Female lose fat and gain muscle

[blanning]

Hi, all! This is my first post on here. I’ve very recently (1 hour ago lol) committed to going vegan.

I am very new to the gym. Im 5’6” and 138lbs. I’m currently lifting 3x/week and doing cardio 4x/week. My trainer has me on a high animal protein diet consisting of 150gP, 122gC and 50gF. I’m not finding this meal plan to work for me mentally or physically. I am constantly feeling bloated and gassy and just don’t feel I am performing at my best, in the gym and out.

I am fully committed to switching over to vegan, but I’m overwhelmed on where to start if I want to lose fat and gain muscle. I’m afraid to ask my trainer because he is extremely intimidating and I’m afraid he’ll shoot down my interest in wanting to stick to a plant based diet. I’m hoping y’all can help me out in figuring out my macros, and if it’s possible to lose fat and gain muscle while not eating insane amounts of protein and consuming more carbs in a day than protein.

Hope this makes sense lol thanks!

 

[ethicsdiscussion]

@blanning Your diet right now is uncomfortably high in protein, and I'd imagine it being a jump from what is normal for you. I went through something similar (even as a vegan) and realised it just was unsustainable for me. His suggestion sounds like a version of "recompositioning", but at your weight you can possibly get away with around 100g protein (I, at 129lbs get between 80 and 110), changing the other macros to ones you feel more comfortable with (it's hardly a low carb suggestion, so maybe playing around with a little more fat) and, provided you lift and keep your calories at a slight deficit or maintenance (or keep up your cardio), your muscle composition will change and you will lose some fat regardless. I thrive on between 20 and 30% of my calorie intake coming from protein sources, with a higher end when I cut. This often means just eating normal foods: veg, beans, lentils, wholegrains and tofu or whatever; and a scoop of protein powder in my oats or as a shake at some point in the day. High protein diets keep you full, but the high fiber in a vegan diet will have a similar effect. REMEMBER: drink more water, otherwise your bloating will not be comfortable.

However, if you want to continue with his suggestion, you may need to be a bit more strategic, aiming for AT LEAST 30% of each meal's calories coming from protein, and a shake or two (or a high protein brownie or muffin or bar) during the day. Breakfasts high in berries, nuts/seeds and protein powder (added to oats or smoothies) can help start your macros off on the right foot. Lunches and dinners of salads, baked tofu, seitan, lentils, soya chilli, or soups with more protein powder (if you are so inclined). Since his suggestion isn't low carb, you can get away with adding in wholegrains. Find "meat and milk alternatives" that you enjoy for when things get difficult at the beginning which have decent protein levels (and some fortified Vit B12). Meal prep in these instances are the only way to ensure you keep on track. For protein powder: I do not bother getting a brand that has less than 75% protein a scoop.

I remember feeling so grateful when I found my weightlifting gym because one of the trainers was a vegan national powerlifting athlete, and, tbh, not all trainers have a good basic physiology knowledge (I have a degree in it), but at this gym they did! Remember: you are paying him! He should be flexible for you, and if he says that you cannot recomp on a vegan diet, he is also not very knowledgeable about the scientific literature OR current trends, which is a big red flag. The role of your trainer is to keep you accountable and keep you safe, not sell you his brand of bro-science.

 

[blanning]

@ethicsdiscussion Wow thank you so much for this incredible answer haha you answered all of my questions!!

Just one more for you- do I count the fiber when I’m counting my macros? I find it a little more challenging to stay on the lower side of carbs when I’m trying to hit my protein goal eating beans and lentils, given they’re around 20g of carbs per 1/2 cup. Also, do you suggest I start with cardio for fat loss and Then focusing on building muscle?

Sorry for the bombardment.. feeling overwhelmed.

 

[ethicsdiscussion]

@blanning Not a problem! Glad I can help
No, dont count fibre. 20g carbs in beans behaves and is absorbed differently from that in a donut. And a cup of beans is relatively substantial. If you find you are getting too hungry, then it's possible you are used to having more fats in your diet to help satiate you. My advice would be to see if adding a bit more fat helps, or give your body a couple of weeks to adjust to your new macros. High fiber foods are easy to over eat but can leave you feeling uncomfortably full!

Strength vs cardio is an interesting dilemma. I would personally aim for strength with a small high intensity cardio session at the end of your training. At least in the beginning. This will ensure cardio doesnt effect your strength as much while still building up your lung capacity and heart rate for higher endurance cardio. High intensity cardio burns a lot of fuel for longer so is, in my opinion, more bang for your buck. Also, cardio makes you very hungry, so you might mitigate your potential to lose weight. Strength and muscle gains, for me, are incredibly satisfying so I have been prioritizing them of late. If you eat at or just under maintenance, you can build muscle and lose fat under strength. For cardio, muscle mass isn't prioritized by your body (other things like heart, lung capacity, blood vessels, etc are). A strength workout ending with a 5-10 min high intensity sesh will give you a lot of the initial physical and health benefits of cardio.

However, the best exercise advice is to do something that is sustainable for you: which you enjoy, which keeps you motivated, and which is reasonable in terms of time and effort. I absolutely love strength training and hate cardio. When I am lazy, cardio is the first to go. And, tbh, that still means I'm hitting the gym 3x a week, so it's still a win.

 

[kmfm0122]

@blanning Living for this thread!! I’m in the same boat, basically the same size as you and want to lose fat and gain muscle. I wish I knew exactly how to go about it, but I do want to throw my two cents in about this high in animal protein diet your trainer wants you on.

High protein diet is not healthy, puts a lot of strain on your kidneys!! And fucks with your insulin sensitivity. Eating animal products has a whole host of health issues—you end up with higher levels of cancer promoting hormone IGF-1, higher risk of heart attack thanks to saturated fat and cholesterol, higher risk of diabetes, and probably other things I’m not remembering right now. No person who is promoting health should be promoting the consumption of animal products.

The Game Changers is a fun watch and might be a good source of inspo for you as you gain muscle!

I’m trying to not worry so much about macros and just focus on eating whole plants, which has been shown to be the healthiest diet — check out Dr. Joel Fuhrman and Dr. Michael Greger, both are whole food plant based advocates, and I believe Fuhrman has created some guidelines for athletes eating whole plants as well!

Good luck to both of us!

 

[chriatopher]

@blanning You're eating too much useless protien there. The human body has no use for more than .8g protein per lb of bodyweight, no matter how much you work out. After that it's a calorie same as any other calorie. And even .8 is on the high end of the bell curve, most folks stop seeing any benefit at .72

Just because you pay your trainer doesn't make them right.

 

[dreamercan]

@blanning You're currently eating as much protein as a 100+kg muscular weightlifter called Clarence Kennedy does. Do you really think that makes sense?

If most of your calories come from whole foods, you don't even have to worry too much about macros. Just hit your calories and you will see results.

Just be aware that adjusting to a plant-based diet might take some time. You will probably also feel some bloating and gasses until your gut bacteria adjust.