Honest question about lifting/deficit

tracywintn

I'm confused, MFP puts you in a calorie deficit to lose-and when people aren't losing everyone tell them they aren't in a calorie deficit. But I also see over and over people say lifting is the best exercise (vs cardio). Then you see people saying you can't gain muscle while being in a calorie deficit. If MFP puts you in a calorie deficit but you can't gain muscle while in a deficit, why is lifting the best exercise? If you aren't gaining muscle while lifting, aren't you just burning few cals (I burn way less cals (using HR monitor) when I do weight lifting (but then again I'm not good at it) than I do with cardio.

Huffdogg

Lifting provides a stimulus to your existing muscle tissue that encourages your body not to let it whither away when you are in a deficit. Your body isn't stupid. If you feed it less than it needs in order to maintain its current condition, it will sacrifice what evolution has told it is the smartest move. For someone who is starving, fat is more useful to keep than muscle (if, say, you were stranded on an island with little available food, you'd not need so much muscle necessarily).

If you're trying to lose fat to look better and be more fit, you want to keep the muscle you have. It's what gives you a nice shape once the fat goes away.

3laine75

You are strengthening the muscle you do have and if you're getting enough protein, doing something to maintain lean mass. You can also make small gains, at deficit, if you are new to it.

3dogsrunning

I'm confused, MFP puts you in a calorie deficit to lose-and when people aren't losing everyone tell them they aren't in a calorie deficit. But I also see over and over people say lifting is the best exercise (vs cardio). Then you see people saying you can't gain muscle while being in a calorie deficit. If MFP puts you in a calorie deficit but you can't gain muscle while in a deficit, why is lifting the best exercise? If you aren't gaining muscle while lifting, aren't you just burning few cals (I burn way less cals (using HR monitor) when I do weight lifting (but then again I'm not good at it) than I do with cardio.

Yes, MFP puts you in a deficit, but that is assuming you are logging accurately. I always ask people who are complaining about not losing weight to open their diaries. You will often find that they are not logging consistently. Others are not measuring food or using less accurate ways of measuring (measuring cups vs scale). In many many cases I do believe people aren't losing weight because of errors in their logging.

Lifting helps preserve your muscle while in a deficit and its good for bone density. You can still get stronger and it can help avoid injuries. There are a whole host of other benefits of strength training.
Calorie estimates for strength trainnig with a HR are not accurate for estimating calories burned. But yes, you will burn fewer calories lifting, there is also an afterburn associated with lifting.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Azdak/view/the-real-facts-about-hrms-and-calories-what-you-need-to-know-before-purchasing-an-hrm-or-using-one-21472

There is nothing wrong with cardio either, however, killing yourself with excessive cardio for the purpose of weight loss can be counterproductive. Personally, I prefer a combination of both.