I am very confused

Jayj180894
Jayj180894 Posts: 286 Member
edited November 22 in Fitness and Exercise
To lose fat you need to eat in a deficit. To gain muscle you need to eat more than maintenance? But when you see pictures of guys and girls on social media or anything of the likes, they have minimal fat and great muscles. To look like that would they of had to eat in a deficit to get the right percentage of fat, then had to over eat and gain wait to gain muscle, then shed the fat again??

Replies

  • Jayj180894
    Jayj180894 Posts: 286 Member
    7lenny7 wrote: »
    Looking at, and comparing yourself to "perfect" bodies on social media is a great way to frustrate yourself and lower your self image. Some work super hard to get that way, some have won the genetic lottery.

    I know and I don't. But all you ever see are the before and after photos. You never see in between where they have had to bulk and vis versa
  • PAristy
    PAristy Posts: 1 Member
    there are ways to lose weight and gain muscle at the same time but not without intense training and the right nutrition obviously. But its hard work, even harder than just loosing weight and it will all depends on what kind of body you really want and how much you want it. Just remember that the most important thing is to be heathy that should always be your goal.
  • peaceout_aly
    peaceout_aly Posts: 2,018 Member
    Jayj180894 wrote: »
    To lose fat you need to eat in a deficit. To gain muscle you need to eat more than maintenance? But when you see pictures of guys and girls on social media or anything of the likes, they have minimal fat and great muscles. To look like that would they of had to eat in a deficit to get the right percentage of fat, then had to over eat and gain wait to gain muscle, then shed the fat again??

    So the social media stars that you see are usually at peak performance and peak physique when they get the bulk of their photo shoots done. The majority of the time, this body type is not maintainable. Girls who are on stage at competition lean will tell you how difficult it is on your body, mindset and overall life. Check out BDawnFit (IG and Youtube)...she used to compete and then realized that it wasn't a healthy option to continue constantly competing.

    That being said, these people utilize their "off season" to bulk up. They gain minimal fat because they are most likely eating only very slightly above maintenance...not just hogging down any food they get their hands on. Even on their off season they still strictly track macros and meet a certain percentage of protein/carbs per day and it's usually timed around their work outs. Also note that in "bulking season" they are lifting heavier, increasing strength and reps, etc. not just maintaining their usual work out. They start to "cut" about 12 weeks out, sometimes more, from their competition and that's when they look ultra lean but also start losing their energy and ability to increase strength. Note that these people have gone through (probably) years of these cut and bulk phases to obtain these bodies that you see. Also, some may be using steroids or photo shop. Hard to tell these days.

    My biggest word of advice is to not compare your beginning to someone else's middle. I used to do that so bad - thinking that I would never be able to obtain that "goal" body...but just stay determined and keep going. You will get there!
  • Jayj180894
    Jayj180894 Posts: 286 Member
    When I first ever started the gym I added all fitness pages for motivation and all it did was make me feel bad. I try not to strive for someone elses body any more but it is hard not to compare. All you ever see is the before and now pictures. It makes it look easy as well with some of the captions they put up (12 week transformation) etc. I think the best thing I did was to start looking more at the gym instructors bodies, these are people who do fitness for a living and they all vary so much and all still have little wobbly bits that you never see on social media. It's not until you start your journey you realise how much affect these post can have on yours and other people's mental health! It would be so easy to get obsessed and go to extremes and not healthy ones to be like that
  • jondspen
    jondspen Posts: 253 Member
    edited October 2017
    If you read up on bodybuilder forums, they typically have at least a bulk phase and a lean/cut phase. Bulk they eat a lot, put on muscle, and put on some fat. Then right before a competition, they go into the lean/cut phase where they cut back, keeping most of the muscle gains ( but eating a little into muscle mass to fuel workouts) and eating up their fat stores so they look ripped and cut. Think of it as 2 steps forward, then 1 step back on their total muscle mass.

    Oh...btw...just so you know, don't believe everything you read or see on the internet. Ever hear of Photoshop?
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    Jayj180894 wrote: »
    To lose fat you need to eat in a deficit. To gain muscle you need to eat more than maintenance? But when you see pictures of guys and girls on social media or anything of the likes, they have minimal fat and great muscles. To look like that would they of had to eat in a deficit to get the right percentage of fat, then had to over eat and gain wait to gain muscle, then shed the fat again??

    Yup.. they run several bulk/cut cycles.

    Well there are obviously ones on social media that may have a little "help".. but the typical ones I've seen are transformation photos over the course of many years.. the before - usually before they started lifting, cardio only, low calories, very skinny or high bodyfat etc. Then the after which is the physique that took them years to build through several bulk/cut cycles with heavy lifting. If it says "12 week transformation" and it looks too good too be true, it probably is.

    I have similar photos I post from time to time, mostly to show what can be achieved with hard work, consistency and dedication, but also to show also how long it takes to get there. Years and years...
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
    You can actually gain some muscle while eating at a deficit, it is just harder to do.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    edited October 2017
    Jayj180894 wrote: »
    To lose fat you need to eat in a deficit.
    Not that absolute - certainly the quickest way. But you can also gain muscle and lose fat without losing weight.
    To gain muscle you need to eat more than maintenance?
    Nope. You need to provide a stimulus for growth and support that with an adequate diet.
    Gaining muscle in a surplus is easier and may well be quicker. May be helpful but not a "need."
    But when you see pictures of guys and girls on social media or anything of the likes, they have minimal fat and great muscles. To look like that would they of had to eat in a deficit to get the right percentage of fat, then had to over eat and gain wait to gain muscle, then shed the fat again??
    Some/many will have done cut and bulk cycles.
    Some would never have been too fat in the first place, they may have simply trained hard and eaten at maintenance levels.
    Some would have built up from skinny to muscular.
    Some would have come down from muscular but overweight.
    Some might have had more than a little pharmaceutical assistance.

    PS - be very critical of before/after pictures where someone is trying to sell you a supplement or a routine.
    Check the timeline, the lighting (high contrast gives nice definition), check the tan (funny how people seem to get a sun tan along with their muscle!), check the posture (check for sucking in or pushing out stomachs too) etc. etc.

  • STEVE142142
    STEVE142142 Posts: 867 Member
    If you're talking about ads on social media I read an interesting article. Some of these models have genetics that allow them to gain weight and they take before the before picture and then they workout and take the after picture.

    Yes they did it but it's the way their genetics allow them to do it. everybody is different. don't try to judge yourself by someone else's standards they're not realistic and a lot of times they're very self-defeating.
  • Jayj180894
    Jayj180894 Posts: 286 Member
    Cheers guys!! Very interesting. I wasn't talking about the ads per say mainly about the profiles or fitness profiles where they put up many before anf afters of totally different people just for motivation :smile:
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
    Jayj180894 wrote: »
    Cheers guys!! Very interesting. I wasn't talking about the ads per say mainly about the profiles or fitness profiles where they put up many before anf afters of totally different people just for motivation :smile:

    Even less likely to be real.

    But you did give the answer. Search here for recomp to see what people go through an decide if it is what you want. It takes time and hard work, with many bulk and cut cycles.
  • SonyaCele
    SonyaCele Posts: 2,841 Member
    Jayj180894 wrote: »
    Cheers guys!! Very interesting. I wasn't talking about the ads per say mainly about the profiles or fitness profiles where they put up many before anf afters of totally different people just for motivation :smile:

    i don't know why everyone keeps saying "Fake" It is very possible with a proper diet and exercise program to achieve these before and after results. I see it all day long at the gyms i train in. I know what these girls look like when they come in and i see what they look like after 6 months, or a year later. Its very real. It takes time and dedication, but it is absolutely possible. And its awesome watching the transformations.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    SonyaCele wrote: »
    Jayj180894 wrote: »
    Cheers guys!! Very interesting. I wasn't talking about the ads per say mainly about the profiles or fitness profiles where they put up many before anf afters of totally different people just for motivation :smile:

    i don't know why everyone keeps saying "Fake" It is very possible with a proper diet and exercise program to achieve these before and after results. I see it all day long at the gyms i train in. I know what these girls look like when they come in and i see what they look like after 6 months, or a year later. Its very real. It takes time and dedication, but it is absolutely possible. And its awesome watching the transformations.

    They are saying fake because there are a lot of fake profiles out there or fake pics.some have been photoshopped as well. you see the proof before your eyes which is different. seeing a pic doesnt mean thats how the person actually looks. or if the muscles are real.heck a lot of pics on the internet and magazines are photoshopped to even things out,get rid of imperfections and so on. even playboy edited their photos

  • jmackkk
    jmackkk Posts: 37 Member
    Eat a lot + lift heavy and often = muscle mass
    Eat a little + cardio/cal burn = fat loss

    When you build muscle generally you build fat too. And when you cut/loose weight you generally loose a bit of muscle. There are exceptions to everything. And you can loose weight and build muscle its just more difficult than focusing on one or the other.
  • jmackkk
    jmackkk Posts: 37 Member
    And dont forget editing, air brushing, make up, shading to creat better definition etc. a lot of those folks who model train for a specific shoot or event and get lean for that even. Other times of the year they dont look anything like that lol
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