If you eat at maintenance and don't exercise, what happens?

subversive99

Really simple question (hopefully), for those of you who know physiology. If you eat at maintenance (whether at a healthy weight or overweight), and do no significant exercise, does your body fat % change?

glevinso

No

VanillaGorillaUK

Depends If you have added muscle mass to your frame through weight training. If so, as you wouldn't be training, eventually you will lose that additional muscle, regardless of calorie intake. If you start losing muscle your body fat % will increase and your scale weight will drop, which changes the maintenance calorie number.

If you haven't been weight lifting, eating at maintenance will keep your bodyfat and weight the same.

subversive99

These sound like two different answers. Anyone else care to jump in?

Mr_Knight

subversive99 wrote: »

Really simple question (hopefully), for those of you who know physiology. If you eat at maintenance (whether at a healthy weight or overweight), and do no significant exercise, does your body fat % change?

It's important to remember that "maintenance" is only a theoretical concept. In reality your body is constantly moving between surplus and deficit, even if on a daily/weekly basis you are at "maintenance", and some parts can be at surplus while other parts can be at deficit, at the same time.

This is also ignoring the reality that it is impossible to hit maintenance exactly, for a variety of reasons.

So...if you're at maintenance and not eating a reasonable macro ratio, yes your body composition can slowly change, because not all macronutrients support the same functions (ie, you can't repair muscle without eating protein). If you are eating at a reasonable macro ratio, it may still change, but if it does, change will come very slowly.

And the definition of "reasonable macro ratio" will depend on the body composition you're starting from - maintaining the LBM of a 1974 Arnold Schwarzeneger will require more care in what you eat. And "maintenance" would talk on a whole 'nuther meaning if you're trying to maintain a 2012 Phil Heath. I'm not convinced it's even possible, TBH.

AllanMisner

If you do the same thing, do you expect different results?

The only thing changing over time is that you’re aging. So, assuming you’re at calorie balance, you will only see changes associated with aging (losing muscle mass, gaining some fat). But that is aging, not based on your maintenance eating, and probably not something you’d see month to month.

subversive99

Thanks, appreciate it. I was just curious, you hear all this nonsense that you will lose muscle if you stop working out and stuff like that. It didn't really ring true to me. The aging stuff makes sense as well.

joejccva71

In the short term, you will regain the same body composition (1-2 months), but longer than that and you will lose muscle mass slowly and it will turn to fat. It doesn't matter if you eat at maintenance. You won't gain any weight but your body comp will in fact change. But keep in mind this is a slowww process. And, pretty much a few weeks after you start weight training again, the LBM will return rather quickly for you. (sorry i hate the term "muscle memory")

kikichewie

Yes, your muscles will eventually atrophy if you don't exercise and challenge them. Then the same amount of caloric intake will start to cause gradual weight gain as your BMR drops. It's not a good thing. At least minimal exercise and weights are a good idea for maintenance, but you don't have to worry as much about progressing to heavier weights or more intense workouts, you just keeping doing what you were doing when you reached maintenance.

gonebeast

So basically once you pack on muscle (I packed at least 20 lbs of it) you are doomed to always have to lift weights or you'll be fat

rybo

subversive99 wrote: »

Thanks, appreciate it. I was just curious, you hear all this nonsense that you will lose muscle if you stop working out and stuff like that. It didn't really ring true to me. The aging stuff makes sense as well.

But you will lose muscle if you don't give the body reason enough to keep it. The process may be slow, but it's happening.

joejccva71

gonebeast wrote: »

So basically once you pack on muscle (I packed at least 20 lbs of it) you are doomed to always have to lift weights or you'll be fat

I mean you could technically drop down to lifting once a week instead of a more regular schedule and with adequate protein you should keep your LBM intact, but yea if you stop completely after probably 3 months it will start to widdle away. lol

gonebeast

Would it be possible or ideal to stop lifting, let it widdle away and then do cardio to drop body fat to lower levels and then when you're at a level of body fat you're satisfied with, go back to weight training HARD and muscle memory will kick in and you'll be more lean than before but almost the same weight. I just read this and it sounds really stupid, don't judge bro lol I'm not that sharp.

Reason I ask is because I'm at a loss, desperate I'll do anything. I'm cutting calories on rest days, low carbs and I'm trying to be 160 again, leaner than before. I'm trying to fight at 145 and I can't fkin cut from 170 to 145 (that's my LBM I think at 5'7) @joejccva71

nossmf

The old adage about bodybuilders becoming fat with age is not because they cut back on lifting, but because they keep eating at the same enormous rates they used when they were lifting. Just like professional athletes, get used to spending as much money as they're earning, but when they retire they keep spending the money and a huge percentage go broke, because they didn't adjust to their new reality.

gothchiq

depends on the person. As a middle aged female, I would definitely lose muscle and get all flabby and ugly again. I won't permit that to happen.

kikichewie

nossmf wrote: »

The old adage about bodybuilders becoming fat with age is not because they cut back on lifting, but because they keep eating at the same enormous rates they used when they were lifting. Just like professional athletes, get used to spending as much money as they're earning, but when they retire they keep spending the money and a huge percentage go broke, because they didn't adjust to their new reality.

A weightlifter that stops lifting will lose muscle size too. You can't maintain muscle mass without exercise. Just think about what happens if you put your arm in a cast. It atrophies. It's not all about caloric intake.

cwolfman13

The way I see it is that if you don't use your muscle it will atrophy...this loss of muscle will slowly eat away at your BMR and thus your maintenance level of calories...so ultimately you would put on fat because what you think is maintenance no longer is.

AllanMisner

gonebeast wrote: »

So basically once you pack on muscle (I packed at least 20 lbs of it) you are doomed to always have to lift weights or you'll be fat

No. Muscle doesn’t turn to fat, but as you lose muscle mass (from not working it), your metabolism will get lower. Over time, if you don’t reduce your calorie intake, you’ll accumulate fat. As we age, our metabolisms naturally decrease as does our general activity level (for most people). So, the amount of food you need for maintenance goes down.

AllanMisner

gonebeast wrote: »

Would it be possible or ideal to stop lifting, let it widdle away and then do cardio to drop body fat to lower levels and then when you're at a level of body fat you're satisfied with, go back to weight training HARD and muscle memory will kick in and you'll be more lean than before but almost the same weight. I just read this and it sounds really stupid, don't judge bro lol I'm not that sharp.

Reason I ask is because I'm at a loss, desperate I'll do anything. I'm cutting calories on rest days, low carbs and I'm trying to be 160 again, leaner than before. I'm trying to fight at 145 and I can't fkin cut from 170 to 145 (that's my LBM I think at 5'7) @joejccva71

At 5’7” and 170, I’m not sure you have 35 lbs of fat to lose without getting into the single digits of body fat percentage (very, very hard). Or as you mentioned, you could shed some muscle and fat and get there. I wouldn’t just stop lifting, but would consider moving to strength training and focus on the areas that would most benefit your fighting. If you’re training for endurance in the ring (or octagon), you should be able to shed some fat (and a bit of muscle) fairly quickly (be happy to be a young man).

ForecasterJason

As it's been mentioned somewhat already, age is a factor. A male in his late teens or early 20s who has just finished growing would lose less muscle mass from not exercising than someone who is much older.

Sabine_Stroehm

subversive99 wrote: »

Thanks, appreciate it. I was just curious, you hear all this nonsense that you will lose muscle if you stop working out and stuff like that. It didn't really ring true to me. The aging stuff makes sense as well.

You WILL lose muscle, over time. Slowly. How rapidly will depend in part on age, gender, genetics etc. At a set weight then, your BF% will increase. And, yes, then your maintenance level (calories) will decrease. Again, over time.

joejccva71

gonebeast wrote: »

Would it be possible or ideal to stop lifting, let it widdle away and then do cardio to drop body fat to lower levels and then when you're at a level of body fat you're satisfied with, go back to weight training HARD and muscle memory will kick in and you'll be more lean than before but almost the same weight. I just read this and it sounds really stupid, don't judge bro lol I'm not that sharp.

Reason I ask is because I'm at a loss, desperate I'll do anything. I'm cutting calories on rest days, low carbs and I'm trying to be 160 again, leaner than before. I'm trying to fight at 145 and I can't fkin cut from 170 to 145 (that's my LBM I think at 5'7) @joejccva71

Dude I'm 5'7 also and I was at 165 at like 11-12% and it took me almost 6 additional months to get down to 157 and 10%. Talk about frustration. But I did it eventually. At 5'7 145 you're sub 10% which is crazy hard to do.

10% is good bro. It's abs city at that percentage.

Anything below 10% and you'll be miserable as F. It's hard to keep that bodyfat for a lengthy period of time.

gonebeast

@AllanMisner Thank you (:

@joejccva71 dude its really hard. The fighter I look up too is 5'9, walks about 185 and cuts to 145 (conor McGregor) Its crazy. Idk how they do it, I know most of it is water but it seems ridiculous to be losing that much water, also its dangerous for the brain to dehydrate like that. Since I'm not pro MMA I don't have a whole day after weigh ins to re hydrate.

I'll keep trying to cut I guess. When I woke up today I was 166, but the day before I had little food