Gaining muscle

vicccrose
vicccrose Posts: 3 Member
edited November 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
Hey everyone! I'm new to MFP but was wondering if anyone could help me out! I am recovering from ACL reconstruction and have worked for a while now to build a lot of muscle but now I am trying to lose some weight that I gained after surgery (only about 5-8kgs). Will it affect my muscle mass and ability to build muscle if I reduce my caloric intake to 1200 per day !?

Replies

  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    Yes
  • vicccrose
    vicccrose Posts: 3 Member
    Hi @DavPul can you elaborate or suggest what I should do instead?
  • IsaackGMOON
    IsaackGMOON Posts: 3,358 Member
    edited July 2015
    vicccrose wrote: »
    Hi @DavPul can you elaborate or suggest what I should do instead?
    Building muscle while consuming 1200 calories is going to be hard as you are consuming such a small amount of calories. This restricts the availability of more macronutrients, which leads to very minimal muscle gains (if any).
    ____________________________________________

    Generally speaking, to gain muscle, you need to eat in a caloric surplus. This means you eat more calories than you need to maintain your weight (more than your TDEE).

    People generally go for a +250 calorie surplus per day (0.5lb gain per week) or a +500 calorie surplus per week (1lb gain per week). Also, you'll need to have a structured lifting program which has a progressive overload, some beginner programs are;
    • New Rules of Lifting For Women
    • Strong Curves
    • ICF 5x5
    • Stronglifts 5x5

    Regarding nutrition, you want to make sure you are fueling your body with what it needs to build muscle.
    • 0.6-0.8g of protein per lb of body mass (I advise 0.8g)
    • 0.4-0.45g of fat per lb of body mass
    • Fill rest of your calories with carbs

    TL;DR

    You're not going to lose fat and gain muscle while eating 1200 calories. You'll just lose weight. Eat in a surplus, lift heavy things and put them down.
  • vicccrose
    vicccrose Posts: 3 Member
    Thanks so much @IsaackGMOON that was really detailed. I have a really good weight training program and do some advanced lifting, but thanks for your nutrition recommendations I will use them!
  • PumpJockeyy
    PumpJockeyy Posts: 98 Member
    If you're eating an adequate amount of protein (around 1g per lb of body weight lets say) and take the weight loss slowly there's no reason you shouldn't be able to hold onto most (if not all) the muscle you've gained. I wouldn't count of gaining any muscle while in a caloric deficit though. Focusing on keeping your strength and even getting stronger while dieting is important as well (in my opinion)
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    vicccrose wrote: »
    Hi @DavPul can you elaborate or suggest what I should do instead?

    What Isaack said. I'll add that if you do want to los weight/fat, then eating in a deficit is a you'll need to do, just be aware that you won't be gaining muscle at the same time. Prioritize losing or gaining and eat accordingly
  • Cass2025
    Cass2025 Posts: 82 Member
    I had the same injury tore it my acl twice its a pain and will be very frustrating but to maintain your muscle you are going to have to keep up with weights, do cardio and eat at a deficit its the only way it will work and thats what has worked for me :) good luck on your journey
  • IsaackGMOON
    IsaackGMOON Posts: 3,358 Member
    Cass2025 wrote: »
    I had the same injury tore it my acl twice its a pain and will be very frustrating but to maintain your muscle you are going to have to keep up with weights, do cardio and eat at a deficit its the only way it will work and thats what has worked for me :) good luck on your journey

    Eat in a deficit to preserve muscle?
  • cbrook29
    cbrook29 Posts: 57 Member
    It is possible to lose weight and gain muscle. I do progressive overload (been increasing volume and weight in micro increments ). My body fat % decreased but my weight stayed the same even though I was a caloric deficit. I simply went hard in the gym to stimulate my muscles (hypertrophy).
  • cbrook29
    cbrook29 Posts: 57 Member
    Make sure you eat adequately and include strength training and cardio IMHO. I personally would not go lower than 20% lower than your basal metabolic rate. Everybody's body is different so I don't know if 1200 calories puts you just under maintence. Just advice.
  • cbrook29
    cbrook29 Posts: 57 Member
    By "lose weight" I meant lose fat. Clarification.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    cbrook29 wrote: »
    It is possible to lose weight and gain muscle. I do progressive overload (been increasing volume and weight in micro increments ). My body fat % decreased but my weight stayed the same even though I was a caloric deficit. I simply went hard in the gym to stimulate my muscles (hypertrophy).

    Must be nice
  • Cass2025
    Cass2025 Posts: 82 Member
    edited July 2015
    IsaackGMOON wrote: »
    Cass2025 wrote: »
    I had the same injury tore it my acl twice its a pain and will be very frustrating but to maintain your muscle you are going to have to keep up with weights, do cardio and eat at a deficit its the only way it will work and thats what has worked for me :) good luck on your journey

    Eat in a deficit to preserve muscle?

    Yes you can.. Just need to go hard in the gym lift weights, i lift 6 days a week and do cardio 3 days plus keep macros on track! You need to make sure you are getting the right nutrients carbs/fats/proteins (MACROS) You can lose fat and build muscle eating at a deficit, I'm not saying starve yourself but a little under each day...you might not lose "weight/lbs" on the scale but you will lose fat...
  • IsaackGMOON
    IsaackGMOON Posts: 3,358 Member
    Cass2025 wrote: »
    IsaackGMOON wrote: »
    Cass2025 wrote: »
    I had the same injury tore it my acl twice its a pain and will be very frustrating but to maintain your muscle you are going to have to keep up with weights, do cardio and eat at a deficit its the only way it will work and thats what has worked for me :) good luck on your journey

    Eat in a deficit to preserve muscle?

    Yes it is very possible :) Just need to go hard in the gym lift weights, i lift 6 days a week and do cardio 3 days plus keep macros on track! You can lose fat and build muscle eating at a deficit, I'm not saying starve yourself but a little under each day...

    Generally, if you're wanting to preserve muscle... you don't eat in a deficit lol. Even with lifting weights in a deficit, you're still going to lose some muscle mass. This can be reduced by lifting heavy.

    How are you so sure you are gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time?
  • Cass2025
    Cass2025 Posts: 82 Member
    edited July 2015
    This is exactly why I usually dont comment in forums I know because I have lost fat % and gained muscle.... by doing that...as long as you are getting your macros..... read this http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/fat_loss_muscle_gain_trick.htm should answer your questions... have a great day :)
  • IsaackGMOON
    IsaackGMOON Posts: 3,358 Member
    Cass2025 wrote: »
    This is exactly why I usually dont comment in forums I know because I have lost fat % and gained muscle.... by doing that...as long as you are getting your macros..... read this http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/fat_loss_muscle_gain_trick.htm should answer your questions... have a great day :)

    Didn't really answer my questions at all but ok
  • thesupremeforce
    thesupremeforce Posts: 1,206 Member
    cbrook29 wrote: »
    It is possible to lose weight and gain muscle. I do progressive overload (been increasing volume and weight in micro increments ). My body fat % decreased but my weight stayed the same even though I was a caloric deficit. I simply went hard in the gym to stimulate my muscles (hypertrophy).

    You said that your weight stayed the same. How does that equate to losing weight and gaining muscle? You also weren't in a caloric deficit if your weight stayed the same. That's called maintenance, and is completely different than building muscle while losing weight.
  • cajuntank
    cajuntank Posts: 924 Member
    edited July 2015
    IsaackGMOON wrote: »
    Cass2025 wrote: »
    This is exactly why I usually dont comment in forums I know because I have lost fat % and gained muscle.... by doing that...as long as you are getting your macros..... read this http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/fat_loss_muscle_gain_trick.htm should answer your questions... have a great day :)

    Didn't really answer my questions at all but ok

    The link she provides basically tries to espouse the benefits of cyclical dieting, although the evidence the author she link's to, provides really only one trial out of the five listed that might or might not be beneficial as the others are for obese individuals.
    Lyle McDonald gets into this very heavily.
    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/adding-muscle-while-losing-fat-qa.html/
    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/calorie-partitioning-part-1.html/
    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/calorie-partitioning-part-2.html/

    In the end, running this complex diet and training protocol does show you can build muscle and lose fat "at the same time" but what is not really told, is the amount of muscle built for a normal individual during this time, which turns out to be somewhat minimal. This is why you typically see people running cut and bulk phases, as those are more optimal environments to lose fat and build muscle, respectively.


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