Building Muscle vs. Losing Weight

enyo123

I've learned on here that one cannot build muscle while in a calorie deficit. But at the same time, one can't lose weight unless there's a calorie deficit. *sigh* I'm trying to figure out which to focus on.

I'm 7 pounds overweight (losing 7 pounds will put me at the top of an acceptable BMI for my height), and my body fat composition is outrageous. I just had a baby two months ago, so I'm sure that hasn't exactly helped. And I have PCOS. :-P

So, that being said, here's what I'm currently doing: I'm doing the weight lifting circuits from ChaLEAN Extreme three times a week. I do an abs workout daily, and I do a workout from Turbo Jam 3-5 times per week. Oh, and I do a stretching/yoga video 3-5 times per week, as well. I also chase my kids around the park a few times a week and take either dogs or kids on walks through the woods. I'm certainly active now.

I did CLX before I had my last baby and quit while I got pregnant. In six weeks, I saw some amazing work on my arms. This time around, I'm not seeing the same results, and I'm assuming that's because of the 500 calories per day deficit. (I eat back my workout calories and have myself set to sedentary.) Last time I did CLX, I wasn't tracking what I ate and just essentially ate what I wanted when I was hungry.

So, here's my conundrum: I want to do both. Is it even possible to lose weight while building muscle, or do I have to choose? And if I have to choose, which one would I be better off doing first?

cowgirlslikeus86

Not sure who told you that you cannot build muscle while in a caloric def. That's not true. Eat lots of protein while loosing weight and building muscle to fuel your muscles. Youll be just fine.

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enyo123

Awesome. It's just something that I keep seeing repeated on here. Again and again and again. :-P

I haven't figured out how to reset my macros, but I do tend to be consistently over in my protein... especially on weight training days.

mamamudbug

You will not gain muscle in a calorie deficit except in a couple of special circumstances. One being obesity. You just stressed your body to the max... it's hard work creating people Which might be why you're not seeing results as quickly. You're also really active, so you may be burning more calories than you think. Check out the group eat more weigh less, do a search on women eating at higher calories, and most of all keep up the strength training. :bigsmile: It will all come together and work for you, you just may have to be more patient this time around.

d2footballJRC

Not sure who told you that you cannot build muscle while in a caloric def. That's not true. Eat lots of protein while loosing weight and building muscle to fuel your muscles. Youll be just fine.

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ehhh... Not entirely accurate. Protein will help more with not losing current muscles then building then on a caloric deficit. You still have to feed your body to grow. I wouldn't expect a lot of muscle growth on a deficit. Again bodies are different but you will see very little muscle growth on a calorie deficit.

mamamudbug

I haven't figured out how to reset my macros, but I do tend to be consistently over in my protein... especially on weight training days.

You go to goals and set it up through the customs settings. Being over in protein isn't a bad thing. Typically you want to have about 1g per pound of lbm.

kristi321

I've heard mixed messages too. I do think that eating enough protein is very important and I think the calorie deficit should be more conservative, like 300 calories below TDEE. But if someone is about 20 lbs overweight can they build muscle versus someone who is 5 lbs overweight?

shaycat

Sounds like your workouts are great. How many calories are you eating? Maybe switch to .5lb a week loss instead of 1 lb?
I am doing CLX, really liking it so far. I try to eat 1700 calories a day, I dont eat back my exercise.

strikerjb007

Not sure who told you that you cannot build muscle while in a caloric def. That's not true. Eat lots of protein while loosing weight and building muscle to fuel your muscles. Youll be just fine.

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Good luck gaining muscle on a calorie deficit. The most you can hope for is to KEEP your current muscle mass.

ArroganceInStep

For most people (and I stress most) I would think cutting first and bulking afterwards would be 'better'. The reason for this is that if lifting is new to them, then the time spent becoming accustomed to a workout will be on the cut rather than the bulk. There's also more visible progress on a cut than on a bulk, so getting that motivitation boost right off the bat really helps.

EDIT:

Sounds like your workouts are great. How many calories are you eating? Maybe switch to .5lb a week loss instead of 1 lb?

Also this. If you're only trying to lose a few pounds, slower loss is better. Remember it's just an estimate, so tweak the totals as you need, but going for a 1/2 lb loss a week over a 1lb loss will help reduce LBM loss on the cut.

diddyh

I just got into an arguement with someone today about this very thing. I have gained muscle and I have lost weight. Everybody is different. My legs are bigger. My arms and back are much more defined. My stomach is flattened out. My hips and stomach are smaller but my legs are bigger. My pants fit really badly right now. Too small in some places and too big in others. I like having muscletone so this really doesn't bother me. I just have to find pants that are cut differently. I still have about 5 more pounds to lose. I'm going to continue to eat at a deficit and alternate cardio one day with strength training the next until my weight is where I want it, then I will up my calories to maintain. I feel great.

shaycat

I just got into an arguement with someone today about this very thing. I have gained muscle and I have lost weight. Everybody is different. My legs are bigger. My arms and back are much more defined. My stomach is flattened out. My hips and stomach are smaller but my legs are bigger. My pants fit really badly right now. Too small in some places and too big in others. I like having muscletone so this really doesn't bother me. I just have to find pants that are cut differently. I still have about 5 more pounds to lose. I'm going to continue to eat at a deficit and alternate cardio one day with strength training the next until my weight is where I want it, then I will up my calories to maintain. I feel great.

NONE of my jeans fit around my thighs anymore! I like the muscle there, but I need new pants now.
This is where I am at to, but now that I am at my goal weight, I think if I wanted to build bigger muscles I would need to eat more. However the more I eat the harder it is to keep my stomach flat. So I too am trying to build muscle while in a deficit, but just a small one.

enyo123

Sounds like your workouts are great. How many calories are you eating? Maybe switch to .5lb a week loss instead of 1 lb?
I am doing CLX, really liking it so far. I try to eat 1700 calories a day, I dont eat back my exercise.

My net is 1230. I don't go more than 150 short in a day. On heavy workout days, I'll eat close to 2000 calories (because I'm eating back my exercise), and on lighter days, I'll eat closer to 1400. Usually, I'm right around 1700.

The counting my exercise and eating it back works well for me psychologically because I love the concept of my breakfast essentially being "free." :-)

wackyfunster

Try a LeanGains recomp diet, if you are willing to do IF and be OCD about your macros

MyTime1985

bump

kristi321

This is an excellent article on this topic!

http://scoobysworkshop.com/gain-muscle-lose-fat/

enyo123

For most people (and I stress most) I would think cutting first and bulking afterwards would be 'better'. The reason for this is that if lifting is new to them, then the time spent becoming accustomed to a workout will be on the cut rather than the bulk. There's also more visible progress on a cut than on a bulk, so getting that motivitation boost right off the bat really helps.

EDIT:

Sounds like your workouts are great. How many calories are you eating? Maybe switch to .5lb a week loss instead of 1 lb?

Also this. If you're only trying to lose a few pounds, slower loss is better. Remember it's just an estimate, so tweak the totals as you need, but going for a 1/2 lb loss a week over a 1lb loss will help reduce LBM loss on the cut.

I'm actually out to lose 23 more pounds. I'm shooting for 126, which is still heavier than my "when I met my husband" weight. I don't have any expectation of actually *losing* 1 pound a week. Sometimes I'll lose a couple, sometimes I'll lose only half. With PCOS, I have to work twice as hard to lose half the weight.

strikerjb007

I just got into an arguement with someone today about this very thing. I have gained muscle and I have lost weight. Everybody is different. My legs are bigger. My arms and back are much more defined. My stomach is flattened out. My hips and stomach are smaller but my legs are bigger. My pants fit really badly right now. Too small in some places and too big in others. I like having muscletone so this really doesn't bother me. I just have to find pants that are cut differently. I still have about 5 more pounds to lose. I'm going to continue to eat at a deficit and alternate cardio one day with strength training the next until my weight is where I want it, then I will up my calories to maintain. I feel great.

Have you verified this with a body caliper? What you describe sounds like your body composition has changed. That's not the same as gaining muscle.

shaycat

For most people (and I stress most) I would think cutting first and bulking afterwards would be 'better'. The reason for this is that if lifting is new to them, then the time spent becoming accustomed to a workout will be on the cut rather than the bulk. There's also more visible progress on a cut than on a bulk, so getting that motivitation boost right off the bat really helps.

EDIT:

Sounds like your workouts are great. How many calories are you eating? Maybe switch to .5lb a week loss instead of 1 lb?

Also this. If you're only trying to lose a few pounds, slower loss is better. Remember it's just an estimate, so tweak the totals as you need, but going for a 1/2 lb loss a week over a 1lb loss will help reduce LBM loss on the cut.

I'm actually out to lose 23 more pounds. I'm shooting for 126, which is still heavier than my "when I met my husband" weight. I don't have any expectation of actually *losing* 1 pound a week. Sometimes I'll lose a couple, sometimes I'll lose only half. With PCOS, I have to work twice as hard to lose half the weight.

I think an above poster said, maybe focus more on losing the weight now, then when you get closer to your goal you can add in more heavy lifting. That would be my advise. You would probably see results quicker doing that. Dont give up all strength, but maybe just a CLX lifting day once a week with cardio on top of that.

waldo56

When you first start lifting and are overweight, you should be able to both lose fat and gain muscle at the same time.

But that will be relativley short lived, lasting only a couple months, afterwards you typically will be able to do one or the other. There are cycling methods to do it, but it is horribly inefficient and very detail oriented.

You are better off optimizing for fat loss, take whatever muscle gains you can as you go down, then once you are past your final weight goal, reevaluate.

LorinaLynn

Strength train and get adequate protein to MAINTAIN lean muscle, and you won't have to lose as many pounds to reach your goal body, since the majority of weight you lose will be from fat, and not have to try to gain muscle later.