can i gain muscle and lose fat - in this situation

[Colster]

I have been training for 5 years, over the last year it has been really on and off due to injury and Children. I am about to get back into the weight training seriously with a dedicated attitude. Obviously over this year my body fat has increased from 13% to 20% and my muscle mass has decreased and definition as I have not being performing weight on a regular basis. My current weight is 13st 12ilbs.

I know it is not possible to gain muscle and lose fat as these are two different goals and you must chose one. My goal is to ultimately lose fat, get to around 13% and then bulk up from there, when my body fat reaches 20% from bulking I will cut, hopefully with more muscle than I have now.

My question is this, rather than cutting my calories now to say 2500 calories for cutting should I have them at around 3000 calories eating high protein clean diet, could I possibly then build muscle and lose fat in the first few weeks, seen as though I have not trained with weights for a while and it???s a new stimulus and I may reapply old muscle I use to have. Then once I hit a fat loss plateau I then reduce the calories

What are thoughts guys. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Built]

I'd eat at maintenance while getting back into the lifting. Clean or dirty, if you overeat you're going to gain fat. If you eat at maintenance for a bit, you'll probably recompose a little while you get stronger and better-conditioned. From there, you can decide when to begin your cut and then your subsequent bulk.

 

[Colster]

Built - thanks for the reply.
I will aim for 2750 cals and 150g of protein, keep it easy to start with and just get back on track. See how i progress. Is it worth posting my results with pictures anywhere?

 

[Built]

Sure. Take some befores, post 'em up when you have something that shows a difference.

Maybe crank that protein up a bit.

 

[Bradford01]

Building muscle mass can be achieved while grounding by yourself, but it is much easier to keep up your focus and dedication if you have a training partner that is counting on you being at every workout. The trick is picking a good partner because if you pick a bad one this can have negative effects on your muscle building quest, as well. The most important thing you must look for in a partner is that they have the same dedication and desire towards building muscle mass, as you do.