Exercising at a Deficit

SymphonynSonata
SymphonynSonata Posts: 533 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Over the past few days I've been reading on the forums about how you can't gain muscle while eating at a deficit. I could have very well misinterpreted this, but if not:

What happens when you exercise but eat under your TDEE?

If you're not interested in really gaining muscle but more of toning up what you already have, would you eat over or under your TDEE?

Is exercise pointless for body comp when eating under your TDEE?

If, as a woman, I wanted a firm and more lifted behind, would I eat over my TDEE to build up my glutes?

If you're trying to build muscle, do you need to eat back your exercise calories, and if so, do you still need to make sure you're not at a deficit? For example, if I burn, say, 500 calories, and at that point I had ate 1500 and my TDEE is 1600, do I need to eat that 500 back plus 100 and then some more to be OVER my TDEE?

Generally, how many calories over your TDEE do you need to eat to gain muscle?

Thanks!

Replies

  • asciiqwerty
    asciiqwerty Posts: 565 Member
    so you can't build at a deficit,

    but, if you excercise, especially strength (lifting, bodyweight, or, resistance)
    then you can preserve more muscle as you lose weight (fat and muscle)

    so strength work at a deficit will change your bodycomp differently than loosing weight without strength training by preserving (not building) more muscle

    as you loose weight the muscles you have willl be more visible than before
  • 12by311
    12by311 Posts: 1,716 Member
    What happens when you exercise but eat under your TDEE? You lose weight. If you are weight lifting, you are hopefully retaining as much muscle as possible and losing body fat. You CAN make strength gains eating at a deficit. Strength gains and muscle growth are not the same thing. There are certain situations where mass can be increased….but from what I understand, it's not a significant amount. Some people do not have a lot of muscle…and so when they do lose weight, the body doesn't look like what they expected.

    If you're not interested in really gaining muscle but more of toning up what you already have, would you eat over or under your TDEE? Muscle is muscle. It can't be toned. It doesn't look like fat until you lift weights to tone it. If you want to shed body fat to get smaller but reveal the muscle you do have, you eat at a deficit (the cut depends on how much you have to lose) and lift weights.

    Is exercise pointless for body comp when eating under your TDEE? Most of the time if you are trying to recomp, you will eat at maintenance and lift.

    If, as a woman, I wanted a firm and more lifted behind, would I eat over my TDEE to build up my glutes? If you want to gain muscle in your glutes, you would eat a surplus (and enough protein) and do lifts that engage those muscles to grow.
  • SymphonynSonata
    SymphonynSonata Posts: 533 Member
    Thank you!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,040 Member
    Over the past few days I've been reading on the forums about how you can't gain muscle while eating at a deficit. I could have very well misinterpreted this, but if not:

    What happens when you exercise but eat under your TDEE?
    That would be eating in calorie deficit. If you ate at TDEE you'd maintain, and if you eat over it (surplus), you'd gain weight.
    If you're not interested in really gaining muscle but more of toning up what you already have, would you eat over or under your TDEE?
    You eat up to your TDEE (maintenance).
    Is exercise pointless for body comp when eating under your TDEE?
    Depends on the exercise. Cardio alone doesn't help one retain lean muscle.
    If, as a woman, I wanted a firm and more lifted behind, would I eat over my TDEE to build up my glutes?
    Firming and "lifting" is conditioning the muscle and doesn't require a surplus.
    If you're trying to build muscle, do you need to eat back your exercise calories, and if so, do you still need to make sure you're not at a deficit? For example, if I burn, say, 500 calories, and at that point I had ate 1500 and my TDEE is 1600, do I need to eat that 500 back plus 100 and then some more to be OVER my TDEE?
    To build muscle you need to eat over your TDEE. Adding mass means adding weight. Adding weight means surplus is needed.
    Generally, how many calories over your TDEE do you need to eat to gain muscle?

    Thanks!
    Well a pound of pure lean muscle is about 600 calories. Now if it were only that simple. Whenever one adds muscle, adding fat is inevitable. Figure at the very least, if one added one pound of muscle, then 1/3 of a pound of fat would also be probably added.
    There's really no "set" approach since people are so different and train different, but trial and error helps. Maybe start with just 250 calories over TDEE.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    You're overthinking this. Eating under TDEE IS a deficit. Eat in a deficit, do a full body strength program, do cardio if you want to. That's it. Do those correctly and you'll get results that you like.
  • SymphonynSonata
    SymphonynSonata Posts: 533 Member
    Over the past few days I've been reading on the forums about how you can't gain muscle while eating at a deficit. I could have very well misinterpreted this, but if not:

    What happens when you exercise but eat under your TDEE?
    That would be eating in calorie deficit. If you ate at TDEE you'd maintain, and if you eat over it (surplus), you'd gain weight.
    If you're not interested in really gaining muscle but more of toning up what you already have, would you eat over or under your TDEE?
    You eat up to your TDEE (maintenance).
    Is exercise pointless for body comp when eating under your TDEE?
    Depends on the exercise. Cardio alone doesn't help one retain lean muscle.
    If, as a woman, I wanted a firm and more lifted behind, would I eat over my TDEE to build up my glutes?
    Firming and "lifting" is conditioning the muscle and doesn't require a surplus.
    If you're trying to build muscle, do you need to eat back your exercise calories, and if so, do you still need to make sure you're not at a deficit? For example, if I burn, say, 500 calories, and at that point I had ate 1500 and my TDEE is 1600, do I need to eat that 500 back plus 100 and then some more to be OVER my TDEE?
    To build muscle you need to eat over your TDEE. Adding mass means adding weight. Adding weight means surplus is needed.
    Generally, how many calories over your TDEE do you need to eat to gain muscle?

    Thanks!
    Well a pound of pure lean muscle is about 600 calories. Now if it were only that simple. Whenever one adds muscle, adding fat is inevitable. Figure at the very least, if one added one pound of muscle, then 1/3 of a pound of fat would also be probably added.
    There's really no "set" approach since people are so different and train different, but trial and error helps. Maybe start with just 250 calories over TDEE.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    Thank you so much! I really appreciate it! :)
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    You're overthinking this. Eating under TDEE IS a deficit. Eat in a deficit, do a full body strength program, do cardio if you want to. That's it. Do those correctly and you'll get results that you like.

    ^I agree with this simple tl;dr version :bigsmile:

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