Strength training on a calorie deficit?
ehaleyhoward2778
Posts: 49 Member
Can anybody give me some good advice here, I've read a lot of different opinions on this and not too sure what to believe.
Should I still be on a calorie deficit while upping my strength training alot?
My stats:
Female 22 years
5'5 124lbs
Body fat- 25%? (according to the caliper)
Active outside job
Walk an average of 15000 steps a day
Burn around 2400 calories a day (at least according to my Fitbit)
Was doing various body weight and HI cardio daily but just started bodybuildings Ripped Remix which is 5 days a week for 4 weeks of 1 hour long (instense in my opinion) strength training.
The 2 rest days it calls for I plan on still walking a lot and maybe some light jogging.
I eat around 1480-1650 calories a day, (Fitbit always gives me about 400 extra at the end of the day but I rarely dip into that) sometimes a little more if I'm still hungry but never more than 1800 a day.
I aim for 120-130 grams of protein,160-180 carbs, and 45-55g fat and usually hit them. On non training days I usually eat a little more fat and less carbs.
Lost 9lbs in the last 3 months eating around 1400 calories a day but not doing as much weight training. I recently upped my calories and lifting.
My goal:
I want to lose fat and gain lean muscle. 25%bf is a lot higher than I want though I'm not sure how accurate a caliper is.
So should I stay in this deficit while I'm doing this Ripped Remix thing? My fear is that if I up my calories to what I'm supposedly burning a day I'll put the pounds back on.
So is it possible to successfully stay in a deficit while gaining muscle
And does my calorie burn that Fitbit gives me seem accurate for my size and activity level?
Thanks for the help!
Should I still be on a calorie deficit while upping my strength training alot?
My stats:
Female 22 years
5'5 124lbs
Body fat- 25%? (according to the caliper)
Active outside job
Walk an average of 15000 steps a day
Burn around 2400 calories a day (at least according to my Fitbit)
Was doing various body weight and HI cardio daily but just started bodybuildings Ripped Remix which is 5 days a week for 4 weeks of 1 hour long (instense in my opinion) strength training.
The 2 rest days it calls for I plan on still walking a lot and maybe some light jogging.
I eat around 1480-1650 calories a day, (Fitbit always gives me about 400 extra at the end of the day but I rarely dip into that) sometimes a little more if I'm still hungry but never more than 1800 a day.
I aim for 120-130 grams of protein,160-180 carbs, and 45-55g fat and usually hit them. On non training days I usually eat a little more fat and less carbs.
Lost 9lbs in the last 3 months eating around 1400 calories a day but not doing as much weight training. I recently upped my calories and lifting.
My goal:
I want to lose fat and gain lean muscle. 25%bf is a lot higher than I want though I'm not sure how accurate a caliper is.
So should I stay in this deficit while I'm doing this Ripped Remix thing? My fear is that if I up my calories to what I'm supposedly burning a day I'll put the pounds back on.
So is it possible to successfully stay in a deficit while gaining muscle
And does my calorie burn that Fitbit gives me seem accurate for my size and activity level?
Thanks for the help!
0
Replies
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Also I forgot to add I eat pretty clean now,
Most carbs are from fruits and vegetables
Protein comes mainly from Whey isolate, lean meats and fish, farm fresh eggs, pb2, light cheese, Greek yogurt...
Fats-center cut bacon, avacado, nuts, cheese...
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If you want to reduce body fat then stay in a small deficit. Eat, train, and sleep...and win. Why are you concerned with doing a strength program while on a deficit...you'll get stronger...at minimum you will preserve lean mass...you might even build some lean mass...
Don't worry about whether or not you can or can't put on lean mass in a deficit...who cares really...just eat, train, and sleep and the rest of it all falls into place over time...you'll certainly be doing better for yourself than if you were doing no resistance training at all. Just go train and see where it takes you.6 -
You won't gain muscle while on a calorie deficit except for some slight newbie gains at the beginning. However, you will lose fat while maintaining muscle mass which will lower your body fat percentage.
To build muscle you need to be at a calorie surplus, in other words, gaining weight.
What I might suggest, if body recomposition is your main goal, is to eat closer to maintenance calories (around -250 calories per day) and keep lifting progressively heavier weights. It's a much slower process than the usual bulk and cut cycles but you will replace fat with muscle over time.0 -
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You won't gain muscle while on a calorie deficit except for some slight newbie gains at the beginning. However, you will lose fat while maintaining muscle mass which will lower your body fat percentage.
To build muscle you need to be at a calorie surplus, in other words, gaining weight.
What I might suggest, if body recomposition is your main goal, is to eat closer to maintenance calories (around -250 calories per day) and keep lifting progressively heavier weights. It's a much slower process than the usual bulk and cut cycles but you will replace fat with muscle over time.
I agree with this advice... to a point. Your caloric intake is pretty low for your stats and you're already a healthy weight. I'd leave the deficit somewhere around 100-150 calories (just to account for logging discrepancies). Recomping implies eating at maintenance.
Your Fitbit calories sound pretty spot on.
You should be prepared, when increasing calories, for some scale rebound, but that's not fat regain. You'll have more food in your system, more waste, more glycogen. Don't sweat it.
When you start the new training program, that will also cause the scale to jump. That's won't be fat gain either.
Both of those scale jumps will be temporary.
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If you want to lose weight - yes.Should I still be on a calorie deficit while upping my strength training a lot?
If you don't - no.
If you want to maintain and recomp - then eat at maintenance.
Best way to judge your actual deficit is by rate of loss over time not gadgets and calculations. Your 9lbs in 3 months is nice and slow but if your routine has changed of course you need to find your new levels.
Strength training is a good thing when losing, gaining or maintaining, why wouldn't you?
Why be afraid of gaining weight? The same maths that have resulted in your current slow rate of loss don't suddenly stop applying if you add some calories.
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ehaleyhoward2778 wrote: »
Also does this seem to be somewhere around 25%bf?
In the area, probably a touch more but not much.0 -
I feel like when people say they want to "gain muscle," they're not always being completely clear about their goal, which leads to some conflicting advice. Is your goal to get stronger? To have larger muscles that literally take up more physical space? To end up with a smaller/tighter body? To have more visible muscles? To have a lower BF%?
Most of those things don't necessarily require you to be adding more muscle tissue, or at least not right away, and most of them can be achieved while in a deficit. (Really, I think the only scenario where "definitely not in a deficit" is 100% the right answer would be if you wanted to end up with a body that takes up more space and is larger than what you have now). Based on your more specific goals, you may or may not want to be in a deficit right now.2 -
I feel like when people say they want to "gain muscle," they're not always being completely clear about their goal, which leads to some conflicting advice. Is your goal to get stronger? To have larger muscles that literally take up more physical space? To end up with a smaller/tighter body? To have more visible muscles? To have a lower BF%?
Most of those things don't necessarily require you to be adding more muscle tissue, or at least not right away, and most of them can be achieved while in a deficit. (Really, I think the only scenario where "definitely not in a deficit" is 100% the right answer would be if you wanted to end up with a body that takes up more space and is larger than what you have now). Based on your more specific goals, you may or may not want to be in a deficit right now.
Good question, sorry I wasn't more clear.
I'd like to be visibly more toned, and lose body fat down to say 18% or less which I know will take some time but I consider myself pretty dedicated I just want to make sure I'm on the right track. Mainly would like to have tighter and leaner thighs and stomach/obliques but I know you can't spot reduce.
And I know I shouldn't be real focused on the scale but eventually would like to get down around 115lbs.0 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »You won't gain muscle while on a calorie deficit except for some slight newbie gains at the beginning. However, you will lose fat while maintaining muscle mass which will lower your body fat percentage.
To build muscle you need to be at a calorie surplus, in other words, gaining weight.
What I might suggest, if body recomposition is your main goal, is to eat closer to maintenance calories (around -250 calories per day) and keep lifting progressively heavier weights. It's a much slower process than the usual bulk and cut cycles but you will replace fat with muscle over time.
I agree with this advice... to a point. Your caloric intake is pretty low for your stats and you're already a healthy weight. I'd leave the deficit somewhere around 100-150 calories (just to account for logging discrepancies). Recomping implies eating at maintenance.
Your Fitbit calories sound pretty spot on.
You should be prepared, when increasing calories, for some scale rebound, but that's not fat regain. You'll have more food in your system, more waste, more glycogen. Don't sweat it.
When you start the new training program, that will also cause the scale to jump. That's won't be fat gain either.
Both of those scale jumps will be temporary.
I love the thought of getting to eat more food but most days I feel like I'm pretty filled up staying below 1800 calories, if I eat anymore most days I'd probably be forcing it in the late evening to hit my target. Maybe once or twice every couple weeks my boyfriend and I go out to eat and while still logging everything might go a little over 1800 but that's usually not the case because if I know we're going out I usually save up calories by eating less during the day.
So should I still work at upping them to the 100-150 deficit even if I'm not usually hungry past my usual intake?
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ehaleyhoward2778 wrote: »I feel like when people say they want to "gain muscle," they're not always being completely clear about their goal, which leads to some conflicting advice. Is your goal to get stronger? To have larger muscles that literally take up more physical space? To end up with a smaller/tighter body? To have more visible muscles? To have a lower BF%?
Most of those things don't necessarily require you to be adding more muscle tissue, or at least not right away, and most of them can be achieved while in a deficit. (Really, I think the only scenario where "definitely not in a deficit" is 100% the right answer would be if you wanted to end up with a body that takes up more space and is larger than what you have now). Based on your more specific goals, you may or may not want to be in a deficit right now.
Good question, sorry I wasn't more clear.
I'd like to be visibly more toned, and lose body fat down to say 18% or less which I know will take some time but I consider myself pretty dedicated I just want to make sure I'm on the right track. Mainly would like to have tighter and leaner thighs and stomach/obliques but I know you can't spot reduce.
And I know I shouldn't be real focused on the scale but eventually would like to get down around 115lbs.
What you're looking for will be attained by strength training at a deficit. You'll recomposition your body and the lower body fat will reveal the muscle- making you look "toned" and "tighter".
And yep- your BF- visually at least- seems to be about what your calipers are telling you. Keep in mind, body fat on women is generally higher, and looks different, than dudes. Sounds like you're on track.
Also, eating into late evening, even up to 30 seconds before you go to sleep, is A-ok if it's in your target and doesn't disrupt your ability to sleep.0 -
ehaleyhoward2778 wrote: »GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »You won't gain muscle while on a calorie deficit except for some slight newbie gains at the beginning. However, you will lose fat while maintaining muscle mass which will lower your body fat percentage.
To build muscle you need to be at a calorie surplus, in other words, gaining weight.
What I might suggest, if body recomposition is your main goal, is to eat closer to maintenance calories (around -250 calories per day) and keep lifting progressively heavier weights. It's a much slower process than the usual bulk and cut cycles but you will replace fat with muscle over time.
I agree with this advice... to a point. Your caloric intake is pretty low for your stats and you're already a healthy weight. I'd leave the deficit somewhere around 100-150 calories (just to account for logging discrepancies). Recomping implies eating at maintenance.
Your Fitbit calories sound pretty spot on.
You should be prepared, when increasing calories, for some scale rebound, but that's not fat regain. You'll have more food in your system, more waste, more glycogen. Don't sweat it.
When you start the new training program, that will also cause the scale to jump. That's won't be fat gain either.
Both of those scale jumps will be temporary.
I love the thought of getting to eat more food but most days I feel like I'm pretty filled up staying below 1800 calories, if I eat anymore most days I'd probably be forcing it in the late evening to hit my target. Maybe once or twice every couple weeks my boyfriend and I go out to eat and while still logging everything might go a little over 1800 but that's usually not the case because if I know we're going out I usually save up calories by eating less during the day.
So should I still work at upping them to the 100-150 deficit even if I'm not usually hungry past my usual intake?
Try eating more calorie dense foods if the volume you're eating is filling you up.
Since you want to take yourself down to a really low BMI, I guess the 250 deficit would be your best shot.
Saying that, you still should up your calories! When you eat them doesn't matter. Eating right before bed is just fine.0 -
You need to check out the Recomp thread:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat/p1
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ehaleyhoward2778 wrote: »GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »You won't gain muscle while on a calorie deficit except for some slight newbie gains at the beginning. However, you will lose fat while maintaining muscle mass which will lower your body fat percentage.
To build muscle you need to be at a calorie surplus, in other words, gaining weight.
What I might suggest, if body recomposition is your main goal, is to eat closer to maintenance calories (around -250 calories per day) and keep lifting progressively heavier weights. It's a much slower process than the usual bulk and cut cycles but you will replace fat with muscle over time.
I agree with this advice... to a point. Your caloric intake is pretty low for your stats and you're already a healthy weight. I'd leave the deficit somewhere around 100-150 calories (just to account for logging discrepancies). Recomping implies eating at maintenance.
Your Fitbit calories sound pretty spot on.
You should be prepared, when increasing calories, for some scale rebound, but that's not fat regain. You'll have more food in your system, more waste, more glycogen. Don't sweat it.
When you start the new training program, that will also cause the scale to jump. That's won't be fat gain either.
Both of those scale jumps will be temporary.
I love the thought of getting to eat more food but most days I feel like I'm pretty filled up staying below 1800 calories, if I eat anymore most days I'd probably be forcing it in the late evening to hit my target. Maybe once or twice every couple weeks my boyfriend and I go out to eat and while still logging everything might go a little over 1800 but that's usually not the case because if I know we're going out I usually save up calories by eating less during the day.
So should I still work at upping them to the 100-150 deficit even if I'm not usually hungry past my usual intake?
There are easy ways to add more calories without adding more food, per say. Stay away from anything that's labeled as "light" or low calorie. Add more fat to what you're eating: butter or olive oil on veggies, creamy dressings on salads, etc. Add cheese. Drink calories in the form of whole juice, smoothies and shakes. A handful of nuts has 150-180 calories and doesn't take up much room. If you're in the habit of eating salads, adding cheese and nuts will add more calories without much extra bulk.0 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »ehaleyhoward2778 wrote: »GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »You won't gain muscle while on a calorie deficit except for some slight newbie gains at the beginning. However, you will lose fat while maintaining muscle mass which will lower your body fat percentage.
To build muscle you need to be at a calorie surplus, in other words, gaining weight.
What I might suggest, if body recomposition is your main goal, is to eat closer to maintenance calories (around -250 calories per day) and keep lifting progressively heavier weights. It's a much slower process than the usual bulk and cut cycles but you will replace fat with muscle over time.
I agree with this advice... to a point. Your caloric intake is pretty low for your stats and you're already a healthy weight. I'd leave the deficit somewhere around 100-150 calories (just to account for logging discrepancies). Recomping implies eating at maintenance.
Your Fitbit calories sound pretty spot on.
You should be prepared, when increasing calories, for some scale rebound, but that's not fat regain. You'll have more food in your system, more waste, more glycogen. Don't sweat it.
When you start the new training program, that will also cause the scale to jump. That's won't be fat gain either.
Both of those scale jumps will be temporary.
I love the thought of getting to eat more food but most days I feel like I'm pretty filled up staying below 1800 calories, if I eat anymore most days I'd probably be forcing it in the late evening to hit my target. Maybe once or twice every couple weeks my boyfriend and I go out to eat and while still logging everything might go a little over 1800 but that's usually not the case because if I know we're going out I usually save up calories by eating less during the day.
So should I still work at upping them to the 100-150 deficit even if I'm not usually hungry past my usual intake?
Try eating more calorie dense foods if the volume you're eating is filling you up.
Since you want to take yourself down to a really low BMI, I guess the 250 deficit would be your best shot.
Saying that, you still should up your calories! When you eat them doesn't matter. Eating right before bed is just fine.
So if I don't eat enough calories and my deficit is too large what exactly would happen? Would the muscles I already have be used up as energy? Why would my body not just dump into its fat stores or the carbs I had been eating that day for energy? Sorry if that's a dumb question, just trying to understand.
It just doesn't feel right to be eating 2000 calories or more for me, maybe because the healthy food I've been eating is far more satisfying than the empty calorie junk I used to put in my body.0 -
If you under-eat by a lot every once in awhile it's not a big deal. Do it on a regular basis, however, and your body starts to "worry" that you're in a starvation situation. It wants to conserve your fat stores as much as it can, in case the situation goes on for a long time, so it goes after lean muscle mass instead. Weight lifting helps that because you're actually using your muscles which signals to your body that you need them. However, it'll ignore that as time goes on if the situation continues. Remember, it's looking at your long-term survival prospects. It doesn't know that you're doing it to yourself voluntarily.1
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You need to check out the Recomp thread:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat/p1
+1 for this.
At your current weight/bodyfat, a recomp would probably be idea. The scale isn't the ideal measuring device...
I'll just leave this here:
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If you under-eat by a lot every once in awhile it's not a big deal. Do it on a regular basis, however, and your body starts to "worry" that you're in a starvation situation. It wants to conserve your fat stores as much as it can, in case the situation goes on for a long time, so it goes after lean muscle mass instead. Weight lifting helps that because you're actually using your muscles which signals to your body that you need them. However, it'll ignore that as time goes on if the situation continues. Remember, it's looking at your long-term survival prospects. It doesn't know that you're doing it to yourself voluntarily.
I don't think I'm undereating by a lot, but say I bounce around from a 250cal deficit some days to a 500 cal deficit others.. is this ok? Or should I really work at getting it to a 250 deficit or less since I'm trying to recomp. The days I'm at closer to a 500 cal deficit I'm still hitting macros, 40/40/20 or 40/35/25 (carbs, protein,fat) I'm just physically stuffed and would have to force myself to eat more. I just assume stay in the slightly larger deficit that night because I don't like making myself feel that full.
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colors_fade wrote: »You need to check out the Recomp thread:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat/p1
+1 for this.
At your current weight/bodyfat, a recomp would probably be idea. The scale isn't the ideal measuring device...
I'll just leave this here:
That's great! I've started a recomp, though besides the thread I haven't found much other useful info on it. I'll keep looking!
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I used to eat to maintenance on lifting days. Before I fell off the wagon I was moving around a fair amount of weight. I would feel sluggish without enough fuel in the tank. This is an option instead of upping calories all around.
But even though I was eating at a deficit I could see changes. I was pumped to run a small bulk this winter but I'm taking night classes right now and I'm either there or doing homework instead of at the gym, so I'll be back to the deficit grind when class is over unfortunately.1 -
ehaleyhoward2778 wrote: »GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »ehaleyhoward2778 wrote: »GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »You won't gain muscle while on a calorie deficit except for some slight newbie gains at the beginning. However, you will lose fat while maintaining muscle mass which will lower your body fat percentage.
To build muscle you need to be at a calorie surplus, in other words, gaining weight.
What I might suggest, if body recomposition is your main goal, is to eat closer to maintenance calories (around -250 calories per day) and keep lifting progressively heavier weights. It's a much slower process than the usual bulk and cut cycles but you will replace fat with muscle over time.
I agree with this advice... to a point. Your caloric intake is pretty low for your stats and you're already a healthy weight. I'd leave the deficit somewhere around 100-150 calories (just to account for logging discrepancies). Recomping implies eating at maintenance.
Your Fitbit calories sound pretty spot on.
You should be prepared, when increasing calories, for some scale rebound, but that's not fat regain. You'll have more food in your system, more waste, more glycogen. Don't sweat it.
When you start the new training program, that will also cause the scale to jump. That's won't be fat gain either.
Both of those scale jumps will be temporary.
I love the thought of getting to eat more food but most days I feel like I'm pretty filled up staying below 1800 calories, if I eat anymore most days I'd probably be forcing it in the late evening to hit my target. Maybe once or twice every couple weeks my boyfriend and I go out to eat and while still logging everything might go a little over 1800 but that's usually not the case because if I know we're going out I usually save up calories by eating less during the day.
So should I still work at upping them to the 100-150 deficit even if I'm not usually hungry past my usual intake?
Try eating more calorie dense foods if the volume you're eating is filling you up.
Since you want to take yourself down to a really low BMI, I guess the 250 deficit would be your best shot.
Saying that, you still should up your calories! When you eat them doesn't matter. Eating right before bed is just fine.
So if I don't eat enough calories and my deficit is too large what exactly would happen? Would the muscles I already have be used up as energy? Why would my body not just dump into its fat stores or the carbs I had been eating that day for energy? Sorry if that's a dumb question, just trying to understand.
It just doesn't feel right to be eating 2000 calories or more for me, maybe because the healthy food I've been eating is far more satisfying than the empty calorie junk I used to put in my body.
That's not a dumb question.
The leaner you get, the less body-fat you have in storage to be used as a fuel substrate. And so when you're in an energy deficit (which by definition means your body will consume stored energy) your body will make up that deficit in whatever way it can. Without adequate fat storage it may pull from lean tissue.
This is also why large deficits become more problematic as you become leaner. Creating a larger deficit means that more stored tissue becomes used for energy. When you have excess body-fat this isn't as much of an issue in a physiological sense (faster fat loss if the person can keep up with the diet).
But back to your original post: Given what you said about how you feel about your diet (satiety seems good), and given your goal to get leaner, I wouldn't have an issue with you being in a small to moderate deficit and I think I'd prefer this over a recomp for most people in your situation.2 -
ehaleyhoward2778 wrote: »So if I don't eat enough calories and my deficit is too large what exactly would happen?
what happened to me was i got tired and just didn't have the strength when i went to the gym, so as far as actual strength training went i was just spinning my wheels.
ymmv as i was 49 at the time, but fwiw. don't quote me on the physiology of this but iirc your muscles can't do much if they don't have access to energy. when i was eating only 1200 calories/day, i just didn't have enough of it immediately available (from food in the bloodstream and/or already stored in the tissues). maybe my body was trying to break into the fat stores to help, but that needs a conversion process first and i don't think your metabolism works quickly enough to keep up with demand through that route.1 -
canadianlbs wrote: »ehaleyhoward2778 wrote: »So if I don't eat enough calories and my deficit is too large what exactly would happen?
what happened to me was i got tired and just didn't have the strength when i went to the gym, so as far as actual strength training went i was just spinning my wheels.
ymmv as i was 49 at the time, but fwiw. don't quote me on the physiology of this but iirc your muscles can't do much if they don't have access to energy. when i was eating only 1200 calories/day, i just didn't have enough of it immediately available (from food in the bloodstream and/or already stored in the tissues). maybe my body was trying to break into the fat stores to help, but that needs a conversion process first and i don't think your metabolism works quickly enough to keep up with demand through that route.
Thanks for your input. I'm guessing since I'm never staying in that much of a deficit (I would be starving if I was working out AND only eating 1200 cal) I don't have to worry too much about lack of energy. Ive got my goal set at a 250 cal deficit and after adding my Fitbit adjustment at the end of the day I'm usually a little closer to a 400 cal deficit unless I start shoving food in my mouth before bed to catch up. I'm planning on sticking to the 250 deficit goal every day but if I wind up under maintenance by 4-500 some days I guess I shouldn't sweat it since I usually have plenty of energy for my morning workouts.
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ehaleyhoward2778 wrote: »Thanks for your input. I'm guessing since I'm never staying in that much of a deficit (I would be starving if I was working out AND only eating 1200 cal) I don't have to worry too much about lack of energy. Ive got my goal set at a 250 cal deficit and after adding my Fitbit adjustment at the end of the day I'm usually a little closer to a 400 cal deficit unless I start shoving food in my mouth before bed to catch up. I'm planning on sticking to the 250 deficit goal every day but if I wind up under maintenance by 4-500 some days I guess I shouldn't sweat it since I usually have plenty of energy for my morning workouts.
In my experience, this is the best option. Keep the deficit small and consistent. The change takes more time, but it's worth it, IMO, because you'll retain most, if not all, of your lean muscle mass. You'll end up with the aesthetic you want.
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You won't gain muscle while on a calorie deficit except for some slight newbie gains at the beginning. However, you will lose fat while maintaining muscle mass which will lower your body fat percentage.
To build muscle you need to be at a calorie surplus, in other words, gaining weight.
What I might suggest, if body recomposition is your main goal, is to eat closer to maintenance calories (around -250 calories per day) and keep lifting progressively heavier weights. It's a much slower process than the usual bulk and cut cycles but you will replace fat with muscle over time.
But why? The body burns fat for energy needs while in a deficit. Why does that mean it can't put on muscle mass if one is consistently working out muscle groups?0 -
mommarnurse wrote: »You won't gain muscle while on a calorie deficit except for some slight newbie gains at the beginning. However, you will lose fat while maintaining muscle mass which will lower your body fat percentage.
To build muscle you need to be at a calorie surplus, in other words, gaining weight.
What I might suggest, if body recomposition is your main goal, is to eat closer to maintenance calories (around -250 calories per day) and keep lifting progressively heavier weights. It's a much slower process than the usual bulk and cut cycles but you will replace fat with muscle over time.
But why? The body burns fat for energy needs while in a deficit. Why does that mean it can't put on muscle mass if one is consistently working out muscle groups?
Well first of all it's still possible to gain muscle in a deficit, but it becomes more difficult for a few reasons:
Muscle growth is essentially the difference between muscle protein synthesis and muscle protein breakdown.
During prolonged negative energy balance, muscle protein breakdown goes up.
There is a hypothetical limit to the amount of body-fat that can be used to make up the energy deficit and from a practical standpoint it makes sense (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15615615)
The more experienced a trainee is with resistance training, the more difficult it becomes to gain skeletal muscle (diminishing returns essentially -- for new trainees it's much easier to gain muscle)
Taking all of these things in combination we can see that an experienced lean athlete eating in a large energy deficit is very unlikely to gain lean mass while dieting.
Conversely, a new and overweight trainee eating in a moderate energy deficit is very likely to gain lean mass in a deficit.
That's some context anyway.3
This discussion has been closed.
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