Trading fat for LBM...How?

yankeedownsouth

Trying to wrap my head around this... I know you can't gain muscle on a deficit, but how do you trade fat for LBM, especially if you're eating either at or right close to maintenance?? How does this actually work? What are you gaining to increase LBM if it's not muscle?

Just started EM2WL, so freaking out a bit right now about the number of calories I'm eating, especially because I'm feeling huge and bloated today...

Greenrun99

Not really trading fat for LBM, more like decreasing fat while attempting to maintain LBM.. This has to do with your workout routine, how big your deficit is from TDEE, and types of food you are eating.
Depending on how much you have left to lose, or if just trying to decrease fat your deficit should be pretty small, if thats the case, you should be focused more on strength training then cardio, and your protein should be equal to your body weight..

So just for an example, lets say your not really trying to lose weight just BF%.. so your TDEE might be 2500, so your eating 2350-2400.. you lift weights 4 days a week and do cardio for 2 days, plus 1 day rest.. Your cardio shouldn't be anymore than 30-40 minutes, and your lifts should be full body or muscle segment day lifts and as heavy as you feel is safe for you to lift (and less than 10 reps)

This is if your body is ready and you have been eating correctly.. now if you are just starting and coming off 1200 calories a day, doing 6 days of cardio burning 500+ calories, and netting 700 calories.. your going to gain eating that much until your body adapts to you eating what it needs.. its not muscle, some maybe water... but most active adults looking to tone up and are active need to eat way more than most people on this site do.

yankeedownsouth

Thank you for your input!!

Not really trading fat for LBM, more like decreasing fat while attempting to maintain LBM.. This has to do with your workout routine, how big your deficit is from TDEE, and types of food you are eating.
Depending on how much you have left to lose, or if just trying to decrease fat your deficit should be pretty small, if thats the case, you should be focused more on strength training then cardio, and your protein should be equal to your body weight..

So just for an example, lets say your not really trying to lose weight just BF%.. so your TDEE might be 2500, so your eating 2350-2400.. you lift weights 4 days a week and do cardio for 2 days, plus 1 day rest.. Your cardio shouldn't be anymore than 30-40 minutes, and your lifts should be full body or muscle segment day lifts and as heavy as you feel is safe for you to lift (and less than 10 reps)

I'm eating at about a 5% cut from my TDEE and focusing on heavy lifting (compound lifts) 3 times a week with light cardio on other days. One rest day per week. I don't care about my weight - I just want to decrease body fat.

This is if your body is ready and you have been eating correctly.. now if you are just starting and coming off 1200 calories a day, doing 6 days of cardio burning 500+ calories, and netting 700 calories.. your going to gain eating that much until your body adapts to you eating what it needs.. its not muscle, some maybe water... but most active adults looking to tone up and are active need to eat way more than most people on this site do.

I haven't been doing the low calorie/lots of cardio thing, thankfully!

Gapwedge01

Trying to wrap my head around this... I know you can't gain muscle on a deficit, but how do you trade fat for LBM, especially if you're eating either at or right close to maintenance?? How does this actually work? What are you gaining to increase LBM if it's not muscle?

Just started EM2WL, so freaking out a bit right now about the number of calories I'm eating, especially because I'm feeling huge and bloated today...

I would like to hear an answer to this myself.

heybales

You are confusing 2 things that are always confused on MFP.

"You lost inches but no weight, you must have increased muscle, ya!"

Uh, doubtful to the tune of the fat loss in inches.

LBM - Lean Body Mass - everything that is not fat.

Muscle mass - part of LBM - for some odd reason, some call in lean muscle mass.

So increased blood volume because your cardio has expanded your vessel system.

Increased bone density because you are doing weight bearing exercises now.

Increased glucose stores with water because of doing more cardio.

Retain water because of lifting.

All are increases in LBM that may have no increase in muscle mass. The size of the muscle may grow, the strength may grow, but not actually more of it.

Not to the amount some seem to think is possible. Pro body-builders would love to gain as fast as some appear to claim.

But here is one study that shows eating at maintenance, introducing lifting, caused fat loss, and LBM gain (likely some muscle since starting out so newbie gains), resulting in no change of weight.

Also telling how fast that is, not that fast at all.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/778012-potential-muscle-gain-lifting-and-metabolism-improvement

Gapwedge01

You are confusing 2 things that are always confused on MFP.

"You lost inches but no weight, you must have increased muscle, ya!"

Uh, doubtful to the tune of the fat loss in inches.

LBM - Lean Body Mass - everything that is not fat.

Muscle mass - part of LBM - for some odd reason, some call in lean muscle mass.

So increased blood volume because your cardio has expanded your vessel system.

Increased bone density because you are doing weight bearing exercises now.

Increased glucose stores with water because of doing more cardio.

Retain water because of lifting.

All are increases in LBM that may have no increase in muscle mass. The size of the muscle may grow, the strength may grow, but not actually more of it.

Not to the amount some seem to think is possible. Pro body-builders would love to gain as fast as some appear to claim.

But here is one study that shows eating at maintenance, introducing lifting, caused fat loss, and LBM gain (likely some muscle since starting out so newbie gains), resulting in no change of weight.

Also telling how fast that is, not that fast at all.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/778012-potential-muscle-gain-lifting-and-metabolism-improvement

Thanks Heybales. Always enjoy reading your responses!

yankeedownsouth

Thanks Heybales. Always enjoy reading your responses!

Me too! I was hoping you'd answer. And you're right. I think I was confusing LBM with muscle, and I knew you can't typically increase muscle mass on a deficit. That's why I was confused. So thank you!!

julysbaby

You are confusing 2 things that are always confused on MFP.

"You lost inches but no weight, you must have increased muscle, ya!"

Uh, doubtful to the tune of the fat loss in inches.

LBM - Lean Body Mass - everything that is not fat.

Muscle mass - part of LBM - for some odd reason, some call in lean muscle mass.

So increased blood volume because your cardio has expanded your vessel system.

Increased bone density because you are doing weight bearing exercises now.

Increased glucose stores with water because of doing more cardio.

Retain water because of lifting.

All are increases in LBM that may have no increase in muscle mass. The size of the muscle may grow, the strength may grow, but not actually more of it.

Not to the amount some seem to think is possible. Pro body-builders would love to gain as fast as some appear to claim.

But here is one study that shows eating at maintenance, introducing lifting, caused fat loss, and LBM gain (likely some muscle since starting out so newbie gains), resulting in no change of weight.

Also telling how fast that is, not that fast at all.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/778012-potential-muscle-gain-lifting-and-metabolism-improvement

This is a great, succinct explanation. thanks.

amonkey794

You are confusing 2 things that are always confused on MFP.

"You lost inches but no weight, you must have increased muscle, ya!"

Uh, doubtful to the tune of the fat loss in inches.

LBM - Lean Body Mass - everything that is not fat.

Muscle mass - part of LBM - for some odd reason, some call in lean muscle mass.

So increased blood volume because your cardio has expanded your vessel system.

Increased bone density because you are doing weight bearing exercises now.

Increased glucose stores with water because of doing more cardio.

Retain water because of lifting.

All are increases in LBM that may have no increase in muscle mass. The size of the muscle may grow, the strength may grow, but not actually more of it.

Not to the amount some seem to think is possible. Pro body-builders would love to gain as fast as some appear to claim.

But here is one study that shows eating at maintenance, introducing lifting, caused fat loss, and LBM gain (likely some muscle since starting out so newbie gains), resulting in no change of weight.

Also telling how fast that is, not that fast at all.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/778012-potential-muscle-gain-lifting-and-metabolism-improvement

So that is what LBM is!!