muscle question

hamelle2
hamelle2 Posts: 297 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm back...hope i don't become annoying. Lol.
Please explain how i can't build any muscle at a calorie deficit. Is there any way to diet off the fat and increase muscle at the same time? i just don't want to make the same mistakes that led me to where i am today.
What is happening to the muscles when lifting weights during a calorie deficit?
Thank you.

Replies

  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    It is next to impossible to gain muscle mass while at a caloric deficit. The muscle fibers you have might be getting more efficient. They might even be getting a little bigger. But you aren't adding any muscle cells. The area of your muscles might get a little bigger from added stores of water, waste and glycogen. But on a deficit, your body simply can't make new muscle cells. Only repair the ones it has.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    in order to build muscle you need a surplus of calories to aid in the building.

    When you are at a deficet you don't have those calories to "build" muscle.

    It's like trying to build a house without materials...can't be done.

    The muscle while at a deficet and lifting and getting enough protien is "maintaining" as much as possible that is why sometimes when you are lifting weights the actual bodyweight doesn't drop as fast as it used when you weren't lifting.

    When lifting and eating enough protien while in a deficet you are mostly losing fat...which is a good thing.

    Now there are some cases in which you can build at a deficet but those are noob gains...a few ozs of muscle built just because you have never lifted weights ever but it is nominal.

    Or if you are extremely obese...someone else will have to explain that one as I don't get it..unless those are noob gains too.
  • ell_v131
    ell_v131 Posts: 349 Member
    What you do by creating deficit is giving your body less energy than what it needs to perform every day functions. So your body has to take stored energy (fat, muscle and glycogen) to use it to run the machine. it is going to use the most easily accessible energy store, which is usually the glycogen and muscle first, since fat is difficult to process. By using your muscles you are making them essential and your body won't tap into them as much when it feels they are essential. Working out all your muscle groups prevents them from being eaten up for energy.

    While the body is in deficit and has to reach for stored energy to run, it has no extra building blocks to give to your muscle. If you were at surplus, then whatever is left over will get stored, most either as fat, or if you are following a routing then as muscle. That's because the body is preserving this surplus for later. If you have no surplus there is nothing to preserve, therefore nothing is getting store, neither fat or muscle.

    The only way to lose fat AND build muscle is body recomposition, it's a maintenance program when very slowly you change the composition of your body, but not necessarily weight. Google it to find out more.
  • DedicatedRepublic
    DedicatedRepublic Posts: 12
    Please explain how i can't build any muscle at a calorie deficit. Is there any way to diet off the fat and increase muscle at the same time? i just don't want to make the same mistakes that led me to where i am today.
    What is happening to the muscles when lifting weights during a calorie deficit?

    I did exactly this....built muscle while losing 35 lbs, but over a 6 month time frame. You do not want a huge deficit when doing this and I would recommend no more than a 500 cal deficit per day which would set you up at a 1 lb per week weight loss. As far as the macro you might consider 40p 40c 20f.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    generally, when people say you can't build muscle on a calorie deficit, they mean really large muscles in a powerlifter/body builder type of way.

    you can and will get stronger while strength training on a calorie deficit.

    there will come a day (MONTHS FROM NOW) where you're not going to be getting stronger. gains will be tougher, and you'll need to adjust your diet a bit.
  • ironanimal
    ironanimal Posts: 5,922 Member
    You can, buuuut it's hard, even for someone who doesn't have gender and age working against them. You're doing well if you can preserve what you do have in those circumstances.

    If you do truly want to build at the same time, your diet needs to be on point, your deficit minimal and you need to train like a beast.
  • TheEffort
    TheEffort Posts: 1,028 Member
    generally, when people say you can't build muscle on a calorie deficit, they mean really large muscles in a powerlifter/body builder type of way.

    you can and will get stronger while strength training on a calorie deficit.

    there will come a day (MONTHS FROM NOW) where you're not going to be getting stronger. gains will be tougher, and you'll need to adjust your diet a bit.

    Agreed.
  • javabeanshd
    javabeanshd Posts: 3 Member
    Great and useful answer
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    subscribing. This interests me
  • carom915
    carom915 Posts: 32 Member
    I have been wondering this exact same thing. Maybe someone can explain. How, with a program like insanity, do people lose a ton of inches but end up basically staying the same weight, if they are eating at a calorie deficit? Are they building muscle? Based on the above I would say not... but they are clearly losing fat and but not losing lbs. CONFUSED. Like how do I lose inches if I'm eating at a calorie deficit but not losing any weight?
  • ottermotorcycle
    ottermotorcycle Posts: 654 Member
    Interested in learning more. Can someone link to actual science?
  • xWendyJonesx
    xWendyJonesx Posts: 266 Member
    Sorry I can't help you, but I'm interested to hearing what others have to say.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    Interested in learning more. Can someone link to actual science?

    i don't have a scientific article, but here is some things from the interwebs.

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

    http://www.muscleforlife.com/build-muscle-lose-fat/
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    generally, when people say you can't build muscle on a calorie deficit, they mean really large muscles in a powerlifter/body builder type of way.

    you can and will get stronger while strength training on a calorie deficit.

    there will come a day (MONTHS FROM NOW) where you're not going to be getting stronger. gains will be tougher, and you'll need to adjust your diet a bit.

    strength gains <> muscle gain

    As well building muscle esp for a woman is very difficult even on a bulk we just don't have the testosterone for it (unless it's shot in).

    As a young woman(19-23) in combat arms training in the military I got stronger and stronger, lost inches but did not build any significant muscle...and that was working out hard everyday and eating like a beast...I did build muscle but as I said nothing significant.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    Please explain how i can't build any muscle at a calorie deficit. Is there any way to diet off the fat and increase muscle at the same time? i just don't want to make the same mistakes that led me to where i am today.
    What is happening to the muscles when lifting weights during a calorie deficit?

    I did exactly this....built muscle while losing 35 lbs, but over a 6 month time frame. You do not want a huge deficit when doing this and I would recommend no more than a 500 cal deficit per day which would set you up at a 1 lb per week weight loss. As far as the macro you might consider 40p 40c 20f.

    I find it hard to believe that over 6months time at a big enough deficet to lose 35lbs you built a lot of muscle, I suspect you can just see what you already had better. As a woman 500 calorie a day deficet is significant...maybe not for a man...

    For Macros throw arbitrary numbers out without know their TDEE and BF% etc is a bit off as well. Considering my macros are set at 45c, 30 p and 25f...and I lift
  • zilfig64
    zilfig64 Posts: 71 Member
    Here is a great post on the topic from December 2012 from one of the moderators:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818594-building-muscle-and-losing-fat-at-the-same-time
  • Blue801
    Blue801 Posts: 442
    If you are super morbidly obese and have been on bed rest and have atrophied muscles and a reasonable deficit you can build significant mass for a limited time.
    :bigsmile:
  • ell_v131
    ell_v131 Posts: 349 Member
    Please explain how i can't build any muscle at a calorie deficit. Is there any way to diet off the fat and increase muscle at the same time? i just don't want to make the same mistakes that led me to where i am today.
    What is happening to the muscles when lifting weights during a calorie deficit?

    I did exactly this....built muscle while losing 35 lbs, but over a 6 month time frame. You do not want a huge deficit when doing this and I would recommend no more than a 500 cal deficit per day which would set you up at a 1 lb per week weight loss. As far as the macro you might consider 40p 40c 20f.

    I find it hard to believe that over 6months time at a big enough deficet to lose 35lbs you built a lot of muscle, I suspect you can just see what you already had better. As a woman 500 calorie a day deficet is significant...maybe not for a man...

    For Macros throw arbitrary numbers out without know their TDEE and BF% etc is a bit off as well. Considering my macros are set at 45c, 30 p and 25f...and I lift

    what I wanted to say. You just revealed the muscle that you had underneath those 35lbs of fat.

    The protein macro should really be in grams and not percentage and it's related to lean body mass. So can't really determine percentage without knowing lean body mass, unles you are going by total body weight in which case for people that are not obese I would say about 0.8-1gram/pound of bodyweight.

Categories