Even if you hadn't lost any muscle mass, zero chance you're going to see the same exercise performance on a calorie deficit.

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throwaway2037 an hour ago | parent [-]

This is untrue. There are 100s of YouTube videos of amateur body builders preparing for a show. They are able to maintain their muscle mass while in a calorie deficit. Yes, it is insanely hard, but it can be done.

	▲	staticassertion 23 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		I didn't say that you can't maintain muscle mass. I'm saying your performance will suffer.