How do I keep and gain muscle on a low calorie diet?
I am an 18 years old,male,5’8,and 325 pounds I’ve been on a diet for the last 5 weeks and have lost 15 pounds.I take in 1200-1500 calories a day and lift weights 3 days a week unfortunately I’ve lost muscle.Does anyone have suggestions on what I can do to keep and gain muscle on a low calorie diet?
July 9th, 2010 at 1:05 pm
you need about 2500 cals a day. you are starving. that,s why your body is eating itself.
July 9th, 2010 at 1:57 pm
Are you sure 325 is correct? At 5′ 8″ 20 stones is very heavy. I would suspect you are losing fat that looks like muscle mass loss.
But, if I’m wrong, looking at your dietary intake the only way you will keep muscle mass on 1200-1500 calories a day is with a good protein supplement. You need about 10g per lb of body weight per day of protein to build good lean muscle mass. @325 that is 3,250g a day or over 7lbs! The only way you will get that much a day is to supplement.
July 9th, 2010 at 2:19 pm
You should be in the 2-3 thousand range. I would also suggest some protein shake or other supplements.
July 9th, 2010 at 2:52 pm
its cuz your calorie intake is too low. find out your correct calorie intake level and stick to it. you are most likely in starvation mode now and your body is going to reverse weight loss via body fat. you are drastically losing too much weight per week which can also cause muscle loss. muscle protein is the easiest source to use for energy other than carbs because it takes too much energy so the body prefers to use it that is why your body has decided to use proteins instead of body fat. keep weight loss to about 1-2 lb per week. if anything drop carb calories and up the protein to compensate. as of right now, you need to be taking at least 325g of protein regardless if your calorie intake is too high or you are dropping calories. take in 1gprotein/lb body weight.
July 9th, 2010 at 3:49 pm
You need to get 1-1.5grams of protein per lb of body weight (not 10 as someone else suggested!).
Really it just looks like calorie intake is low but I doubt you are really losing actual muscle at this range just a lot of fat as someone else mentioned 20 stones is quite heavy for your height.
If you do feel you are losing too much muscle try getting some more calories in your diet with an extra meal during the day.
July 9th, 2010 at 4:18 pm
Go a little heavy on the protein and that may help for a little while
July 9th, 2010 at 4:49 pm
You need a special diet to achieve this, You can read more on nutrition for bodybuilders here:
http://xa.ly/GzH
hope it helps
July 9th, 2010 at 5:43 pm
you should strive for a healthy weight loss of 3%/month maximum. Your calorie intake is much too low. You arent eating enough to feed your body, especially if you are lifting. Your body is likely using all of your protein as an energy source. Increase your calories to closer to 2500 on off days and 2700 on lifting days and make sure you are consuming at least 100g of protein daily, ideally from lean meats or a whey powder. you also need to make sure you are consuming adequate quantities of carbs and fats for your body to use as energy so it will allow your protein to be used for muscle mass retention. also, stay hydrated and avoid caffeine and junky supplements like muscle milk, creatine and eas.
October 10th, 2011 at 2:13 am
I am a little disappointed that I only just discovered your web blog a week ago. But, I’ve added you to my Google Reader, right next to my own feeds, plus in between a couple other feeds. Many thanks
October 10th, 2011 at 11:35 am
Nice post. I discover out some thing more challenging on different blogs everyday. Most commonly it is stimulating to read content employing their company writers and exercise slightly something from their website. I’d choose to apply certain together with the content on my own weblog regardless of whether you do not mind. Natually I’ll offer you a link in your internet weblog. Numerous thanks sharing.
October 10th, 2011 at 12:01 pm
I’m glad to be 1 of several visitors on this excellent site (:, thanks for posting .
October 12th, 2011 at 12:59 am
The root of your writing whilst appearing agreeable originally, did not sit very well with me personally after some time. Somewhere within the sentences you actually were able to make me a believer but just for a short while. I nevertheless have a problem with your leaps in logic and one would do well to help fill in all those gaps. In the event that you can accomplish that, I would surely be amazed.
October 15th, 2011 at 5:04 am
Wow this is very nice so much to do. Thanks
October 15th, 2011 at 6:34 am
Very good andn very nice…Thank you, too.
October 20th, 2011 at 4:09 am
That is very fascinating, That you are an excessively professional blogger. I’ve joined your feed and stay up for looking for far more of your great post. Also, I’ve shared your site in my social networks!
October 27th, 2011 at 7:14 pm
Helpful info. Lucky me I discovered your site accidentally, and I am stunned why this twist of fate didn’t happened earlier! I bookmarked it.
November 22nd, 2011 at 2:38 am
I like the helpful information you provide in your articles. I will bookmark your weblog and check again here regularly. I am quite certain I will learn plenty of new stuff right here! Best of luck for the next!
November 25th, 2011 at 11:51 pm
These all YouTube gaming videos are in fact in pleasant quality, I watched out all these along through my friends.
December 1st, 2011 at 5:54 am
Hi there, just turned into aware of your blog via Google, and found that it’s really informative. I?m gonna be careful for brussels. I will appreciate if you proceed this in future. Many folks can be benefited out of your writing. Cheers!
December 5th, 2011 at 6:07 am
Once I initially commented I clicked the -Notify me when new feedback are added- checkbox and now every time a remark is added I get four emails with the identical comment. Is there any means you possibly can take away me from that service? Thanks!
December 10th, 2011 at 12:27 pm
I wish more blog writers had taken the time and care of which you obviously take to generate such substantial excellent content. Well done.
January 7th, 2012 at 3:14 am
Thanks for discussing your ideas. I’d also like to express that video games have been actually evolving. Today’s technology and improvements have assisted create practical and fun games. These types of entertainment games were not really sensible when the concept was first being attempted. Just like other styles of technologies, video games as well have had to develop via many decades. This itself is testimony towards the fast growth and development of video games.
January 11th, 2012 at 8:42 am
Wow — so much to do. Thanks!
January 14th, 2012 at 5:23 pm
You must participate in a contest for among the finest blogs on the web. I’ll advocate this site!
January 27th, 2012 at 9:17 am
Hey There. I found your blog the use of msn. This is a very smartly written article. I will be sure to bookmark it
February 18th, 2012 at 2:05 pm
Thanks for some other fantastic article. Where else could anybody get that type of information in such a perfect way of writing? I’ve a presentation subsequent week, and I’m on the search for such info.
February 24th, 2012 at 3:00 pm
Ahaa, its nice discussion concerning this piece of writing here at this weblog, I have read all that, so at this time me also commenting at this place.
March 11th, 2012 at 4:51 pm
At this moment I am going to do my breakfast, later than having my breakfast coming yet again to read other news.
March 13th, 2012 at 2:28 am
I wish to get across my passion for your kind-heartedness in support of people that need help with in this topic. Your real commitment to getting the solution all through has been pretty good and have really permitted others just like me to arrive at their dreams. The warm and helpful recommendations denotes this much a person like me and additionally to my mates. Thanks a lot; from all of us.
March 16th, 2012 at 2:21 pm
Hi there every buddy, it’s a fantastic entertaining at at this place watching these funny YouTube movies at here, good data, thanks to admin
March 18th, 2012 at 1:53 pm
I all the time used to study piece of writing in news papers but now as I am a user of web so from now I am using net for articles, thanks to web.
March 19th, 2012 at 4:07 pm
I am keen of learning Flash, is there any piece of writing related to Flash, if yes, then please post it, thanks.
March 22nd, 2012 at 11:32 pm
It’s really very difficult in this active life to listen news on Television, so I only use web for that reason, and obtain the most recent news.
March 30th, 2012 at 6:47 pm
Hi there, I check your blogs like every week. Your story-telling style is witty, keep it up!
April 17th, 2012 at 4:04 am
Hello everyone, it’s my first pay a visit at this web site, and paragraph is actually fruitful in favor of me, keep up posting such articles.
April 20th, 2012 at 6:04 am
I am genuinely keen of reading articles or reviews on the topic of creating new weblog, or even concerning Search engine optimisation.
May 2nd, 2012 at 3:16 pm
Ahaa, its fastidious discussion on the topic of this article at this place at this web site, I have read all that, so at this time me also commenting here.
July 16th, 2012 at 2:31 am
Really helpful, thanks.