counting calories

bowermanbrittney
bowermanbrittney Posts: 14 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi MFPs I have been loseing weight just by cutting my calories from over 2500 a day to 1500 a day. My question is will I continue weight loss by cutting calories being only lightly active? I will always keep my calories at a safe an healthy recommend amount however I was just curious if just cutting calories and makeing healthy food choices would allow me to lose weight slowly ? I do cardio by power walking twice a day to boost my weight loss.

Replies

  • Seigla
    Seigla Posts: 172 Member
    If you have a calorie deficit you will lose (unless you're counting wrong or in rare cases; when you have water retention due to some medical condition or something). I find that the best way to create this deficit is by both increased exercise and decreased intake.

    I read that you do that so I don't see a problem! :)
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
    yes
  • ohmscheeks
    ohmscheeks Posts: 840 Member
    Pseudo-physical-trainer says keep doing what you're doing until it stops working. :)
  • bowermanbrittney
    bowermanbrittney Posts: 14 Member
    Thank you :)
  • koutwater
    koutwater Posts: 47 Member
    You will continue to lose weight, but if you were to add some strength training to your day and gain muscle, this would help you tone up and increase your metabolism;) follow me on facebook at (KO Fit) as I often have eating and workout tips
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    koutwater wrote: »
    You will continue to lose weight, but if you were to add some strength training to your day and gain muscle, this would help you tone up and increase your metabolism;) follow me on facebook at (KO Fit) as I often have eating and workout tips

    you don't normally gain muscle while in a deficit...there are a few exceptions but the point of weight/strength training while losing weight is to not lose existing muscle...not build it...
  • Merkavar
    Merkavar Posts: 3,082 Member
    Let's say your losing 2 pounds a week at the moment. If you do this for several weeks or months and remain at 1500 calories your weight loss is likely to decrease.

    Need to decrease the amount you eat every few pounds you lose to keep losing the same amounts.
  • nissa5575
    nissa5575 Posts: 21 Member
    SezxyStef wrote: »
    koutwater wrote: »
    You will continue to lose weight, but if you were to add some strength training to your day and gain muscle, this would help you tone up and increase your metabolism;) follow me on facebook at (KO Fit) as I often have eating and workout tips

    you don't normally gain muscle while in a deficit...there are a few exceptions but the point of weight/strength training while losing weight is to not lose existing muscle...not build it...

    I'm confused. I'm losing weight and doing strength training and I definitely have gained muscle.
  • Merkavar
    Merkavar Posts: 3,082 Member
    edited June 2015
    nissa5575 wrote: »
    SezxyStef wrote: »
    koutwater wrote: »
    You will continue to lose weight, but if you were to add some strength training to your day and gain muscle, this would help you tone up and increase your metabolism;) follow me on facebook at (KO Fit) as I often have eating and workout tips

    you don't normally gain muscle while in a deficit...there are a few exceptions but the point of weight/strength training while losing weight is to not lose existing muscle...not build it...

    I'm confused. I'm losing weight and doing strength training and I definitely have gained muscle.

    I think when they say you don't gain muscle it for people who already had been weight lifting.

    Did you just start weightlifting? Would you class your gains as noob gains?

    Teenagers and noob gains are the exception to the rules it seems.

    Also how are you measuring your muscle gains?
  • mwebster01
    mwebster01 Posts: 111 Member
    bowermanbrittney wrote: »
    Hi MFPs I have been loseing weight just by cutting my calories from over 2500 a day to 1500 a day. My question is will I continue weight loss by cutting calories being only lightly active? I will always keep my calories at a safe an healthy recommend amount however I was just curious if just cutting calories and makeing healthy food choices would allow me to lose weight slowly ? I do cardio by power walking twice a day to boost my weight loss.
    yes
  • bowermanbrittney
    bowermanbrittney Posts: 14 Member
    Thank you ,
    Merkavar wrote: »
    Let's say your losing 2 pounds a week at the moment. If you do this for several weeks or months and remain at 1500 calories your weight loss is likely to decrease.

    Need to decrease the amount you eat every few pounds you lose to keep losing the same amounts.

  • triciab79
    triciab79 Posts: 1,713 Member
    As long as it is working, keep doing what you are doing. When it becomes pretty normal feeling and the weight doesn't drop then drop the calories a bit. I started at like 2K calories when I was 218 and dropped by an average of 110 calories a month until I reached my goal weight 9 months later. I did try to be more active but I didn't work out until I was about 30lbs from goal. Even then work out was a daily swim that I did for mommy sanity time and by the time I took on that workout I was 70lbs lighter and that alone provided the energy I needed to breeze through the laps.
  • bowermanbrittney
    bowermanbrittney Posts: 14 Member
    Thank you triciab79 :)

  • daniwilford
    daniwilford Posts: 1,030 Member
    Great losses there, something must be working for you.
  • christch
    christch Posts: 238 Member
    How long have you been weight lifting and what weight? Women eating at surplus and on a proper programme lifting heavy weight only manage gains of up to 1lb of muscle per month. And no it won't make you bulky. What you are seeing is probably water and glycogen in the muscles. Keep lifting weights and while you're not growing muscle as such it will help stop the loss of it while you lose weight. As the bf % drops your muscles become more defined and obvious
    Well done with what you have achieved so far, keep at it and you'll have the results you want.



  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    Absolutely. A caloric deficit equals weight loss.
  • shrcpr
    shrcpr Posts: 885 Member
    nissa5575 wrote: »
    SezxyStef wrote: »
    koutwater wrote: »
    You will continue to lose weight, but if you were to add some strength training to your day and gain muscle, this would help you tone up and increase your metabolism;) follow me on facebook at (KO Fit) as I often have eating and workout tips

    you don't normally gain muscle while in a deficit...there are a few exceptions but the point of weight/strength training while losing weight is to not lose existing muscle...not build it...

    I'm confused. I'm losing weight and doing strength training and I definitely have gained muscle.

    I think sometimes we confuse gaining muscle with gaining strength or with uncovering muscle we already have when we lose fat. You can gain strength without gaining actual muscle mass. You can also look like you've gained muscle by losing the fat that's covering up your muscle.

  • zkhanman
    zkhanman Posts: 132 Member
    shrcpr wrote: »
    nissa5575 wrote: »
    SezxyStef wrote: »
    koutwater wrote: »
    You will continue to lose weight, but if you were to add some strength training to your day and gain muscle, this would help you tone up and increase your metabolism;) follow me on facebook at (KO Fit) as I often have eating and workout tips

    you don't normally gain muscle while in a deficit...there are a few exceptions but the point of weight/strength training while losing weight is to not lose existing muscle...not build it...

    I'm confused. I'm losing weight and doing strength training and I definitely have gained muscle.

    I think sometimes we confuse gaining muscle with gaining strength or with uncovering muscle we already have when we lose fat. You can gain strength without gaining actual muscle mass. You can also look like you've gained muscle by losing the fat that's covering up your muscle.

    You'll also feel stronger in general if you're losing excess fat; It's a lot easy to move around in a 150 pound body than 180 with the same amount of muscle.

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