Muscle and Deficit

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samammay
samammay Posts: 468
in Fitness and Exercise
I know that you cannot gain muscle while eating at a significant deficit, but why does it look and feel like you do? Is that just fat loss? I know I am much stronger and 'tighter' as well as what appears to be bigger, even though I am at a 20% deficit.

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  • Myhaloslipped
    Myhaloslipped Posts: 4,317 Member
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    I am wondering the same thing, because I am lifting and trying to lose fat while building lean muscle. I have been going with a reasonable deficit and eating my lean body mass in grams of protein daily, but I could be wrong.
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
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    Fat loss.

    When you lose the fat that sits on top of your muscles, the muscles become more apparent.

    Same idea as a six pack. Crunches are a joke when it comes to trying to get a six pack when you're overweight. Everybody has abs, but if you have fat on top of them, they don't show as well.
  • jeffpettis
    jeffpettis Posts: 865 Member
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    If you are weight training while in a deficit (which you should be) then you are just uncovering the muscle that is already there. The whole purpose for weight training while dieting is to hang onto as much LBM as possible. You have to give the body a reason not to burn muscle for energy while in a deficit, the body is not real picky about what it uses for fuel, be it fat or muscle.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    Fat loss is one part, you can see the muscles more, the other is probably water and blood being drawn to the muscle during and after a workout for that "pumped" look.

    That said there can be a small gain if you are new to lifting or returning to lifting after a prolonged break.
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,070 Member
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    you CAN gain a small amount at the beginning, through 'newbie gains' and you might also have good genetics. it may seem like more as you are stripping back fat at the same time. you can definitely make significant strength gains at deficit too.

    i have been doing the same and just about to start upping my calories as my strength gains are easing off :(
  • MrGonzo05
    MrGonzo05 Posts: 1,120 Member
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    I know that you cannot gain muscle while eating at a significant deficit, but why does it look and feel like you do? Is that just fat loss? I know I am much stronger and 'tighter' as well as what appears to be bigger, even though I am at a 20% deficit.

    An obese novice trainee can absolutely gain muscle in a deficit. New, lean muscle tissue.

    Strength training causes water retention in your muscles, which makes them appear fuller. It will quickly go away if you stop.

    Also fat loss, as others have said.
  • cafeaulait7
    cafeaulait7 Posts: 2,459 Member
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    I don't know that mine is turning into real muscle (yet?), but the muscles themselves are definitely a different texture. Mine's not just showing them by fat removal, because they are literally hard when they weren't before. I'm only at a very small deficit, though, and I used to have much more lean mass than I do now and got totally lazy with it for more than a year or two.

    Mine might just be storing stuff, I take it. But they've stayed that way over several weeks so far, so I don't care what's in them, lol :D I just won't stop doing what I'm doing. Just don't tell me they will suddenly deflate one day over night, and I'm cool ;)

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