You can't build muscle at a calorie deficit? Why lift??
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edited to add - three, you are on steroids….
Or eating a lot of hormone/steroid/antibiotic laced animal meat. ;-)0 -
Oh, and at 110lbs, -750calorie deficit is far too extreme for you. I am guessing you are eating 900-1000 calories per day?
and gaining one to two pounds of muscle a month
There are some professionals out there that would love this secret. A professional bodybuilding female would be hard pressed.....hard pressed to put on 3-5lbs of muscle in 9-12 mos doing a bulk/cut, yet poster did it in 5 weeks on a huge deficit.
magic…?0 -
edited to add - three, you are on steroids….
Or eating a lot of hormone/steroid/antibiotic laced animal meat. ;-)
I suppose that is a possibility …but that would be some seriously steroid/hormone laced meat...0 -
There area lot of facts and figures here and a huge tdee debate going on. But the op asked a simple question, why lift in deficit. The simple answer is it will make you feel good, it will make you look good and it will make you fitter and healthier.
It is not a miracle weight loss solution. You will not turn onto a Bikini model over night. As with all things in life it is the hard work and dedication that will get the results. But if you stick with it I absolutely 100% guarantee you will be blown away by the results.
Warning. Muscle weighs more than fat of the same volume. If you do this you may not lose weight ad fat as you hoped. Let your measurements and your mirror be your guide. And take photos. A before photo is a great motivator and the best way to see what you have achieved.0 -
I haven't read any of the other replies, so I'm probably repeating what others have said...
Maintain the muscle you do have. The goal is to be losing fat with a minimal amount of muscle. Lifting weights helps you accomplish this.
Strength goals. Even when I wasn't making progress weight loss wise, I had strength gain goals that kept me going/motivated.
General awesomeness. Lifting makes me feel strong, capable, and confident. It has a huge carry over into every other part of my life.0 -
Oh, and at 110lbs, -750calorie deficit is far too extreme for you. I am guessing you are eating 900-1000 calories per day?
and gaining one to two pounds of muscle a month
There are some professionals out there that would love this secret. A professional bodybuilding female would be hard pressed.....hard pressed to put on 3-5lbs of muscle in 9-12 mos doing a bulk/cut, yet poster did it in 5 weeks on a huge deficit.
magic…?
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Despite what most people on here believe, some people can build muscle at maintenance. In fact, a lot of people can do it. Their weight doesn't change, but their bodyfat decreases. It's called recomping. Seems to work better for women than men. The amount of muscle you can build and the speed at which you can do it by recomping is limited, though...it's something like 5-10 lbs in a few years of lifting.
No one can gain true weight at or below maintenance though. No one. And everyone loses weight on a true deficit.
But out of shape, obese people can sometimes recomp on a deficit. That means they lose fat but gain a little bit of muscle at the same time.
Skinny people can't build any muscle whatsoever on a deficit or at maintenance. They have to gain weight in order to gain muscle.
It's really that simple!0 -
I'm sure someone else has said it, but heavy lifting will maintain the muscle you have. Also, if you are obese, you could even put some muscle on. Lifting will result in more of a recomposition to your body that simply doing cardio. Cardio will result in weight loss, but often what happens is a person just becomes a smaller version of their fat self. Weight training tends to recompose one's body by keeping the muscle (minimizing muscle loss) and burning off the fat.
And this http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1222939-look-what-3-years-of-lifting-can-do0 -
Despite what most people on here believe, some people can build muscle at maintenance. In fact, a lot of people can do it. Their weight doesn't change, but their bodyfat decreases. It's called recomping. Seems to work better for women than men. The amount of muscle you can build and the speed at which you can do it by recomping is limited, though...it's something like 5-10 lbs in a few years of lifting.
No one can gain true weight at or below maintenance though. No one. And everyone loses weight on a true deficit.
But out of shape, obese people can sometimes recomp on a deficit. That means they lose fat but gain a little bit of muscle at the same time.
Skinny people can't build any muscle whatsoever on a deficit or at maintenance. They have to gain weight in order to gain muscle.
It's really that simple!
agree, but previous poster said she is in a 750 calorie daily deficit AND adding 2 pounds of muscle a month….0 -
Despite what most people on here believe, some people can build muscle at maintenance. In fact, a lot of people can do it. Their weight doesn't change, but their bodyfat decreases. It's called recomping. Seems to work better for women than men. The amount of muscle you can build and the speed at which you can do it by recomping is limited, though...it's something like 5-10 lbs in a few years of lifting.
No one can gain true weight at or below maintenance though. No one. And everyone loses weight on a true deficit.
But out of shape, obese people can sometimes recomp on a deficit. That means they lose fat but gain a little bit of muscle at the same time.
Skinny people can't build any muscle whatsoever on a deficit or at maintenance. They have to gain weight in order to gain muscle.
It's really that simple!
agree, but previous poster said she is in a 750 calorie daily deficit AND adding 2 pounds of muscle a month….
Yeah, there's (no offense) something wrong with her numbers.0 -
Despite what most people on here believe, some people can build muscle at maintenance. In fact, a lot of people can do it. Their weight doesn't change, but their bodyfat decreases. It's called recomping. Seems to work better for women than men. The amount of muscle you can build and the speed at which you can do it by recomping is limited, though...it's something like 5-10 lbs in a few years of lifting.
No one can gain true weight at or below maintenance though. No one. And everyone loses weight on a true deficit.
But out of shape, obese people can sometimes recomp on a deficit. That means they lose fat but gain a little bit of muscle at the same time.
Skinny people can't build any muscle whatsoever on a deficit or at maintenance. They have to gain weight in order to gain muscle.
It's really that simple!
agree, but previous poster said she is in a 750 calorie daily deficit AND adding 2 pounds of muscle a month….
Yeah, there's (no offense) something wrong with her numbers.
lolz …my thoughts exactly …or on some serious steroids...0 -
lolz …my thoughts exactly …or on some serious steroids...
You can't build something out of nothing...period0 -
According to the book New Rules of Weight Lifting for Women, women can gain about 2.5 pounds of muscle in a month. According to many, many sites the body has the ability to convert excess protein into fat, so why is out of the realm of possibility that the body can also convert excess fat into protein (muscle)? There are many, many examples of people who have used excess, wearable calories (fat) to build muscle.0
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It is difficult to build muscle, but you need to lift to maintain what muscle mass you already have.0
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According to the book New Rules of Weight Lifting for Women, women can gain about 2.5 pounds of muscle in a month. According to many, many sites the body has the ability to convert excess protein into fat, so why is out of the realm of possibility that the body can also convert excess fat into protein (muscle)? There are many, many examples of people who have used excess, wearable calories (fat) to build muscle.
They can gain that much muscle for a few months after starting to lift. Not after, period. Not even men can gain 2.5 lbs muscle in a month beyond the first few months UNLESS they are under a massive caloric surplus, have incredible genetics, and hormones are great (possibly still natural with a great hormonal profile).
When fat is broken down, it's used for energy; Not converted into muscle tissue. It's two independent processes. Fat cannot be converted into protein or muscle tissue. It must be be broken down for energy and then the body must use excess energy to build muscle tissue. So there may be some overlap during the day where energy is needed and fat is broken down and then there is excess energy at other times of the day and muscle is built. But the net effect under this scenario would probably be a zero sum game. It's essentially what happens while eating under maintenance.there are many, many examples of people who have used excess, wearable calories (fat) to build muscle.
There actually isn't one example in existence since that's an impossible process. It's two separate processes which MIGHT occur concurrently but they are still independent.0 -
You can build muscle in deficit, of course depends on how much fat, weight you have to lose. I gained plenty of muscle while burning ton of fat in last 3 months. Thats how NFL athletes change their body composition while losing weight. Go see an experienced trainer or some one who has pro athletes as clients.0
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Why lift?
Because lifting will help you overcome your fear of bikinis.0 -
It seems like there are lot of 'truisms' around weightlifting that really aren't truisms for 99% of the population-- the whole 'can't build muscle in a deficit' is one of them. A beginner certainly can put on muscle and lose fat simultaneously. As you progress, however, you'll find it increasingly difficult to do.0
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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!!!
This is perhaps one of the best questions ever asked on these forums. So much misunderstanding concerning this. Others have commented thus but I shall briefly reiterate:
On a deficit you cannot
1. Gain muscle mass (due to catabolic state)
On a deficit, you CAN.
1. Gain strength
2. Increase muscle tone
3. Maintain lean mass
4. Increase fat burning potential.
5. Create an underlying muscle base that will shine through once the rolls of fat have dissolved over them0 -
According to the book New Rules of Weight Lifting for Women, women can gain about 2.5 pounds of muscle in a month. According to many, many sites the body has the ability to convert excess protein into fat, so why is out of the realm of possibility that the body can also convert excess fat into protein (muscle)? There are many, many examples of people who have used excess, wearable calories (fat) to build muscle.
yes, but not on a 750 calorie deficit..
if that person said they were on a 750 calorie surplus then yes I would believe it….0
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