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Increase muscle to lose weight..?

ecle5c Posts: 1,312 Joined: 2003/07/10	2007/01/24, 05:23 PM I was reading a few threads today and a question came to mind that I've been pondering over for a while now. We all know that the more muscle you have in your body the more calories your body burns per day. In order to gain muscle you have to eat more calories than are necessary to maintain current weight/fat levels. By increasing calories you inevitably will increase fat levels at least a little. So when people say that lifting weights builds muscles which help burn calories thus helping you lose weight this sounds very contradictory to me. If you bulk up and gain muscle, then go to your maintenance calories (adjusted for increased weight) you wouldn't necessarily lose weight. Thoughts, opinions, etc. Obviously I'm overanalyzing this entire situation. I personally just eat and lift and eat but am curious from a theory perspective.
SFGiantsMVP Posts: 1,533 Joined: 2005/12/04	2007/01/24, 06:35 PM This is for the newbie to gain and burn and after that point you can do 1 of 3 Maintain, Gain or Lose without gain. For me I'm at a point where I don't like where I'm at, lean but IMO not strong enough so I'm taking the approach of slowly add more calories while gaining strength and watching my BF at the same time and as I progress so will my calories. I have just over came a few plateaus in strength gains through harder training and the results are that I have been getting stronger but also need more food. The harder you push yourself the more your body cries out for nutrients therefore I believe that it's once you past that newbie stage and want more strength but too keep your bf in low teens your diet is most important. I want to stay lean and gain more strength and I can't push myself as hard on a 2250 calorie day as I can on a 2450 and as I get stronger I'm sure the calories will go up again. Newbie stage has gone by for me so for me it's not a Bulk I'm on but a Progressive Gains. -------------- Knock-Um Down & Keep-Um Down!
wrestler125 Posts: 4,619 Joined: 2004/01/27	2007/01/24, 07:29 PM This is something we tell people that are afraid of building muscle and are concerned with losing "weight". Weight is a terrible term. The studies are out that muscle mass does raise resting metabolic rate (BMR) and weight lifting with short rest intervals may be one of the most effective ways to raise post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC, raising metabolism PWO). However, yes, it would be a bad idea for most people to go on a bulking diet in an effort to lose weight in the long run. However, this does not mean that weightlifting should be avoided while losing weight. Besides that, someone that has not trained with weights before CAN not only but is probably likely to build some muscle while losing weight. -------------- Gravity hates you. Enter the Darkside.
Velasca Posts: 441 Joined: 2006/10/26	2007/01/24, 11:31 PM Im slowly catching on to this concept myself...with many here trying to beat this into my head Im slowly submitting...its not easy to get past the popular *myths* and misconceptions....ive read other posts here about this concept and other online articles etc...now if i could just be consistant it would only just get better..
conan_0822 Posts: 441 Joined: 2006/11/23	2007/01/25, 01:20 AM Velasca, the # of posts you've made in the short time you've been here tells me that you will do what it takes eventually :)
Velasca Posts: 441 Joined: 2006/10/26	2007/01/25, 06:01 AM ty conan :) Im trying...
ecle5c Posts: 1,312 Joined: 2003/07/10	2007/01/25, 08:35 AM Thanks guys, that's what I was thinking also just needed to hear it I guess.