Hey, guys,
I’ve been reading here periodically and after solving some other health problems, I’m ready to get my body back into a more desirable shape. I need to lose about 60lb of fat and would like to pack on as much muscle as is reasonable in the process.
From there, of course, I’ll keep working to get bigger. Unfortunately, I ate very, very few calories for the first 6 months of this year and then foolishly tried to diet immediately afterwards, so I need to think about repairing my metabolism, I suppose.
I’m confused about some things I’ve read here and elsewhere. First, I read that a new lifter often makes dramatic gains in muscle quickly. I also read that one should lift weights while dieting down the fat. And I read that one shouldn’t expect to make muscular gains while on a diet because muscular gains require extra calories.
So, can anyone advise as to what to do to gain muscle and lose fat either at the same time or in an alternating pattern (i.e., short-term cycles of bulking and cutting) if doing so is even possible? Can the fat on my body be used as the extra calories needed to build some muscle?
Lastly, does anyone know what it takes to get a person’s metabolism back up to “normal”, “healthy” baseline before beginning moderate calorie restriction?
Thanks so much, guys!