Calorie Deficit

Assume two active weightlifters (3-4 times a week) want to drop some fat.

Let’s say 2500 calories is maintenance for both. Lifter 1 consumes 2000 calories every day, lifter 2 consumes 2500 calories everyday but through cardiovascular activity burns 500 kcals. Which routine is more effective for fat loss with muscle conservation.

Just curious because I’ve heard so many different things over the years from a myriad of different authors. Anecdotal evidence is ok.

the calorie deficit via exercise b/c that results in a higher g-flux. in essence, the body doesnt like a caloric deficit through less food, so a calories deficit through exercise would be a better choice.

[quote]forbes wrote:
the calorie deficit via exercise b/c that results in a higher g-flux. in essence, the body doesnt like a caloric deficit through less food, so a calories deficit through exercise would be a better choice.[/quote]

Not an expert in fat loss, but wouldn’t you need a balance between the two? I would think too much exercise would cause CNS overtraining.

Ttrue, but i would start off by creating a cal deficit through exercise first, then, as progress slows, then maybe a bit from food. i just said that a cal deficit from exercise should always be the first method. Dr. John Berardi does this with much success (and personally, i would favor it…well, to a degree)

Besides, the more energy you take away, the harder it is to recover from strenuous exercise.

I dont think its simple enough for that hypothetical situation.

It depends how that other 500 kcals of energy is burned. Is it from HIIT or is it from steady state cardio.

Even assuming they both have the exact same macronutrient intake, you cant just assume that more expenditure = better fat loss. There are so many hormones that are involved. The guy that is training for the extra 500 kcal may be training too much, resulting in more coritsol and less recovery.

But if the guy that is taking in 2000 kcals is undertraining then the guy thats taking in 2500 kcals and training more might get better results.

See what im getting at, theres a balance. You cant just diet and do minimal exercise, and you cant take in a ton of crap and workout like crazy. You gotta find the right balance. Sure g-flux makes sense, but only if the calorie expenditure is reasonable with your level of fitness.