Interesting article on "The Science of Fat" on Gizmodo

keithaj1

Read an interesting article on "The Science of Fat" yesterday.

Here is link:

http://gizmodo.com/the-science-of-fat-1517247620

It sums up by saying:

"So, how can we turn up the internal flame of your metabolism?

The simplest answer is by adding muscle. Muscle tissue, at rest, burns two to three times more calories than fat tissue does. So while cardio is certainly important for your overall health and stamina, if fat burning is your goal, then focusing a little more on weight-bearing, muscle building exercises will likely yield better results, and faster. Not because it burns more calories while you're working out, but because it turns up your metabolic flame so that it burns more calories all the time."

Wanted some feedback on this. What has been your experiences?

yarwell

The people who hang round gyms tell us we can't add muscle at a deficit, which suggests that we need to put on more weight in order to increase the lean mass in order to increase calorie burn.

Or we could lose fat by eating at a deficit to our current metabolic rate, whatever that might be.

The second approach worked for me, along with fine tuning the release of fat into the bloodstream. I wouldn't be up for spending a load of time in a gym and getting heavier in the hope that a higher metabolic rate then made it marginally easier to lose weight.

keithaj1

Thanks Yarwell.
Has anyone had any success eating at deficit and losing fat and gaining muscle?
If so, how did you do it?

cshouston81

The first time I lost weight, I was able to lose a great deal of body fat and increase some muscle (but not much). This was back in 2008, but from what I can recall I made sure to eat a lot of highly bioavailable protein from sources like lean meats, protein powder/shakes, and protein bars. I had to cut back on other foods, especially excess carbs even though it wasn't a low-carb diet, to fit the extra protein's calorie value into my diet. Of course, I had one day of upper body and one day of lower body weight lifting each week.

Are you going to BULK up while losing weight? Probably not, but you can definitely prevent muscle wasting that way and maybe gain some extra strength. Right now, my goal is to lose the fat FIRST, get down to my goal weight and *then* strength train with a caloric surplus to build the lean muscle that will increase my resting metabolism. I'm in the same camp as the first person who responded.

SJ46

Yes, muscle mass has a higher metabolic rate than fat but it is not significant.

"Although muscle is the largest tissue in the entire body, its estimated metabolic rate is much less than has been advertised in the consumer media and suggested by many ill-informed fitness product advertisers."

"In fact, scientific estimation of the metabolic rate of muscle is about 10 to 15 kcal/kg per day, which is approximately 4.5 to 7.0 kcal/lb per day (Elia, 1992)."

That being said there are many benefits to weight training. If you are losing weight maintaining that muscle mass that you already have will benefit you in the long run. Why lose the muscle only to try to put it back on again later?

ETA: Oops, forgot the link - http://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Article folder/metabolismcontroversy.html

SpottyGurgle

"... your fat cells are trying to erode your muscle cells." Yikes! That freaked me out. I wish they would've elaborated a bit more in the article.

sijomial

I wouldn't say it's a great article!
Some good bits but some very suspect conclusions.

As said above adding a few pounds of muscle makes an insignificant difference to your daily calorie needs.
Just adding a little more activity into your daily routine would have a bigger impact.

Also the comparison of HIIT to low impact cardio is misleading. While 20 minutes of HIIT certainly burns more calories than 20 minutes of low impact exercise, try comparing the more real world comparison of 20 minutes of HIIT against 60 minutes of lower intensity cardio. Really you should match your exercise to your fitness goals rather than just calorie burns.

Weight/resistance training to preserve muscle in a deficit is very important - it's much easier to maintain muscle mass than lose it and have to gain it back again. It's a common theme in the maintainer's forum of people getting to their goal weight and not being happy with their results - effectively seeing a smaller version of their former fat selves in the mirror.