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

According to those over on r/ketogains this is possible to do. Like another commenter said it comes down to everything lining up properly. So let’s say you only ate lean steak or lean chicken to ensure the correct amount of protein needed and were lifting appropriately, your body can build muscle while being in a deficit. But most don’t have the discipline to eat that much protein while being in a deficit. But it is possible. Just difficult for most people. You also have to have a surplus of fat or else find a way to eat fat while being in a deficit.