just started lifting weights etc will my body change appearance and/or lose fat?

[Leah24]

just looking for advice, if I’m eating my maintainace calories or just under  and have just started lifting weights etc will my body change appearance and/or lose fat? 

Moderator edit:  updated subject for clarity

[JuanFitbit]

Hi @Leah24 , a warm welcome to the Community! 

 In my experience, I have seen people getting leaner and build muscle. About if you are loosing fat, there is a lot to take into consideration.  

Maybe another Community member can give you more information about it. 

Let's see what they have to share. 

[Heybales]

Not quickly, and not at first - so have patience. But it can indeed.

When you first start a resistance training program, your existing muscles are going to get tapped out before the body feels the need to make more.

You will also be making form improvements that will allow lifting heavier before that happens.

Your body will also learn to fully engage the muscle using your Central Nervous System (CNS improvements) better before that happens.

So be prepared for making improvements on the bar that aren't even calling for the body to make more muscle yet.

And this is running an actual program, not just picking up weights and spending time on curls or tricep kickbacks.

But when running a progressive lifting routine, asking the body to keep doing more and more - eventually it will need to build muscle.

At that point more of what you eat is going for building that new muscle, then more of your stored fat is going for daily energy needs.

Just like being in a diet. Inches will be lost, though weight stays the same.

Called body recomposition - recomp.

How much muscle is needed depends on if running a strength improvement program like StrongLifts 5x5 (do at the start to tap out existing muscle and improve form and CNS faster), or a hypertrophy program (more set volume weekly, start when strength done and ready to build muscle).

How much improvement also has to do with how much deficit or really at maintenance eating level you are. More deficit harder to build muscle, because workouts just aren't as powerful and damaging - and it's damage that calls on body to repair and improve, and the recovery from that as well.

Also bear in mind - you can lose fat at a reasonable rate much faster than you could ever build muscle. Inches can be slow to change.

So I'd suggest keeping a reasonable deficit (like 250 cal) during the strength training program making form & CNS improvements before your body needs to build muscle.

Then switch to maintenance eating when you go to hypertrophy program and body wants to build more.

So learn valid weigh-in days so you can confirm during weight loss time it's really only 1/2 lb weekly, and during muscle building it's really no loss.

Valid is morning after rest day eating normal sodium levels, not sore from last workout. Use weight-trend app to log daily if curious about fluctuations that don't matter.

Lifting should be manually logged as workout or else inflated calorie burn when HR-based formula is used. For figuring out how much to eat.

Good method when already at healthy weight range to cut down on stress of attempting more fat loss.