I am confused about what I should be eating to lose weight and gain muscle

[SharingMichelle]

I was quite fat - 77kg and a size 16 (Am 5'4)

I have been eating under 1200 calories a day and doing a lot of exercise - cardio and strength training, about 6 hours a week.

I am now 63kg and a size 10, and in much better shape than I was. I feel I still have a bit of flab to lose.

I have also started doing some weights and I LOVE how my arms are starting to look. I never dreamed I could have slim, toned arms in this lifetime.

I'm very confused about what I should be eating at this stage. Do I stick to the low calorie count? Or do I eat a little more now? My exercise regime is getting tougher and I don't want to be burning muscle, which I understand is possible. But as I still have fat I need to burn... will that burn first? I have tried reading for info but everything is very confusing.

Can anyone either advise me, or point me to a reliable and easy to understand source of information?

Thanks.

[Hensintheskirting]

I've just come across your post... I'm not an expert but muscles need fuel to rebuild. So I would try a lower carb, high protein diet. Have you checked out any of joe wicks of lean in 15 fame? He has some really good recipes and seems to talks sense...

[april87x]

Under 1200 calories a day whilst on exercise? I would say you need to uptake your food. I remember when I started weight training and I was told I under ate by a good few hundred calories, and I ate more than you did.

You do need protein to build muscle, but again you need carbs to use throughout your workout. I've not done Lean In 15 but it works, for people. The only thing I hate about it is the carb ratio. Also try inputting your stats to a macro calculator. IIFYM is a good one to start with. You input your details including how much you train, and it will work out both calories & macros, which will give you a rough idea of what you need to eat.

[10storeylovesong]

I've just been given a plan by a trainer to do just this (very similar history and stats to you). He's advised me to aim for 1500 calories a day, made up of a gram of protein for every llb of my weight, then 50g of fat and the rest carbs. I'm also told to make up any exercise calories I burn each day, so can be consuming between 1800-1900 calories a day. I've only been doing it a couple of weeks, and the scales show a 3lb loss but more importantly my clothes fit better.

[Thefitfatty]

A lot of weight lifters will say you can cut or you can build, but you shouldn't try and do both at the same time. Maybe keep cutting and lower your exercise for a bit to lose the fat you want to, and then start building?

[rightsforwomen]

Do you feel hungry?