The Bite Size Podcast with Lorayne Michaels

Muscle Myths Debunked: The Truth About Fat Loss

• Lorayne • Season 2 • Episode 69

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The ultimate showdown between cardio and weightlifting finally explained! After a recent podcast appearance with Angie Wisdom sparked numerous questions, I dive deep into what truly works for women's fitness, especially as we age.

Let's start by shattering some persistent myths. Despite what you may have heard, muscle doesn't "weigh more" than fat—a pound is a pound regardless. The difference lies in density, with muscle taking up less space on your frame. And ladies, you won't get "bulky" from lifting weights! Without significant testosterone and extreme dedication, weightlifting simply creates definition and tone while boosting your metabolism.

The timing of your workouts matters tremendously. Training "fed" (having eaten 45-60 minutes before) provides your muscles with glycogen and amino acids, leading to better performance, increased strength, and enhanced recovery. While fasted training may feel effective for fat loss, it often compromises performance and can lead to muscle breakdown. Your body needs proper fuel to perform optimally and protect hard-earned muscle.

The "skinny fat" phenomenon occurs when excessive cardio is paired with inadequate resistance training and nutrition. This combination elevates cortisol, breaks down muscle, and creates a physique that appears thin but lacks definition. The solution? Incorporate weight training, which makes your body more metabolically active. Each pound of muscle burns 6-10 calories daily at rest, creating an "afterburn effect" that continues working long after your workout ends.

Ready to transform your approach to fitness? Remember that training isn't one-size-fits-all. Consider your specific goals, adjust your nutrition and exercise accordingly, and don't be afraid to lift heavier! Your body will thank you with improved composition, increased strength, and sustainable results that cardio alone simply cannot deliver.

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Speaker 1:

Welcome back to the Bite Size Podcast. I'm your host, lorraine Michaels, and today I am so excited I want to talk to you about training. I was just recently on a podcast and it was Angie Wisdom. And shout out to Angie you are a fantastic interviewer, absolutely love to be on your podcast and it really got me thinking because I love the questions and I know so many more of you have these same questions or similar and I really want to kind of touch on what Angie asked me and go a little bit deeper into it.

Speaker 1:

We didn't have that much time and I really didn't want to confuse people with information overload, so I'm going to go a little bit deeper into what some of the things that we talked about. So some of the top things that I really want to touch on is cardio, the hype on cardio, the hype on no cardio versus a lot of cardio, and weightlifting. So for women specifically, as we age, different things. So weights versus cardio versus fasted versus fed things. So weights versus cardio versus fasted versus fed. So I want to touch on all these things. Hang with me and let's dive in.

Speaker 1:

So, first and foremost, we're going to be talking about weight training. So lifting weights and I know some of this is controversial and a lot of women come to me and say I don't want to lift weights because I don't want to get bulky, I don't want to look like a man, I don't want to gain weight because muscle weighs more than fat. So let's start with the first thing muscle and fat. Weight is weight. A pound of muscle is a pound of fat. There's no such thing as one weighing more than the other. Now, the density is different. So a pound of muscle may look different than a pound of fat, so the way that it looks and how that it sits on one's body looks different. But pound for pound no pun intended the weight of it is the same. It just looks different and it lays different.

Speaker 1:

Okay, and so weight training, lifting weights fed versus fasted. I love this because I have done both. It just depends on when I can lift, when I can eat. So I have done both. I have trained, I have weight trained fasted and I have weight trained feded and I have weight trained fed. I personally prefer to weight train fed.

Speaker 1:

Now, I don't mean right after a meal, but I mean I don't want to wake up and, having not ate anything, and go work out or even wake up and have like a protein drink and then go work out. I don't particularly like that because I don't have enough energy in my muscles, I don't have enough glycogen, and so if I'm training and I'm lifting heavy, which you should be, or heavier on the heavier side I don't have enough energy to do that. And so when you are training fed meaning you have had something to eat substantially within the last hour you also don't want to go right after you eat, because that's going to bog you down. You're going to feel sick. I would recommend having a nice meal, if you can, and then training 45 minutes to an hour afterwards.

Speaker 1:

Okay, so fed, have you want to make sure you have carbs and protein before you train so that you have glycogen, you have energy, your muscles have been fed, so your strength performance is going to be better. Your lips are going to be better, you're going to have more volume, you're going to be able to do higher intensity because your muscles have been fed with glycogen and amino acids from food. You're going to notice more muscle growth and you're going to notice your recovery is going to be better because your cortisol spike is going to be lower. So when you train and you lift heavy, you are putting your body under stress and so when your body is stressed, your cortisol spikes. Now when you're lifting versus when you're doing a HIIT exercise HIIT you're going to have more cortisol, more stress, and a HIIT is high intensity training, interval training, high intensity, interval training and so when you're lifting your recovery is going to be better because your cortisol is going to spike lower and so you're going to have less of a risk of basically catabolism, which means muscle loss. Your muscle is going to break down, kind of like cannibalism, but it's catabolism catabolic, okay. So the takeaway on that is fasted lifting is fine for fat loss if you keep your protein high. So you want to make sure your protein is high. But fed lifting is generally better because it supports strength, it supports muscle growth and when you have muscle growth, your metabolism is going to increase and thus when your metabolism increases, your fat burning ability is going to increase.

Speaker 1:

Okay, so fasted on an empty stomach, usually in the morning, your energy availability is going to be slightly lower because you don't have glycogen, you don't have carbs. That is stored in your muscles or in your liver, so your body doesn't pull from anything. It's going to pull from what is available. So that means your body may rely on fat more, which is great if you're wanting to burn fat, but if you're wanting strength and power, it's going to be harder because your glycogen is too low. So and also cardio fasted you're at more of a risk for muscle breakdown because there's nothing that your body can pull from. And if it can't pull the fat, then it's going to start to pull muscle. So I'm sorry, we're talking about lifting, not cardio. So the muscle breakdown, so it's going to break down the muscles because it doesn't have the appropriate amino acids from the food, it doesn't have the recovery aspect of it, so you're going to experience hypertrophy. And so and also your hormones. The growth hormone is naturally higher in the morning when fasted, but insulin and anabolic signaling are stronger when fed. So that means when you eat, your body produces insulin, it signals to the muscles what's happening. So everything is working together when you're eating, because your body is doing the things that it naturally needs to do, and so it's ready and available. So when you start to do your lifting, then your muscles are ready to release what it needs for your body and also for your body to burn what it needs. Okay, so that's, that's lifting fed versus fasted.

Speaker 1:

Now, cardio fed versus fasted fasted again. Cardio fasted is in the morning, before you eat anything. You burn a higher percentage of fat during the session again because the glycogen is lower and then your body shifts towards fat for fuel. But for total fat loss this is not good On the 24 hours. Studies show that no significant difference if calories are matched the performance of fasted cardio. So, like high intense cardio, if you're doing sprints, if you're doing HIIT, it suffers when you're fasted again because your body doesn't have any energy to pull from, it doesn't have any glycogen, it doesn't have any fuel, amino acids, anything. So if you're doing fasted cardio for performance, it's going to be harder, you're not going to be able to perform good versus if you've ate. Your performance is going to be better, your energy is going to be better, your protection of your muscles is going to be better because carbs and protein before cardio reduce the risk of muscle breakdown.

Speaker 1:

Okay, so takeaway for this one is fasted cardio feels leaner because it's in the morning, you don't feel full, you don't have a bunch of food, you're sweating, it feels great and it may help with some appetite control, but fed cardio lets you push harder, especially during HIIT. You're able to have that energy. You're able for endurance and strength. So it just depends on what your goal is and what you're trying to do. If we're trying to build muscle or burn fat, if we're trying to maintain, it depends on your goal and what you're trying to do, so what's best for you Either can work. Fasted cardio may give a slight bump in fat burning during the sessions, but total fat loss over weeks depends on your diet and consistency and also lifting heavy For performance.

Speaker 1:

For athletes, fed cardio and fed lifting is better for the reasons that I explained. Your muscles need to be fed in order to grow, in order for peak performance. Same thing for muscle strength and gaining muscle. Fed wins because you need to feed your body, you need to increase your protein. You need to be lifting heavy because when you're building muscle, it's going to eventually burn fat. But if you're building muscle, your metabolism is going to be increasing and when your metabolism is increasing, you're going to burn fat easily. Okay, so those were the couple of things I wanted to break down.

Speaker 1:

Another thing that I wanted to touch on, because sometimes we see people that are like skinny fat or cardio bunnies and I'm not shaming anyone, by all means, this is just what it's known for. What maybe someone has called it the skinny fat, is the people that do a lot of cardio or a lot of high intense workouts and there's not really any muscle definition. Maybe it's skin and bone, so I don't mean that in any kind of derogatory way, but there's no body composition. So the reason why is because that's muscle breakdown and that can be caused from long durations of cardio, especially fasted cardio or under fueled cardio, because it raises cortisol and you're not able to build muscle when you have high cortisol. You're equally not able to burn muscle when you have high cortisol. You're equally not able to burn fat when you have high cortisol.

Speaker 1:

But long durations of cortisol or, sorry, long durations of cardio is going to result in muscle breakdown. Cortisol plus the low glycogen it equals your body pulls amino acids from your muscles, which equals muscle loss. So I talked about this before. When you're fasted, your body doesn't have the glycogen to pull from, so it's going to pull your muscle. It's going to burn your muscle. Essentially, no fat if you've already burned through fat, right, what else?

Speaker 1:

So the cardio deficit without resistance training. So the cardio deficit without resistance training. What that means, or what I mean by that, is you have a low intake calorie wise, your caloric intake is on the low end, and you're not doing resistance training, you're not lifting weights. So cardio burns calories, yes, but it doesn't signal the body to keep muscle. But it doesn't signal the body to keep muscle, and so, without weight training or even adequate protein, your body burns fat and muscle. So that again is gonna result in the skinnier composition, without any tone, no tonality. It looks skinny and soft. Your hormones come into play also with this. So if you're not eating enough not eating enough nutrient dense foods your hormones are going to be out of whack. If you're stressed out, your body's going to hold onto that fat. So the bottom line is, yes, cardio can burn muscle more than fat if it's overdone and especially if it's not paired with strength training and proper nutrition. That's why that term skinny fat. It looks common on people that do a lot of cardio without any lifting.

Speaker 1:

Okay, now the other question that kind of comes up is does building muscle burn fat? So, not directly, but and I've touched on this throughout this pod is muscle doesn't magically melt your fat, but building muscle changes your metabolism and your body composition in ways that actually makes your fat loss easier. Muscle is metabolically active. So every pound of muscle burns approximately 6 to 10 calories at rest 6 to 10 calories a day at rest. It might not sound like a big deal, but the more muscle you have, that equals a higher basal metabolic rate. So when you're working with a personal trainer, that what they're going to try and figure out, or help you figure out, is what is your BMR, your basal metabolic rate? That means what your body burns doing nothing, the calories it burns doing nothing. So, from what I said here, the more muscle you have, the higher your basal metabolic rate will be. So the more muscle you have, the more your body will burn, just doing nothing, okay. So the translation is you burn more calories, just chilling, if you have more muscle. So it's not that you're burning more fat, it's just that your body is working, your metabolism is working. The more muscle you have, the leaner you will actually be. So lifting weights burns fat indirectly, okay and I love this because this is what I educate my clients on that lifting heavier is actually better for you.

Speaker 1:

Strength training uses glycogen, which is the carbs that are in your muscles, and your body refills those stores using the calories that you eat, and and I'm going to say good calories you can put in any calorie you want, but for your body to optimally use and burn the fuel you are putting in it, you are going to want to put in nutrient dense foods so that your body can optimally use it where it needs to go. Think about, um, the best way I can explain it is if you put crap in and you've got if you're watching this, I'm holding up my hand All my five fingers are up, right, okay. So you put crap in and there's five points on the crap and your body can use only one point of the crap, and you've got four points that your body can't use because it's crap that turns into waste. So you've only used one good thing on what you ate, but what you ate was 500 calories. So you've utilized the calories, but your body can only use this one thing in here, versus a nutrient dense food that you eat, and your body can use all of this. All five right. So 500 calories, but you used all of it and none of it's going to waste. I mean, you're going to eliminate, you're going to have waste, but you see the difference the good calorie versus bad calorie. So think about everything that you're putting in your body. You want to make sure your body can utilize all of it and your body's not like, oh, can't use that, oh, can't use that. But you took the calories. And your body's not like, oh, can't use that, oh, can't use that. But you took the calories. Okay, I digress.

Speaker 1:

We're talking about lifting weights and burning fat. Okay, so it also creates the afterburn effect. It's called the EPOC. Your body is actually burning calories post-workout hours, post-workout. Sometimes you'll notice this If you had a really heavy lift or you had a really great workout and you're done. And you're done and your body is still sweating and you're not working out anymore. That's because your body is still working. Your body is still burning, which is great, unlike cardio, which mainly burns calories during the workout. Lifting weights ramps up that metabolism beyond your workout session. So your body keeps working after it's done. Heck, yeah, I would definitely love my body to keep working, even though I'm not. Yeah, sign me up, please.

Speaker 1:

Muscle prevention or, excuse me, muscle preserves leanness during fat loss. So when you're dieting without strength training up to 25 to 30% of weight loss can be muscle, so muscle preserves leanness. So with lifting plus protein, almost all the weight lost is fat, because your body's going to burn the fat, lose the fat. So, dieting without strength training, 25 to 30% of the weight can be lost, but it's muscle. You're losing muscle versus weightlifting plus the protein, your weight that's lost is fat. Yes, I want to lose the fat and not my muscle. So even more reason to make sure you're lifting.

Speaker 1:

And then, as always, the the hormones. Hormones are like the holy grail of it all. It impacts everything. Muscle building improves your insulin sensitivity and your body stores less fats and it uses more carbs more efficiently. Weight training lowers cortisol and boosts your growth hormone. Yes, women benefit here too the growth hormone and testosterone. This shifts your body toward the burning fat and muscle prevention. I don't know why you wouldn't want to weight train, like honest to goodness. So to wrap this up y'all, I know we've talked about a lot Building muscle doesn't literally burn fat. I know I've kind of talked a lot about this, but what building muscle does? It raises your metabolism. It increases caloric burn at rest and even after your workouts lifting weights. It protects your muscles. It protects your muscle mass during weight loss. So if you have picked up anything during this episode, it has been to lift, to lift heavy.

Speaker 1:

Cardio is great. Cardio is great for your heart, but don't overdo it. And if you're doing it fasted, with nothing to eat, be mindful. Be mindful of how you're working your body, how hard you're working your body, what your goal is. Are we trying to burn fat, maintain muscle, lose weight? What are we trying to do? And be mindful. There's a time and a place for lifting heavy. There's a time and a place for cardio. And you can definitely overdo it on both.

Speaker 1:

And I know there's so much information out there and it's like what do I believe? What is true, what is factual? There's no one answer for everyone across the board. Everyone is different. That's why it's so important to work with a personal trainer, so that you can talk about your goals, what your struggles are, what you're trying to achieve, and so that trainer can work with you specifically on your diet, on your exercise, on your habits, on your routine, to get you dialed in.

Speaker 1:

There's so much more I can go into on this, but we're just going to leave it at that. And again, um, I, I was so excited and grateful to sit down and talk with Angie wisdom. So if you haven't heard that episode, go check out Angie wisdom um in her podcast episode where she interviewed yours truly about all things fitness. So if you love this episode, if someone needs to hear it, please like it and share it and comment Let me know that you heard it, what you took away from it. What questions do you have for me about your fitness journey? Remember, guys, you were divinely created for a divine purpose and there was no mistake in you.