why can’t you build muscle at a caloric deficit, if you have fat reserves available?

Question

This seems counterintuitive. I mean, if my bills exceed my income, *but* I have a million dollars in the bank, I can still buy new stuff.

I can spend the energy from fat reserves on any amount of exercise, after all – so why can’t I spend it on building muscle? Why does *that* energy have to come from a caloric surplus?

In: 3

Answer 1

Muscle protein synthesis is a pretty low priority objective for the body, behind everything it takes to keep you alive. Fat is energy, and your body uses that to keep you alive. More important to keep the organs and the muscle you have energized so you can go get some food