Will I still gain muscle with my diet, even if in calorie deficit?

[john269]

Hi all,

I am looking to tone up and get lean and cut. I am not aiming to become a bodybuilder or anything like that! I want to have that slim look yet toned with muscle showing.

However, I want to lose my belly fat as well, and generally all fat around my body, which is not a lot but I just want to get rid of it otherwise I won't have that lean look I am looking for.

I workout my chest, shoulders, arms, legs etc. on different days and lift about 4 sets of 12 reps for each muscle or until the muscle feels fatigued and I can’t lift any more. I am also eating at a calorie deficit of 200 calories, so I am eating about 1500 calories per day when I should be having 1700 calories to maintain my weight as I weigh about 66kg.

What I want to know is whether going into a calorie deficit will stop me from gaining muscle, even though I am still having quite a bit of protein considering the amount of calories that I am eating per day? Should I notice a difference in muscle gain with my diet below and my workout routine?

I am aiming to notice a big difference within 6 months.

Many thanks for your help.

Typical days diet

Breakfast: Ham Sandwich and a glass of skimmed milk (20g protein)
Morning Snack: Handful of walnuts and raisins
Lunch: Chicken salad or a fist sized meal which includes meat (10g-15g protein)
Afternoon Snack: Handful of walnuts and raisins
Post-workout: An apple before workout and then 1 scoop of whey protein with 150ml of skimmed milk and some yoghurt afterwards. (30g protein)
Dinner: 2x Turkey Steaks (50g protein) with 1 potato or some white basmati rice, or a tuna salad, or baked beans on toast with an egg.

 

[J.Eff]

Hey there! Actually i would like to know aswell since im in the same league as you. Anyone out there that can answer the question? Thank you in advance

 

[buzz]

you wont gain any muscle (unless your a newbie) but you can maintain the muscle you have and lose fat,which could give the impresion of more size.

 

[J.Eff]

So we have to do the opposite? Eat more than we need to gain extra muscle? Eat big to be big as they say.

 

[justcallmegod]

I do high reps (15) and do seven sets of that on all my exercises and run 24km a day, I do eat a whole **** load but I actually do gain weight every once in a while. It could just be me because I'm intensely dedicated or whatever, plus the weight I do lift (on the bench press, anyway) is pretty close to my body weight already, so maybe that has somethin to do with it, I dunno. Also I take amino 1000s and most of my diet consists of grapes, oranges, grapefruit, bannanas, cod, and onions so maybe that has somethin to do with it as well, lol. But in answer to your question about whether or not you'll gain muscle, I'm no expert but I'd say yes. I went from a big fat 315lb guy to the 170lb jacked mother ****er I got as my avatar. I did the high rep **** the whole time, still do it, and I gained a lot of muscle so it should work. To lose the weight I had to have a calorie deficit so I imagine it must work.