What's the bottom line on muscle loss and days where you screw up on calories/macros?

[chunch]

Let's say you are quite consistent with getting your calories/protein everyday and you always count everything. You are in a consistent gym routine too where you are not having periods of missing workouts or being sedentary.

Will you lose muscle if you do any of the following for only one day

A. Start eating too late in the day, like skip breakfast or have a long gap between lunch and dinner but get all your nutrition requirements in by the time you go to sleep that night

B. Get enough or more than enough protein but not quite enough calories

C. Don't get enough protein but get enough calories (I never do this)

D. Don't get enough protein or calories (I can't remember the last time I did this either)

I am consistent ~9/10 days or more but once in a while I will do either A or B and then I will feel guilty and pissed and worried that I am losing actual muscle. Eventually I tell myself all I can do is keep going which is what has always helped me to build long term habits

But am I being way too hard on myself and causing myself unnecessary stress and rigidity?

 

[chunch]

And I'm still natural btw if that makes a difference

 

[Thrawn]

If you're hitting everything perfect nine out of 10 days you're doing better than 98% of the people here. I say you're causing too much stress on yourself.

 

[Yano]

Let's say you are quite consistent with getting your calories/protein everyday and you always count everything. You are in a consistent gym routine too where you are not having periods of missing workouts or being sedentary.

Will you lose muscle if you do any of the following for only one day

A. Start eating too late in the day, like skip breakfast or have a long gap between lunch and dinner but get all your nutrition requirements in by the time you go to sleep that night

B. Get enough or more than enough protein but not quite enough calories

C. Don't get enough protein but get enough calories (I never do this)

D. Don't get enough protein or calories (I can't remember the last time I did this either)

I am consistent ~9/10 days or more but once in a while I will do either A or B and then I will feel guilty and pissed and worried that I am losing actual muscle. Eventually I tell myself all I can do is keep going which is what has always helped me to build long term habits

But am I being way too hard on myself and causing myself unnecessary stress and rigidity?

That's called meet day around here haaahahaah.

Consistency + Discipline = Tickets on the Gainz Train.

 

[Gadawg]

Its a non issue. My spring cutting style is to fast until 6 pm. I work a physically active job and then hit the gym for two hours including 40-60 mins cardio. I usually end with a strict 48 hr water fast.

If Im losing any muscle, Id be shocked, because I dont lose any strength. And Ill drop 20 lbs in 2-3 months.

 

[buck]

When people have never really worked out eat like crap etc. get old and sarcopenia sets in they loose like 1-2 pounds of muscle a year. Will a younger person loose muscle over a short to moderate time from not eating the same or working out no they won't it is not the delicate of a process. Given some time the body will quit storing as many carbs in the muscle, but catabolism takes longer. when i have gone on vacation and not worked out or ate as much for a month i loose weight and then refill up in a short time once things are back on track.

 

[CJ]

Absolutely nothing bad will happen. It's one day, and your body doesn't reset at midnight, anyway.

If you happened to track noon to noon, you might find that you didn't even miss your target.

 

[Diesel59]

Absolutely nothing bad will happen. It's one day, and your body doesn't reset at midnight, anyway.

If you happened to track noon to noon, you might find that you didn't even miss your target.

I never thought about this, but what is the window where things do "reset" or something along those lines?

I've always counted macros from the time I wake up until the time I go to bed. That's a "day" for me, but that day could be from 4:30am to 9pm or 9am to 2am depending on my schedule that day.

 

[CJ]

I never thought about this, but what is the window where things do "reset" or something along those lines?

I've always counted macros from the time I wake up until the time I go to bed. That's a "day" for me, but that day could be from 4:30am to 9pm or 9am to 2am depending on my schedule that day.

There isn't a reset. I guess the closest thing would be the long window one has between eatings, usually due to sleep. But our bodies are still digesting and utilizing food many hours after a meal.

 

[buck]

I find what happens over a week is far more important than any 1 day. Same for a month makes more difference than a week etc. What happens if someone misses or is late with 1 meal. does the whole system collapse! No in real time not a thing is noticed accept they may get hungry or not feel as full. I find this lifestyle is a marathon and not a sprint.