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How Much Excess Fat Converted to Muscle When Weight Remains Constant?

2K views 29 replies 16 participants last post by  Loraura 
Nope, you never convert fat to muscle. It's biologically impossible. You can burn fat and build muscle simultaneously, but not convert one to the other.

To the OP. Start tracking your caloric intake. Everything. Breath mints, bagles, bananas, everything. You might be surprised at how many calories you're taking in. The first, and probably only, rule of weight loss is less calories in than burned. I had a friend in a similar situation as you and when he looked at his caloric intake for a 25 mile bike ride, he was downing two large bottles of Gatorade, a Clif Bar and a few gu's or gels. The net caloric gain was over 250 kcals for the ride. It may be something to consider.
 
TomBrooklyn said:
But I figure some of what was fat weight ought to now be muscle weight if I weigh the same, no?
You didn't say how long you've been working out, nor did you say how intense your workouts are, so I don't think that anyone can really answer that. I can say that it's easier to lose a pound of fat than it is to gain a pound of muscle.

For rides of less than 90 minutes, you shouldn't need anything more than water. For longer rides, limit your calories.

As another poster pointed out, eat more frequently. Breakfast, lunch and dinner with snacks in between each meal. BUT, watch your portions. You don't want to let yourself get to where you are starving, get frantic, and start to eat everything in sight. You also don't need to feel stuffed every minute of the day.

From your example During Mondays 10 mile ride, during which I did a half hours kayaking and a couple of hundred yards swimming, I stopped at a restaurant and had a huge Lobster dinner w/ lots of bread and stuff" you probably burned 300 - 500 calories, but ate 1,500 back. Net gain of 1,000 calories. Four days of that, and you've gained over a pound, and it's not muscle.

In my experience, most people underestimate how much they eat (and what the caloric cost is) and overestimate how much they burn. Find an online calculator and track everything you eat, and how much you burn exercising, for at least 3 weeks. Get very honest with yourself about portion sizes. Weigh what you eat before you put it in your mouth. You'll probably be shocked. I know I was.
 
TomBrooklyn said:
Hi. My question wasn't really about if I was losing weight or how to lose weight. I was just wondering if I was converting any weight to muscle when I excercise more and weigh the same.
To answer your question then, no, probably not (none of us are your doctor). You're not riding enough, at a high enough intensity, nor for long enough. Whatever you're burning, you're gaining back in your diet.
 
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