Feb
17
Yelli asked:
I have at least 25 pound to lose around my mid section and I don’t want to build muscle under the fat. Should I lose the fat first then build the muscle?
Thanks
Thanks for all the constructive answers. The reason I ask the questions is not because I don”t want to do the work I just don’t want to build up muscle under fat and look fatter.
I have at least 25 pound to lose around my mid section and I don’t want to build muscle under the fat. Should I lose the fat first then build the muscle?
Thanks
Thanks for all the constructive answers. The reason I ask the questions is not because I don”t want to do the work I just don’t want to build up muscle under fat and look fatter.
Anywho I appreciate all the ACTUAL answers.
Vivian
Comments
50 Responses to “Should you lose belly fat before building muscle?”
Leave a Reply
Loretta
no staY looking like a sumo wrestler
Phyllis
yes
Samuel
No. Muscle BURNS fat. You need to build muscle there so it will get rid of the fat.
Robert
if your diet is correct then building muscle will burn fat.
Lois
Do both at the same time. Build muscle and lose the fat. Do cardio and crunches and situps.
Robin
try spritzing some lighter fluid on the fatty area and running around an open fire, sooner or later the fat will get burned
Darrell
Eat a good diet and exercise.
The more muscle you have and the higher the muscle tone, the more calories you will burn at rest.
That means your basal metabolism will go up and you will naturally burn more calories and it will be easier to lose the fat.
In other words, Start to build muscle and the fat will come off more easily. The muscle will not trap the fat in place.
Bernice
Yes, lose the fat first.
Annie
that is why u must loss ur belly fat
and i have solution to ur belly fat
Small Ways to Lose a Big Belly
1. Fried foods are garbage. Potato chips, French fries and onion rings are pregnant with saturated fat and calories, yet they contain zero healthy or muscle-promoting nutrients. If you’re on a fat-loss plan, simply eliminate fried foods. That alone will allow you to shed lard quickly
2. Drink a glass of skim milk as soon as you wake up. Some quick protein before you even step into the shower will energize you and end those morning cravings for Egg McMuffins and pastry.
3. Do 2 minutes of pushups every morning. It’s tough to exercise as soon as you roll out of bed, but you can burn off 21 calories a day–2 1/2 pounds in a year.
4. Toss a quart of water in your briefcase. Water helps you burn calories–96 calories just by carrying a bottle while you walk for 20 minutes. Serve it over ice in your office and your body will burn 31 calories warming it to 98.6. Then there’s the aerobic effect of all those bathroom runs.
5. Want to look better naked? Try drinking half as much alcohol. Alcohol contains calories. You may drink like a fish, but booze isn’t water. Even a light beer has more than 100 calories. Booze makes you store fat. Your body sees alcohol as a poison, and tries desperately to get rid of it. Your liver stops processing all other calories until it has dealt with the alcohol. So anything else you eat during the time you’re drinking is more likely to end up as fat. Alcohol also lowers testosterone. With more abdominal fat, testosterone drops.
more in this site
Evelyn
As you are bldg. muscle you will lose inchs not weight, because muscle weighs more than fat.
Brian
Yes!! I would do a light cardio at first and then start adding more and more to your step. After you get into a routine and see that your fat is going away, then start lifting weights. If you dont get rid of your fat first and then you get muscle, and then lose muscle….the results are nasty!! Ya really need to start a good diet, work out with cardi, and then start muscle.
Ernest
Building muscle will help you burn the fat. Start with both weight work AND cardio right away. At first do a little more cardio for the first couple weeks, then even it out. The muscle you build will burn more calories when you’re at rest, so if you watch your diet, your fat will get eaten up by your own metabolism.
Ann
You can do it simultaneously with diet excersise.
Arthur
Nope. Work on the muscle. Weight lifting will boost your metabolism and that in turn will help to burn the fat. Throw in some cardio but don’t overdo it.
Keep in mind the long lenghth of time it took to add that 25 lbs. Give yourself a bit of time to see it fall off. Don’t expect miracles but be aggressive. Give yourself at least one day a week to indulge in garbage food or else you’ll feel cheated and backslide too often.
Good luck.
Brent
You don’t want to sag either and that will happen if go on a diet and don’t strengthen your muscles.
Suzanne
Actually, while working out, ( do LOTS of sit ups, as it is the best way to work the mid-section out)
but you won’t lose the fat per-say, the stomach fat will tansfer into muscle.
My dad taught me this for p.e. back in highschool, he was a drill sargent, But he said that it will tighten the belly fat, untill it turns into the muscle. the fat deposites that do stick around will burn off on their own, but remember when weighing yourself, muscle weighs more than fat, so don’t be suprised if your weight goes up, instead, measure around your belly to get more accurate readings,
have fun exercising, it gives endorphines, makes you happy
Marilyn
add high protein foods and fiber to your diet and lots of water as you build muscle you will lose the fat and your body uses protein for energy so if u are exercising and not taking in enough protein you body will burn your muscle make fat and use that for energy so lots of protein the belly will go away.
Nellie
I;m really confused about your logic. Why would you wait until you lose your belly fat to build muscle in the same area? Are you just trying to avoid the work?Twenty five pounds to lose around mid section? That’s alot of weight around your belly. It seems to me you really don’t know anything about nutrition and human physiology. For your own sake, go to your local library and read up on the subject.
Vincent
muscles help you ,burning calories and fat in your body
check my profile for web sites with ideas in workout and fitness
Gertrude
I am on a diet now where I have already lost almost 30 pounds. I actually do both at the same time. By eating a diet low in sugar and fat, but high in protein, I lose fat and replace it with muscle, which is actually more healthy. If you try to lose the fat without building muscle, you will actually lose muscle mass along with the fat, making you more likely to gain the weight back.
Cecil
yeah, it will work a lot better that way.
Rosemary
I would take which ever comes first…………
Amanda
That’s gonna happen simultaneously. You lose fat by doing cardio but when you build muscle, you increase your body’s ability to burn fat. Here’s what I do and it works great- I alternate, doing my fat burning workout one day and taking the next day do to arms and abs, then do my cardio the next day, then I work my lower body, then cardio, then arms/abs, and so on. When you work out (strength train) you tear up muscle, in a sense, and so it needs a day to rest and repair. Also, stretch throughly to lengthen and strengthen muscles and increase flexibility. I actually just use about a half an hour a day, doing a five minute stretch/warm up, twenty minute workout, and five minute cool down/stretch. I use mostly videos (bellytwins.com has good, fun belly dance workout so it’s not the same boring thing) or salsa dance videos are fun, if you like that, too. I really suggest doing the alternating, I think you’ll see better results (I know I have then when I did just strength or just cardio). Good luck!
Kenneth
Preferably yes, or else you will build muscle underneath the fat and it will look BAD, trust me, I used to have it.
Peter
Actually, building muscle will aid your goal to banish that belly. Muscle requires more energy to maintain than fat, so the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn. The ball-park figure is you burn 50 extra calories per day for every extra pound of muscle you have. So I would advise you to go ahead and start your muscle-building regimen. Bear in mind, however, you’re not going to lose that belly unless you get your diet in order and do some walking and/or cardio in addition to your strength training. Best schedule is strength training every other day and cardio every other day, but give yourself one day off per week where you do nothing except walking. Same goes for diet — eat a clean diet six days a week but allow yourself one day a week where you can have whatever you want (just don’t gorge yourself). Check out the Mens Health website at, click on the Discussions link, and check out the bulletin boards they have on diet, fitness, and exercise. You’ll learn everything you ever wanted to know about what to eat, what to avoid, best workouts (and worst), how to work out, etc. Good luck!
Stephanie
Your body will do as it will regardless of how you try to manipulate it. Most dont realize there is no such thing as a spot workout. You need to work all your body. maybe a 45 min cardiovascular and then dead weights to toning and building. Your body will use up stored fat before it builds muscle.
Edgar
Yes
Janet
Building muscle will help you lose fat.
Start working out and the fat will go away.
Yolanda
Typically when you do strength training..(bodybuilding) you lose fat!!! When your muscles burn you are in turn burning fat so losing the weight around you belly is going to make the fat go away!!It goes hand in hand
Michelle
lose the fat first so then the muscle can form over it
Theodore
fat turns into muscle do lots of sit ups
Connie
No, the fat will turn into muscle.
Heidi
I’ve lost 45lbs and now, I am beginnign to build muscle. Fist you should lose the belly fat. Because what if you build muscle and you never lose those extra lbs. It would not show, unless ur lifting major weight.
Glenn
I would say, don’t worry about that. As you do exercises to build muscle, the fat will burn off. Muscle burns fat like mad, using them I mean, after you build them.
Building the muscle will also shrink you by inches fast, no matter what the scale actually reads.
I would just be a bit careful the exercises are gentle, not to much at first, or the wrong kind.
Swimming is really good. It burns calories and belly fat without stressing the lower back with impact as bad.
Jogging would be one of the worst, as the stomach could bounce alittle, and ouch! That can really hurt, and the lower back too, cause it can pull on those muscles.
Walking works amazingly well. And gets you where you’re going without gas money!
Matthew
Contrary to popular belief and from my experience (I lost 20 pounds), one can’t really pick or choose what part of the body fat loss will occur from first. Just keep doing your cardiovascular and muscle building exercises simultaneously and you’ll achieve the nice toned physique you want. Good luck
June
I would hope you would be able to do both at the same time. With increased exercise, targeting the midsection where possible, you would burn the fat while you build the muscles.
Laura
NO! I understand your concern about accentuating your belly fat by buffing up the abs, but weight loss doesn’t work that way.
Reduce the bread and sugar type carbohydrates. Increase the salad type carbohydrates (low calorie). Maintain your protein intake and reduce your fat intake.
Exercise. Exercise. Exercise. Seriously, start exercising! Work on your flexibility, your cardio, and your strength. Exercise is what is going to start burning the calories. You need to keep your glucose and glycogen supplies challenged with diet and exercise. Eventually your fat stores will become your source of energy and if you stick to the exercise program and diet, you will significantly reduce your stored fat.
Good luck and stick with it if you want to eventually see results. You will tone quickly and even start to get buff, but it will take perseverance to start making a dent in the fat stores. Stick with it and you will end up feeling really good about yourself.
Greg
You will build muscle as you lose fat and more muscle will burn more fat.
Easy way to lose weight- read the packaging on everything you eat. Know what a serving is of everything you eat. A bottle of Pepsi will tell you that it has 100 calories per serving. It will also tell you that there’s 4 servings in a bottle (liter). so that bottle is really 400 calories, or about a fifth of a normal person’s daily intake.
I had a heart attack on June first of ‘06 and had to lose weight. I was 285 and 6′3. I didn’t look obese, but not as good as I used to either. I gave up soda, and drank Propel fitness water instead. I switched to an almost all vegan diet, eating things like BocaBurgers, Garden burgers, and all kinds of vegan stuff from Morning Star farms. (Their BBQ riblets ROCK!) I eat salads about as often as I did before. On special occasions I have Birthday cake, or Thanks giving turkey, Christmas ham, etc.
but go back to the vegan as soon as I can. I still have a beer now and then. I have lost 30 pounds since June’06 and will continue to lose untill I get to 225, what I weighed when I got out of the Marine Corps.
Eat right, increase your activity a little, and avoid the obvious evil food as best you can. Don’t allow it to become torturous, have a treat occaisionally, just don’t go overboard.
Don’t worry about inadvertantly building muscle. Muscle looks way better that fat, is healthier and burns fat itself. So, once you get in shape, it should be a little easier to stay in shape.
Good luck!
Randy
I think if you do cardio as opposed to sit-ups, you’ll get the results you want.
Theresa
my husband has lifted weights for years but never lost his belly. We just found out he has high blood sugar along with high cholesterol and sugar gets stored in the belly. He was advised to look carefully at his carbs and when he started on a new life style eating choice of 12 servings of carbs a day (15g of any carb is a carb choice), he lost inches around his belly faster than he lost weight. Making sure your diet has plenty of fiber is also reccomended because it helps regulate the digestive system. Weight lifting and regular diets never touched his belly. He does take Metformin (doctor prescribed) which helps the body process the sugars and cholesterol better but the carbs were the secret to his 20 year belly bump! If you are in your 40’s or have had that belly for years, make sure you get checked by your doctor. Sugar numbers are found in routine blood work.
Herbert
no do it at the same time
Elmer
I have always heard that yes you do need to lose belly fat before building muscle and then I found t-tapp. I just want to tell the whole world about my secret. I was with a trainer for 9 months and even though I lost a ton of weight I still had the belly. It is just so hard for me to loose weight there. So I bought this DVD my DOCTOR recommended called t-tapp. Within 7 days I lost 2 inches off my abdominal area. I also lost an Itch off my hips and waist. The last time I lost inches it took me 5 months not 7 days. Needless to say I am addicted to t-tapp. I encourage you to check out the website and try the freebie exercises. You can try before you buy. It is amazing
Good luck.
Pauline
It will happen. Any area that is building muscle will see a decline in fat. Additionally, exercise of any sort requires fuel and your body will seek out fat cells to fuel itself.
Steven
yes because that is going to build huskness.
Marjorie
yip i would say loose the fat 1ste and then build muscle!!!!!!
Kimberly
get ur crunch on
Diane
yes
Earl
As you work out, building your muscles, with whatever type of exercise program you have, you’ll burn the fat. Muscle and fat are two different things that we all have. Muscle actually weighs more than the fat does. As you exercise, the fat will wear away and your muscle tone will build up.
Lance
Hi!
Unless you build some muscle, it’s unlikely that you’ll actually lose that 25 lbs completely. It will actually accelerate your fat loss if you combine strength training, cardio, and modified diet together with you program. Muscle burns a lot of calories, so the more of it you have, the more fat you can burn! Also, studies have shown that you metabolism stays elevated for 6-8 hours after weight training vs. cardio where your metabolism only stays elevated during that 30-60 minutes that you’re working out! (Even so, cardio is important too!)
If you’re worried about looking bulky by building muscle under your fat, don’t! First of all, you are not going to get big muscles that quickly. (You’ll likely lose the 25 lbs if you’re diligent way before you gain any appreciable size in musculature.) 1-2lbs a week is a good guesstamate for dilligent people when it comes to fat loss, but depending on the individual, it may be a little faster!
Try circuit training- it’s ideal for fat loss because it’s a cardio workout and strength training workout wrapped up into one- a double whammy! Keep the weights moderate- you don’t want to go too heavy if you want to get the full circuit training effect! (During circuit training, you move from one exercise to another without stopping, repeating cycles. Make sure the weights are challenging though- if they’re too light, they won’t do you much good!) Google circuit training!
If you’re in the Stockton, Manteca, Modesto,Tracy California area and you’d like to find out more about fitness programs, please give me a call!
Fitness Pros
(209) 981-1180
Claude
As you build muscle it will burn up the fat, thus reducing the fat. it does not build up under it. and muscle weighs more than fat, so don’t get discouraged if you gain weight after a few weeks. But after a while it will balance out and if you eat healthy diet and do a cardio workout 4 – 6 times a week you will see good results and to do it healithy they recommend 1-2 pounds a week.