hmm interesting...

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is it possible to loose weight without going on a caloric deficit? this is a GREAT disscussion. its been on my mind for awhile and i wanna see what you guys think. yes i think it is possible but...i feel like it might be better for people who need to loose more weight. might be wrong here.

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  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 8,987 Member
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    How do you think it is possible OP?
  • SuzySunshine99
    SuzySunshine99 Posts: 2,984 Member
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    If you really want a discussion, you need to explain why you think it's possible to lose weight without a calorie deficit. Because science says that's not possible, so what's your theory?
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 9,898 Member
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    Although, I'm assuming you meant losing body fat and yes total weight would follow, but, if in say an isocaloric state a person was to increase protein and be involved in weight resistance training as compared to a control group where they just maintain a similar calorie goal that an increase in muscle mass takes place and effectively lowering the muscle to fat percentage ratio. Maybe no weight was lost but maybe they are leaner, just messing around with numbers. cheers
  • sollyn23l2
    sollyn23l2 Posts: 1,604 Member
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    Although, I'm assuming you meant losing body fat and yes total weight would follow, but, if in say an isocaloric state a person was to increase protein and be involved in weight resistance training as compared to a control group where they just maintain a similar calorie goal that an increase in muscle mass takes place and effectively lowering the muscle to fat percentage ratio. Maybe no weight was lost but maybe they are leaner, just messing around with numbers. cheers

    True. But even in this case you would be in a caloric deficit. Protein uses more calories to digest, strength training also uses calories.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 9,898 Member
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    sollyn23l2 wrote: »
    Although, I'm assuming you meant losing body fat and yes total weight would follow, but, if in say an isocaloric state a person was to increase protein and be involved in weight resistance training as compared to a control group where they just maintain a similar calorie goal that an increase in muscle mass takes place and effectively lowering the muscle to fat percentage ratio. Maybe no weight was lost but maybe they are leaner, just messing around with numbers. cheers

    True. But even in this case you would be in a caloric deficit. Protein uses more calories to digest, strength training also uses calories.

    Of course, in my mind I was thinking the protein group was adjusting calories to maintenance for the isocaloric comparison, just didn't elaborate that very well. Cheers
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    Well, you could chop off a limb and lose weight but I don't think that's a reasonable solution to the problem.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,897 Member
    edited June 2023
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    is it possible to loose weight without going on a caloric deficit? this is a GREAT disscussion. its been on my mind for awhile and i wanna see what you guys think. yes i think it is possible but...i feel like it might be better for people who need to loose more weight. might be wrong here.

    I wonder if you might have misstated your question. If you meant to say, "Is it possible to loose weight without calorie counting," the answer to that is Yes. Calorie counting is just a tool to create a calorie deficit. Without a calorie deficit (or removal of part of your body), there will be no weight loss.
  • MjohnsonGrant1
    MjohnsonGrant1 Posts: 2 Member
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    Well, you could chop off a limb and lose weight but I don't think that's a reasonable solution to the problem.you just have to put in the work
  • SuzySunshine99
    SuzySunshine99 Posts: 2,984 Member
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    kshama2001 wrote: »
    is it possible to loose weight without going on a caloric deficit? this is a GREAT disscussion. its been on my mind for awhile and i wanna see what you guys think. yes i think it is possible but...i feel like it might be better for people who need to loose more weight. might be wrong here.

    I wonder if you might have misstated your question. If you meant to say, "Is it possible to loose weight without calorie counting," the answer to that is Yes. Calorie counting is just a tool to create a calorie deficit. Without a calorie deficit (or removal of part of your body), there will be no weight loss.

    I was wondering that, too. Sometimes, we see people write, "I'm using the CICO method to lose weight..." as if calorie counting and CICO/calorie deficit have the same meaning.

    As you say, calorie counting is a method to achieve the calorie deficit that is needed to lose weight.

    I think sometimes people just get the terms confused.
  • tomcustombuilder
    tomcustombuilder Posts: 1,610 Member
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    kshama2001 wrote: »
    is it possible to loose weight without going on a caloric deficit? this is a GREAT disscussion. its been on my mind for awhile and i wanna see what you guys think. yes i think it is possible but...i feel like it might be better for people who need to loose more weight. might be wrong here.

    I wonder if you might have misstated your question. If you meant to say, "Is it possible to loose weight without calorie counting," the answer to that is Yes. Calorie counting is just a tool to create a calorie deficit. Without a calorie deficit (or removal of part of your body), there will be no weight loss.

    I was wondering that, too. Sometimes, we see people write, "I'm using the CICO method to lose weight..." as if calorie counting and CICO/calorie deficit have the same meaning.

    As you say, calorie counting is a method to achieve the calorie deficit that is needed to lose weight.

    I think sometimes people just get the terms confused.
    Actually in the past I've seen articles that state you don't need a deficit to lose weight if you eat certain fat burning foods or buy the product they're selling. Many people that don't have nutrition knowledge see these things and think they're valid then they hear that yes, you need a deficit so it's mass confusion so I don't blame people for asking these questions.

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
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    is it possible to loose weight without going on a caloric deficit? this is a GREAT disscussion. its been on my mind for awhile and i wanna see what you guys think. yes i think it is possible but...i feel like it might be better for people who need to loose more weight. might be wrong here.

    Calorie counting or calorie deficit? A calorie (energy) deficit has to be present to lose weight (bodyfat). A calorie is just a unit of energy. When you consume energy in balance, you maintain the status quo...when you consume energy in excess of what you need, it is stored for later use as bodyfat...kind of like a backup generator. When you consume less energy than you require, that deficiency has to be reconciled and you burn bodyfat (stored energy) to provide your body with its requisite energy needs.

    You can also look at it in financial terms. Lets say you make $1,000 per month but your bills are $1,500 per month...you have a deficiency of funds. But, you also have a big fat savings account so to reconcile your funding deficiency you pull $500 from your savings account to pay the bills. If you do this consistently over time, your big fat savings account will dwindle.

    As to calorie counting, it is just one of many tools and/or plans that can be used to achieve a calorie deficit. I lost 30-40 Lbs about 10 years ago and I lost a good chunk of that weight without calorie counting...just consuming a better diet and regular exercise and time. I did calorie count for a chunk of time, mostly for my own edification and better awareness, but I was losing weight just fine without actively tracking or counting calories.
  • Edintokyo
    Edintokyo Posts: 38 Member
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    OLD JOKE:
    Want to lose 10 pounds of ugly fat?
    Cut off your head…
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,897 Member
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    The OP clarified on another thread:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10892241/i-apologize
    i was reading the comments of my last thread i wrote. "is it possible to loose weight without a calorie deficit". i think i made a mistake. i meant to say is it possible to loose weight WITHOUT counting calories. i aplogize. im new to this whole weight loss thing so please forgive me😂
  • HillaryIsAJoy
    HillaryIsAJoy Posts: 11 Member
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    Perhaps you're referring to body composition changing?

    For example: Let's say I am 40% body fat and weigh 150 lbs consuming 2000 calories per day. Through lifestyle change (strength training for hypertrophy/muscle gain, increasing water consumption, moving towards Whole Foods vs processed foods for hormonal balance and nutrient density, adequate sleep) over time (likely years) it is possible that my body fat can change to 20% and I can still weigh 150 lbs while still consuming 2000 calories per day.

    Is that what you're asking?

    I have personally experienced this and it's why I believe strength training is so important.