.

I second this. I'm just getting started doing some of her exercises. Her book is called Fit and Fabulous in 15 minutes.

Yes, I can't afford to replace them--and I do believe that I will be able to get back into them--at least it is a good goal.

Is it something a 70 year old can do? :lol:

I know this and i do dress up well now but I can't afford to replace them--and i really want to be able to wear them! And my feet--oh, my feet!

Check out fitday.com. It's free. You can plug in your current weight and height and it will spit out ballpark how many calories you need to eat in order to maintain current weight. Then you can subtract your 400-500 calories or whatever, to arrive at a good caloric intake for weight loss, respecting your size. As we lose weight, we lower it constantly.

Many who do low-carb healthy fat do not concern with calories at all and that's fine. Our muscles are sitting patiently underneath our layer of fat. As we lose weight, they begin to appear. I like to build mine a bit since this boosts even more fat burning.

In terms of exercise, it's really only serious body builders who need to eat way more. But I eat a bit more when I do weight lifting or anything anaerobic like HIIT.

I have used MyPlan on this site for years. I actually used the reports from there to show my doctor my stats.

I guess what I was confused about was whether I should be in calorie deficit when exercising. I have had fatigue problems since I had shingles year ago. I am finally doing better now and don't want to make it worse again.

Oh, I'm sorry, that's not easy. Yes, just play it by ear. Your body will tell you. Walking is wonderful gentle exercise with LCHF.

From my experience, I believe that the body is happy so long as you eat enough calories to sustain your weight at your ideal weight. Except for a brief period of time where I tried to eat below 2000 calories per day, I've been satisfied with my meals eating 2000 to 2500 calories a day throughout most of my weight loss. At my goal weight, that is about what I need to eat to maintain. Beyond that, my body has been happy to live off of yesterday's lunch (breakfast, snacks and dinner, too) to make up for the extra calories burned by carrying the extra weight and from my increased activity (mostly walking). As long as you are getting enough protein and eating enough calories, I don't see any reason why you cannot lose fat and gain muscle.

For about the past 2 months I've added weight lifting to my regimen. My eating has been up there (2400 to 2500 calories per day). I eat lots of protein. My weight has crept down a few pounds over the past two months and my upper body has put on some muscle mass. No question about it. So I don't really care what the 'experts' say. I'm losing fat and gaining muscle. Maybe not at the same moment during the day, but over time I am. And unlike the 'Biggest Loser' story where their metabolism was shot by their weight loss, I've been losing weight for 2.5 years and as far as I can tell my metabolism is right on par with what it should be for my gender, age, and size. I think that eating enough calories each day, along with exercise and appropriate levels of protein is what has kept my metabolism strong. There is no way to know for sure. I did what I did and it is what it is. Low carb, moderate protein, and exercise appear to be the right way to lose weight and get healthy. At least it has turned out that way for me and my great experiment.