How do you 1:1 replace fat with muscle?
As I approach my goal weight, I am reassessing my final outcomes. I was going to hit goal and then try to add 5 lbs of muscle. Now I am thinking that I want to stay my goal weight, but lower my BF%, and I am struggling to find a good plan for that since it is neither a bulk nor a cut. Anyone have any ideas? Or does it make more sense to drop another 5 lbs and bulk to my goal weight?
Posted Aug 27, 2016, 1:51 PM UTC
516
You can exercuse enough to just offset your diet, if you aren't eating too many calories. For example, I eat 2500cal a day, but to maintain my fat weight it was 3000. So a change in exercise would cause me to burn fat and build muscle so I lean out a bit, and stay the same weight. Usually I start shedding weight shortly after at this point (a month, usually), but hopefully this helps. It's just balancing calories in and out.
Thanks! Do you do anything with your macro ratios? Like increase protien?
I never bothered.
Good to know.
There was a recent study that showed the optimal protein intake for bulking in natural lifters to be between 2 and 2.5g per KG of lean body mass. Any more is excessive and cuts into important macros like fat, and any less will result in less than optimal muscle tissue recovery and growth. This all assumes you are following a well developed workout program.
I'll dig around and find the study if I can, u/heroicbroccoli will have it within arms reach I'm sure.
Make sure you're eating enough protein or else there's nothing to build with. I used IIFYM.com to calculate my macros and set them in MFP.
Thanks!