Leaner bodies...

Elle408
Elle408 Posts: 500 Member
edited September 25 in Health and Weight Loss
Bit of a random question regarding both nutrition and fitness so figured this was the best forum.

I've read quite a bit about muscle being a better calorie burner, and the more muscle you have the better your metabolism is at dealing with calories and fat and that our ultimate goal as weight-lossers is to build muscle so that when we go in to maintenance, it will be harder to gain back the weight...

So, after all that... would you burn more calories at rest? If my fat body had a BMR of 1470, would my leaner body at the same weight with more muscle also have a BMR of 1470?

I only ask because I haven't lost any weight recently, but have been doing a lot of strength training and even though I do eat my exercise calories back I'm finding that i'm still weak and figured that my base pre-exercise calories may be too low? Would that be a legitimate reason or am I deluding myself so that I can eat more?

Replies

  • cgavin77
    cgavin77 Posts: 219
    Bump!
  • Amandac6772
    Amandac6772 Posts: 1,311 Member
    I've been lifting more lately and haven't lost anything so I'm curious about this too. Of coursemy eating hasn't been the best either :blushing:
  • hpsnickers1
    hpsnickers1 Posts: 2,783 Member
    Bump. My guess is yes you could eat more. But I'm curious on an experienced answer.

    I recently learned that the BMI number is completely bogus. You can have two people who weigh the same and have the same BMI. But one could have more body fat and less lean muscle than the other.
  • SaraTonin
    SaraTonin Posts: 551 Member
    Yes, your BMR does go up. MyFitnessPal tries to account for this by letting you eat your exercise calories. When you become an "active" person though instead of a "sedentary" person, you will want to change your settings in MFP to compensate the increased calorie expenditure.
  • meggonkgonk
    meggonkgonk Posts: 2,066 Member
    I don't know the answer, but I do know that I up my cals when I feel tired more than 2 days in a row (in conjunction with being really particular about my sleep)
  • skinnylizzard
    skinnylizzard Posts: 460 Member
    Have you been taking your measurements? Sometimes if you are gaining muscle your weight won't go down even though you are losing fat. This is because muscle is denser and weighs more that fat. Also, you need to make sure to be getting a fair bit of lean proteins for muscle growth.
  • wstidolph
    wstidolph Posts: 20
    I'd suggest valuing the strength training for its *fitness* benefits, because you really won't burn a ton more calories as a result of being more muscular: from what I read, the best recent estimates of the difference between a pound of fat and muscle is <20 cals/day. So yes, it affects the BMR but not a lot.

    For a short discussion, see http://exercise.about.com/od/exerciseworkouts/f/muscle.htm.
  • Elle408
    Elle408 Posts: 500 Member
    I recently just added two protein shakes a day for this very reason, but was fitting them in to my regular 1200cals. I just recently (today) upped my cals to 1400 to see if that helps with my exhaustion. i'm not particularly hungry, I just feel completely exhausted and lethargic and haven't felt like this on my whole weight loss journey which makes me think it's an exercise thing as this is the hardest i've ever worked out. (45ish mins of cardio and 20-30 mins of weight lifting) But like i said, I'm eating those exercise calories so don't see why I should be so tired if i'm eating back my exercise defecit.

    As for the sedentary to active levels... my general daily activity is the same, I have a sedentary job, at a desk for twelve hours a day so I don't think i'll ever be able to up my activity level to 'active.'

    And as for measurements... I seem to have lost an inch off each thigh (which i'm ecstatic about) and half an inch off each arm (which I didn't want, I want to make my arms bigger!) I can see the muscle so I know i'm gaining it, which is why i'm curious as to what my body is doing at rest. If i'm carrying more muscle, then am I burning more calories whilst doing my same sedentary desk job?
  • lowpost42
    lowpost42 Posts: 49
    I recently just added two protein shakes a day for this very reason, but was fitting them in to my regular 1200cals. I just recently (today) upped my cals to 1400 to see if that helps with my exhaustion. i'm not particularly hungry, I just feel completely exhausted and lethargic and haven't felt like this on my whole weight loss journey which makes me think it's an exercise thing as this is the hardest i've ever worked out. (45ish mins of cardio and 20-30 mins of weight lifting) But like i said, I'm eating those exercise calories so don't see why I should be so tired if i'm eating back my exercise defecit.

    As for the sedentary to active levels... my general daily activity is the same, I have a sedentary job, at a desk for twelve hours a day so I don't think i'll ever be able to up my activity level to 'active.'

    And as for measurements... I seem to have lost an inch off each thigh (which i'm ecstatic about) and half an inch off each arm (which I didn't want, I want to make my arms bigger!) I can see the muscle so I know i'm gaining it, which is why i'm curious as to what my body is doing at rest. If i'm carrying more muscle, then am I burning more calories whilst doing my same sedentary desk job?

    From a very basic standpoint the more lean mass you have the more calories you burn at rest. 190lbs - one at 25% BF and one at 15% BF - the latter will burn more calories.

    I've been curious lately about the same thing - I eat back my exercise calories, but often feel lethargic and tired (and cold). I wonder if I should be eating EXTRA calories to help the healing process that the weightlifting creates?
  • Teemo
    Teemo Posts: 338
    Bit of a random question regarding both nutrition and fitness so figured this was the best forum.

    I've read quite a bit about muscle being a better calorie burner, and the more muscle you have the better your metabolism is at dealing with calories and fat and that our ultimate goal as weight-lossers is to build muscle so that when we go in to maintenance, it will be harder to gain back the weight...

    So, after all that... would you burn more calories at rest? If my fat body had a BMR of 1470, would my leaner body at the same weight with more muscle also have a BMR of 1470?

    I only ask because I haven't lost any weight recently, but have been doing a lot of strength training and even though I do eat my exercise calories back I'm finding that i'm still weak and figured that my base pre-exercise calories may be too low? Would that be a legitimate reason or am I deluding myself so that I can eat more?

    It's possible that you aren't eating enough but, if correct, it's not for the reasons you suggested. Muscle IS a better "calorie burner" but that's more of a statement for motivational purposes than for any actual legitimate science... the amount of additional calories which muscle will consume are negligible. Generally you want more muscle because it's functional and because you look better with a decent amount of lean mass... especially if you're also losing weight/fat.

    It's the difference between losing "weight" and looking like Jillian Michaels and losing "weight" and looking like a prisoner-of-war.

    Are you -gaining- weight? Are you gaining -strength-? Are you gaining inches?
  • Elle408
    Elle408 Posts: 500 Member
    It's possible that you aren't eating enough but, if correct, it's not for the reasons you suggested. Muscle IS a better "calorie burner" but that's more of a statement for motivational purposes than for any actual legitimate science... the amount of additional calories which muscle will consume are negligible. Generally you want more muscle because it's functional and because you look better with a decent amount of lean mass... especially if you're also losing weight/fat.

    It's the difference between losing "weight" and looking like Jillian Michaels and losing "weight" and looking like a prisoner-of-war.

    Are you -gaining- weight? Are you gaining -strength-? Are you gaining inches?

    I figured as much about the negligible calories after a little reading (google is a wonderful thing.)

    I haven't weighed for a few weeks so can't answer that, I have lost a few inches and i've gained some strength. Bearing in mind i've only been doing this a week I'm lifting heavier already. i do love the strength training and would much rather look like Jillian Michaels, but i'm just confused as to how I can feel SO physically exhausted when I am eating my calories back and getting a good 100g of protein a day? Any insight would be helpful!
  • Teemo
    Teemo Posts: 338
    I figured as much about the negligible calories after a little reading (google is a wonderful thing.)

    I haven't weighed for a few weeks so can't answer that, I have lost a few inches and i've gained some strength. Bearing in mind i've only been doing this a week I'm lifting heavier already. i do love the strength training and would much rather look like Jillian Michaels, but i'm just confused as to how I can feel SO physically exhausted when I am eating my calories back and getting a good 100g of protein a day? Any insight would be helpful!

    Without knowing the specifics: strength training is physically and mentally taxing regardless of how much you eat. Eating less will result in your body being unable to replenish and repair muscle. You'll still be exhausted but your gym performance will also decline. Eating the right amount keeps your gym performance up since your muscles can repair but you'll still be exhausted.

    Eating MORE than you need won't make you "not tired" it'll just make you fat.

    I know this in part because I'm currently doing just that, lol. :bigsmile:

    :: pats his tummy ::
  • Kat120285
    Kat120285 Posts: 1,599 Member
    I'm currently on a round of P90X Plus and I also throw in extra cardio in the morning on weight days. My goal for the day before exercise is set at 1250, once I add exercise it goes to between 1850 to over 2000 some days. I'm getting more carbs these days and I know that has definitely helped with my energy. I lift heavy and don't plan on stopping upping my weights anytime soon haha. I hopped on the scale this morning and was down 3 pounds. I've lost a total of 5 pound since using MFP, which I started a little over 2 weeks ago.
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