Is it necessary for me to have a caloric deficit?

AnAwesomeWave2014
AnAwesomeWave2014 Posts: 2
in Health and Weight Loss
I am not too concerned with weight loss, I mostly want to get stronger and more toned. Is it still necessary for me to have a caloric deficit?

I'm just getting a little confused because I do want to lose fat, and also want to gain muscle, but don't want to lose too much weight.

Thanks a lot for helping this newb out!

Replies

  • SGSmallman
    SGSmallman Posts: 193 Member
    If your aim is to gain muscle in most cases you're going to gain weight. If you can disassociate weight on the scale to equal weight then you will be ok, weight doesn't mean someone is healthy or unhealthy.

    To lose weight be in a caloric deficit
    To gain weight be in a small surplus.

    if you do either slowly it minimises fat gain when in a surplus and muscle loss when in a deficit.

    In this picture each women weighs 154 pounds but look completely different it all depends on the amound of body fat, muscle you have plus other factors
    All-these-women-weigh-154-pounds.-We-all-carry-weight-differently.-Keep-it-in-perspective.jpg
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    I am not too concerned with weight loss, I mostly want to get stronger and more toned. Is it still necessary for me to have a caloric deficit?

    I'm just getting a little confused because I do want to lose fat, and also want to gain muscle, but don't want to lose too much weight.

    Thanks a lot for helping this newb out!

    you can do recomp at maintenance. To look more 'toned' a small deficit might help.
  • AnAwesomeWave2014
    AnAwesomeWave2014 Posts: 2
    So to gain muscle, I must gain weight and therefore need at least a small caloric surplus? Or would maintenance be enough? Would a small deficit hurt muscle gain?
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    Do you want to have more muscle tissue or just be stronger and look more muscular? Only building more muscle tissue requires a surplus. You can get strong and have more defined muscles without gaining muscle tissue. Most women don't easily build muscle tissue.
  • shapefitter
    shapefitter Posts: 900 Member
    Welcome to MFP! There are groups for women who lift, on MFP. I suggest you check them out for correct advice. Good luck :)
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    Eating at maintenance while lifting will get you toned.
  • terbusha
    terbusha Posts: 1,483 Member
    If you don't want to lose weight, then you don't want to eat at a calorie deficit. Log your food and figure out at which calorie level you maintain your weight at. If you continue to exercise hard and eat at this level, you'll get more lean and toned while maintaining your weight.

    Allan
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    You can eat at maintenance and don't eat the exercise calories back from lifting (they're minimal anyway) and create a very slight deficit that way. Then you'll slowly cut fat while retaining most LBM.
  • Vincisomethng
    Vincisomethng Posts: 149 Member
    I'm guessing with the build up of muscles, you'll gain weight. If you're not looking to lose weight, don't have a calorie deficit, or at the very most, a very slight one. Iif you don't want to gain a lot, there are some TDEE and BMI (remember, your BMI is your basal metabolic rate- pretty much how many calories your body would burn if you were in a coma) calculators online you can calculate to eat at a maintenance.

    I did insanity one and a half times before switching to PiYo. I didn't switch because insanity didn't work- on the contrary. It worked- my bottom half (waist down) and my face is more defined than what I started with, but due to genetics, it would be a while before my midsection would see some changes and I was also reaching a low BMI. I also wanted to start doing more strength stuff than cardio. So I switched to PiYo for strength and flexibility to continue to lose fat, but also gain muscle so I could gain a bit more weight.

    If I can find it, I'll link it, but someone gained weight in her after photo and someone else weighed the same as before, but both showed results.

    Also, is your username an Alt-J reference?
  • Vincisomethng
    Vincisomethng Posts: 149 Member
    I'm guessing with the build up of muscles, you'll gain weight. If you're not looking to lose weight, don't have a calorie deficit, or at the very most, a very slight one. Iif you don't want to gain a lot, there are some TDEE and BMI (remember, your BMI is your basal metabolic rate- pretty much how many calories your body would burn if you were in a coma) calculators online you can calculate to eat at a maintenance.

    I did insanity one and a half times before switching to PiYo. I didn't switch because insanity didn't work- on the contrary. It worked- my bottom half (waist down) and my face is more defined than what I started with, but due to genetics, it would be a while before my midsection would see some changes and I was also reaching a low BMI. I also wanted to start doing more strength stuff than cardio. So I switched to PiYo for strength and flexibility to continue to lose fat, but also gain muscle so I could gain a bit more weight.

    If I can find it, I'll link it, but someone gained weight in her after photo and someone else weighed the same as before, but both showed results.

    Also, is your username an Alt-J reference?

    Or American Psycho?
  • Cait_Sidhe
    Cait_Sidhe Posts: 3,150 Member
    I am not too concerned with weight loss, I mostly want to get stronger and more toned. Is it still necessary for me to have a caloric deficit?

    I'm just getting a little confused because I do want to lose fat, and also want to gain muscle, but don't want to lose too much weight.

    Thanks a lot for helping this newb out!
    The only way to gain muscle is to eat at a surplus. Unfortunately this means you will also gain fat.This is why bodybuilders go on bulk/cut cycles. You can maintain the muscle you have while losing fat while eating at a slight deficit if you strength train and keep your protein relatively high.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    I'm guessing with the build up of muscles, you'll gain weight. If you're not looking to lose weight, don't have a calorie deficit, or at the very most, a very slight one. Iif you don't want to gain a lot, there are some TDEE and BMI (remember, your BMI is your basal metabolic rate- pretty much how many calories your body would burn if you were in a coma) calculators online you can calculate to eat at a maintenance.

    I did insanity one and a half times before switching to PiYo. I didn't switch because insanity didn't work- on the contrary. It worked- my bottom half (waist down) and my face is more defined than what I started with, but due to genetics, it would be a while before my midsection would see some changes and I was also reaching a low BMI. I also wanted to start doing more strength stuff than cardio. So I switched to PiYo for strength and flexibility to continue to lose fat, but also gain muscle so I could gain a bit more weight.

    If I can find it, I'll link it, but someone gained weight in her after photo and someone else weighed the same as before, but both showed results.

    Also, is your username an Alt-J reference?

    I think that you have BMI and BMR confused. BMI stands for Body Mass Indicator. BMR is your Basal Metabolic Rate. Calculators will give you very different numbers if you swap them.
  • logg1e
    logg1e Posts: 1,208 Member
    Do you want to have more muscle tissue or just be stronger and look more muscular? Only building more muscle tissue requires a surplus. You can get strong and have more defined muscles without gaining muscle tissue. Most women don't easily build muscle tissue.

    I'm unsure about the middle bit. How do you gain strength without gaining muscle tissue?
  • Cait_Sidhe
    Cait_Sidhe Posts: 3,150 Member
    Do you want to have more muscle tissue or just be stronger and look more muscular? Only building more muscle tissue requires a surplus. You can get strong and have more defined muscles without gaining muscle tissue. Most women don't easily build muscle tissue.

    I'm unsure about the middle bit. How do you gain strength without gaining muscle tissue?
    Actually this is a thing. It's how people gain strength while on a deficit. It has to do with the CNS system and neuromuscular strength.
  • logg1e
    logg1e Posts: 1,208 Member
    That does sound interesting. How do the muscles get stronger if not by gaining more mass? Is it hypertrophy? I haven't got my head around this yet.

    ETA - ah, no, reading my references shows that hypertrophy does increase mass.

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