Calorie deficit to maintenance

[Laurenr99]

Hey!

For the last couple months on average  a day I will eat 1100/1200* calories as I didn’t have knowledge on the ‘right’ way to diet, I think that deficit was too large so I have upped my calories to around 1300/1400 a day, with exercise on average I burn 2000/2100 calories, if I just jump up my calories by 300 will my body adjust or will my body freak out at the new intake and store them as fat?

Female

20 years old

5ft 2

112 lbs

[Dominique]

How much did you lose during the two months you ate 1100/1200? Asking in order to determine whether the deficit was "too large", as you’re thinking. Because you are petite and thin (BMI: 20.5), it makes the case for not doing anything crazy one way or another (when cutting calories or increasing them). If you want to play it safe, go for half the amount you had in mind (+150 instead of +300), see what happens and adjust accordingly. 

[Laurenr99]

Thanks for replying 🙂
I started my weight loss about 8 months ago when I was 58kg (my heaviest) so for 8 months that was the calories I stuck to (lost 8kg/8 months but I didn’t feel healthy) but I’ve since incorporated the gym (last 3 months) so I’m trying to close in my deficit a bit so I have SOME* chance of building muscle and not feeling so hungry through the day and more energised, it’s almost autumn here in Australia so once that hits I’ll focus on an actual bulk / calorie surplus

Sent from my iPhone

[Dominique]

Even at your "heaviest", you were still BMI 23.4, i.e. well within the normal weight range. From your current weight of 51 kg or so, you can well afford to gain a couple more kilos, even if that comes with a little bit of fat.

Dieting for 8 months straight is quite long and taxing, even when losing at a very reasonable pace (0.25 kg per week). And 8 kg when you’re 58 is 14% of your starting weight, which is a lot. I did something similar in 2017, going from 68 to 60 kg in 10 months (i.e. very slowly):

I retrospectively think it was too long and I have since kept cutting phases to 3-4 months max. This is what the past couple of years look like:

I find it psychologically easier to diet more aggressively for shorter periods of time.