it is probably not "muscle"

ndj1979
ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
edited November 14 in Health and Weight Loss
Going to lay this one out there, because lately it seems like I am seeing this one a lot and it makes my head hurt.

It usually goes a little something like this…

OP comes into thread and says they are not losing and are on a 1200 calorie diet and are doing 30 minutes a day of "exercise", which does not involve a lifting program where one progressively lifts heavier weights.
Posters come into the thread and say "oh, you are just gaining muscle"

Sigh, I am sorry but a 1200 calories diet and doing a 30 minute a day cardio based program that MAY have some resistance training built into it, you are not gaining muscle.

Can you build muscle in a calorie deficit? Yes, you can but it is usually limited to two populations…

1. The obese beginner that starts out and is doing weight training where they lift progressively heavier things.
2. High performance athletes.

For the 90% of the rest of us we are not going to build muscle in a deficit.

Building muscle is hard work, and the fact that some think that it will just magically appear on a 1200 to 1400 calorie diet drives me crazy.
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Replies

  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    69610a5aa6c18765750144ecb56a8464140386a909c5d63f6b70f8176f6b9fc1.jpg
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    Teen boys...you forgot teen boys

    And total newbies to progressive weight training

    Ya know in the funky voodoo section
  • SrJoben
    SrJoben Posts: 484 Member
    edited March 2015
    Word.

    This drives me nuts when people explain a few pounds of rapid scale weight change as gained muscle. It doesn't work like that. Muscle builds sloooooooowly.



    edit: High performance atheletes can't build muscle on a deficit either. o_O
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    In for actual science
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    SrJoben wrote: »
    Word.

    This drives me nuts when people explain a few pounds of rapid scale weight change as gained muscle. It doesn't work like that. Muscle builds sloooooooowly.

    seriously …I ran a bulk from October to February and gained ten pounds and it was not easy. And of that tend pounds, I am guessing that only above 5 of it was muscle; I am assuming a 1:1 ratio
  • barbecuesauce
    barbecuesauce Posts: 1,771 Member
    And if 1200 isn't the right calorie level for you, you're probably going to lose strength/muscle. Found that out the hard way.
  • riffraff2112
    riffraff2112 Posts: 1,756 Member
    I hear ya. I gained almost immediately but I was pretty huge (fat) to begin with and had a genetic predisposition to be thick.
    It takes years of work to gain muscle and I agree 100% with ya. Definitely a misconception that needs to go away.
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
    edited March 2015
    So glad to see this cleared up. Of course if they're only eating 1200 calories, they need to eat more to lose weight, right? :trollface:

  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    So glad to see this cleared up. Of course if they're only eating 1200 calories, they need to eat more to lose weight, right?

    i guess it depends on the person, stats, etc….

    1200 can work for some..

    I know I would be a miserable, hungry, SOB if I did it….
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    So glad to see this cleared up. Of course if they're only eating 1200 calories, they need to eat more to lose weight, right?

    i guess it depends on the person, stats, etc….

    1200 can work for some..

    I know I would be a miserable, hungry, SOB if I did it….

    I was being a smarta$$. I'm stuck with 1200. I'm old and short, though. The eating more to lose is the other advice that's given when people gain. Because starvation mode.

  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    So glad to see this cleared up. Of course if they're only eating 1200 calories, they need to eat more to lose weight, right?

    i guess it depends on the person, stats, etc….

    1200 can work for some..

    I know I would be a miserable, hungry, SOB if I did it….

    I was being a smarta$$. I'm stuck with 1200. I'm old and short, though. The eating more to lose is the other advice that's given when people gain. Because starvation mode.

    sorry, I missed that …LOL

  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,088 Member
    Love this thread !! Wish everyone would read this !!
  • TCO76
    TCO76 Posts: 242 Member
    But what if one just tracks their cals? Surely then they will build muscle....

    Or lotza creatinz......
  • This content has been removed.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    MrM27 wrote: »
    TCO76 wrote: »
    But what if one just tracks their cals? Surely then they will build muscle....

    Or lotza creatinz......

    Huh?

    i read that as sarcasm ...
  • eric_sg61
    eric_sg61 Posts: 2,925 Member
    In B4
    "But I only want long, lean muscle not bulky muscle"
    "I get bulky really easily"
    "I am on the StairClimber 5 days a week and my legs are getting HUUUGE"
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    eric_sg61 wrote: »
    In B4
    "But I only want long, lean muscle not bulky muscle"
    "I get bulky really easily"
    "I am on the StairClimber 5 days a week and my legs are getting HUUUGE"

    Lol

    Yes all this too....
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    some woman argued with me one day when she said she was doing the brazilian buttlift and was gaining new muscles in her glutes that werent there before(eating at a deficit) and she knows it was new muscle because she could tell by how it felt. oy vey
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    some woman argued with me one day when she said she was doing the brazilian buttlift and was gaining new muscles in her glutes that werent there before(eating at a deficit) and she knows it was new muscle because she could tell by how it felt. oy vey

    That is when you request in person inspection
  • Spedangie
    Spedangie Posts: 108 Member
    SO true. You do not gain significant "Muscle weight" just because you are exercising (mainly aerobic activity) on a regular basis. And you simply cannot attribute weight gain to "oh it's muscle gain" because you have been using machines or free weights for a couple of weeks. It just doesn't work that way.
  • HeySwoleSister
    HeySwoleSister Posts: 1,938 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    Going to lay this one out there, because lately it seems like I am seeing this one a lot and it makes my head hurt.

    It usually goes a little something like this…

    OP comes into thread and says they are not losing and are on a 1200 calorie diet and are doing 30 minutes a day of "exercise", which does not involve a lifting program where one progressively lifts heavier weights.
    Posters come into the thread and say "oh, you are just gaining muscle"

    Sigh, I am sorry but a 1200 calories diet and doing a 30 minute a day cardio based program that MAY have some resistance training built into it, you are not gaining muscle.

    Can you build muscle in a calorie deficit? Yes, you can but it is usually limited to two populations…

    1. The obese beginner that starts out and is doing weight training where they lift progressively heavier things.
    2. High performance athletes.

    For the 90% of the rest of us we are not going to build muscle in a deficit.

    Building muscle is hard work, and the fact that some think that it will just magically appear on a 1200 to 1400 calorie diet drives me crazy.

    It's likely water gain for a new workout regime.

    Also, if I may...I love your hair. Is that your natural color?
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    EWJLang wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    Going to lay this one out there, because lately it seems like I am seeing this one a lot and it makes my head hurt.

    It usually goes a little something like this…

    OP comes into thread and says they are not losing and are on a 1200 calorie diet and are doing 30 minutes a day of "exercise", which does not involve a lifting program where one progressively lifts heavier weights.
    Posters come into the thread and say "oh, you are just gaining muscle"

    Sigh, I am sorry but a 1200 calories diet and doing a 30 minute a day cardio based program that MAY have some resistance training built into it, you are not gaining muscle.

    Can you build muscle in a calorie deficit? Yes, you can but it is usually limited to two populations…

    1. The obese beginner that starts out and is doing weight training where they lift progressively heavier things.
    2. High performance athletes.

    For the 90% of the rest of us we are not going to build muscle in a deficit.

    Building muscle is hard work, and the fact that some think that it will just magically appear on a 1200 to 1400 calorie diet drives me crazy.

    It's likely water gain for a new workout regime.

    Also, if I may...I love your hair. Is that your natural color?

    Lol

    Yes,but it only comes out once a year for st pattys day run...weird, I know, my dr can't figure it out
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    some woman argued with me one day when she said she was doing the brazilian buttlift and was gaining new muscles in her glutes that werent there before(eating at a deficit) and she knows it was new muscle because she could tell by how it felt. oy vey

    That is when you request in person inspection
    I didnt know this person personally and she doesnt live anywhere near me, but being female myself i dont want to see or inspect any other womans glutes lol
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
    I'm sure it doesn't help that this is on the check-in page where you enter your weight and measurements:
    Taking your measurements can be an even better gauge of your progress because when you burn fat and build heavier muscle, your weight may not change or even increase even though your body is tighter and smaller.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    I also love the muscle weighs more than fat so you must be putting on a decent amount of muscle if you are gaining weight spiel(all the while the person has been in a deficit for awhile)
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    some woman argued with me one day when she said she was doing the brazilian buttlift and was gaining new muscles in her glutes that werent there before(eating at a deficit) and she knows it was new muscle because she could tell by how it felt. oy vey

    Lol. The pump comes on strong when you start targeting glutes. I started Strong Curves in a cut and noticed it. Plus it tends to stick around between workouts because you mindlessly start flexing your glutes more.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    I'm sure it doesn't help that this is on the check-in page where you enter your weight and measurements:
    Taking your measurements can be an even better gauge of your progress because when you burn fat and build heavier muscle, your weight may not change or even increase even though your body is tighter and smaller.

    Really mfp???? Wow!
  • scottacular
    scottacular Posts: 597 Member
    This common sense thread is getting saved to my bookmarks so I can retreat to it when I'm overwhelmed by all the bro-science and BS (same thing I guess) on here.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    jemhh wrote: »
    some woman argued with me one day when she said she was doing the brazilian buttlift and was gaining new muscles in her glutes that werent there before(eating at a deficit) and she knows it was new muscle because she could tell by how it felt. oy vey

    Lol. The pump comes on strong when you start targeting glutes. I started Strong Curves in a cut and noticed it. Plus it tends to stick around between workouts because you mindlessly start flexing your glutes more.

    In...for glute flexing
  • Actually, if you want to play the probability game, they probably are in your category #1 and sedentary and obese, and probably are building a little bit of muscle, because even 30 mins of exercise is significant for a previously sedentary obese person. They are also probably not weighing their food and are probably not really on 1200 calories, but more like 1600-2200 calories. But, all in all, they are actually in a good space, a sedentary new exerciser building a small amount of muscle and not gaining weight, maybe just encourage them to start lifting and weigh their food?
This discussion has been closed.