losing fat (belly) without losing muscles

[PK6o4*]

Originally Posted by haymura

forgive the dumb question but if i cut calories or eat less wouldnt that also affect my muscle mass? wouldnt eating less mean i cannot bulk up which results in a more skinnier build?

this whole workout thing is so rocket science to me. Id probably understand quantum physics first before understanding how to build my ideal body.

the way i understand it:

u have 2 do 1 thing at a time, if you want to get bigger & stronger and gain muscle mass and size, eat a surplus amount of quality calories, this usually results in fat gain which is inevitable unless of course you choose to gain weight slowly by eating just a bit of excess calories which isnt really a bulk

if your happy with your muscle mass but not happy with your fat levels then do a cut by reducing the amount of calories, and carbs this should be done at a slower rate to avoid losing the size you already have, for example consuming 500 calories below what you burn in a day, if done correctly should result in losing 1lb/week

many people bulk up during winter- "bulking season" because your are wearing sweaters jackets etc so people wont see your excess fat gain much, and cut a few months before summer that way they can lower their bf percent slowly usually to around 10% or so so what theyre left with is the muscle and strength they gained during their bulk and a low fat percentage

also to avoid losing excess muscle mass during a cut, some people choose to supplement BCAAs which reduces muscle loss, helps with endurance and recovery.

[Phozy]

If you in-corporate weight lfiting with cardio and a lean and clean diet, youll lose veryy little muscle. The weight lifting will "maintain" those muscles, make you gain muscles & get stronger, and youll lose weight withe the calorie burning youll be doing. Just make sure you dont consume bad calories, aka chips, sodas, etc, and dont consume more calories than you burn. If you dont wanna do all the counting, just eat clean. Eating clean will have you dropping weight like spot reduction.

Originally Posted by Berzerker

People underestimate lifting weights. I can tell you at the end of my workout I am out of breath, my heart rate is up, and I've burned a LOT of calories. That's simply from lifting hard, heavy, and not taking huge rests between sets. I've never done cardio and I have the type of body you would see on a fitness magazine cover. Diet is THE most important aspect of losing the gut. NOTHING you do in the gym will give you abs. Abs are made in the kitchen.

Berz out.

o rly?