newbie with questions

josephsgoddess

Hi all.
I am a 43yr old, 5ft 6 220lbs woman. I recently started getting healthier. switched from coke to diet coke but am trying to drink more water, more veggies less junk. i know i will have no problem staying in a calorie deficit because i'm not a big eater to begin with. excercise is brisk walking for 40min every day (hopefully) and then once i'm down a bit doing circuit training and some other aerobics. My question for now is, If my calorie intake is too low, will i not lose weight or will i be losing muscle and fat? and if i start doing say crunches will i keep the muscle?

thanks for any info you can give me

diannethegeek

My question for now is, If my calorie intake is too low, will i not lose weight or will i be losing muscle and fat? and if i start doing say crunches will i keep the muscle?

thanks for any info you can give me

If your calorie intake is too low you risk things like vitamin and nutrient deficiency, muscle loss, hair loss, brittle nails, lethargy, moodiness, etc. Of course, this will depend on how low your calorie intake actually is and how long you eat that little.

You can minimize muscle loss by eating enough protein and doing some resistance training. Of course, if your calories are too low then getting enough protein can be a bit of a problem.

If you haven't come across them yet, I always recommend starting with these links:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1235566-so-you-re-new-here
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1296011-calorie-counting-101

And then read these when you're ready to take your logging accuracy to the next step:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1290491-how-and-why-to-use-a-digital-food-scale