I need a hug and someone to tell me i'm wrong

BombshellPhoenix

I doubt you'll lose 50 lbs in 10 months. Assuming you'll love 1 lb every week is awfully optimistic.

Hope this helps.

Why not? I see plenty of people that do that..

I lost 53 lbs in 9 months...

Early_Riser

So have I

ninerbuff

Of course you can build muscle while eating at a deficit.

Weight-lifters are so superstitious...

Well no. Possible, yes, but lingers more in the realm of improbability.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

JoRocka

Of course you can build muscle while eating at a deficit.

Weight-lifters are so superstitious...

Uh oh. DUCK!!! You just opened an MFP sh!tstorm. Yeah, you may want to be prepared to back up that statement, or not return to this thread, because as a general rule, building muscle while in a deficit, even if it can be done, is quite often very minimal and inefficient.

Seems I like commas today

I didn't say it was efficient...

you're right- you said it couldn't be done at all.

Actually, I said you COULD build muscle when eating at a calorie deficit.

Your muscles are going to use micronutrients and energy in the form of glucose and triglycerides from your blood. They don't care how those things got into your blood, just that they are sufficiently present to respond to the "build" signal exercise produces.

If you are eating a calorie-deficit with sufficient micronutrients, you will be breaking down fats to get your blood chemistry into the right ranges--at which point your muscles don't care where the things they need came from--food or fat-breakdown. If they are present in the blood then your muscles can respond to exercise in the normal fashion.

I am not aware of any hormonal situation caused by burning fat that would shut down building muscle. (By contrast there are hormonal reasons that you can't have high sugar in your diet and burn fat--high insulin levels shut down fat-burning; also chemical reasons you can't have a zero carb diet and burn fat--you can't manufacture the sugar-chain backbones of triglyderides which transport fats out of storage without a small amount of carbohydrate to work with.)

add: re "superstition"--in this case I mean the belief that a particular product or practice is the 'magic bullet' which allowed your lifting program to succeed, and without which it will fail.

You're correct. I absolutely ot my negative's mixed up- my apologies.


But you're still wrong.
There is a distinct reason why people who are trying to get bigger and significantly stronger go on bulk cycles of eating at a surplus. That's how this works.

lose weight = calorie deficit
gain weight = calorie surplus.

Now- you can just get fat gaining- or you get swole (and a little fat). But at no point to magically start putting on actual SIZE at a calorie deficit.

Size=/= strength- and this is very important at the onset of your lifting careeer- but after while- you're max your gains for the size you are- and when you want more- you have to bulk.

Well- the rest of us will be bulking- you - well- you can keep believing in dreams made of unicorn tears and pony farts because that's going to be about as effective as building any appreciable muscle on a deficit.

SideSteel

Context applies here as usual.

Someone who is relatively new to resistance training who also has excess fat to lose can build muscle in a calorie deficit. But in comparison, an experienced lean athlete gaining muscle in a deficit?? -- ain't gonna happen.

And just as an observation, it would appear that there's a reasonably big population of people on MFP who fit the category of "overweight and new to resistance training" and these are typically the people who ask about whether or not they can build muscle in a deficit. They probably can. (I don't say the previous statement with any judgement, it's just an observation in that more often than not, the answer to the question is "yes" or "probably" given the population who typically asks the question here, and yet it's almost always met with "no" by people who can't due to training experience/leanness).


Either way, resistance training will result in a greater amount of muscle mass when it's all said and done whether it's a result of a net gain in muscle mass or the prevention of muscle loss.

SunofaBeach14

Context applies here as usual.

Someone who is relatively new to resistance training who also has excess fat to lose can build muscle in a calorie deficit. But in comparison, an experienced lean athlete gaining muscle in a deficit?? -- ain't gonna happen.

And just as an observation, it would appear that there's a reasonably big population of people on MFP who fit the category of "overweight and new to resistance training" and these are typically the people who ask about whether or not they can build muscle in a deficit. They probably can. (I don't say the previous statement with any judgement, it's just an observation in that more often than not, the answer to the question is "yes" or "probably" given the population who typically asks the question here, and yet it's almost always met with "no" by people who can't due to training experience/leanness).


Either way, resistance training will result in a greater amount of muscle mass when it's all said and done whether it's a result of a net gain in muscle mass or the prevention of muscle loss.

*jumping up and down and pointing at the bold*






*still jumping and pointing*

mantium999

Context applies here as usual.

Someone who is relatively new to resistance training who also has excess fat to lose can build muscle in a calorie deficit. But in comparison, an experienced lean athlete gaining muscle in a deficit?? -- ain't gonna happen.

And just as an observation, it would appear that there's a reasonably big population of people on MFP who fit the category of "overweight and new to resistance training" and these are typically the people who ask about whether or not they can build muscle in a deficit. They probably can. (I don't say the previous statement with any judgement, it's just an observation in that more often than not, the answer to the question is "yes" or "probably" given the population who typically asks the question here, and yet it's almost always met with "no" by people who can't due to training experience/leanness).


Either way, resistance training will result in a greater amount of muscle mass when it's all said and done whether it's a result of a net gain in muscle mass or the prevention of muscle loss.

*jumping up and down and pointing at the bold*






*still jumping and pointing*

Yay for sidesteel popping by, and telling it straight in a way that doesn't offend people.

Sarauk2sf

Context applies here as usual.

Someone who is relatively new to resistance training who also has excess fat to lose can build muscle in a calorie deficit. But in comparison, an experienced lean athlete gaining muscle in a deficit?? -- ain't gonna happen.

And just as an observation, it would appear that there's a reasonably big population of people on MFP who fit the category of "overweight and new to resistance training" and these are typically the people who ask about whether or not they can build muscle in a deficit. They probably can. (I don't say the previous statement with any judgement, it's just an observation in that more often than not, the answer to the question is "yes" or "probably" given the population who typically asks the question here, and yet it's almost always met with "no" by people who can't due to training experience/leanness).


Either way, resistance training will result in a greater amount of muscle mass when it's all said and done whether it's a result of a net gain in muscle mass or the prevention of muscle loss.

QFT!

Obviously individual factors apply, including the size of someone's deficit, their training routine, gender, how new they are to training and genetics, but it is highly unlikely that the statement 'no, you will not gain muscle because you are at a deficit' is true for many people.

carolineat111

Good thread, this is something I'm struggling with too. I've lost about 60lbs (and I did it pretty quickly through diet and exercise, about 1600 calories a day, took 5 months and I've kept it off almost 18 months-it was pregnancy weight). Anyways, like you I want to get stronger and keep the muscle I have but still have some fat I'd like to get rid of. I'm happy someone finally explained the gaining muscle mass vs. strength.
Good luck!!

SremCica

I am giving you a HUG! and don't give up. YOU can do this!

RaspberryKeytoneBoondoggle

Hugs!!!!

And you're wrong. At least your wrong to suggest there will be no results. There will be lots of results!

You will probably get stronger.
You will practice good form.
You will enjoy your life.
You may see a visible size difference in your muscles, especially if you are still experiencing "newbie gains".
It will start to feel natural to lift. Your muscles and your body will remember the movement.
You will get to eat more and still lose weight, and metabolize a little faster.

Oh, you are so wrong!!:)
So there.

StrawberryJam40

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/adding-muscle-while-losing-fat-qa.html

http://body-improvements.com/2013/09/04/can-you-build-muscle-and-lose-fat-at-the-same-time/

http://body-improvements.com/2012/08/22/qa-how-can-i-go-about-building-some-muscle/

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/training/weight-training-for-fat-loss-part-1.html

Thank you.

stephanieluvspb

Hugs!!!!

And you're wrong. At least your wrong to suggest there will be no results. There will be lots of results!

You will probably get stronger.
You will practice good form.
You will enjoy your life.
You may see a visible size difference in your muscles, especially if you are still experiencing "newbie gains".
It will start to feel natural to lift. Your muscles and your body will remember the movement.
You will get to eat more and still lose weight, and metabolize a little faster.

Oh, you are so wrong!!:)

So there.

Lol I guess its not so bad to be wrong sometimes thank you! :happy:

bobbinalong

Your muscles won't get bigger, that's true. But, they will get stronger. (Increasing muscle SIZE and muscle STRENGTH are two different things). So, you'll be able to continue to lift increasingly bigger weights as you lose. Plus, as you continue to lose, you'll strip off the fat that is hiding your lovely muscles right now, so they'll look bigger than they do now because you'll be able to see them. Don't stress -- lifting while you're losing is going to give you fabulous end results! :flowerforyou:

Yes....I have no pics to share, yet I have gone from 30% body fat to less than 20%, 60 lbs down and all the while getting stonger, and definition in an old body that I thought would never happen. On the way now to building more muscle and strength....KEEP LIFTING!

cherrilovee

Honestly, your muscles aren't going to get huge, but they will get stronger. You'll see the toning and definition happening. If you did the diet without any exercise, your body would lose the fat but your skin wouldn't tighten up as well. KEEP LIFTING! You got this!
& Last but not least \(^-^)/ *hug*

jofjltncb6

Of course you can build muscle while eating at a deficit.

Weight-lifters are so superstitious...

Well no. Possible, yes, but lingers more in the realm of improbability.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

margannmks

If you continue to lift weights and challenge yourself consistently ill bet youll be darn pleased with at how youll look with only a 40 lb loss.

LAT1963

Context applies here as usual.

Someone who is relatively new to resistance training who also has excess fat to lose can build muscle in a calorie deficit. But in comparison, an experienced lean athlete gaining muscle in a deficit?? -- ain't gonna happen.

And just as an observation, it would appear that there's a reasonably big population of people on MFP who fit the category of "overweight and new to resistance training" and these are typically the people who ask about whether or not they can build muscle in a deficit. They probably can. (I don't say the previous statement with any judgement, it's just an observation in that more often than not, the answer to the question is "yes" or "probably" given the population who typically asks the question here, and yet it's almost always met with "no" by people who can't due to training experience/leanness).


Either way, resistance training will result in a greater amount of muscle mass when it's all said and done whether it's a result of a net gain in muscle mass or the prevention of muscle loss.

Totally right. I was making the assumption that the person trying to gain muscle while in a deficit was in a deficit because they were trying to lose abundant excess fat--trying to gain muscle in an environment of abundant calories stored from food eaten long ago. That doesn't describe all weight lifters. If you're already lean then you can't build muscle at a deficit.