contribution of excess calories

[imported_fliptight]

i do understand the very simple concept that reduction of calorie intake in relation to expenditure results in weight loss.

likewise, increase of calories in take results in weight gain.

however my understanding is incomplete on how these processes directly affect the gain of the two main components of weight gain: muscle gain and fat gain

fat: ok, a person starts gaining weight mostly in fat when he is simply eating excess calories with a ratio of fat intake that is higher than his body is able to naturally burn due this sedentary lifestyle.

likewise, a person who maintains his current body fat level is a result of his intake currently just replenishing any fat he currently burned off for the day.

is this correct?

so my questions are (i guess)

how does excess calories (along with weight training) contribute to the increase lean muscle mass?

what exactly is happening with the lucky people who are able to both maintain or even REDUCE body fat while at the same time increasing weight through muscle mass? excess calories is required still?

i take it that the diet has to be extremely low in fat that you are able to burn actual fat off through exercise, yet still eat enough excess calories that do not replenish the stores of fat themselves, but instead contribute to weight gain through MUSCLE?

long post i know, but if someone can clarify this, my nutrition ponderings will be fulfilled =D

 

[bugpowder]

you're covering a lot of territory, so i'm not sure how to respond.

without resistance training, consuming more calories than you burn leads to an increase in fat. this is true regardless of the "ratio of fat intake." protein, carbs (except fiber) and fat can all used for energy (which is why they can be expressed in kilocalories/gram). fats are just more calorie dense (9 kcal/g versus 4kcal/g).

with aerobic exercise, the same holds true. the only difference is that you are burning more calories, so you can also consume more before acheiving a net excess. you also gain cardiovascular benefits.

proper resistance training triggers protein synthesis, thereby consuming dietary protein. dietary carbs help prevent protein being burned as fuel (and hence available for producing muscle). (appropriate) carbs and fats are also important for health.

it may help to pose a more direct question.

-bug

 

[bluze]

There is no simple answer to your question or we'd all be doing it. A lot of it has to do with what was mentioned above (protein synthesis to build more muscle=more lbm). Some of it has to do with partitioning. Some people are fortunate that more of their calories go towards building muscle and some people have more that go towards fat storage. And a lot of this has to do with your diet (how clean it is and what's the optimum number of calories over maintenance that works best for you).

 

[DrPhil]

Quote[/b] (fliptight @ May 31 2004,6:50)]i do understand the very simple concept that reduction of calorie intake in relation to expenditure results in weight loss.
likewise, increase of calories in take results in weight gain.
however my understanding is incomplete on how these processes directly affect the gain of the two main components of weight gain: muscle gain and fat gain
fat: ok, a person starts gaining weight mostly in fat when he is simply eating excess calories with a ratio of fat intake that is higher than his body is able to naturally burn due this sedentary lifestyle.
likewise, a person who maintains his current body fat level is a result of his intake currently just replenishing any fat he currently burned off for the day.
is this correct?
so my questions are (i guess)
how does excess calories (along with weight training) contribute to the increase lean muscle mass?
what exactly is happening with the lucky people who are able to both maintain or even REDUCE body fat while at the same time increasing weight through muscle mass? excess calories is required still?
i take it that the diet has to be extremely low in fat that you are able to burn actual fat off through exercise, yet still eat enough excess calories that do not replenish the stores of fat themselves, but instead contribute to weight gain through MUSCLE?
long post i know, but if someone can clarify this, my nutrition ponderings will be fulfilled =D

All excercise (lifting weights) really do is to increase the ratio of excess calories going to lean tissue. If you were to overeat without working out, some of that extra energy would go to muscle building as well, just a lot less.

Building muscle is energy-demanding. Your body is not going to do that at will if you are taking in less energy than you are using, even with heavy drug use that would be hard to achieve.

 

[semajes]

I've never met anyone, who had been training for more than 1 year, who could lose fat and gain muscle simultaneously. As a beginner you can do it, although even then your ability to gain maximum mass is compromised. The best you can hope for is to find the right balance of calories and training so as to limit body fat accumulation while building muscle mass. Even with this, however, I believe you are still better off eating well above your maintenance calorie levels and not worrying about the fat (to maximize the anabolic effects and stay anabolic as much as possible). You can always diet later.