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Can You Gain Muscle and Lose Weight At The Same Time?

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This is a ubiquitous question that is asked, and there seems to be no definite answer. Can you gain muscle while you are losing weight? The best way to determine this is to look at the fundamentals of muscle growth and weight loss. First off, weight is gained or lost according to your caloric intake. A caloric excess will cause you to gain weight, while a caloric deficit will make you lose it. Muscle is won or lost according to your caloric intake as well. Generally, muscle is gained as a result of an excess of calories in your diet, and the muscle growth results are furthered with an effective strength training program.

Is It Possible to Achieve Both At The Same Time?

The simple answer to this question is no; it is not generally possible to lose weight and gain muscle at the same time. You will need to have an excess of calories in your diet to be able to build muscle. If you want to make things complicated, it is possible to say that you could achieve both at the same time. For instance, muscle growth is not an overnight process, and you may have a zig-zag diet plan that causes a caloric deficit on some days, but you still notice overall weight loss and muscle growth results.

There are some ways that you can defy the statement that you cannot lose weight and build muscle at the same time. However, the science behind both of these processes goes to show that you will not be able to achieve both with noticeable results. So, to be realistic, it is believed that this is not possible. An individual should look to gain a bit of weight when putting on muscle, and then lose the weight afterward. If weight loss is the top priority, then you may lose some and try to maintain as much muscle mass before putting on more weight to gain more muscle.

The Beginners Exception

There is one exception to this general rule, and that is when a beginner starts with dieting and working out. The idea is that those that are new to weightlifting will notice some beginner gains, which occur at a much more effective rate than they do for experienced lifters. These gains may last for a few weeks, months, or even for the first year or two. At first, it will be especially noticeable if you are losing weight and gaining muscle at the same time. Eventually, this will come to an end, though, and you will no longer be able to achieve the two. This is why many are suggested to put on as much as size as possible during the first few months as their natural results are better on average during this time.

This is a question that will continue to be asked, and there will always be people looking to provide a witty answer. However, there is a lot of misinformation on the subject, and you cannot take everyone’s response at face value. With that being said, there are certain situations where muscle growth and weight loss may co-occur, but these two are typically impossible to achieve at any detectable level at the same time.