⋆.˚✮ muscle memory and why it might seem like you're not losing w€ight ✮˚.⋆
(please keep in mind that i am not a biologist and this post is based solely on the research i did in the last week. also english is not my first language)
for context: when i was younger, i was pretty successful at playing a certain sport, to the point where i got to train with my club's first team at 15 and to represent my country in the youth divisions. i had to stop due to my €d among other things but i was definitely considered fit. when i initially started st@rv!ng i lost a lot of w€ight, but every time i started working out again my scale seemed to stand still. i had always learned in school that it's impossible to gain muscle if you're in a d€fec!t however that is not the case, especially if you've had muscles that you lost e.g. due to st@rvati0n. i've had a lot of muscle mass back then, but this works the same for everyone, it might just be less noticeable if you've never really worked out before.
1. so what is muscle memory?
muscle memory is a phenomenon where muscles that were previously built can be regained much faster after a break from training compared to building them from scratch. That happens because your muscle cells "remember" previous training, even if you lost muscle mass due to inactivity or malnourishment. this can happen even in a bigger c@l0ry d€fic!t, because it needs way less c@ls than building new muscle needs.
when you work out, your muscle fibers grow by adding new nuclei to your cells. these nuclei are essential for muscle protein synthesis, which helps your muscles grow and recover. if you now stop training or €at way below your maintenance while not moving around enough your muscles shrink, but those extra nuclei you gained don't just disappear. so when you start training/working out again, these retained nuclei can immediately start producing muscle protein again.
3. what does that mean for w€ight l0ss?
as we all know, muscle growth offsets fat loss. so while you're losing fat thanks to your d€fic!t you're rebuilding muscle at the same time, even if your low intake should stop your body from building new muscle. muscles are heavier than f@t (we been knew) as they store c@rbs and bind water. also, if you start to work out again after some time and feel sore afterward, know that soreness are microtears in your muscle. to repair those, your body retains even more water temporarily. but at least you're already getting l€aner and more muscle = more c@ls burned.
4. what happens long-term?
once your muscles reach their previous size, their growth will slow down/die out due to your d€fic!t. your body will then focus more heavily on fat loss again. your glycogen stores and water retention will both stabilize again. the important part then is to keep working out, otherwise you'll lose your muscles again and the entire circle starts again once you work out again.
muscle memory explains why the numbers on your sc@le aren't going down despite your d€fic!t and exercise. your body is rebuilding "old" muscle, which needs way less energy than building new muscle from scratch and is therefore very much possible even in a d€fic!t.
