RE: Re: Fastup/Slowdown

[Guest guest]

I haven't followed this thread very closely but am a little concerned about

any hint of intentional yo-yo dieting to somehow game the body. If it was

(is?) that easy to alter the ratio of LBM to BF, body builders around the

world would have figured it out by now.

I don't doubt that the body sacrifices more LBM the more severe the energy

restriction. Your body needs raw material (protein) to support maintenance

of LBM. If you are burning all the protein you consume for energy no amount

of exercise will protect your level of LBM. More likely you will selectively

waste muscles you aren't using to support the ones you are. Usually

prolonged energy deficit is accompanied by weight loss which allows you to

function at lower LBM.

This is a bit of a logical leap here, but lets consider the body's energy

balance from both a local and global POV. I define " global " as the classic

" are you gaining or losing weight " . Locally, as long as you have BF or

muscle to burn your heart will keep pumping and your brain will get it's

sugar (or ketones, or whatever). LBM will be influenced by the stress/damage

it sees (exercise) and surplus or deficit of appropriate raw material

available for repair.

While I'm not about to suggest a macronutrient ratio , the general advice

for energy restricted individuals to consume more protein sounds logical. If

some ingested protein is being burned for energy, you still need a given

amount to support LBM.

JR

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