can i build muscle on a calorie deficit?

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  • RivenV
    RivenV Posts: 1,667 Member
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    jleitsfisch wrote: »
    MKEgal wrote: »
    To lose weight, eat fewer calories than you burn.
    To gain muscle, eat slightly more calories than you burn, with a higher percentage of them coming from protein, and repeatedly lift / put down heavy things. Adjust how many extra calories you're eating, as well as the % from protein, until you start getting the results you want.
    Those goals are contradictory.
    (And to be healthy, eat a wide variety of foods from various sources.)

    Just get into IF and you wont have to worry about calories or anyhing like that - its perfect for bodybuilding, high protien, high fat, low carbs...

    Strong first post.
    164.jpg
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,391 MFP Moderator
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    jleitsfisch wrote: »
    MKEgal wrote: »
    To lose weight, eat fewer calories than you burn.
    To gain muscle, eat slightly more calories than you burn, with a higher percentage of them coming from protein, and repeatedly lift / put down heavy things. Adjust how many extra calories you're eating, as well as the % from protein, until you start getting the results you want.
    Those goals are contradictory.
    (And to be healthy, eat a wide variety of foods from various sources.)

    Just get into IF and you wont have to worry about calories or anyhing like that - its perfect for bodybuilding, high protien, high fat, low carbs...

    IF is a meal timing thing. It has nothing to do with macro split. It certainly isn't perfect for bodybuilding. It may be perfect for someones dietary preference though.
  • tlanger251
    tlanger251 Posts: 86 Member
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    psuLemon wrote: »
    jleitsfisch wrote: »
    MKEgal wrote: »
    To lose weight, eat fewer calories than you burn.
    To gain muscle, eat slightly more calories than you burn, with a higher percentage of them coming from protein, and repeatedly lift / put down heavy things. Adjust how many extra calories you're eating, as well as the % from protein, until you start getting the results you want.
    Those goals are contradictory.
    (And to be healthy, eat a wide variety of foods from various sources.)

    Just get into IF and you wont have to worry about calories or anyhing like that - its perfect for bodybuilding, high protien, high fat, low carbs...

    IF is a meal timing thing. It has nothing to do with macro split. It certainly isn't perfect for bodybuilding. It may be perfect for someones dietary preference though.

    I forgot about IF, thanks. it's a good tool.

    I just proved that unfortunately, I cannot eat carbs AND eat less calories than I burn. I have an addiction to carbs. I went off Keto for two months (gained 6 pounds) and going back on today. Unfortunately this means that it will once again be hard to eat from a wide variety of food sources, but it's better than how I feel now. I never want to go off Keto again. Yes, I want muscle, and yes, I need to do a recomp, and yes it will be harder, and yes I will never be an athlete, but I don't care about athletic performance or being super toned. my new goal is to be somewhat toned, someday. As long as I can get off carbs again, everything will be okay.
  • jaciejaciexoxo
    jaciejaciexoxo Posts: 49 Member
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    TavistockToad wrote: »
    xaos100 wrote: »
    If you are a beginner with alot of extra fat yes but not with walking yoga rock climbing

    OP is 5ft4 and 117lbs so she doesn't have a lot of extra fat....

    Weight has nothing to do with fat alone. A person can be 150 lbs of muscle, 150 lbs mostly fat, or a combo. Unless you see her you can't say if she does or doesn't have fat deposits based on a number on the scale.
  • jaciejaciexoxo
    jaciejaciexoxo Posts: 49 Member
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    tlanger251 wrote: »
    I've been doing keto for over six months and i've lost 26 pounds but I did not work out so even though i'm 117 pounds, I still have a lot of fat (I'm 5'4"). I am really good about eating the exact amount of macros that I need, but I'm [just now] starting to work out (walking/yoga/pilates/rock climbing is my plan). Right now I eat 900-1100 calories a day. I want to lose my fat, and gain muscle. Can I continue to eat 1000 calories a day and build muscle? I've done a lot of research and the information is very contradictory. The calories I need to maintain is around 1300.00

    I'm small like you & Contrary to what some people say, growing while eating deficit is quite possible. I've done it. Earlier this year I started glute training while eating an unintentional deficit. My glutes grew 1.5 inches in no time. I just ate most of my calories after my workout which was late evening. If you workout late in the day and eat pretty much all your calories for dinner and immediately go to sleep it should help as well. That way your metabolism won't be as fast and will process them slower giving your body time to absorb.

    It also has more to do with WHAT you eat, not how much. Processed food, saturated fats, and bad carbs contribute to fate on waists. Eating mostly protein while training other muscles pretty much starves the fat but still feeds your muscle. Limit fat intake and focus on good carbs, fiber, and high protein.

    My sisters waist went from 27in with caloric deficit to 24in while she ate 2000+ calories in 1 month. She was doing lower body based HIIT and she lost ALL fat on her midsection and her weight started going to her lower body in muscle.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
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    jaciejaciexoxo wrote: »
    tlanger251 wrote: »
    I've been doing keto for over six months and i've lost 26 pounds but I did not work out so even though i'm 117 pounds, I still have a lot of fat (I'm 5'4"). I am really good about eating the exact amount of macros that I need, but I'm [just now] starting to work out (walking/yoga/pilates/rock climbing is my plan). Right now I eat 900-1100 calories a day. I want to lose my fat, and gain muscle. Can I continue to eat 1000 calories a day and build muscle? I've done a lot of research and the information is very contradictory. The calories I need to maintain is around 1300.00

    I'm small like you & Contrary to what some people say, growing while eating deficit is quite possible. I've done it. Earlier this year I started glute training while eating an unintentional deficit. My glutes grew 1.5 inches in no time. I just ate most of my calories after my workout which was late evening. If you workout late in the day and eat pretty much all your calories for dinner and immediately go to sleep it should help as well. That way your metabolism won't be as fast and will process them slower giving your body time to absorb.

    It also has more to do with WHAT you eat, not how much. Processed food, saturated fats, and bad carbs contribute to fate on waists. Eating mostly protein while training other muscles pretty much starves the fat but still feeds your muscle. Limit fat intake and focus on good carbs, fiber, and high protein.

    My sisters waist went from 27in with caloric deficit to 24in while she ate 2000+ calories in 1 month. She was doing lower body based HIIT and she lost ALL fat on her midsection and her weight started going to her lower body in muscle.

    This is unfortunately not true. Excess fat gain will mostly be caused by too high surplus and poor training, the only way a poor diet could lead to excess fat gain if it is so bad that your macros ratios are really out of line (very little protein, little nutrition etc) which could also cause very bad workout performance. Also genetics. Some people gain in their waist first, some gain in their lower half. I am a female who gains fat in the lower body more than upper.

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