Hey!

I was just wondering if I eat the correct amount of calories during the day, i.e no defict to cause a gain or a loss, but just enough to maintain what I am doing, will there still be any change in body shape over a period of time of doing that?

I'm talking just doing cardio, like swimming, running or cycling.

Thank you

No, unless you can manipulate your calories to an exact science (which is extremely difficult). General rule of thumb is calorie surplus to gain muscle mass and deficit to lose fat.

Ok, lets take an example then.

Jim is 6 foot tall, weighs 150 pounds and is sedentary. He maintains his weight without excercise.
Jim a month later starts to excercise, but eats more to maintain his weight.

About 2 months later he is weighed and weighs the same weight as he did when he was sedentary.

Wouldnt his body have changed shape at all?

my guess is no, especially over the course of a 2 month period.

That's kinda a trick question.....

You first stipulate that Jim is eating enough calories so that he is neither in deficit nor in surplus....all things remaining equal, this would be a state of equilibrium and for all purposes it would suggest a zero-change, no???? If he exercises to the tune of 200 calories per day, BUT he eats 200 calories more per day, then he's merely replacing what he burned....it's a wash.

Perhaps what you are getting at is the metabolic and physiologic change....eh?

If he hardly exercises....(little time & exertion) then there'd be negligible change. However, if Jim starts riding his bike a couple hours per day like a mad-man he's going to build more muscle, increase his metabolism and gain lean muscle-mass; he will likely burn some fat AND increase his lean muscle mass...so his weight may go up or down depending on the overall change in body-composition. If he replenishes his calories burned with an equal amount of calories, he'd likely have a wash in terms of fat-loss, but he'd gain lean-muscle weight.

I sense there's a more direct question you have in mind....something you didn't want to disclose so as not to influence our answer to your question. What's up...what's on your mind??

Sara...you sneaky gal, we're chatting it up on IM and you're posting away on this thread!

Okay.....this is how:

I dieted and exercised while in a calorie deficit....after 3 weeks of hard work & dieting, I GAINED 2.5 pounds but lost a bunch of body-fat. That's right: I lost FAT and gained MUSCLE while in a calorie deficit. If I was at maintainence, I'd have perhaps gained even more muscle-mass and lost some fat during the exercise as well.

Look Sara....we all watched those Godzilla shows on television when we were young. Sure, we all knew it was just a man in a suit pretending to be a giant over-sized iguana on steroids...but we all brought our delusions of grandure and ability to suspend disbelief together so that we enjoyed it none the less. Why can't YOU believe Sara?...is it really asking too much???

If a person can't lose weight while exercising at maintainence....then their faith wasn't strong enough.

I rest my case!