How do I gain muscle but not fat and stay lean?

[gixxer]

Hi all,

I am 185cm and 91kg

I would like to gain muscle and loose body fat at the same time? How can this be done?

Atm, I eat wholegrain oats for breakfast (2cups) with skim milk

snack is 100g of natural almonds or natural mixed nuts and a banana.

for lunch I eat three slices of freyas bavarian full grain bread, I butter the slices with low fat marg, one slice of fat free ham, three thinly cut slices from a chicked breast, low fat cottage cheese, couple of cucumber slices, some avocado and then I got like big sandwhich.

snack again, 100g of nuts and a banana

workout at the gym

post workout shake of proteins (dymatize iso 100), no carbs, no fats in it

dinner, one chicken filee with brown rice or stir fry or whole grain pasta, mixed vegies. (sometimes I eat PIZZA or a kiwi roast, twice a month maybe)

before bed, nuts + banana

Now, this diet does not work, it makes me look "fit" but not lean at all, you can not see the ABS and no muscle defenition at all anywhere. I am just big, got big arms and stuff but that is it. I think I eat too much or the wrong stuff? I really want to stay on 90kg's but be lean?

Can anyone help me set up a proper diet plan or give tips on what I'm doing wrong? I go hard out at the gym and use the correct techniques.

Should I post a picture?

cheers

[hhhh1]

yeah post pics. try decreasing your net energy intake while increasing the amount of protein you eat, as it looks like you arent getting enough. And by protein i dont necssarily mean whey protein, lean meat, tuna/other fish, eggs etc are good too

[Phedder]

If you're willing to post pictures, it certainly wouldn't hurt. For your own reference, my display picture is me at a similar height and weight, if that's sort of what you're after?

Trying to maintain a similar weight while adding muscle/losing fat is often termed a 're-composition' diet. The idea is to find your maintenance caloric intake, which is the amount of calories required to keep your bodyweight stable. Fluctuations of 1-2kg are to be expected, but you don't want a downwards or upwards trend. This will take some experimenting and monitoring on your behalf, there's ways to estimate it but nothing beats finding out for yourself. Have you been gaining or losing weight steadily on your current diet?

As hhhh1 has said, it looks like you'll need more protein in your diet. A few suggestions to start with would be add a scoop or two of whey to your oats in the morning, and reduce the amount of oats to 1-1.5cups. For the morning snack you could drop the banana, slightly reduce the amount of nuts and mixed them in with 100g or so of cottage cheese. For your post workout shake you could add some carbs, the banana if you want or any other source really.

Depending on how much of a change you want to make, i'd suggest trying to get the bulk of your calories in after your workout when your body is primed to take them in and put them towards muscle growth. You could have breakfast and lunch as normal, but no snacks. Eat enough to get yourself through the day and your training. Go train, and then have your shake with some carbs too. As soon as you feel ready, have your dinner and the rest of your daily calories. You could finish off the day with mixed nuts and cottage cheese if you wish.

I should probably stop typing, that's just one option. Possibly a bit confusing ask as many questions as you like. The main point to get across is finding your maintenance calorie needs, sticking to that while training hard and eating more protein than you currently are. Eating more in the post workout window can be beneficial, but that depends on how much of a change you're willing to make to your eating habits.

[gixxer]

here is two picture's of how fat I am.

[gixxer]

If you're willing to post pictures, it certainly wouldn't hurt. For your own reference, my display picture is me at a similar height and weight, if that's sort of what you're after?

Trying to maintain a similar weight while adding muscle/losing fat is often termed a 're-composition' diet. The idea is to find your maintenance caloric intake, which is the amount of calories required to keep your bodyweight stable. Fluctuations of 1-2kg are to be expected, but you don't want a downwards or upwards trend. This will take some experimenting and monitoring on your behalf, there's ways to estimate it but nothing beats finding out for yourself. Have you been gaining or losing weight steadily on your current diet?

As hhhh1 has said, it looks like you'll need more protein in your diet. A few suggestions to start with would be add a scoop or two of whey to your oats in the morning, and reduce the amount of oats to 1-1.5cups. For the morning snack you could drop the banana, slightly reduce the amount of nuts and mixed them in with 100g or so of cottage cheese. For your post workout shake you could add some carbs, the banana if you want or any other source really.

Depending on how much of a change you want to make, i'd suggest trying to get the bulk of your calories in after your workout when your body is primed to take them in and put them towards muscle growth. You could have breakfast and lunch as normal, but no snacks. Eat enough to get yourself through the day and your training. Go train, and then have your shake with some carbs too. As soon as you feel ready, have your dinner and the rest of your daily calories. You could finish off the day with mixed nuts and cottage cheese if you wish.

I should probably stop typing, that's just one option. Possibly a bit confusing ask as many questions as you like. The main point to get across is finding your maintenance calorie needs, sticking to that while training hard and eating more protein than you currently are. Eating more in the post workout window can be beneficial, but that depends on how much of a change you're willing to make to your eating habits.

This was a really good post, I will try what you suggested. I have been putting on weight and stopped at 91 - 93kg's.. If I could be lean on 90kg I'd be happy.

[Mike Zero]

here is two picture's of how fat I am.

Not that fat mate. A bit soft but no rolls, so not that far off with a bit ov extra cardio.

P.S. the region from halfway up your upper arm to finger tips looking aethetic as phooooaaaar

[GreekAdonis]

Hi all,

I am 185cm and 91kg

I would like to gain muscle and loose body fat at the same time? How can this be done?

It is really hard to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time. To gain muscle you have to eat more calories than you burn off. To burn fat you have to eat less calories than you burn off. So how do you know how many calories to eat? :-s

I would focus on just one for now, phedder's post is good but possibly a bit complicated for beginners. If your main goal is to get abs then look at your diet. Eat more lean meats and less carbs.

[gixxer]

here is two picture's of how fat I am.

Not that fat mate. A bit soft but no rolls, so not that far off with a bit ov extra cardio.

P.S. the region from halfway up your upper arm to finger tips looking aethetic as phooooaaaar

hahaha, yep, need to see the sun more, too. Well not fat like a fatty but still, I need to get the fat under my skin off the body. I want to look ripped? I'm eating something that is keeping me fat, might be the nuts or too many bananas? The bread?

[Phedder]

Not a bad base to work with at all :nod:

It is really hard to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time.

Fair point, it does take a fair bit more attention to detail.

gixxer, is either goal currently more important to you? Getting leaner, or gaining muscle? The re-composition idea is more complicated and results are less dramatic, especially when the scale isn't really moving if you're a numbers person.

If you'd rather get leaner then build up again from a lean base, do that. If you're not too worried about fat at the moment and want to get bigger and stronger, do that. If you have no preferences the re-comp is another option.

[gixxer]

Not a bad base to work with at all :nod:

It is really hard to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time.

Fair point, it does take a fair bit more attention to detail.

gixxer, is either goal currently more important to you? Getting leaner, or gaining muscle? The re-composition idea is more complicated and results are less dramatic, especially when the scale isn't really moving if you're a numbers person.

If you'd rather get leaner then build up again from a lean base, do that. If you're not too worried about fat at the moment and want to get bigger and stronger, do that. If you have no preferences the re-comp is another option.

Well I'd like to lean down, and as you say then build from that?

What do I need to eat then?

I think the nuts are making me not loose the skin fat?

I've started walking around Hamilton Lake 5km in a fast pace, it seams to help too.

[tomleegolf]

It's not the nuts that stop you losing fat, its too many calories. Nuts are very calorie dense since they are 50% fat so great for bulking. It doesnt matter what you take out, just restrict your calories. FYI 100g of nuts is equivalent to 5 bananas calorie wise.

[gixxer]

It's not the nuts that stop you losing fat, its too many calories. Nuts are very calorie dense since they are 50% fat so great for bulking. It doesnt matter what you take out, just restrict your calories. FYI 100g of nuts is equivalent to 5 bananas calorie wise.

what would you recommend as morning and afternoon snack instead of the nuts?

[internet warrior]

It's not the nuts that stop you losing fat, its too many calories. Nuts are very calorie dense since they are 50% fat so great for bulking. It doesnt matter what you take out, just restrict your calories. FYI 100g of nuts is equivalent to 5 bananas calorie wise.

what would you recommend as morning and afternoon snack instead of the nuts?

I think you're getting the wrong end of the stick here.

It's not that nuts are good or bad. It's how many calories you are aiming for, and whether or not nuts fit into that.

They're actually a good source of good fat so don't cut them out.

[tomleegolf]

It's not the nuts that stop you losing fat, its too many calories. Nuts are very calorie dense since they are 50% fat so great for bulking. It doesnt matter what you take out, just restrict your calories. FYI 100g of nuts is equivalent to 5 bananas calorie wise.

what would you recommend as morning and afternoon snack instead of the nuts?

You can still keep eating nuts, they're good as long as you know that they're calorie dense. If you're maintaining your weight on your current diet, then maybe halve the nuts so you only have 100g of nuts a day instead of 200g? That's going to be 500 calories less than your current daily intake which seems to be the recommended way to steadily lose weight.

[rovr4on]

what does your name mean tomleegolf?

anything to do with danny lee being the man at golf?

you need to eat like 100gm of protein extra per day, eat one carb source with protein. Get rid of your evening banana.

make sure your rice is no more than a cup of cooked rice

[Phedder]

Well I'd like to lean down, and as you say then build from that?

What do I need to eat then?

The guys above have given you a good overview, it's the calories that matter. Nuts are great, but quite calorie dense so just reducing the amount you eat could make quite a difference.

Without drastically changing your diet, these are the changes I'd make if you're currently maintaining your weight on that diet.

Breakfast: 1 cup of oats, 1 scoop of protein powder, skim milk

Snack: 50g nuts

Lunch can stay the same

Snack 50g nuts and a banana

Post workout shake and a banana

Dinner can stay the same

Before bed 250g cup of cottage cheese.

Basically you're slightly reducing the amount of carbs you're eating, and reducing the amount of nuts whilst increasing your protein intake.

I've started walking around Hamilton Lake 5km in a fast pace, it seams to help too.

That's great, walking is a good way to burn some extra calories without affecting you're recovery much. Make sure you keep the weights you do in the gym heavy and intense, be prepared to slightly drop the volume if you start finding sessions difficult to recover from. A rule of thumb for you could be; Weights to retain or build muscle, diet and walking to help burn fat. Don't let your weights sessions become all about burning calories.

what does your name mean tomleegolf?

I'm thinking his name is Tom Lee, and he likes golf. Just a hunch

[gixxer]

Thanks for all the tips, I will follow the meal plan, but with less nuts and less bananas. Hopefully I should start to lean down.

will post in a month to review results.

[tomleegolf]

what does your name mean tomleegolf?

anything to do with danny lee being the man at golf?

My names tom lee, I used to play a lot of golf, had thoughts of becoming a professional golfer. In fct, reason I started going to gym was for golf. I played for the BOP up until last year. But I had to start working fulltime so no time for practise now, although thats just an excuse cos my brothers working 30-40 hrs a week and hes playing some really good golf atm. This year, he's come 2nd 3 times, 3rd three times, 4th once and a couple of top tens. He won the North Island Order of Merit too. Peter gyms it too sometimes, his best squat is 90kgs, bench 60 and deadlift 120. He weighs 57kgs lightweight, he might make an account here too, reads this site occasionally and lols hard at some of your guys posts.

And no Im not related to Danny, although he is Korean too and we practised at the same club.

Sorry for thread hijack.

In b4 cool story bro

[muscle99]

To gain lean muscle without fat you must count calories ! IMO. Pretty much what it is is eating 5-10% (at the very most) less calories than your maintainence calories. And definatly make sure your getting enough protein in. Cardio is a must & ensuring your motabolism is constantly at full peak is also a must. I found I could do this for the first 6 months of training, as one can get away with so much more. Good luck !

[gixxer]

I found I could do this for the first 6 months of training, as one can get away with so much more. Good luck !

I've already started to notice a difference. I am probably loosing some muscle, too, not sure. I'm drinking proteins morning, before the gym and after the gym and I eat a chicken breast for dinner, that should maintain the protein levels, ey?

[Lskee]

I hate this question.

In order to grow muscle you will need to gain a bit of fat.

It comes with gaining muscle.

Its like sleeping with a hooker, she most likely has a disease lol

Just like gaining muscle you will most likely gain a bit of fat.

Deal with it. Thats why winter was created. To bulk then summer is to cut.

[Shutupandsquat]

what does your name mean tomleegolf?

anything to do with danny lee being the man at golf?

My names tom lee, I used to play a lot of golf, had thoughts of becoming a professional golfer. In fct, reason I started going to gym was for golf. I played for the BOP up until last year. But I had to start working fulltime so no time for practise now, although thats just an excuse cos my brothers working 30-40 hrs a week and hes playing some really good golf atm. This year, he's come 2nd 3 times, 3rd three times, 4th once and a couple of top tens. He won the North Island Order of Merit too. Peter gyms it too sometimes, his best squat is 90kgs, bench 60 and deadlift 120. He weighs 57kgs lightweight, he might make an account here too, reads this site occasionally and lols hard at some of your guys posts.

And no Im not related to Danny, although he is Korean too and we practised at the same club.

Sorry for thread hijack.

In b4 cool story bro

inafter the cool story

I hate this question.

In order to grow muscle you will need to gain a bit of fat.

It comes with gaining muscle.

Its like sleeping with a hooker, she most likely has a disease lol

Just like gaining muscle you will most likely gain a bit of fat.

Deal with it. Thats why winter was created. To bulk then summer is to cut.

It is actually possible to lose fat and gain muscle as it is possible to maintain fat and gain muscle. But the gains are incremental, so buddy, just eat!

[Lskee]

yeah but better to focus on one thing and then the other later imo

[Shutupandsquat]

yeah but better to focus on one thing and then the other later imo

Yeahp. You can also gain a little in fat, but a lot more in muscle and then there's the illusion that you're leaner. For example, you'll (probably) look a lot leaner once your pecs get a good round shape into them.

You also would probably look leaner if you shaved your torso (actually serious)

[gixxer]

yeah but better to focus on one thing and then the other later imo

Yeahp. You can also gain a little in fat, but a lot more in muscle and then there's the illusion that you're leaner. For example, you'll (probably) look a lot leaner once your pecs get a good round shape into them.

You also would probably look leaner if you shaved your torso (actually serious)

Well, I know that loosing the body hair will make you look leaner, but I'm not new at the gym. Although, I started going back there a week ago (from a 3.5year brake) I've had this door gym back home that I have been using for 1.5year, that kept you resonably fit. Before the 3.5year brake I went to the gym 4 times a week for 8years, never did I have any abs though. So this time I'm gonna have abs, must be possible even if I don't really have the gentics for it. So I'm not that very interested in putting on heaps of muscle, only maintain it but get rid of the fat under the skin.