Confused about calories ........

abs1970
abs1970 Posts: 235 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm losing body fat slowly, but after reading some other posts I'm confused as to whether I should be eating at maintenance or below.

I've increased both my calories and carb intake as I wasn't consuming enough - now on around 1500 cals a day, and training 5/6 days a week. I'm not gaining weight (which is a positive) but wondering if the increased calories will slow down my fat loss.

Replies

  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,147 Member
    edited May 2017
    Depends what it is you want to do. Are you trying to lose weight or just reduce body fat? If you're at healthy weight and just want to reduce your body fat, check out the Recomp thread here which is maintaining weight https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat.

    If you're wanting to lose weight then you want to be eating at a deficit.
  • tonyyung779
    tonyyung779 Posts: 11 Member
    If you're losing weight you are in a deficit not maintenance.
  • abs1970
    abs1970 Posts: 235 Member
    tinkerbellang83 wrote: »
    Depends what it is you want to do. Are you trying to lose weight or just reduce body fat? If you're at healthy weight and just want to reduce your body fat, check out the Recomp thread here which is maintaining weight https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat.

    If you're wanting to lose weight then you want to be eating at a deficit.

    I don't want to lose weight - maintaining around 48kg which I'm happy with. Just want to shred some more body fat. Thanks for the link. I'll take a look :)
  • abs1970
    abs1970 Posts: 235 Member
    tonyyung779 wrote: »
    If you're losing weight you are in a deficit not maintenance.

    I'm not losing weight - and that's not my goal.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    abs1970 wrote: »
    tonyyung779 wrote: »
    If you're losing weight you are in a deficit not maintenance.

    I'm not losing weight - and that's not my goal.

    If you're losing body fat but not weight, you're doing recomp... So you'd be eating at maintenance
  • abs1970
    abs1970 Posts: 235 Member
    livingleanlivingclean wrote: »
    abs1970 wrote: »
    tonyyung779 wrote: »
    If you're losing weight you are in a deficit not maintenance.

    I'm not losing weight - and that's not my goal.

    If you're losing body fat but not weight, you're doing recomp... So you'd be eating at maintenance

    Cool - so sounds like I should carry on doing what I'm doing!
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    abs1970 wrote: »
    livingleanlivingclean wrote: »
    abs1970 wrote: »
    tonyyung779 wrote: »
    If you're losing weight you are in a deficit not maintenance.

    I'm not losing weight - and that's not my goal.

    If you're losing body fat but not weight, you're doing recomp... So you'd be eating at maintenance

    Cool - so sounds like I should carry on doing what I'm doing!

    Yes... But I'd try to slowly increase calories. 1500 doesn't seem like much for maintaining to me.
  • abs1970
    abs1970 Posts: 235 Member
    livingleanlivingclean wrote: »
    abs1970 wrote: »
    livingleanlivingclean wrote: »
    abs1970 wrote: »
    tonyyung779 wrote: »
    If you're losing weight you are in a deficit not maintenance.

    I'm not losing weight - and that's not my goal.

    If you're losing body fat but not weight, you're doing recomp... So you'd be eating at maintenance

    Cool - so sounds like I should carry on doing what I'm doing!

    Yes... But I'd try to slowly increase calories. 1500 doesn't seem like much for maintaining to me.

    But will the increased cals stop me losing body fat?
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    abs1970 wrote: »
    livingleanlivingclean wrote: »
    abs1970 wrote: »
    livingleanlivingclean wrote: »
    abs1970 wrote: »
    tonyyung779 wrote: »
    If you're losing weight you are in a deficit not maintenance.

    I'm not losing weight - and that's not my goal.

    If you're losing body fat but not weight, you're doing recomp... So you'd be eating at maintenance

    Cool - so sounds like I should carry on doing what I'm doing!

    Yes... But I'd try to slowly increase calories. 1500 doesn't seem like much for maintaining to me.

    But will the increased cals stop me losing body fat?

    only if you eat above manitenance
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    abs1970 wrote: »
    livingleanlivingclean wrote: »
    abs1970 wrote: »
    livingleanlivingclean wrote: »
    abs1970 wrote: »
    tonyyung779 wrote: »
    If you're losing weight you are in a deficit not maintenance.

    I'm not losing weight - and that's not my goal.

    If you're losing body fat but not weight, you're doing recomp... So you'd be eating at maintenance

    Cool - so sounds like I should carry on doing what I'm doing!

    Yes... But I'd try to slowly increase calories. 1500 doesn't seem like much for maintaining to me.

    But will the increased cals stop me losing body fat?

    Potentially not, if you do it gradually. Like a reverse diet scenario...
  • abs1970
    abs1970 Posts: 235 Member
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    abs1970 wrote: »
    livingleanlivingclean wrote: »
    abs1970 wrote: »
    livingleanlivingclean wrote: »
    abs1970 wrote: »
    tonyyung779 wrote: »
    If you're losing weight you are in a deficit not maintenance.

    I'm not losing weight - and that's not my goal.

    If you're losing body fat but not weight, you're doing recomp... So you'd be eating at maintenance

    Cool - so sounds like I should carry on doing what I'm doing!

    Yes... But I'd try to slowly increase calories. 1500 doesn't seem like much for maintaining to me.

    But will the increased cals stop me losing body fat?

    only if you eat above manitenance

    Which I'm still quite careful not to do!
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,147 Member
    livingleanlivingclean wrote: »
    abs1970 wrote: »
    livingleanlivingclean wrote: »
    abs1970 wrote: »
    tonyyung779 wrote: »
    If you're losing weight you are in a deficit not maintenance.

    I'm not losing weight - and that's not my goal.

    If you're losing body fat but not weight, you're doing recomp... So you'd be eating at maintenance

    Cool - so sounds like I should carry on doing what I'm doing!

    Yes... But I'd try to slowly increase calories. 1500 doesn't seem like much for maintaining to me.

    OP is only 48kg (105lb) so doesn't seem that unlikely that 1500 calories is far off maintenance.
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