If you have gained a lot of muscle....

[Bubbles254]

did you have to take any supplements? I started doing strength training a couple of months ago, mainly Caroline Girvan videos with dumbbells and am seeing some small increases in muscle but am wondering if I need to add protein or creatine supplements to accelerate things?

I would rather not take anything as I eat a mainly whole food diet without upf but am wondering if I get enough protein as I don't like the taste of eggs or yoghurt. For breakfast I try to have some blue cheese or smoked salmon with cream cheese as a protein source and lunch is normally a large salad with cheese, nuts, legumes, sprouted grains etc. For dinner I will incorporate meat or fish. Does this sound like enough protein for someone in their 40s?

I am doing strength training primarily as I have osteopenia so would like to see results asap as I need to improve my bone density and reduce my risk of fractures. I am currently also on HRT.

Have you added up your daily protein?

Minimum 1 g protein per kg body weight, ideal would be 1.6 g per kg, the media plugs 2 g per kg.

The only supplement I take that does wonders is creatine. It's found in meat anyway, is clean, and it boosts your energy significantly during workouts so you'll see progress a lot quicker. It does cause water retention so you might put on a bit of weight initially, but it's good weight. :)

Yeah avoid the scales if you take creatine and drink lots.

As a rough estimate I would say I am getting around 75g of protein a day. I weigh 51kg so that would be about 1.5g per kg. I could up this a bit now though, I have mainly been focussing on loosing weight over the past month so have been fairly low calorie. Having said that though I am rarely hungry so would feel like I am eating for the sake of it.

How much creatine do you take?

I think the recommendation is 3-7 days of 20g creatine, then about 5 g per day after (but those amounts can be spread through the day).

So for me I do 5 g per day.

It's a nice supplement as it has no flavour and can be mixed with anything. It can be a bit gritty, but dissolves well :)

You can’t gain muscle (weight) and lose fat (weight) at the same time! While newbie lifters can see some ‘recomping’, typically you will either gain first and then do a ‘cut’ to reveal the muscle. Or lose fat first to get to your desired weight and then working on building muscle.

Also, you need to lift heavy and do progressive overload to really build muscle.

Protein - I’m 60ish kg and try to get 100g a day. Doable without powders/ bars, but I do eat eggs and yoghurt. An unflavoured whey isolate is relatively easy to incorporate into your diet though. And make sure you include lean protein in each meal

**@Flockameanie can I check I've understood what you mean about you can't lose fat and gain muscle at the same time? I thought I had. I've been checking my body fat and weight on the machines at Boots. I take the results with a pinch of salt, but there is a definite trend saying I have lost more weight in body fat than I have overall body weight. I took it that difference was muscle. I can see and feel more muscle. It squares with diet and exercise routine. I mentioned my theory to a friend who is a personal trainer and former athlete and she didn't disagree. Have I missed something?

Also in my 40s and have put on muscle lifting weights/lost fat, I aim for 120gr of protein/day. Unless low fat (cottage cheese, yogurt), I don't consider dairy, nuts, or seeds as a protein source because to achieve any meaningful protein intake from these high-calorie/high-fat foods, you need to eat a lot. I do eat these foods, but as healthy fats choices.

This 100%: Also, you need to lift heavy and do progressive overload to really build muscle.

I use unflavoured whey, but steer clear of bars.

Low calorie isn't really conducive to muscle growth. Muscle growth takes calories and progressive overload.

I've been eating in a slight surplus for 10 weeks while lifting. I've gained maybe 2lbs (currently more but I know some is food in transit!). Protein is about 130g-150g. 20g from protein powder (I use Bulk pea isolate, they do an unflavoured one).

I'm going into a small deficit of c100-150 cals and upping my steps / cardio, while carrying on lifting heavy, to shed a little fat I have inevitably picked up, for about 8 weeks.

I'll probably then maintain for a bit then do another surplus then deficit.

Consistency and time.

@Namechangeforthis88
By weight training at the same time as losing weight i.e. eating in a deficit, you maintain muscle really. When you lose weight about 30% can be muscle. Shocking I know. Losing fat shows the underlying muscle more.

I'm paraphrasing here, and I could be way off, but the best thing I heard was something like you put on ten times more muscle by losing a pound of fat. It's absolutely true. While you're not gaining muscle, your body looks ten times better by toning around existing muscle than by putting on a sliver of muscle under existing fat.

And it really does make all the difference eating clean. I'm horrible, I love my goodies, and half of my weightlifting calories come from crap. You WILL tone up and put on a lot more muscle with a proper diet and not having sugary fizzy drinks, that cake and biscuit with coffee while watching TV at the end of the day, or that 20p sausage roll being given away at the work canteen.

Hmm. I'm still a bit sceptical, I can feel the muscle more than see it really. I first felt a tiny bump of tricep about 10 months ago and now my upper arms are pretty solid. I've lost about 10 pounds overall.

Muscle and fat are both ‘weight’ and you can’t gain and lose weight at the same time. You can recomp if you’re eating roughly maintenance, especially if you’re new to weight training. Or perhaps you’re just losing fat and therefore revealing muscle.

if you want to gain muscle in any serious way you need to train with heavy weight in progressive overload and eat more (ideally protein, not just cake). Then when you’ve gained muscle you ‘cut’ to lose the fat (or ‘fluff’) you gained with it to reveal the muscle/ definition.

If you can be arsed, that is. The only women I know who follow the bulk/cut regime are competing in physique (bikini) comps. It’s not for the faint hearted.

Thanks all. I think I am eating maintainance. My weight has stayed at around 51kg for a few weeks now but the trend in body fat % on my scales is still going down.

It may be because I am a beginner though, I had very little muscle when I started. I still can't see much other than biceps but everything seems a bit harder and less flabby than when I started.

Still wondering about protein though as I think it is probably a bit on the low side. I am not keen on upping my calories though as I feel completely full on my current intake. I am fairly low carb high fat, so maybe swapping cheese and nuts for more meat or fish? Tuna seems to have a good protein calorie ratio but I avoid having it to much due to mercury. Unfortunately I am not keen on cottage cheese, I mainly eat raw milk French cheeses.

Okay, I think we're just using different language for the same thing. I think recomp = gain muscle, lose fat. You can't simultaneously lose and gain overall body weight, but if you have more muscle and less fat at the end, you have gained muscle and lost fat. I do a bit of weights but mostly it's cycling 12 miles a day, the return journey is entirely uphill, and do paddle sport for an hour or two three times a week, occasionally chucking in two full days at the weekend. The weight is in moving yourself through the water