Can anyone recommed a body composition scale? Also is it possible to drop fat and gain muscle @ same time?

[Scampisocks]

My BMI is 32 - really need to take charge. Started mounjaro this week. Any tips for losing fat and building muscle simultaneously?

Yes, you can lose weight and build muscle at the same time. High protein low carb, absolutely the way to go. Cut out all refined sugar, all highly processed foods and 95% of all carbs especially potatoes, rice, pasta anything with flour including breakfast cereals. I would also recommend if you want to build muscle at the same time you have at least 4 eggs and a whey protein shake per day (eggs are the number one super food by a country mile). As for scales they are all pretty similar but don’t take too much notice as the accuracy for measuring body fat etc is not brilliant.

We have a Withings scale which is quite good. It has an app that records all your details.

Fab advice hut id start gradually on the eggs, not go all in with 4 eggs plus shakes, most people go in a bit hard and end up constipated!!

Water Is your friend too.

Often a weight loss/muscle gain scenario will look like a plateau.
Another withings user.

Body fat is only accurately measured by a DEXA scan. Don’t waste your money! Take measurements and progress photos.

Yes you can build muscle and lose fat simultaneously, as long as your nutrition is on point—-keep protein high!
Carbs are important too if you’re weight training though. Healthy ones. I find my energy in the gym tanks if my carbs go too low!

Any tips for losing fat and building muscle simultaneously?

What's your current workout routine - what kind of weight training do you do?

If you are serious about building strength and muscle, check out Caroline Girvan's workout programmes.

Yes - you can do body recomposition (recomp). Have a look at MegSquats video on YouTube about this.

Lift weights, do interval training for cardio, and up your protein - try for at least 100g per day & then get up to 130 or 140g.

Eggs are great, but egg whites even better - you can buy cartons of just egg whites.

A good rule of thumb to judge a high protein source is to look at the calories and the protein content. Move the decimal point of the calorie count to the left - the protein content should be equal or higher. eg 100 calories of a food should deliver 10 grammes of protein.

Eggs only just pass this test: a medium egg is 65 calories &delivers 6g of protein. Egg whites, but egg whites do. A half a cup of egg white delivers 13 grammes of protein for 63 calories. Chicken breast and tuna are good too.

And they are satiating. Eat with lots of steamed or grilled broccoli, peppers, tomatoes, courgettes, cauliflower (I'm thinking of buying shares in Iceland for the amount of frozen broccoli, cauliflower, and spinach I buy from them).

Should have mentioned I am veggie with hi cholesterol (on a statin) - all those eggs scare me. I dont have any routine at the moment but want to start @Semiramide

Talk to your doctor about how many eggs are sensible for you and look into other sources of protein. There are lots of guides online but beans and pulses are good sources of protein. Eat healthily and avoid UPF, refined carbs and sugar. Personally I'm not a fan of protein powders.

The Sugar Solution and Ultra Processed People are useful reads.

If you have not been exercising regularly until now, you'll want to start with more general workouts to get fitter before starting serious weight training.. Get some 3 or 4 kg dumbbells and look at...
Lucy Wyndham Read (a gentle start for novices)
Heather Robertson (general pilates style workouts)
Rebecca Louise (lots of short workouts)
Sydney Cummings (general pilates style workouts)
Growingannanas (HIIT/Cardio, with and without weights - excellent)

A strong core is really, really important. Start doing planks every day - the Bowflex 3-minute plank is a really useful guide. You may find this quite difficult initially but if you persevere it'll be tremendously helpful.

When you feel ready for weight training, look at Caroline Girvan's Beginners workouts to get an overview of all the moves. EPIC Heat is a good progamme to start with. Take it slow and gradually up your weights. It's quite tough but so worth it. I'm over 70 and extremely fit - I still ski, ice skate, cycle, hike, swim, play tennis...

I wouldn't cut out carbs. Just don't do white bread, pasta etc - switch to wholemeal / wholewheat options. And concentrate on portion control. Potatoes are a great source of fibre, low in fat and calories, and also highly satiating. Protein is really important both to fill you up and to support muscle growth and repair - if you're veggie, then pulses, legumes, beans. Limit upf. Drink a lot of water.

It's absolutely possible to lose fat and gain muscle but you'll need to incorporate some strength training - can be bodyweight exercises to start with and then move on to dumbbells / resistance machines.

Edited to add - work out your TDEE. As long as you are in a calorie deficit you will drop fat.

Look up the Renpho scales on Argos, they're about £26 and bluetooth the results to an app on your phone. Really useful for gauging trends.

I agree on increased protein and reduced carbs. You can "carb cycle" basically increasing carbs specifically around exercise if you need to. Gentle aerobic exercise like walking is good for using your body's fat reserves if you're not busy processing glucose.

Anaerobic surges such as weights reps use glucose so if you do need more to keep your energy up, time it before that work out. I do a homemade smoothie with yoghurt, protein powder, oat milk and fruit which works well.

Just want to thank all who have posted. Very useful info.

I'm in my 60s and trying to get back on track. I appear to have hit a plateau, but I've realised that my biceps are coming back, my bust has decreased again and - crucially, my bust is now bigger than my horrendously fat belly. (I'm still in the 'obese' category.)

I'm in the middle of trying to do a body recomp. I'm measuring fat loss from my waist circumference and muscle from continuing to be able to progress with the weights I'm lifting. I'm keeping an eye on the scales but that's out of curiosity. I'm down 3 inches on my belly (one dress size for me) but only a few pounds on the scale . Weight lifting is progressing really well against my program and I'm lifting heavier than ever. Here's what I'm doing. Three big filling meals a day. For each I make sure there's a substantial, low cal, protein source and lots of fibre through veg, beans, etc. I keep an eye on fat sources like oil, mayo, butter and minimise those. One vegan protein shake a day, especially after the workout and creatine daily. Three strength and contitioning classes a week where I lift heavy plus some extra walks during the week. Focus on gut health with lots of fibre and generally fruit and a couple of dates as my sweet snacks. I have a snack plan with some low cal sweet things in the house in case I'm craving and also endless 0% Greek yogurt combos for the bigger afternoon hungers. But generally I have reduced cravings a lot. I eat a lot of chicken/tuna/salmon/smoked mackrel/chickpeas with veg for lunch. Greek yogurt, fruit, Chia seeds and a few bran flakes for brekkie. Dinner is regular family dinner with smaller potions of simple carbs. This is working well for me and hopefully there are another 3 inches to go!