I , for one, know you can build muscle and lose fat at the same time. You just have to get enough protein in your diet without taking in excess calories. There is a balance to maintain so you make sure to feed the muscle you're building but it can be done.

Oh man, I wonder if this is why I'm starving all the time but not losing any weight lately. I have been lifting heavy for a full 30 min 5 days a week after cardio. My plan is to cut back to 3x lifting per week and eat more lean low calorie protein.

I've wondered if the whole "more muscles requires more calories" thing applies to people who are overweight. If your body has to choose between using protein to build muscle or to provide energy, I can see that it would probably choose to provide energy and therefore not build muscle. But if your body can burn fat stores for energy, then it would be free to use the protein to build muscle.

I don't really know, but I think regardless it's good to lift weights whether you're trying to lose weight or not.

Seagirl, GOSH, NO! I am NOT interested in losing weight! LOL

In my intro (different thread), I stated that I am here as a fitness instructor trying to understand the struggles of those who fail at permanent weight loss - or as I'd rather put it - failure at maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

It's my way of getting into my client's head without putting them in a defensive position or without me being looked at as judgemental. If I can hear it from an anonymous forum, I can apply it to my client as a possibility of why they worked out so hard for 4 weeks and haven't lost an ounce.

I also want to offer any help that I can to debunk typical fitness myths.

What it has done for me so far is challenge my own thinking on some of my (what I thought were) concrete facts, but moreso, made me realize how I can better help my clients with clean facts, proof of these facts, and accountability for one's actions (my own included).

I think it's definitely possible. I am in the process of losing 40 pounds right now and I've been lifting weights for the first time in my life (I just turned 21) and I have DEFINITELY gained muscle in my arms. The flab is still there, but the muscle juts out and is visible now, and I have to assume it's a result of my lifting because while it's possible that I was always muscular before and since I am now losing weight it's just now showing, NO WAY, my arms look TONED now and I'm still overweight, still losing. So I think this is a myth (I do eat a lot of protein).

A beginner who has never weight trained before who is also overweight can gain muscle while losing fat assuming suficient protein intake and a good training program. The exact process of how this happens is not known because as mentioned they are two seperate biological processes. The theory is that the body responds to the input by partioning ingested calories towards muscle gain. This is known as "newbie gains". How long this can go on depends on how fat a person is, their genetics, and how steep a deficit their dieting with. Most people this lasts around from 3-6 months.

Women can gain muscle about half as fast as men.

The general rule of thumb in the fitness industry and what I've seen in myself and my clients is the "golden six months" that JohnP mentioned for newbies. Beyond that, there are ways to trick the body into continuing muscle gain in caloric deficit, but it is darn hard for women to build muscle anyway. Varying your program, periodization, etc can all help to extend the phase.