What will happen while lifting on a caloric deficit?

halimaiqbal00

Lose fat? Gain muscle? I'm a little confused as I'm hearing conflicting advice

shadow2soul

Outside of newbie gains, you really won't gain muscle while eating in a deficit.

Lifting in a deficit helps preserve your existing muscle mass while you cut fat. You can experience strength gains to an extent while lifting at a deficit, but getting stronger doesn't necessarily mean you have more muscle mass.

I started lifting last year. I'm leaner and stronger than I was, but I really doubt I've put on muscle. If my scale is to be believed (I know it's inaccurate measurement method), I lost 22 lbs of fat and 8.6 lbs of lean mass over the last year.