Losing the Fat ive gained w/o losing the muscle?

[erf777]

Hi ive been working out for about a year now, i just turned 16, and after a lot of crazy and stupid workout routines i found one that works for me.
In the past 4 months ive gained 23 pounds of what i hope is mostly muscle, but i'm guessing about 10% of that was fat and i was wondering how i could lose that.
Should i do only cardio and cut calories or should i still lift? If so how much and when should i lift/eat.
I'm open to any and all help so please im dedicated and determined enough to do anything.
Thanks for any help!

[tooncesthecat]

First of all, congratulations on your dedication and success! Now just so you know, there's no way to put on 23 pounds of MUSCLE in 4 months unless you're using AAS. Even then I don't think it's possible. But, I am sure you have made some solid gains.

I am training for my first contest and here's what I'm doing to try to get lean and keep as much muscle as possible...

First, keep working out like you have been. (BTW, you should post up your workout if you'd like a better critique)

Second, eat cleaner. Divide your meals into 6 or so meals per day and space them out evenly. Eat most of your carbs form healthy sources like oats and veggies. Eat most of your carbs earlier in the day.

Make sure you are getting lots of protein from lean sources, tuna, chicken, fish, whey. Get at least 1 gram per pound of body weight.

You can add cardio, but don't do too much. Add it in a couple of days per week at first. Do 30-40 min at a time and don't get your heart going too much. A nice steady pace. You should be able to talk easily throughout if you try.

Check yourself in the mirror. You can also weigh yourself, but look for abs and other signs of definition in your appearance. You can take pics to compare if that makes it easier.

Take in a good deal of protein, probably in the form of a shake right after you work out.

Now, unless you're training to compete, don't sweat the details. Just make sure you continue to feel good during your workouts. (So I am guessing you are trying to get lean for the summer to look good for the girls, huh?)

This is just a nice starter post for ya. Others may have different or better advice. Search this site for older posts about getting lean. Good luck!

[theatrain]

if you stop lifting youre gonna lose the muscle.

approach it slowly, start to slowly cut calories, then start to increase the cardio, cut back on the carbs. . stick to whole grains and take in most of youre carbs early in the day. . and around workout time. .

cardio for fat loss is best in the morning before you eat and after you workout. .

as for preserving your muscle gains, keep the protein intake high. chicken, eggs, fish, and i reccomend a protein shake once or twice a day.

also, keep lifting heavy. dont do that low weight high rep stuff thinking its going to burn more fat. . more muscle = more calories burned, no matter what youre doing and at the end of the day if you want to lose weight you need to burn more calories than you consume

[PurfectTom]

At 16 you have also been coming to the end of your growth curve, so some of extra weight likely bone, organs etc. As you've grown you will have put on some muscle but also some fat which is healthy if in proportion to other growth components. So as Tooncesthecat points out look at yourself and assess "definition in your appearance" - if you are looking more trimmed (i.e. baby puppy fat lost from body/face and a waist that comes in rather than spilling over your waist belt) then you are doing OK. But take it easy - you've just reached adulthood and have a long life ahead of you for which consistency of exercise will help keep you health (which is not quite same thing as fitness) - and acute injuries or longterm sprains/problems need be sensibly avoided.

[lizzyb]

Bestest way to get great advice and info is to be as clear as possible. That being said, post up your workouts, cardio included. Post up your meals....and please when doing so for critique/advice do your own math and show the macro breakdown, just will make your responses easier and faster for us to give ya!

Now, as stated above keep things clean, and don't stop training. Seriously you could lift lighter and higher reps and NOT lose any muscle (diet defines muscle loss or gain really)....lifting in this manner while leaning will most often result in a faster end result, also helps strengthen the 'other' muscles that don't get hit quite the same way when lifting hard and heavy and low reps....different fibers invovled....really a good mix of ALL components is best in any training....diet, once you've figured out your diet that is (macros and caloric needs) decrease your cals by 200 from your maintenance values....try that for 2wks and see what happens, if it's working (1-2lb loss a week, your on the right track). Keep a journal, measure monthly, weigh weekly and take photos bi weekly....to track your progress. Photos are the best I think, because you are able to see yourself 'outside of' yourself for better perspective.

good luck!

[vy224]

You're 16, you're still growing. Some people dont hit their peak until 19-20.

Keep hitting the weights, you'll see results soon.