Fat loss and muscle loss when losing weight..
Discussion
Just wondered if anyone knows... How does the body work with respects to burning fat or muscle when you are on a deficit? When you start to feel hungry does it eat into your muscle or your fat stores?
I want to make sure that as I'm doing my cardio/weights that any drops in weight are only due to fat loss and not muscle loss.
Yes I understand that you should do HIIT or lifting to ensure you maintain muscle. and eat enough protein. How does this compare to a day where I decide to do some cardio on an empty stomach? Would this be more efficient at burning the fat? Or will this eat into muscle too? Or does it not matter too much and just eat/exercise whenever as long as there is still a deficit.
I haven't lifted since the friday before last and have noticed about 4-5lbs drop. Which makes me wonder if all of that is fat, or all muscle or a combination.
I want to make sure that as I'm doing my cardio/weights that any drops in weight are only due to fat loss and not muscle loss.
Yes I understand that you should do HIIT or lifting to ensure you maintain muscle. and eat enough protein. How does this compare to a day where I decide to do some cardio on an empty stomach? Would this be more efficient at burning the fat? Or will this eat into muscle too? Or does it not matter too much and just eat/exercise whenever as long as there is still a deficit.
I haven't lifted since the friday before last and have noticed about 4-5lbs drop. Which makes me wonder if all of that is fat, or all muscle or a combination.
The 4/5lbms will most likely be p*ss and sh*t. Sorry.
My understanding is you'll either gain weight, fat and muscle, or lose weight, fat and muscle. The trick is to get massive, as in muscles, then quickly strip the fat by high intensity cardio and eating really clean. But a 'cut' has to be quick and committed.
I don't think it makes any difference when you eat. Food takes an age to get through you - although some advocate eating protein before lifting as your muscles are more receptive.
Personally, I don't think it makes a blind bit of difference.
My understanding is you'll either gain weight, fat and muscle, or lose weight, fat and muscle. The trick is to get massive, as in muscles, then quickly strip the fat by high intensity cardio and eating really clean. But a 'cut' has to be quick and committed.
I don't think it makes any difference when you eat. Food takes an age to get through you - although some advocate eating protein before lifting as your muscles are more receptive.
Personally, I don't think it makes a blind bit of difference.
You can easily lose fat while building muscle. You just have to get an@l with your food intake and calorie expendature, macro-nutrients and meal timing. I've done it and I've had other people do it, no problem.
Anyway, it's a good question and I'm not sure anyone would know the exact answer because each person deals with calorie excess and deficiency differently... and that's before you factor in exercise types, lifestyle, macro-nutrients, mental state, stress, drugs etc.
However, you're only going to burn fat when you've run out of glycogen (carbs from the OP pov), but it's never a digital switch-over. And you're only going to burn protein (muscle from the OP pov) when you run out of fat, but it's never a digital switch-over either. i.e. in both cases you're generally going to be burning what is available at various genetically preferred storage sites in your body. It's also dependant on what you were doing, how hard, for how long and what you have eaten before or after exercise.
It's just an open question that really, by the time you've found a half definitive answer, you might as well have plucked a strategy and tried it out on yourself to see what happens.
I'd say find out what you BMR is. Work out how many calories above the 7-9% minimum you have stored as fat. Estimate how much glycogen you have available. Create a diet and exercise rountine based around your findings so that you're slightly in calorie deficit after each exercise, but not in protein deficit. Eat the right fats and right carbs at the right times...
...discover that this dominates your waking life.
Anyway, it's a good question and I'm not sure anyone would know the exact answer because each person deals with calorie excess and deficiency differently... and that's before you factor in exercise types, lifestyle, macro-nutrients, mental state, stress, drugs etc.
However, you're only going to burn fat when you've run out of glycogen (carbs from the OP pov), but it's never a digital switch-over. And you're only going to burn protein (muscle from the OP pov) when you run out of fat, but it's never a digital switch-over either. i.e. in both cases you're generally going to be burning what is available at various genetically preferred storage sites in your body. It's also dependant on what you were doing, how hard, for how long and what you have eaten before or after exercise.
It's just an open question that really, by the time you've found a half definitive answer, you might as well have plucked a strategy and tried it out on yourself to see what happens.
I'd say find out what you BMR is. Work out how many calories above the 7-9% minimum you have stored as fat. Estimate how much glycogen you have available. Create a diet and exercise rountine based around your findings so that you're slightly in calorie deficit after each exercise, but not in protein deficit. Eat the right fats and right carbs at the right times...
...discover that this dominates your waking life.
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