Build muscle in a calorie deficit

You may gain a tiny amount in the beginning but it will be negligible, so really the answer is no.

You will however burn fat so your existing muscles will be more prominent. The only way to gain muscle is to lift heavy and eat at a small surplus.

I have been lifting weights on calorie deficit for the past 4 months and I have gained alot of muscle.
My scale wont move cause I have been building muscle and losing fat simultaneously.
Yes its not a plateau cause I checked by not lifting for 2 weeks and dropped weight.
So I feel like this is a myth, u can build muscle on a calorie deificit!!

No. Your scale dropped when you didn't lift because your muscles had time to recover so they retained less water.

I have been lifting weights on calorie deficit for the past 4 months and I have gained alot of muscle.
My scale wont move cause I have been building muscle and losing fat simultaneously.
Yes its not a plateau cause I checked by not lifting for 2 weeks and dropped weight.
So I feel like this is a myth, u can build muscle on a calorie deificit!!

What you think you see happening is not what's actually happening.


To your original question...
Yes, I believe it is possible, though for most people it will be painfully slow. Even if you are genetically lucky, you won't see noticeable/meaningful gains in weeks or months.

it's possible in 4 different scenarios. And note I said possible. Even with these 4, it's more likely you're not gaining anything.

1) You're really fat

2) You're completely untrained

3) You used to be really muscular, lost it, and are trying to regain it

4) On roids.

As you can see, the above are all temporary situations that will eventually result in plateau. Once that happens, the only way you're gaining lean mass is eating above your tdee with a proper resistance training template.

it's possible in 4 different scenarios. And note I said possible. Even with these 4, it's more likely you're not gaining anything.

1) You're really fat

2) You're completely untrained

3) You used to be really muscular, lost it, and are trying to regain it

4) On roids.

As you can see, the above are all temporary situations that will eventually result in plateau. Once that happens, the only way you're gaining lean mass is eating above your tdee with a proper resistance training template.

anything? or anything significant?

the body is always in a state of flux, so saying 'anything' is prob too absolutist. Will not see anything noticeable might be better.

Beginner: yes
Overweight: yes
Advanced: slowly

Lifting on a deficit maintains muscle mass (as best as you can) while you lose fat. This is why the scale doesn't move, and as you are mainly losing fat while maintaining muscle mass these uncovered muscle aren't new. It what you maintained.

FYI, no chance you gained "a lot" of muscle in 4 months......calorie deficit or not.

I have been lifting weights on calorie deficit for the past 4 months and I have gained alot of muscle.
My scale wont move cause I have been building muscle and losing fat simultaneously.
Yes its not a plateau cause I checked by not lifting for 2 weeks and dropped weight.
So I feel like this is a myth, u can build muscle on a calorie deificit!!

From what I learned in my serious weight lifting days I think one loses weight by eating less and spending more energy/calories ( calorie deficit ). During the phases I built muscle I had to eat more. I now wonder how it is possible to eat less for weight/ fat loss and eat more for building muscle at the same time.
I think what you believe is muscle gain is actually muscle definition......I just can't believe that anyone would build significant muscle and lose weight/fat at the same time.....of course you are welcome to prove me wrong, but please with something more scientific than a statement of fact.

I have been lifting weights on calorie deficit for the past 4 months and I have gained alot of muscle.
My scale wont move cause I have been building muscle and losing fat simultaneously.
Yes its not a plateau cause I checked by not lifting for 2 weeks and dropped weight.
So I feel like this is a myth, u can build muscle on a calorie deificit!!

From what I learned in my serious weight lifting days I think one loses weight by eating less and spending more energy/calories ( calorie deficit ). During the phases I built muscle I had to eat more. I now wonder how it is possible to eat less for weight/ fat loss and eat more for building muscle at the same time.
I think what you believe is muscle gain is actually muscle definition......I just can't believe that anyone would build significant muscle and lose weight/fat at the same time.....of course you are welcome to prove me wrong, but please with something more scientific than a statement of fact.

If you are very fat, it's possible.

If you have muscles that just haven't been used much, they will grow. Traps is a good example. Or shoulders.

Yeah, I'm now finding I have too run a surplus after workouts to grow. But I don't have to run a surplus all week. Or every day. I don't have to stop fitting into my pants.

I'm building muscle slowly this way, but leaning out as well. All while staying in the same clothes (although shirts and jackets are getting tight up top and my thighs hold up the pants instead of the waist.

I have been lifting weights on calorie deficit for the past 4 months and I have gained alot of muscle.
My scale wont move cause I have been building muscle and losing fat simultaneously.
Yes its not a plateau cause I checked by not lifting for 2 weeks and dropped weight.
So I feel like this is a myth, u can build muscle on a calorie deificit!!

From what I learned in my serious weight lifting days I think one loses weight by eating less and spending more energy/calories ( calorie deficit ). During the phases I built muscle I had to eat more. I now wonder how it is possible to eat less for weight/ fat loss and eat more for building muscle at the same time.
I think what you believe is muscle gain is actually muscle definition......I just can't believe that anyone would build significant muscle and lose weight/fat at the same time.....of course you are welcome to prove me wrong, but please with something more scientific than a statement of fact.

If you are very fat, it's possible.

If you have muscles that just haven't been used much, they will grow. Traps is a good example. Or shoulders.

Yeah, I'm now finding I have too run a surplus after workouts to grow. But I don't have to run a surplus all week. Or every day. I don't have to stop fitting into my pants.

I'm building muscle slowly this way, but leaning out as well. All while staying in the same clothes (although shirts and jackets are getting tight up top and my things hold up the pants instead of the waist.

Do you IF and/or carb backload?

I do lean gains. I try to concentrate Carbs at night, and lots of them if I have a big workout planned the next day. On surplus days I don't worry so much about protein, and try to focus on fats and carbs. On deficit days I eat lots of protein.

My post workout meals are sometimes 2000 calories.

I'm not saying the difference in gains isn't HUGE when eating at a weekly surplus. Because it is. And I'm not saying I didn't lose muscle along the way from 210 to below 160. I definitely did.

So I think a better question is: can I go from fat to lean while gaining muscle? And I think the answer is: some of your muscles might grow but by the time you lose 50 or more pounds you will not have put on and kept any significant fat free mass.

So if your wanting to lose weight and get more defined muscle you can lift and eat at a deficit. but once you have lost enough weight, then you can up to a small surplus to build that muscle and not lose anymore????

So if your wanting to lose weight and get more defined muscle you can lift and eat at a deficit. but once you have lost enough weight, then you can up to a small surplus to build that muscle and not lose anymore????

Yes. And the smaller your surplus, the more your gains will be muscle. They will be slower tho.

Yeah for example, when I started I weighed 160lbs with *around* 20% bodyfat. Then I continued to lift weight to maintain the muscle, and lost weight down to 142 at 15% bodyfat.

At that point, I changed my diet to include roughly +500 calories above maintenance, continued lifting heavy, and gained about 12 lbs, 6 of which were muscle and 6 of which were fat. Now I am cutting down again to 142... but this time I will be at 10% bodyfat.

The result is that my muscles grew in size, and at the lower bodyfat %, they will be more visible (toned / defined).

To illustrate the point, if I had to eat 500+ calories for 16 weeks to gain 6 lbs of muscle, how much muscle do you really think you are going to put on if you were eating -500 calories.

Most research and the experience of people much more experienced than I indicate that (absent chemical enhancement) under completely optimal conditions, eating at a large surplus and lifting regularly following a solid program, that adding about 2 lbs of muscle a month is about the most that anyone can hope for.

So, if under optimal conditions you are limited to 2 lbs a month of muscle, how much do you think you can add under suboptimal conditions?

Adding muscle is _hard_.

I'd be thrilled with a pound a month, provided I can wear the same pants and not need special ones for bulking.

Yeah for example, when I started I weighed 160lbs with *around* 20% bodyfat. Then I continued to lift weight to maintain the muscle, and lost weight down to 142 at 15% bodyfat.

Woah. You didn't "maintain" anything, that's a loss of about 8 pounds of LBM, or nearly half of the total lost weight.

I said *around*... my bf% was higher when I started. I didn't bother with the math for that figure, but I guess it was closer to 24%.

Here's my full explanation of at least the bulking cycle:

"Real Numbers on Muscle Gain (muscle to fat ratio) READ"
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1099747-real-numbers-on-muscle-gain-muscle-to-fat-ratio-read

Was going to reply, nevermind.