You Can Gain Muscle On A Calorie Deficit!!

Jeff92se

If he stayed the same size but lost weight, he'd have to gain muscle. Because as you lose fat, you lose a small % of muscle with it.

Mentioning "you retained muscle and lost fat" illustrates this. Retaining the same muscle would be "gaining" technically.

If you cannot gain muscle while in a deficit, then he'd have to look like he "lost" muscle also.

Ripken818836701

Did you get a DEXA or body pod done before you leaned out? It doesn't look like you gained very much muscle at all, but retained your muscle and lost the fat. /shrug. FWIW, IMO You weren't skinny fat in the beginning, you had a good base underneath, you were just overweight, simple as that. As you trained the muscle you probably added some density to it, retained it, gaining definition around the muscle from losing fat, but you certainly don't look like you gained very much LM.

Congrats on your hardwork though, you look great.

First im just shy of 6"2 with long arms and legs, 2nd I was very skinny prior to gaining weight. I will post pics later of how skinny I was prior to getting fat.

Elizabeth_C34

Huge difference between maintaining muscle mass and gaining muscle mass.. dude, you're wrong. For the vast majority of people, muscle mass gains will not occur without a calorie surplus and a lot of very hard work.

dudett, your wrong, please look at the pics I just posted 2 posts above.

UGH.

Did you actually get a scan done to determine the amount of lean mass you had before/after or are you just basing this on your pictures?

I can tell you right now that strength gains do NOT equal muscle mass gains. I lost 10 lbs of lean mass with my weight loss and my legpress went from 80 lbs max to 210 lbs max and my quats and hamstrings are definitely bigger than they were before, but this is due to conditioning, not adding mass.

What you are saying makes no sense at all. Why would bodybuilders go through cut/bulk cycles if this were true? You are grossly misinformed.

EbbySoo

If he stayed the same size but lost weight, he'd have to gain muscle. Because as you lose fat, you lose a small % of muscle with it.

Mentioning "you retained muscle and lost fat" illustrates this. Retaining the same muscle would be "gaining" technically.

If you cannot gain muscle while in a deficit, then he'd have to look like he "lost" muscle also.

Yes, but technically this was the case of "newb gains" if he had been a seasoned exerciser or hadn't been over weight to start, this would have been very difficult for him to do. There is a lot of grey matter here.

Ripken818836701

Did you get a DEXA or body pod done before you leaned out? It doesn't look like you gained very much muscle at all, but retained your muscle and lost the fat. /shrug. FWIW, IMO You weren't skinny fat in the beginning, you had a good base underneath, you were just overweight, simple as that. As you trained the muscle you probably added some density to it, retained it, gaining definition around the muscle from losing fat, but you certainly don't look like you gained very much LM.

Congrats on your hardwork though, you look great.

^^agree^^

please read my post above.Thx

EbbySoo

Did you get a DEXA or body pod done before you leaned out? It doesn't look like you gained very much muscle at all, but retained your muscle and lost the fat. /shrug. FWIW, IMO You weren't skinny fat in the beginning, you had a good base underneath, you were just overweight, simple as that. As you trained the muscle you probably added some density to it, retained it, gaining definition around the muscle from losing fat, but you certainly don't look like you gained very much LM.

Congrats on your hardwork though, you look great.

First im just shy of 6"2 with long arms and legs, 2nd I was very skinny prior to gaining weight. I will post pics later of how skinny I was prior to getting fat.

Hmm, very misleading.

gp79

I wanted to start this thread because of the "" Muscle Does Not Weigh More Than Fat" thread. Reading thru it I read numerous posts that claimed that you cannot gain muscle while on a calorie deficit. Yes you can!! Please do not let these misguided comments stop you from implementing some type of lifting program while you are on your journey for a new body!! Weight training while dieting is very important because if you dont about 22% of your total weight loss will be Lean Muscle! Most people who do not lift while dieting are not happy with their body even after they reached or even surpassed their goals.

The boat left a decade ago...

Scott613

You can gain strength in a calorie deficit. Gaining muscle is pretty rare, and is limited to beginners to weight lifting, and those coming back after a long break (muscle memory). For the rest of us, we strength train during deficit to maintain lean mass and maintain or increase strength.

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[/img]

peacemongernc

I wanted to start this thread because of the "" Muscle Does Not Weigh More Than Fat" thread. Reading thru it I read numerous posts that claimed that you cannot gain muscle while on a calorie deficit. Yes you can!! Please do not let these misguided comments stop you from implementing some type of lifting program while you are on your journey for a new body!! Weight training while dieting is very important because if you dont about 22% of your total weight loss will be Lean Muscle! Most people who do not lift while dieting are not happy with their body even after they reached or even surpassed their goals.

Hey! Maybe you can help me figure something out... math problem. 9 weeks ago I weight 304 and I was 48.5% body fat. Today I weighed 280.5 and I'm 40.8% body fat. I tried to ways to figure out how much fat I lost and how much muscle I gained and I don't know which is right. First I tried averaging 304 and 280.5 (292.25) and then taking 7.7% of that, which is 22.5 pounds of fat lost. Then I tried taking 48.5% of 304 (147.44) and 40.8% of 280.5 (114.44) and subtracting those two numbers, which is 33 pounds of fat lost.

The first one would be pretty close to maintaining muscle and just losing fat. But the second one would mean I had gained almost 10 pounds of muscle and lost 33 pounds of fat. Based on the fact that my clothes are fitting me more like when I weighed in the low 270s a couple of years ago when I wasn't working out much, and based on the fact that my muscles are really getting big, I'm thinking the 33 pounds of fat lost is more accurate. But I'm no good at math.

If the second one is true, you can totally gain muscle on a calorie deficit. I just did.

Anyone know how to figure this out?

Shannon

Holy crap, Shannon, congrats!!!!!!

I like math so here goes: at 304 lbs you carried 147 lbs of fat leaving lean (skeleton, water, muscle, connective tissue, circulation, blood, brains, etc.) of 157 by subtraction. When you dropped to 280.5 and pushed fat down to 40.8% your fat mass went down to 114 for a loss of 33 lbs you are correct. The key here is that you GAINED lean mass of 9 lbs going from 157 to 166!!! In losing 33 lbs of fat, away went some cirulatory system that was contained therein...which counts as lean body mass...for every 4 lbs lost in my experience, usually fat content of that weight is about 75%...in other words if you lose 4 lbs in a calorie consumption deficit your body burned 3 lbs of fat and catabolized (consumed/disposed) of 1 lb of water and blood vessels that serviced/accessed that fat tissue. That's why as you lean out you may start seeing your lean mass creep slowly down, in parallel with fat reduction. This assumption also means that you actually built in excess of 9 lbs of muscle...if fat loss is 3X lean loss during fat burn means along with the 33 lbs of fat loss you also lost ~11 lbs of circulatory system/water contained in that adipose tissue...that puts your muscle gain closer to 20 lbs...absolutely amazing!!!

Yay! Cool! Thank you for helping me with that! Now I can see why it helps to work out while losing. The results are completely different with the addition of the intense exercise. Thank you for your help!

So, yeah, you can gain muscle while eating fewer calories. I'm just a fat housewife, so I don't think I'm unusual in my results. I've been eating between 1400 and 2000 calories a day, usually around 1650. MFP has my calorie needs, before exercise, set at 1490, and I typically log about 300 calories in exercise a day... although I have no way of knowing if that 300 is accurate.

19danno77

Tracking body composition during weight loss is important if you're going to try to make quantitative statements about muscle/fat gain/loss...simple...pics are misleading...as are simple circumference measurements. I had fat 16" biceps (flexed) but lost an inch to 15" with my drop from 24% to 8.5% body fat yet my arm curl went from 80 to 130...some was tricep gain, too, but no muscle other than the tongue can be quantified alone short of body disassembly. I opted for a free 7 point caliper test at work every three months...I'm lucky though because that's not free for everyone. Even electrode measurement can be useful as a qualitiative measurement.

MJ7910

There's quite a difference between putting on new lean muscle and just strengthening / maintaining what you already have. It takes calories to "bulk up".

You can add muscle aswell. The only exception is when you reach a very low BF%

what would that be for a man or for a woman? if you are at 24% bf like i am, is it possible to gain muscle while in a deficit?

19danno77

@ Shannon: You're welcome! Continued success to you and you WON'T be able to with any honesty say you're just a fat housewife...you'll live a longer more vigorous life in the smaller, stronger & healthier body you're building!

psuLemon

Crap, I didn't read and Haybales beat me to it. But you definitely can, it's just much easier at maintenance or a surplus.

Scott613

Too late, lol.


http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/447514-athletes-can-gain-muscle-while-losing-fat-on-deficit-diet

Jeff92se

If he stayed the same size but lost weight, he'd have to gain muscle. Because as you lose fat, you lose a small % of muscle with it.

Mentioning "you retained muscle and lost fat" illustrates this. Retaining the same muscle would be "gaining" technically.

If you cannot gain muscle while in a deficit, then he'd have to look like he "lost" muscle also.

Yes, but technically this was the case of "newb gains" if he had been a seasoned exerciser or hadn't been over weight to start, this would have been very difficult for him to do. There is a lot of grey matter here.

There's no mention if he was lifting before or not. He wouldn't have had to gain much to maintain or slightly gain muscle. Point he's trying to make is he did

19danno77

There's quite a difference between putting on new lean muscle and just strengthening / maintaining what you already have. It takes calories to "bulk up".

You can add muscle aswell. The only exception is when you reach a very low BF%

what would that be for a man or for a woman? if you are at 24% bf like i am, is it possible to gain muscle while in a deficit?

Depends on your caloric deficit on the intake/food side...if you're north of 1200 there's nothing standing in your way from building healthy muscle/lean body mass. Taken another way: if you're losing 2 lbs per week OR LESS then you're not truly in deficit. You'll know when you're in true global deficit: you'll feel weak, cranky, dizzy, tired, etc...it means you're using sugar to stay warm and your brain is being shorted the glucose that it needs to function...your body's telling you to eat more because it's having to catabolize muscle to survive...that's bad...hence the crankyness & malaise.

Ambrogio1

I lost 30 lbs and added weight to everyone of my lifts. The only thing I can say that confused me a bit was muscle memory. Once upon a time I was in real good shape, the I took a shot at being the fat guy but came back to the fit guy.

I love how health and fitness is so open. Nooone knows whats right whats wrong and everyone is different.
There is only 1 thing that can prove anything.

YOUR PHYSIQUE!
The personal training certificate should just be an office you walk into and take off your clothes!
BOOM YOUR HIRED!

Trail_Addict

If he stayed the same size but lost weight, he'd have to gain muscle. Because as you lose fat, you lose a small % of muscle with it.

Mentioning "you retained muscle and lost fat" illustrates this. Retaining the same muscle would be "gaining" technically.

If you cannot gain muscle while in a deficit, then he'd have to look like he "lost" muscle also.

His pics are not scientific evidence of anything but lost fat, exposing what muscle lays underneath (we all have that). And without prior body scans or other means of testing muscle mass, we certainly can't determine just how much muscle he lost along with the fat during his dieting/ lifting process.

I was really hoping someone was going to post peer-reviewed scientific articles, and not just opinions. *sigh*.

OP... good job on the body transformation, either way.

Jeff92se

What you are saying makes no sense at all. Why would bodybuilders go through cut/bulk cycles if this were true? You are grossly misinformed.

Because that's the most EFFICENT way of gaining mass. Not because it's impossible to do it otherwise

UponThisRock

If practical experience means anything, It seems that the people that look like that have experience building some muscle have a different opinion than those that look like they haven't built much muscle.

At the risk of getting a warning, that's all I'm gonna say.