Im scared to make the change

ladywishingstar

I want to work out and lose weight, i read a deficit can cause muscle loss? Which is not at all what I want. If I raise to 1500 or 1800 calories, is that enough to workout AND gain muscle??? Do I have to eat burned calories back?
I really dont want to end up even more overweight... which is why im afraid

Height- 5ft 1
Weight- 150 lbs
Activity- Sedentary mostly
Note- For some reason, I notice i eat allot of carbs.

Protranser

A deficit will lead to weight loss. Both fat and muscle gets lost. Resistance training will preserve more of your lean body mass versus being in a deficit and doing no resistance training.

Have you looked through the stickies for this forum? Lots of your concerns are addressed there. This one is probably most appropriate :

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1161603/so-you-want-a-nice-stomach/p1

Good luck!

errollmaclean

Set your myfitnesspal settings to lose 0.5 lbs a week, and eat however many calories it gives you. Eat back 50% of your excersize calories (in case they are over estimated).

Don't be afraid to lift heavy, you will not become bulky accidentally and without tons of hard work. Lifting will help you maintain your muscle while in a calorie deficit. Most people wait till they are a low body fat % before attempting a bulk (you need to be in a calorie surplus to gain any significant muscle)

Don't worry about carbs. Focus on meeting you protein/fats/fiber and vitamins. *be sure to use a digital food scale so you can be accurate with your calorie intake.

You'll have to adjust based on what the scale does and what your desired outcome is. Check out the stickies for lots of helpful info.

ladywishingstar

Thank you both!

zoeysasha37

In order to lose weight you must be at a deficit. So if you want to lose weight you will have to consider it.
To help preserve your muscle mass I would eat adequate protein and start a strength training program right away.
Remember slow and steady wins the race. Don't set aggressive weight loss goals, this will end with losing more muscle mass then you had hoped for.

terbusha

Extreme calorie deficits combined with lots of low intensity cardio promotes muscle loss. If you do a moderate calorie deficit, and focus on resistance training and high intensity interval training (like sprints), then that effect is way reduced. Here, listen to episode 3 on cardio of this podcast. It has a lot of great information on this subject.
http://www.rxmuscle.com/2013-01-11-01-57-36/muscle-college.html