Counting calories -- is it really necessary?

I've been lifting heavily now for 9 months. Up until two months ago,
however, I'd also been doing extreme amounts of cardio, really limiting
my gains. Since I quit the cardio, I've put on 12 pounds of mostly lean
mass. I think the beginner's gains are about up though, as my bodyfat
has finally started going up over the past few weeks.

I'd like to cut back and get my bodyfat level back down, and of course
I'd love to keep as much of the lean mass as I can. But I'm wondering
if it's really necessary to be so "scientific" about my diet in order
to accomplish this. I haven't the faintest idea what my caloric
requirements are -- before when I've tried to lose weight, I've simply
stopped eating so much and added more cardio. If I try this same
approach to cutting now (instead of meticulously counting calories and
nutrient proportions), will I lose a lot more muscle than I should?

My current plan is to continue the same lifting schedule, but throw in
a bit of cardio -- maybe running or biking 3x a week, or jogging for 15
minutes each day before lifting -- and just start eating a bit less and
a bit healthier, paying particular attention to the amount of protein I
get. Is this good enough? I only need to lose about 3-4 pounds of fat
to get to where I want to be.

vmc wrote:
:: I've been lifting heavily now for 9 months. Up until two months ago,
:: however, I'd also been doing extreme amounts of cardio, really
:: limiting my gains. Since I quit the cardio, I've put on 12 pounds of
:: mostly lean mass. I think the beginner's gains are about up though,
:: as my bodyfat has finally started going up over the past few weeks.
::
:: I'd like to cut back and get my bodyfat level back down, and of
:: course I'd love to keep as much of the lean mass as I can. But I'm
:: wondering if it's really necessary to be so "scientific" about my
:: diet in order to accomplish this. I haven't the faintest idea what
:: my caloric requirements are -- before when I've tried to lose
:: weight, I've simply stopped eating so much and added more cardio. If
:: I try this same approach to cutting now (instead of meticulously
:: counting calories and nutrient proportions), will I lose a lot more
:: muscle than I should?
::
:: My current plan is to continue the same lifting schedule, but throw
:: in a bit of cardio -- maybe running or biking 3x a week, or jogging
:: for 15 minutes each day before lifting -- and just start eating a
:: bit less and a bit healthier, paying particular attention to the
:: amount of protein I get. Is this good enough? I only need to lose
:: about 3-4 pounds of fat to get to where I want to be.

Definitely keep lifting and getting sufficient protein.

As for the rest, well, it depends. the easiest way is to just eat less - go
hungry everyday until you finally lose the weight (mostly fat). But if you
want to keep eating the same, then add cardio. If you knew your maintenance
level of calories already, you'd have a place to start on counting. You
could spend a week or two to try to figure it out, or you could just start
eating at 10X your bodyweight in calories and see what happens. since you
only need to lose 3 or 4 lbs, I don't really see the big deal. You can lose
it inside a month.