Losing weight vs. gaining muscle

faireplay
faireplay Posts: 126
in Health and Weight Loss
I've read the input regarding the inability to build muscle while losing weight and the premise makes sense on paper. What I don't get is why while losing these 30 pounds, I have also been working out on the weight machines and the muscles in my arms have become much more defined. In the past I lost far more, (72 pounds) and my arms never looked like this.
If this theory is true(and I don't doubt it, I know very little about fitness) then I will have to wait until I am no longer a fatty and can begin eating at a surplus to see some real muscle? I hope they have a gym at the retirement center!

Replies

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Because you are losing fat...ergo, you can see the muscle now. Everyone has muscle...it's just that it often can't be seen under the fat layer.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    You are probably strengthening and retaining the muscle you have which is great! That's the objective of lifting while you lose, not to lose muscle mass.
  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
    I agree with everyone else - lifting at a deficit burns more fat so You see definition better. Keep it up!
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    Mostly, you have maintained muscle and removed the fat around it, whereas without the weights, you would have lost some muscle.

    Don't tell anyone, but the few studies that looked at small deficits show that you can do both, as long as you are willing to accept minimal advances, rather than an all out aiming for 2 pounds a week. I do not know if this applies to you or not. http://forum.bodybuilding.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=3519021&d=1310193169
  • ehsan517
    ehsan517 Posts: 114
    its what i refer to as toning. you are getting definition now since your muscles are being worked. i was like that. started at 82kg no muscle...now im at 63kg, all muscle. during the weight loss i thought i was gaining muscle, whereas in reality i was losing fat and toning my muscles, growing some at the same time...now, i`ve hit a bit of a wall since its much harder to gain muscle at my current state unless i go on a bulk, and having been fat a year ago, it scares me to even try a bulk...i prefer my deficit/muscle maintenance state now. as long as i dont lose my gains.
  • WhataBroad
    WhataBroad Posts: 1,091 Member
    You can build muscle while you lose weight, assuming you are eating to maintain those muscles. The weight you lose is fat and the muscle you are building becomes an incinerator of that fat. Keep it up and you'll see more and more of those beautiful muscles! =)
  • cordianet
    cordianet Posts: 534 Member
    I don't disagree with the above posters, but new lifters, especially those that are overweight/obese, can gain muscle mass eating in a deficit. This has been shown in study after study. Thus the reality is you may be seeing more definition, but you also may actually have had some gains as well.
  • amcghee7
    amcghee7 Posts: 1
    It's not about losing weight, it's about getting healthy. Weight training burns more calories throughout the day than cardio because your body continues burning all day while it rebuilds the muscle you break down when you use weights. Break, build, break, build. That's why they call it "getting ripped"--you are literally ripping muscles and letting them grow back stronger. Muscles need COMPLEX CARBS for energy to break (when you lift weights) and PROTEIN to help them rebuild (grow) after a workout. As long as you are eating real food that has solid nutritional value, you can build muscle while still losing weight. Focus on the foods that help muscles break and build, and cut out the crappy "diet food" that has no value, and you will continue losing fat while gaining muscle. P.S. When you lift weights you can eat more :) I mean it has to be proteins and veggies, but you can eat more! Serious! Ask Bob Harper from Biggest Loser.
  • coachsondrejens1
    coachsondrejens1 Posts: 4 Member
    Short answer: YES
    Long answer: NO

    Yes you can build muscles while losing fat, but at a much slower rate than if you were trying to bulk. Important things to know: eat enough protein and don't be in a huge calorie deficit. Too much calorie deficit and you won't build muscles.
  • mgbur01
    mgbur01 Posts: 9 Member
    Mostly, you have maintained muscle and removed the fat around it, whereas without the weights, you would have lost some muscle.

    Don't tell anyone, but the few studies that looked at small deficits show that you can do both, as long as you are willing to accept minimal advances, rather than an all out aiming for 2 pounds a week. I do not know if this applies to you or not. http://forum.bodybuilding.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=3519021&d=1310193169

    The study that concordia posted is an amazing read. very helpful.

    from what i know about fitness and spending a lot of time on bodybuilding forums, i'd say keep the calorie deficit minimal and keep your butt in the gym on the weights!! I am one of the people who has also seen results of decreased fat and increased muscle. and it wasn't that the muscle was finally being uncovered- i actually built muscle while on calorie deficits.

    take your time with it and keep working out and i think you can definitely make muscle gains. goodluck!
  • blues4miles
    blues4miles Posts: 1,481 Member
    Because you are losing fat...ergo, you can see the muscle now. Everyone has muscle...it's just that it often can't be seen under the fat layer.

    This. Also, when you first start lifting your muscles retain a little extra water in an effort to repair themselves so they can "look" a little more pronounced for that reason as well. More educated people than me have explained all that on here before so apologize that I don't have the technical terms.
  • faireplay
    faireplay Posts: 126
    Because you are losing fat...ergo, you can see the muscle now. Everyone has muscle...it's just that it often can't be seen under the fat layer.

    This. Also, when you first start lifting your muscles retain a little extra water in an effort to repair themselves so they can "look" a little more pronounced for that reason as well. More educated people than me have explained all that on here before so apologize that I don't have the technical terms.

    It's been about 4 months so I think the water retention stage is over. And having lost double this amount when I was younger(yeah I re-fatted) I didn't see any muscles appear then..Some of the explanations here make sense though. I didn't measure my arms but I don't think they got any bigger they just show more now so maybe I am retaining what muscle I did have where as in the past I lost muscle while losing weight..
  • da_bears10089
    da_bears10089 Posts: 1,791 Member
    Because you are losing fat...ergo, you can see the muscle now. Everyone has muscle...it's just that it often can't be seen under the fat layer.

    just like i DO have abdominal muscles.... somewhere
  • xstarxdustx
    xstarxdustx Posts: 591 Member
    .
  • jgbkab
    jgbkab Posts: 24
    I know body fat calculation aren't really accurate but when I first was measured, the percentage of muscle, bone, organs, sect calculated to 148 lbs and now it calculates to 151 lbs so I think it's possible but at a slow rate.
  • craigmandu
    craigmandu Posts: 976 Member
    I may get slammed by some, but from what I've read, and from what I've seen...alot of it has to do with whether or not your "beginning" muscle mass was low to start with. For instance, if you 35% body fat and start on a calorie defict (not a very large one, but a moderate one), and start weight lifting/strength training for example, your body has no choice but to build enough muscle to accept the new strain you are putting on the muscles.

    It's not the same as bulking up, and no where near the same rate, but you can build a little muscle at the start...people refer to this as "newbie" gains. It seems like alot to most people, as say your body transforms and converts a good portion of that bodyfat to lean muscle mass, it may only be 1-2lbs...but that is a major physique difference on the body. A lb of muscle goes a long way.

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