You can't build muscle at a calorie deficit? Why lift??

245

Replies

  • MMulder68
    MMulder68 Posts: 139 Member
    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!!!!
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    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...
  • Cameron_1969
    Cameron_1969 Posts: 2,855 Member
    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?
  • devil_in_a_blue_dress
    devil_in_a_blue_dress Posts: 5,214 Member
    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?
  • _Calypso_
    _Calypso_ Posts: 1,074 Member
    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.
  • kcm105
    kcm105 Posts: 50 Member
    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!!!
  • Soccermavrick
    Soccermavrick Posts: 405 Member
    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?
  • bagge72
    bagge72 Posts: 1,377 Member
    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.
  • Cameron_1969
    Cameron_1969 Posts: 2,855 Member
    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.
  • parkscs
    parkscs Posts: 1,639 Member
    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.
  • bagge72
    bagge72 Posts: 1,377 Member
    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.

    It's a total there is only one way to do it. The problem is that you are doing it day by day every day. What most people do is take how many calories they are burning for the whole week including exercise, take 10% from that, and then divide it by 7. So if you burned 2500 calories 4 days a week, and 2800 calories 3 days a week you would burn a total of 18,400 calories, and then you would take 10% of that total and subtract it. So 18,400 - 1,840 = 16,560/7 So you would eat 2365 calories a day.
  • Cameron_1969
    Cameron_1969 Posts: 2,855 Member
    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.

    I define my TDEE as the calories I would burn on a typical day, without accounting for exercise. I use it as a baseline number to work from. The actual total expenditure number will obviously fluctuate based on what I do that day. My activity level changes from day to day, so I chose to not include any assumptions of exercise in the number.
  • msaestein1
    msaestein1 Posts: 264 Member
    You've got some excellent explanations, now let's go with some visual aids:

    1t5t7s.jpg

    29m3gna.jpg

    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.

    You are my hero. I bow down to you. I really needed to see this. You look amazing!! Very inspirational. I swear the before is my stomach and in my dreams I will have your AFTER!!!!!
  • Cameron_1969
    Cameron_1969 Posts: 2,855 Member
    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.

    It's a total there is only one way to do it. The problem is that you are doing it day by day every day. What most people do is take how many calories they are burning for the whole week including exercise, take 10% from that, and then divide it by 7. So if you burned 2500 calories 4 days a week, and 2800 calories 3 days a week you would burn a total of 18,400 calories, and then you would take 10% of that total and subtract it. So 18,400 - 1,840 = 16,560/7 So you would eat 2365 calories a day.

    Okay, I agree this is one way that it can be done. . However, if you're using MFP it does it the other way. .i.e assumes you can eat back your calories (unless there's a setting or something?).
  • bagge72
    bagge72 Posts: 1,377 Member
    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.

    I define my TDEE as the calories I would burn on a typical day, without accounting for exercise. I use it as a baseline number to work from. The actual total expenditure number will obviously fluctuate based on what I do that day. My activity level changes from day to day, so I chose to not include any assumptions of exercise in the number.

    You can't change the definition of something to fit what you want. What you are doing isn't TDEE it is basically what MFP is.
  • bagge72
    bagge72 Posts: 1,377 Member
    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.

    It's a total there is only one way to do it. The problem is that you are doing it day by day every day. What most people do is take how many calories they are burning for the whole week including exercise, take 10% from that, and then divide it by 7. So if you burned 2500 calories 4 days a week, and 2800 calories 3 days a week you would burn a total of 18,400 calories, and then you would take 10% of that total and subtract it. So 18,400 - 1,840 = 16,560/7 So you would eat 2365 calories a day.

    Okay, I agree this is one way that it can be done. . However, if you're using MFP it does it the other way. .i.e assumes you can eat back your calories (unless there's a setting or something?).

    Right, that isn't TDEE though.
  • The_1_Who_Knocks
    The_1_Who_Knocks Posts: 343 Member
    All I know is I've lost 87 pounds and I am a lot stronger than I was when I was fat. I have been, and continue to be, operating at a calories deficit the entire time, but I am making sure I get a lot of protein now.
  • rcclcruiser
    rcclcruiser Posts: 98 Member
    I don't know where you heard that, but it's not true. Why wouldn't you be able to burn fat and build muscle?

    The cool thing is that when you have more muscle in your body, you are burning more fat, even at rest.

    So definitely lift weights. I highly recommend Chalean Extreme. I just finished the work-out. During the work-out, she explains those myths that are keeping women from lifting weights and why you want to lift weights. Very motivating!
  • Cameron_1969
    Cameron_1969 Posts: 2,855 Member
    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.

    I define my TDEE as the calories I would burn on a typical day, without accounting for exercise. I use it as a baseline number to work from. The actual total expenditure number will obviously fluctuate based on what I do that day. My activity level changes from day to day, so I chose to not include any assumptions of exercise in the number.

    You can't change the definition of something to fit what you want. What you are doing isn't TDEE it is basically what MFP is.

    Sir, yes SIR!
  • parkscs
    parkscs Posts: 1,639 Member
    It doesn't so much matter what you call it so long as you understand what the number means. If you calculate it using a TDEE calculator, it's not surprising people refer to it as a TDEE, but either way what's important is if you calculated it as if you were sedentary, you'll have to offset by your exercise calories accordingly. If you want to nitpick, you could refer to it as your sedentary TDEE instead of just your TDEE generally, but honestly you're harping over semantics when what really matters is whether the daily caloric burn estimate you calculated includes exercise calories.
  • Cameron_1969
    Cameron_1969 Posts: 2,855 Member
    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.

    It's a total there is only one way to do it. The problem is that you are doing it day by day every day. What most people do is take how many calories they are burning for the whole week including exercise, take 10% from that, and then divide it by 7. So if you burned 2500 calories 4 days a week, and 2800 calories 3 days a week you would burn a total of 18,400 calories, and then you would take 10% of that total and subtract it. So 18,400 - 1,840 = 16,560/7 So you would eat 2365 calories a day.

    Okay, I agree this is one way that it can be done. . However, if you're using MFP it does it the other way. .i.e assumes you can eat back your calories (unless there's a setting or something?).

    Right, that isn't TDEE though.

    Ha.. I have to concede the point . . I just went back to my original TDEE calculator (spreadheet) and sure enough. . my four days a week of crossfit WAS in there. . That means I've been making a mistake by assuming I could eat back my exercise calories. .

    Sir. .you have just accomplished something never before seen on MFP. . You won an argument. . I salute you. :drinker: :drinker:
  • janicebinva
    janicebinva Posts: 99 Member
    When you've been lifting for a few weeks, and start feeling stronger, you will feel sooooooo good. When I'm strong, I feel much more confident. It spills over into all areas of life.
  • Samstan101
    Samstan101 Posts: 699 Member
    I lift to maintain muscle mass (so keeping my metabolism as high as I can whilst eating at a deficit) and increase my strength. I'm working on the basis that if I had the muscles to carry 300lbs around then I want to keep as much of that as possible so I'm toned and thinner rather than getting thinner and then having to tone up. It seems to be working as even with another 50lbs to lose I am starting to see muscle definition on my triceps and my legs as I lose fat and maintain muscle mass. My scales give me muscle mass as a percentage of total body mass and its slowly creeping up as my weight drops. However, its creeping up at a rate that shows I'm maintaining most of my muscle mass and definitely not building muscle.
  • devil_in_a_blue_dress
    devil_in_a_blue_dress Posts: 5,214 Member
    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.

    It's a total there is only one way to do it. The problem is that you are doing it day by day every day. What most people do is take how many calories they are burning for the whole week including exercise, take 10% from that, and then divide it by 7. So if you burned 2500 calories 4 days a week, and 2800 calories 3 days a week you would burn a total of 18,400 calories, and then you would take 10% of that total and subtract it. So 18,400 - 1,840 = 16,560/7 So you would eat 2365 calories a day.

    Okay, I agree this is one way that it can be done. . However, if you're using MFP it does it the other way. .i.e assumes you can eat back your calories (unless there's a setting or something?).

    If you do the TDEE - a % method, you calculate your workouts into a weekly number and divide by 7. When you work out, you log the activity as 1 calorie. Most people who use this method have been collecting enough data over a period of time to know how much that burn in a particular work out. I still use my HRM -- and if I have consistent burns that are higher or lower than what I factored into my TDEE, I modify my calorie goal. TDEE includes exercise calories. If you are eating at a deficit plus exercise calories back as you burn them, you aren't doing TDEE - 10% . For the most part, people who use the TDEE method are spreading work out calories out over a week.
  • devil_in_a_blue_dress
    devil_in_a_blue_dress Posts: 5,214 Member
    You've got some excellent explanations, now let's go with some visual aids:

    1t5t7s.jpg

    29m3gna.jpg

    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.

    You are my hero. I bow down to you. I really needed to see this. You look amazing!! Very inspirational. I swear the before is my stomach and in my dreams I will have your AFTER!!!!!

    :flowerforyou:
  • Cameron_1969
    Cameron_1969 Posts: 2,855 Member
    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.

    It's a total there is only one way to do it. The problem is that you are doing it day by day every day. What most people do is take how many calories they are burning for the whole week including exercise, take 10% from that, and then divide it by 7. So if you burned 2500 calories 4 days a week, and 2800 calories 3 days a week you would burn a total of 18,400 calories, and then you would take 10% of that total and subtract it. So 18,400 - 1,840 = 16,560/7 So you would eat 2365 calories a day.

    Okay, I agree this is one way that it can be done. . However, if you're using MFP it does it the other way. .i.e assumes you can eat back your calories (unless there's a setting or something?).

    If you do the TDEE - a % method, you calculate your workouts into a weekly number and divide by 7. When you work out, you log the activity as 1 calorie. Most people who use this method have been collecting enough data over a period of time to know how much that burn in a particular work out. I still use my HRM -- and if I have consistent burns that are higher or lower than what I factored into my TDEE, I modify my calorie goal. TDEE includes exercise calories. If you are eating at a deficit plus exercise calories back as you burn them, you aren't doing TDEE - 10% . For the most part, people who use the TDEE method are spreading work out calories out over a week.

    You are right and I am wrong. . It's a hard thing to admit. .
  • KoopaSix
    KoopaSix Posts: 252 Member
    You lift to MAINTAIN your current lean mass. Caloric deficits can induce catabolism (break down of lean tissue). We lift weights to help prevent this.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    I don't know where you heard that, but it's not true. Why wouldn't you be able to burn fat and build muscle?

    The cool thing is that when you have more muscle in your body, you are burning more fat, even at rest.

    So definitely lift weights. I highly recommend Chalean Extreme. I just finished the work-out. During the work-out, she explains those myths that are keeping women from lifting weights and why you want to lift weights. Very motivating!

    Burning fat = losing mass, which comes from caloric deficit.

    Building muscle = adding mass, which comes from caloric surplus.

    That would be why you can't (there are extreme outliers of course.)
  • ShannonMpls
    ShannonMpls Posts: 1,936 Member
    You can make your goal weight.

    Or you can make your goal weight and look hot when you get there.

    That, to me, is why I lifted weights. Also, it makes me feel badass.
  • knitapeace
    knitapeace Posts: 1,013 Member
    You can make your goal weight.

    Or you can make your goal weight and look hot when you get there.

    That, to me, is why I lifted weights. Also, it makes me feel badass.

    I just saw your Success Story post and I'll have what she's having.