I have recently just started to work out way more seriously. I have a gym membership and I have been doing benchpress, running, basketball, stomach curl machine thing, and some free weights. I hae gone 6 times a week for the last two weeks.

I have also been eating much better than i have. I moved out to college and gained the freshman 15.

I have been feeling a lot better and I feel myself getting a lot stronger. However, all my life i have been borderline chubby and never did i feel like a small guy. I ate a **** load of food and did some karate in my younger years that helped.

What i am trying to accomplish is i need to lose about 15-20 pounds and at the same time i want to build muscle up. However, most of the advice that i am reading are for thin guys that need to bulk up. I feel like i need to go the opposite way and replace fat with muscle. However, I work out and I desire protein, but i feel like if i eat protein i will gain weight which is counter productive lol.

Am I on the right track exercising the way I am? What should my diet be like? Any threads that you know of that can help me?

:box:

Also, forgot to mention i got these bad stretch marks that appeared when i gained weight when i moved out. I had them before but they faded and now they are back. Anyone have any tips to make them fade quicker

The vault is an excellent source of information and will most likely answer most, if not all of your questions: http://www.sosuave.net/forum/showthread.php?t=126233

You say you want to build muscle, but lose fat at the same time. Sure, you can do that, or you could get a lot more progress with focusing on one at a time. Eating protein will not make you fat, if anything, carbs will.

About your stretch marks, go to a pharmacy or drug-store and get a lotion pregnant women use. I'm not making any promises regarding its efficiency, however.

If you're really heavy, you definitely can lose fat and gain muscle significantly. Just lift heavy as hell and eat clean.

I see... so what im reading is that the process would be faster if I lost weight, then gained muscle. Or if i was fatter lol. I guess I am feeling results already so ill just keep doing what I am doing. My body is getting a lot firmer all over and less pudgy. Thanks now that i know to cut carbs I should gain a lot better!

To clarify on carbs:

There are certain GOOD carby foods. Fruits and vegetables, etc. They will assist weight loss, not weight gain.

Avoid bad carby foods, stick with good ones.