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Thread: Questions about caloric deficit and fat loss

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
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    21

    Default Questions about caloric deficit and fat loss

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    (For some reason, the forum sends me to a blank page when I create a thread. This is a retry with Chrome. Sorry if repost.)

    Hey Jordan,

    Long-time lurker here. Searched your website, searched this forum, but couldn't find an answer.

    What do you think about creating a caloric deficit solely through exercise rather than diet? I have this gut feeling that a guy that simply increases his activity levels for every day of the week in a controlled manner (along with lifting) will see a better body composition and performance level in the long run than the guy that does lifting + videogames (or any other sedentary activity) + caloric deficit through diet. Would doing this bias nutrient partitioning towards muscle? Or are there other considerations like "overtraining"?

    I feel there is a lot you can say about this subject.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
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    10,199

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    There is a lot I can say on this topic, but we need context here. What kind of "increased activity" are we talking about exactly? Of course "more training", if implemented correctly, will lead to better performance levels but as far as body composition I don't think that's true (in fact I think the opposite is true). Body comp is diet dependent, no 2 ways about it and with the same level of resistance training- the better body composition person is going to be the one who can train more effectively by not having to deal with a bunch of extra activity that may compromise recovery.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
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    21

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    With "increased activity" I initially meant light stuff like walking/jogging/swimming or just any physical activity that gets you off the couch and doesn't sap recovery (though this begs the question, is it possible for any kind of activity, however light, to not sap recovery?), but now that you mention it, you could also include lifting. For example, which is better in terms of body composition and performance?

    A) 100kg guy that lifts 3x week, the only exercise he does is lifting, has been eating 3kcal every day which he has found is enough to maintain his bodyweight, and decides to cut 100kcal from his daily intake.

    B) 100kg guy that lifts 3x week, has been eating 3kcal every day which he has found is enough to maintain his bodyweight, and decides to start doing light swimming every day at an intensity/duration that makes him burn 100kcal.

    C) 100kg guy that lifts 3x week, has been eating 3kcal every day which he has found is enough to maintain his bodyweight, and decides to add another training day to an intelligently designed program. The only exercise he does is lifting. He also finds that with 4x week he needs 3500kcal to maintain his 100kg. Then he starts with a 100kcal deficit.

    Guy C will see better performance and body composition compared to the other guys, right? Or is the answer more complex than my simplistic hypothetical case?

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Posts
    10,199

    Default

    It's more complex but you're not controlling for the variables your question initially sought out either. Truthfully, the differences are likely to be insignifcant over the long haul to actually worry about any of this.

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