Lose Fat and Gain Muscle – Simultaneously?

I really wanna know how because i want to lose a litlle bit of fat from my abs but without losing any pound of muscle =D

yup, trying it now.. not working out too well

Hi,
Joel I was at 225lb, and you inspired me to lose 15lb, then finding it hard to shift any more weight.
I would love to find out more.

Sounds like there’s a lot of conflicting opinion on this one Joel, so I’m curious to get your take on it. Feed us some more!

I need to know more how to do it

I think the concept that in order to build muscle you HAVE to eat more calories than your maintenance and that in order to lose fat you HAVE to eat less calories than your maintenance is a bit too black and white. So is the old bodybuilding style of bulking then cutting, bulking then cutting.

Bodybuilders swear by that because that’s what they’ve been told to do forever, and that’s what bodybuilders do. But even for bodybuilders I think it is a bit outdated. I mean for the mass monsters that are competing at the Mr. Olympia level yeah bulking in the off season and cutting pre-comp are obviously the most efficient way to go. But I think for most bodybuilders there are actually more efficient ways, but that’s a whole different topic.

For people who have higher body fat it is possible to do both at the same time. I’ve been doing it for the past several months. I’ve been dropping body fat, dropping pounds, but gaining strength AND size in my muscles. I did the Xtreme Fat Loss Diet by Joel Marion. My weekly calories were at a HUGE deficit given that with my activity level and size (6’2 228lbs when I started it) my maintenance calories were around 3800 per day which is over 27,000 per week and I was consuming about 10,000 shy of that. I dropped over 22 lbs, dropped down to around 13% bodyfat, got 4 belt sizes smaller in my waist, gained A LOT more muscle definition in my arms, chest, legs, and shoulders, but ALL of those actual measurements went UP slightly.

I’ve continued to eat clean and do some slight zig zag dieting but RARELY getting into the high 3000’s for the past month and started bodybuilding workouts 2 and a half weeks ago. My maintenance calories are rated at over 3600 mind you. I’m now at 10% bodyfat, have lost another belt size in my waist, none of my measurements went down except my chest and biceps went UP slightly, and I can lift more weight that I could 3 weeks ago.

There’s so much stuff that’s not actually tested nor scientifically researched or backed that gets passed down as Golden Rules when it comes to fitness, and ESPECIALLY with regards to bodybuilding. I’m sure I won’t be able to continue this much longer as I take my bodyfat under 10 because you get into the range where getting your body to use your stored fat to make up extra energy for your lack of calorie intake gets harder and harder. But there are still some supps that work to help you do that naturally if that’s your thing. I’m definitely going to try some different eating techniques once I get to my goal BF% of 7 instead of the traditional Bodybuilding BULK method to see if I can add some strength and build muscle without adding fat (obviously you will add a little bit of fat if you’re staying the same % as you go up) so that I won’t have to do the whole bulk/cut thing all the time.

Anyway, I encourage other people to go out and do their own research. Joel’s done some good research himself. There’s also a lot of info in a variety of places on the web that can help you learn how to REALLY use your diet (not fad diet, but diet as in eating lifestyle) to help you achieve whatever goals you are setting for yourself physique-wise. Don’t just take what is being regurgitated about how you’re supposed to gain and lose weight and believe it HAS to be the only way. If you have ideas, experiment with them! Everyone’s body is unique in the way it looks, but also in the precise chemical balances and imbalances, just like our personalities. See what works for you, toy with it, tweak it, mess with it, RECORD IT, and see how you’re doing! Quit being SHEEP! Get out of that herd mentality that we all have to do everything the same with this stuff, and that there’s only one way to do it!

I struggle with this with my weekly weigh-in… working on losing the numbers while trying to build strength. Its pretty frustrating, so I am excited to hear what you have to offer!

All right. Spill it. I need all the help I can get. I’ve lost 111lbs but the abs are
still there. Was overweight since I was 10, finally did the diet and exercise thing and stuck to it, but can’t lose the fat around the middle. Can you help a mother of 4 out? Thanks!

Yes would love to know. Am currently trying to do that myself.

Hi Joel,

Great topic to discuss about. There has been a lot of hype recently regarding building muscle and losing fat a t the same time.

Looking forward to hear what you have to say… :)

I have seen this topic before i hope taht you share something useful and new for all the people

cant wait to hear more…

Sounds like a great way to do it, I’m always looking for additions to my exercise/fitness/diet library.

Bring it!

Hi Joel,
I have to disagree with your comments regarding losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time. Several people have made transformations using a zig-zag diet such as the one featured in Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle. I am currently using a zig-zag diet myself and its worked really well. Here is a link to my blog! http://charlesmclaughlin.multiply.com/journal/item/40/Bill_Phillips_Transformation.com_18_Week_Contest

I took my measurements this past Sunday. I gained 2.6 pounds of muscle and lost 4.8 pounds of fat. I use a carb tapering method. The key to building muscle and losing fat is certain food ratios, meal timing, nutrient timing, high protein diets, vegetables, healthy fats, and a good workout program such as Clash of the Titans that has a built in strength day so your body doesn’t lose it hard earned muscle.

I’ve been doing your “truthabout abs” program for about a month now and I’ve been pretty happy w/my results so far. However, you can never have enough good information. So, I’m “game”!

Please tell me how! I seem to be gaining muscle at the moment, but would like to lose some fat: my small clothes still fit and I notice increased definition in my muscles, but the scale says I’m a little heavier! Don’t know if something else is going on here, but my own “pinch test” tells me there’s still some fat to get rid of.

Well, now you’ve got me really curious! I hope the information keeps coming.

Hi Joel. This is what I am trying to achieve at the moment. I use carb-cycling as my method. My primary goal is to gain muscle, and my secondary goal is to lose fat. In order to do that I make my workout days surplus high-carb days, and my non-workout days deficit, moderate carb days. It works quite well but it is challenging. I tend not to lose much fat, but I am putting on muscle, without the fat, so that’s a start.

Please let me know. Very curious…

So what’s the trick? :)

I love zig zag diets and similar tricks and I would really need a method which helps me do the last sculpting for this summer. Last summer I got into my best shape ever with the a 4 days undereating – 1 day overeating style diet which was pretty hard and I trained at home every day, the results were awesome but this year I want even better results. I had a lot of fat to lost 3 years ago when I changed my lifestyle and while I lost much of it and got reasonably lean I don’t know if I gained any muscle but I got stronger. Obviously I gained lots of relative strength with losing weight but also some absolute strength. Don’t know if I gained or lost muscle though.
I’m really looking forward to this series.

Of course doing both would be awesome! I am curious about it because I do have a slight idea, zig-zagging your diet like mentioned before and making sure your body is in an anabolic state when you’re cutting calories big time. Though I am not sure how to achieve that effectively (and safely). So here’s my comment!

I’m in!

I don’t think I can lose fat and gain muscle at the same time. As a woman, I will never be able to build as much muscle as a man could. For this reason, my options are already very limited, at least I think so. However, if there is a way to lose fat and gain muscle for both genders, then I will be extremely excited to know about that strategy!

I’m very intrigued