You can't build muscle at a calorie deficit? Why lift??
Options
Replies
-
You've got some excellent explanations, now let's go with some visual aids:
Three months of lifting eating at a very slight deficit. I technically weighed more in the "after" photo because of some water weight. I might weigh 2 actual pounds less in the second photo.0 -
Lifting while at calorie deficit will burn the fat around the muscles. That's how you get that toned look.0
-
I don't understand this question very well but I think I know what you are trying to ask.
You will LOSE muscle if you don't use it. You need to lift in order to preserve the muscle you DO have. Also, if you are a beginner, you can build some muscle while in a deficit and are also losing fat (I did it when I first started).
Just so you know, cardio isn't the end all be all of fat loss. In fact, I now limit my cardio quite a lot and mostly lift for fat loss. Cardio causes metabolic adaptations and also makes you hungry which isn't good for fat loss. Cardio is also muscle wasting and stress (cortisol) inducing. Also bad for fat loss. Lifting and some HIIT is all you need for fat loss -- along with a SMALL deficit.0 -
So why do people keep saying I should be lifting weights at this stage in my weight loss journey? If I can't build muscle eating at a deficit, then why bother?
One simple question: Would you rather lose weight, so that you match an arbitrary number on a scale - that NO ONE ELSE WILL SEE
Or:
Would you rather lose FAT, and have a body that you love, that looks and feels smaller and tighter (and everyone will see that)
If you only care about the number on the scale - don't bother strength training.
If you want to have a smaller, tighter, more 'toned' body (god I hate that word), then you need to strength train while losing.0 -
I think this mostly applies to people who are already fairly fit. . i.e. people without a lot of fat to lose.
Keep working out and maximize your protein. . You'll see both muscle gains and fat loss. .
Once you murder those 50lbs of fat, this'll stop working, and the deficit may start to affect your muscle growth, but at that point you can adjust your intake to either maintain or increase your muscle mass as you so desire.
Another reason to keep lifting is that it makes you feel better!.
Of course. .I could be wrong. .0 -
This is awesome! I recently just had a long discussion with a friend about this, cause I had no idea what was going on. This is a great help!0
-
I don't know where you heard that, but it's not true at all.
I recently lost 30 lbs eating at a deficit while doing CrossFit 5-6 days a week. I was able to lose fat and build muscle at the same time.
If I only did cardio, I'm sure the weight would have come off but without the added muscle and higher BMR. Strength workouts are extremely important when wanting to lose weight!
Actually.....it depends on how literal you take it.
You can build a VERY tiny bit of muscle while in a deficit, but it is very difficult and takes months....if not years (longer for females) and is measures in oz's not lbs. You also need to be eating really close to maintenance.
The morbidly obese or the wildly undertrained can put on "noob gains" at first, but those gains are usually fairly small as well.
It takes building blocks to add mass (muscle mass), if you don't have the blocks, you can't add mass.
What you can do is: get stronger and maintain muscle mass (so you lose mostly fat), uncovering those maintained muscles giving the impression of added muscle mass.0 -
What you can do is: get stronger and maintain muscle mass (so you lose mostly fat), uncovering those maintained muscles giving the impression of added muscle mass.
That's where I am now, I'm not sure I'm building any muscle, but there are the "Hey, I have a bicep again!" moments which are probably just the fact that I have uncovered the fat-laden muscle.
0 -
If you have not previously been involved in lifting weights your body is learning to recruit already existing muscle fibers. You aren't building muscles, this is what most people refer to as "newbie gains".
If you think you are building muscle on a deficit, then you are probably either:
Losing fat around already existing muscle therefore it looks like you are developing more muscle, losing weight can make it easier to do certain exercises, especially if you were previously obese (squats, deadlifts, etc....)
Not actually eating at a deficit and actually eating at a surplus because the calories haven't been logged correctly or your macros aren't accurate
Imagining things
Fat cells shrinking do not equal muscle cells increasing.0 -
I have been strength training for about a month and although I haven't lost any weight, my body fat percentage has gone down. I am hoping that I will start to get more toned and not worrying too much about the weight.0
-
I highly recommend The New Rules for Life. I emailed the author and asked him a lot of questions and he said if u want to lose weight then start with his Life book then move on to his NROL for women. They are easy to read books and great exercises. I have lost 40 pounds since starting his books and lifting plus my body composition is rocking it and I have 50 more pounds to go! Lifting works!!!!0
-
I don't know where you heard that, but it's not true at all.
I recently lost 30 lbs eating at a deficit while doing CrossFit 5-6 days a week. I was able to lose fat and build muscle at the same time.
If I only did cardio, I'm sure the weight would have come off but without the added muscle and higher BMR. Strength workouts are extremely important when wanting to lose weight!
Yes it is true....you did not build muscle....you built strength and lost fat to show the muscle you had...This sums it up for me <<<< just started weight lifting program eating at TDEE -10% and eating back calories of exercise (using HRM with calorie counter) and i am losing fat, losing weight but i am getting stronger!
and not to derail but to this person you are doing it wrong...with TDEE method you don't eat back exercise calories...if you do you are practically at maintenance...0 -
I don't know where you heard that, but it's not true at all.
I recently lost 30 lbs eating at a deficit while doing CrossFit 5-6 days a week. I was able to lose fat and build muscle at the same time.
If I only did cardio, I'm sure the weight would have come off but without the added muscle and higher BMR. Strength workouts are extremely important when wanting to lose weight!
Yes it is true....you did not build muscle....you built strength and lost fat to show the muscle you had...This sums it up for me <<<< just started weight lifting program eating at TDEE -10% and eating back calories of exercise (using HRM with calorie counter) and i am losing fat, losing weight but i am getting stronger!
and not to derail but to this person you are doing it wrong...with TDEE method you don't eat back exercise calories...if you do you are practically at maintenance...
Not really. If your TDEE is, say 2500 calories. . And you are eating 2100. . You are under maintenance by 400. Then if you burn 300. .you add that 300 to both what you eat and the TDEE. . TDEE is your calories burned per day before exercise. By burning 300 extra your TDEE (for that day) is essentially 2800. Be eating it back you'll still be under by 400.
Also. . how do you build strength without building muscle?0 -
I don't know where you heard that, but it's not true at all.
I recently lost 30 lbs eating at a deficit while doing CrossFit 5-6 days a week. I was able to lose fat and build muscle at the same time.
If I only did cardio, I'm sure the weight would have come off but without the added muscle and higher BMR. Strength workouts are extremely important when wanting to lose weight!
Yes it is true....you did not build muscle....you built strength and lost fat to show the muscle you had...This sums it up for me <<<< just started weight lifting program eating at TDEE -10% and eating back calories of exercise (using HRM with calorie counter) and i am losing fat, losing weight but i am getting stronger!
and not to derail but to this person you are doing it wrong...with TDEE method you don't eat back exercise calories...if you do you are practically at maintenance...
not really. If your TDEE is, say 2500 calories. . And you are eating 2100. . You are under maintenance by 400. Then if you burn 300. .you add that 300 to both what you eat and the TDEE. . TDEE is your calories burned per day before exercise. By burning 300 extra your TDEE (for that day) is essentially 2800. Be eating it back you'll still be under by 400.
Also. . how do you build strength without building muscle?
:huh:
TDEE -10% means you don't eat work out calories back because you've figured out work out calories in to your daily expenditure.
For instance if your TDEE is 2,500 and you are cutting 10%, you eat 2,250 calories -- not 2,100. If you eat 2,100 and eat back work out calories, you aren't doing TDEE - 10%. Make sense?0 -
I think it just takes longer. I built muscle at a deficit. Albeit not a very big deficit - but I do have muscles and I do eat under my TDEE. So.... it can be done.0
-
Thanks everyone for the thoughtful responses. This has reaffirmed not only my desire to start lifting, but really my fitness goals in general. Very very helpful. And I'm very glad I posted my question!!!0
-
Can you build muscle on a deficit? Yes, and No. If you are at an optimal level, you will probably get frustrated building because your body have nothing to use. (Building muscle requires so much protein, fat, etc..) If you are overweight, you will get stronger, and you may see muscles grow, but not quickly. But it will help burn calories and tone you out which is why it is recommended.
It is kind of like some cardio exercise is better than others, or the pace which you work-out sometimes affecting your losses. Are you training for Cardio or Fat-burning?0 -
I don't know where you heard that, but it's not true at all.
I recently lost 30 lbs eating at a deficit while doing CrossFit 5-6 days a week. I was able to lose fat and build muscle at the same time.
If I only did cardio, I'm sure the weight would have come off but without the added muscle and higher BMR. Strength workouts are extremely important when wanting to lose weight!
Yes it is true....you did not build muscle....you built strength and lost fat to show the muscle you had...This sums it up for me <<<< just started weight lifting program eating at TDEE -10% and eating back calories of exercise (using HRM with calorie counter) and i am losing fat, losing weight but i am getting stronger!
and not to derail but to this person you are doing it wrong...with TDEE method you don't eat back exercise calories...if you do you are practically at maintenance...
Not really. If your TDEE is, say 2500 calories. . And you are eating 2100. . You are under maintenance by 400. Then if you burn 300. .you add that 300 to both what you eat and the TDEE. . TDEE is your calories burned per day before exercise. By burning 300 extra your TDEE (for that day) is essentially 2800. Be eating it back you'll still be under by 400.
Also. . how do you build strength without building muscle?
You do realize your TDEE includes any exercise you do right? or it wouldn't be called TOTAL daily energy expenditure. You can't have a total with out already adding that in.
Your muscle can get stronger without adding any on, because the muscle you have isn't being used close to it's potential.0 -
I don't know where you heard that, but it's not true at all.
I recently lost 30 lbs eating at a deficit while doing CrossFit 5-6 days a week. I was able to lose fat and build muscle at the same time.
If I only did cardio, I'm sure the weight would have come off but without the added muscle and higher BMR. Strength workouts are extremely important when wanting to lose weight!
Yes it is true....you did not build muscle....you built strength and lost fat to show the muscle you had...This sums it up for me <<<< just started weight lifting program eating at TDEE -10% and eating back calories of exercise (using HRM with calorie counter) and i am losing fat, losing weight but i am getting stronger!
and not to derail but to this person you are doing it wrong...with TDEE method you don't eat back exercise calories...if you do you are practically at maintenance...
not really. If your TDEE is, say 2500 calories. . And you are eating 2100. . You are under maintenance by 400. Then if you burn 300. .you add that 300 to both what you eat and the TDEE. . TDEE is your calories burned per day before exercise. By burning 300 extra your TDEE (for that day) is essentially 2800. Be eating it back you'll still be under by 400.
Also. . how do you build strength without building muscle?
:huh:
TDEE -10% means you don't eat work out calories back because you've figured out work out calories in to your daily expenditure.
For instance if your TDEE is 2,500 and you are cutting 10%, you eat 2,250 calories -- not 2,100. If you eat 2,100 and eat back work out calories, you aren't doing TDEE - 10%. Make sense?
Okay. .maybe I'm wrong. . I agree your math is better. . But am I wrong when I state that the TDEE is the number of calories your body burns going bout your day before exercise? . So, if you didn't exercise you'd burn 2500. . But then when you burn 300 extra calories doing crossfit, your body will now burn 2800 calories that day. So. . if you eat 2250 + 300 = 2550 you will still be at a deficit, although slightly less than 10% (maybe that was your point). .
You could go the extra mile and figure your new 10% deficit after exercise, in this case 280 calories, then subtract that from your new TDEE (2800) to get 2520.
edit: OK. .reading your post again I think we are making different assumptions. I figured my daily TDEE without adding in exercise (since I can't exercise everyday). .Then when i do exercise, I can eat those calories back. HOWEVER, if you've included your exercise calories into your TDEE already, then you would NOT want to eat those back.0 -
It depends on how you calculate your TDEE. You can pick sedentary and then log your exercise calories manually or you can calculate your TDEE as exercising X times per week and then your approximate caloric burn will be factored into your TDEE. Depending on what number you're calling TDEE, your exercise calories may or may not be included.0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.4K Introduce Yourself
- 43.5K Getting Started
- 259.7K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 390 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.7K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.2K MyFitnessPal Information
- 22 News and Announcements
- 922 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.3K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions