Can you gain muscle and lose fat at the same time?

mustgetmuscles1

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

Thank you for that. What this article describes has been my experience exactly. When I first started I felt pretty strongly I was gaining muscle. Then those gains stopped while I dropped the majority of my weight. Now that I am trying to lose the last bit of my weight and have basically switched to an IF eating schedule and a very small deficit. I "think" I have seen some small gains in mass in a few different body parts. With that being said any mass gains or fat loss have been extremely slow for the last 3 months. Like I have been gaining and losing the same 3-4 lbs for months. I have decided to just drop the last few pounds with a bigger deficit and then start a lean traditional bulk next month.

If it is possible beyond the beginner stage, it is extremely slow and inefficient. But if you are not in a hurry and and dont want to put on much mass I guess it is an option.

ninerbuff

You can't build at a deficit....

However you can maintain and losing the extra fat and adding some volume to the muscle will definitely help...

Again, check out the forums for body building and ask them about losing weight whilst building and how effective that is... See the replies you will get. This place is the wrong place to ask as everyone says you sure can build muscle because they lost and have muscle still... Well what about the fact they had muscle before, and maintaining or slightly adding definition actually helped and they didn't in fact build that much... Lets be honest here...

Even while eating at an increased calorie intake it is HARD HARD HARD to even put on 5-10 pounds of muscle... So at a deficit which your body will also need to function and can't jump your body full of protein, amino acids hormones etc which are present in excess in excessive calorie intakes, do you honestly think your going to build that much if at all?... Be honest here...

Pretty much this. While some people (athletes returning from a long layoff, newbies to lifting, and very overweight/obese) may build a little muscle initially, to build muscle means to build new tissue. To build new tissue, you add weight which means higher energy intake.
For those that believe that increased strength directly relates to muscle gain, one on calorie deficit can definitely build strength due to neuromuscular adaptation.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

joejccva71

YES, you can gain muscle and lose fat and here’s how:





1.Constant influx of protein. 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight per day taken 5-6 equal portions spaced evenly through out the day – otherwise your nuclear power plant will have to turn on between meals and burn muscle, you don’t want that.
2.Consume enough calories to keep your body from thinking its starving but not so many calories that you gain fat, 10% under your TDEE is a good value to use. My calorie calculator will tell you exactly what that is for your type metabolism. Make sure to set your goal in step 6 to “10% calorie reduction”
3.Proper nutrition, make every calorie count!1.eat unprocessed or minimally processed foods
2.eat lots of fresh vegetables
3.eat less than 30% of your calories from fat and eat only good fats like olives, nuts, and avocados
4.eat whole grains and low G.I. carbs – no simple carbs like sugar, alcohol, or white flour
5.eat omega-IIIs daily, flax or salmon are great sources

4.Hardcore, consistent weight workouts. You can use my custom workout plan generator to design a workout plan appropriate for you.
5.Daily cardio, 30-40min. Cardio will not burn muscle, it will help you gain muscle while losing fat at the same time.

Please go read some research and books regarding weight training and nutrition before posting this again. You are making my head hurt.

TheRealParisLove

You can through calorie cycling.

thistimeismytime

Well, honestly OP, reading this thread has done nothing but confuse me more. Not sure if I've gained muscle while losing fat, but I feel like I look a lot more muscular. Perhaps I have just shaped/conditioned my muscles while making them more visible with body fat reduction? Hell if I know, but my profile pic shows my progress from 7 months of heavy lifting, cardio, and healthier eating. Best wishes to you

joejccva71

You can through calorie cycling.

If you end up in a deficit at the end of the week, it's still a deficit regardless if you cal cycled.

Lift_hard_eat_big

Recomp is rather difficult for the average person, unless if you juice. However, there are some genetic freaks out there that can successfully pull off a recomp while being all natural.

DanaDark

The sheer amount of misinformation in this thread is sad.

Only a few groups of people can make initial mass gains while in a caloric deficit. ALL those people will eventually see their gains stall while in deficit as well. Extremely overweight, lifting beginners, and people that have trained before qualify here.

Now, in general...

You get stronger because your brain develops better connections to the muscle fibers due to recognizing they are finally being used.

You get bigger because of two things. First being less body fat makes things look more defined. Secondly, the fact that you are suddenly using more muscle fibers means the body recognizes the need to store adequate energy and nutrients in them. To do so, this requires water. More water in the muscles will cause them to increase in size. This is NOT the same as adding muscle mass.

So, many people start lifting, lose fat, get stronger, and look bigger. This is not the same as adding muscle mass. Some people can add a small amount of mass when beginning, but as I mentioned, stall.

If anyone here thinks body builders get the way they are by eating small salads with no dressing during gym days, you're wrong.

BinaryPulsar

I weigh 102 pounds and have a low bodyfat %, so there is no weight for me to lose. I put my calorie goals as being the most active (such as a construction worker), then I increased that by at least another 60 calories. And when I exercise I increase it even more (and anytime I am hungry I allow myself to go over on my calories). That puts me at least 300 calories and more above what Mfp would set as my maintenance calories. And I am seeing a slow and steady increase in my muscle size. Not dramatic, but it's certainly noticeable. My husband is a physicist and a mathematician, so we researched all the different calorie calculating formulas and what they were based on and calculated my calorie needs in multiple different ways, plus I tested it out over a period of time to see how it influenced my hunger, energy levels, and weight changes. I am a long time professional contemporary dancer and have had visible muscle definition for a long time (in my abs most dramatically). I have dabbled in lifting weights, but have only become serious about it recently. It is helpful as I am getting older and I have had 2 children. As long as I am making progress I'm fine with that. If I need to make a change I will when that becomes necessary. But, I don't think I am doing anything wrong. Just still learning and also dealing with an old injury. Also I am doing the NRoL4W program at this time.

As far as food goes. I eat nuts. I will eat a very large salad with chicken and dressing that has oil in it. I am eating high protein with the 40/30/30 macros.

tajmel

I had been wondering about this issue, so thanks OP. I knew it should be impossible to gain muscle on a deficit, and that initial strength gains are mostly due to better neural connections, but in the 4-5 weeks I've been lifting I've noticeably gained muscle size and definition. I am both a novice and very overweight, so that explains it.

Rae6503

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

This.

fitnhealthy21

Thanks for the replies. So, technically you can't gain muscle while on a deficit, BUT since I'm pretty new at this, I MAY see small gains at first. But basically, I'm just maintaining the muscle I already have by lifting while eating at a deficit. Right?

ninerbuff

Thanks for the replies. So, technically you can't gain muscle while on a deficit, BUT since I'm pretty new at this, I MAY see small gains at first. But basically, I'm just maintaining the muscle I already have by lifting while eating at a deficit. Right?

Yep.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

TheRealParisLove

So, many people start lifting, lose fat, get stronger, and look bigger. This is not the same as adding muscle mass. Some people can add a small amount of mass when beginning, but as I mentioned, stall.

I'd be okay with this. Looking bigger and getting stronger while losing fat is fine for most people. Hardly anyone really wants to look like Mr. Olympia.

rollieorial

i suggest you go to builtlean.com website...very insightful...

AnvilHead

...I'd be okay with this. Looking bigger and getting stronger while losing fat is fine for most people. Hardly anyone really wants to look like Mr. Olympia.

...and that's a good thing, because nobody will "accidentally" end up looking like Mr. Olympia (or even an amateur level "natural" bodybuilder, for that matter) by taking up a recreational weight training regimen. Obtaining a physique like that takes 1) natural genetic potential, 2) YEARS of hard work in the gym, 3) significant caloric surplus, 4) a highly focused diet and, in the case of pro-level competitors, 5) plenty of "supplementation" (read: anabolic/androgenic steroids).

Not directing this at you, but many people have misconceptions about how easy it is to add significant amounts of muscle mass to their physique. Many seem to think that if you start lifting anything heavier than little pink barbie dumbbells, POW! - you're going to sprout gigantic muscles overnight and look like a freak. Meanwhile, the guys in the gyms who are pouring sweat with 400 pounds across their shoulders in the squat rack, eating 4000 calories a day and going through protein powder by the tub are wondering where all this "easy muscle" is. It's not as easy as it seems and it certainly doesn't happen "accidentally".

chocolateandpb

bump

secretlobster

It's possible, but without laboratory equipment or a whole lot of experimentation time, it is nigh impossible to find that very thin line between losing mass (fat) and gaining mass (muscle). Unless you have a lot of resources on your hands, it is more efficient to focus on one or the other. But just because you're focusing on losing fat doesn't mean your musculature has to suffer, and vice versa. If simultaneously losing fat and gaining muscle mass is what you're after, your training and nutrition is going to have to be extremely consistent and extremely specific. Many, many people have "recomposed" their bodies by shifting their focus from fat loss to muscle gain.

clovelyday

This was a good answer and I totally understood what you were saying.

windycitycupcake

i used to have muscle before i gained 60 lbs this year. how can i tell if i still have muscle definition? i'm a little confused about the whole muscle under fat thing. once you have defined muscles, how long does it take before they i dont know, dissolve? in other words, how many pizzas and nights on the couch until your muscles aren't under the fat anymore?