How to Build Size & Lose Fat

There is some debate about being able to build size and lose weight at the same time, since you restrict calories to lose weight and eat excess calories to build muscle. The two are inherently contradictory. For this simple reason, you should lose weight and build muscle separately. Lose weight first, and then work on building muscle. While it may be possible to do both at once, it can be more difficult. There will be many times when you step on the scale only to see no change. This can be frustrating and is another reason to do these tasks separately.

Instructions

Weight Loss

• 1

  Develop the proper mindset for weight loss. You have to fully commit to weight loss. Accept that it will be difficult. It will take time and you will probably experience minor setbacks along the way. This is the most important step because your success depends on your attitude. The Mayo Clinic affirms this advice on the topic, "The key to successful weight loss is a commitment to making permanent changes in your diet and exercise habits."

• 2

  Make weight loss goals. Establish long-term and short-term goals. Your long-term goal should be for 6 months to one year in the future. Then, break down your long-term goal into monthly, weekly and daily short-term goals that will lead to your long-term goal.

• 3

  Find a diet, and follow it. Different people have different genes and body types. One person can have great results with a low-fat diet when another person succeeds with low-carbohydrate dieting. It depends on the individual, so do some research to find a diet you think you'd be comfortable with. Regardless of your diet, you should experience some weight loss simply because they all promote eating better.

• 4

  Add cardiovascular exercise to your routine. This includes activities like running, walking and bicycling. How you choose to get your cardiovascular exercise is up to you, it only matters that you do it. You can also perform cardiovascular exercise more often than strength training. Try cardiovascular training about five days a week.

• 5

  Cheat on your diet once every week or once every two weeks. The American College of Sports Medicine states that excessively restricting your calories slows your metabolism. To avoid this, simply eat more calories than usual. If you've been strictly following your diet, you'll welcome this step and find it enjoyable.

Building Size

• 6

  Make new goals. Now that you've lost all that weight, you want to put some weight back on in muscle form. Make new goals for weight gain just like you made for weight loss.

• 7

  Find or make a new diet for muscle building. Since you restrict calories for weight loss, you eat extra calories for weight gain. You'll need about 500 to 1,000 extra calories a day to gain muscle mass. These calories should come from healthy foods, such as oatmeal, vegetables and lean meat like chicken and fish.

• 8

  Tone down your cardiovascular routine. Cardiovascular exercise can hinder building muscle if you continue to train like you're losing weight. However, you shouldn't cut out your cardiovascular exercise. Instead, cut back to around two or three days a week.

• 9

  Add a strength training regimen to your routine. This will largely consist of weightlifting. Lift three days a week, leaving a day of rest in between each day. Many people like to lift Monday, Wednesday and Friday, taking the weekend off to add more recovery time. These rest periods are vital to building muscle because this is when you build new muscle.