When in a catabolic state, your body burns muscle because it is an easier source of fuel, right? So why does you body have an energy reserve of fat, if it is only going to burn muscle before it gets to that fat? 
-
Hello, this board in now turned off and no new posting.
Please REGISTER at Anabolic Steroid Forums, and become a member of our NEW community!
-
Check Out IronMag Labs® KSM-66 Max - Recovery and Anabolic Growth Complex
Muscle and Fat
- Thread starter BigDyl
- Start date
13 views, no answers, lol.
It takes time for your body to start burning muscle for energy. Your body goes from burning food(when active) or fat(when inactive) to eventually going to it's stored glycogen once the body is starved of food. Then after all the liver glycogen is gone, then the body turns to burning fat and muscle.
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2005
- Messages
- 1,084
- Reaction score
- 2
- Points
- 0
- Age
- 54
I'm not so sure muscle is an "easier" source of fuel. I believe it's more metabolically costly to maintain....so it would prefer to go with a smaller frame if your energy expenditure is high but your intake doesn't help maintain that muscle. Why store fat?
Fats are the body???s main form of stored energy (important in times of illness and diminished food intake).
Fats provide most of the energy to fuel muscular work.
Fat pads internal organs and insulates our bodies against temperature extremes.
Fats form the major material of cell membranes (especially brain and nerve cells).
Fats are converted to many important hormones (including sex hormones).
http://www.snac.ucla.edu/pages/Diet_Nutrition/nutrition_basics.htm
In terms of how the body sees it, muscle is more expendable than fat.
Fats are the body???s main form of stored energy (important in times of illness and diminished food intake).
Fats provide most of the energy to fuel muscular work.
Fat pads internal organs and insulates our bodies against temperature extremes.
Fats form the major material of cell membranes (especially brain and nerve cells).
Fats are converted to many important hormones (including sex hormones).
http://www.snac.ucla.edu/pages/Diet_Nutrition/nutrition_basics.htm
In terms of how the body sees it, muscle is more expendable than fat.
Your body uses stored energy when in a catabolic state, ie fat. If you are a lower bf% individual you run the risk of the body switching from fat stores to muscle.BigDyl said:When in a catabolic state, your body burns muscle because it is an easier source of fuel, right? So why does you body have an energy reserve of fat, if it is only going to burn muscle before it gets to that fat?
grant said:
If this was true, then why don't all fat people starve themselves thin? That way they lose the fat alot faster, and still maintain muscle.
If I eat a meal, my body will have digested it within 3 hours, right? So its going to use that food for energy, and not fat or muscle. By eating more meals, with harder to digest foods, it speeds my metabolism up. Why would I ever burn any fat if my body is being supplied with what it needs all day long? I understand there is a maintenance level, but if I'm eating, and never let my body burn muscle, which would seem that it would burn before it ever burned fat, why would it choose to burn fat and not muscle in a catabolic state???
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2005
- Messages
- 1,084
- Reaction score
- 2
- Points
- 0
- Age
- 54
BigDyl said:If I eat a meal, my body will have digested it within 3 hours, right? So its going to use that food for energy, and not fat or muscle. By eating more meals, with harder to digest foods, it speeds my metabolism up. Why would I ever burn any fat if my body is being supplied with what it needs all day long? I understand there is a maintenance level, but if I'm eating, and never let my body burn muscle, which would seem that it would burn before it ever burned fat, why would it choose to burn fat and not muscle in a catabolic state???
This is where I get a little foggy on the subject but it's tied to the endocrine system: Insulin, glucagon, Cortisol release, and whole host of other 'complicated' factors.
In a nutshell: As blood sugar levels drop, insulin levels drop. The pancreas produces the hormone glucagon and nutrients stored in the fat cells are released to the blood and used for energy. Hence why you try to maintain your blood sugar in a steady state by consuming slow-burning carbs.
When the activity is aerobic (cardio or periods of intense weight training or circuit training), glycogen is being burned up in the presence of oxygen thanks to the circulatory system pumping O2 throughout the body. After a certain period of activity, the glycogen gets used up and the body needs to switch to fat to prduce more glucose in the blood to ultimately convert to glycogen and feed energy requirements. When does this magic switch over occur? A lot of people think 20 mins but it's activity dependant, age, conditioning etc... very person specific thing. 20 mins is more like a rule of thumb then an absolute.
You are thinking about fat loss in terms of one day and really it has to be thought of over a period of time. The longer you maintain a caloric deficit the more the body will have to dip into fat reserves to meet energy requirements. How often and the like is determined by timing of activity, genetics, age, and all sorts of 'stuff' (how's that for technical
it's been a while since Biology 101). Hopefully someone with a better handle on the medical factors for how the system works can chime in. In the meantime google insulin, cortisol, glucagon, amd the pancreas to get a better idea of how it ties together.
Last edited:
If you don't have the extra energy stores to burn--fat--then your body is going to move on to whatever's left, muscle. I'm saying that if you do have a low bf% and don't keep your intake at a point in which your supporting your expenditures, you will burn muscle.
It really depends on what one consumes as energy when dieting, I would think if you're supplying your body with the appropriate amount of protein it wouldn't need to burn the muscle tissue in order to supply its protein needs.
To answer Big's question though
The body does burn fat first, BUT if you are not taking in enough fat and calories to maintain your energy requirements and the carbs begin run low the body will turn to protein (muscle and the protein you ingest in your food) to maintain itself.
To answer Big's question though
The body does burn fat first, BUT if you are not taking in enough fat and calories to maintain your energy requirements and the carbs begin run low the body will turn to protein (muscle and the protein you ingest in your food) to maintain itself.
Your body needs carbs to burn fat, plain and simple. Beta oxidation (lipolysis) is one component of a much larger model. In order to burn fat, pyruvate needs to be available to keep the other components running (Kreb's cycle). Pyruvate is basically half of a carbohydrate molecule. If carbs are not available thru food or glycogen, pyruvate needs to be made available. The glycerol backbone of fats can provide it, but not at a fast rate, enter protein, which can be converted to carbs in the liver. Also, BCAAs are used for NADH and FADH2 production which are 2 other major components of the process. They are always used, so if you do not replenish them, they are lost.
That is your answer, may be some minor flaws, but for the most part that is it.
That is your answer, may be some minor flaws, but for the most part that is it.
Thanks everyone for your help. I find that the more I understand what the hell is going on, the more sucessful I am at achieving my goals. It is very noticeable when you do things right, and I think it is important to understand every minute details to ensure you ARE doing it right. 
It wouldn't hurt for LAM to chime in either.
It wouldn't hurt for LAM to chime in either.
Dale Mabry said:
We just starting looking into glycolysis, the citric acid cycle, and subtrate-level phosphorylation in my biology class. I was just reading about this stuff today! Weird coincidence.
Oh, and Dale, just to get a little technical on your ass, pyruvate is basically half of a glucose molecule. Not just any carbohydrate molecule.
Yes, C3H6O3, I will take my caning later, after I am drunk. 
Another thing to consider is that when you hit 0% body fat, you die. Your body doesn't want you to die, so if it means sacrificing a relatively small amount of muscle (Which could be months of hard work in our cases) to prevent you from approaching that critical treshold, then it will do so. That's why contest dieting often requires "pulling out all the stops" to get you to those super low body fat percentages.
