Muscle Gain Offsetting Weight Loss

A lot have people have been saying on here that muscle doesn't offset weight loss but it doesn't make sense to me. It might not last very long but doesn't there have to be a period of time where your fat goes down and your muscle goes up? And consequently couldn't they balance out, if only briefly? It might be a seriously short time, I admit, but still... Please, explain.

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unknown

My traps blew up on my original 6 month transformation when I lost 35 lbs. Even over the last 3 months my total weight is down 7 lbs but my arms are each up 1/2 inch.

unknown

If only it were as simple to build these pounds of muscle mass as people try to make it seem on MFP.

unknown

DedRepublic wrote: »

My traps blew up on my original 6 month transformation when I lost 35 lbs. Even over the last 3 months my total weight is down 7 lbs but my arms are each up 1/2 inch.

Unfortunately anecdotes aren't evidence. There are lots of people who will swear up and down that they've put on mounds of muscle, but unless that person was part of science experiment that where scientific method was applied, then we're just going by word based on perception.

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unknown

My lowbrow explanation for the above is that muscle is denser than fat, thus harder to squeeze with the tape. It could be as simple as pulling the tape tighter around squishy fat than newly revealed muscle, which makes you think your arms are bigger as the fat comes off.

unknown

Yes some people can add some muscle in a small calorie deficit - it's well known and understood.
New to training, returning after a break, under-trained, genetically gifted, novel training stimulus or PEDs are the typical classifications.

So take a chubby young male beginner to weight lifting with adequate protein, a moderate calorie deficit, a good training regime - then they have a very good chance of adding some lean mass.

Take a fully trained lifter, low bodyfat and with years of training under their belt - chances are very, very small.

In the end what matters is that you train and eat appropriately and your results will be the best that you as an individual can achieve - which may well be that you simply preserve as much muscle mass as possible whilst losing fat.

unknown

DedRepublic wrote: »

Hornsby wrote: »

To build muscle, you need a calorie surplus. To lose fat, you need a calorie deficit. You don't do both at the same time.

Going to have to disagree with this...

I'm going to have to disagree with this as well, at least for me. A calorie surplus makes me gain fat. Lifting weights makes me build muscle.

I have certainly built muscle and lost fat on a calorie deficit, as long as I keep my protein daily average up while still in an overall calorie deficit.

The only thing a calorie surplus ever does for me is make my fat cells grow.

unknown

I'm fat. I'm losing weight consistently for the last few months. I've been exercising and I can feel myself getting stronger. I can go longer and faster than I could before. And I'm losing weight. Both at the same time. I have been running 500-1000 calorie deficit below what MFP tells me I can eat. So I suppose since I told it I wanted to lose 2 pounds a week (the most it would let me) maybe that means I'm actually at 1000-1500 deficit.

Maybe this wouldn't work for someone who's already in pretty good shape.

All I know (or really care about) is: I'm losing weight, I'm feeling stronger, and I feel great.

unknown

As far as body re-comp, it is possible because I've done it. That said, it's really slow and inefficient. Despite my best efforts, I felt like I was getting nowhere on both the weight loss and the muscle building for several months. I felt like I would die if I had to drink another protein shake.

Eventually, I looked in the mirror and realized something had happened. However, if I had to do it again I would focus on the weight loss first and then try to build up muscle.