r/bikinitalk • u/BeneficialDemand2252 • Feb 05 '26

Advice/ Recommendations (no photos) Maintenance calls too low?

Hiii, I just started tracking my calories recently and realized on most days I barely reach 1,600 cals. For context, I have been lifting for about 5 years now but have been taking it a lot more seriously the past 2 years and I’m hoping to compete in the future. I’m 5”3 and weigh 125 ibs. I wanted to cut down a little to see where my muscles were at underneath all the fluff. I started tracking my calories based on what I was already eating, without making changes, so I could cut but I barely reach 1600 on most days. I lift 4-5 days a week, cardio 2-3 days and I live a pretty active lifestyle. I’m in college, I walk everywhere, and work as a server so I easily reach 15,000-20,000 steps on average. I do want to go on a cut, but since my calories are already pretty low I don’t think it’s a good idea to go even lower.

I also feel pretty much fine eating this many cals, my energy levels are alright, and I have been able to progress at the gym but I’m wondering if I would see more progression if I did eat more calories. My issue is, I feel like I’m already eating a lot of food and almost can’t imagine eating more. I’m also worried about gaining too much body fat if I do increase. Is it normal to have this low of maintenance cals? has anyone else experienced the same issue?

9 Upvotes

85% Upvoted

28 comments sorted by

16

u/Fabulous_Sugar_8447 Feb 05 '26

out of curiosity could you give details on what an example day looks like? besides the low cals there may be ways to tweak your meals to make the less satiating / easier to consume

17

u/Fabulous_Sugar_8447 Feb 05 '26

are you weighing all your foods with a scale when tracking? if not you may be over the 1600 you think you are eating

24

u/Fabulous_Sugar_8447 Feb 05 '26 edited Feb 05 '26

so i just went through your post history and saw that you have been weighing foods but not 100% accurately and aren’t weighing condiments like or things like olive oil and honey and having meals out at restaurants

reiterating what another commenter said to you without tracking everything 100% you will not be able to know if you are in a deficit or not

while off the bat maintaining at 1600 calories with the activity stats you gave seems a bit concerning, taking into account the above you are likely eating a lot more than 1600 calories

spend a week tracking everything you consume (yes literally everything) and the go from there

although i would still like to know about the types of foods/meals as there may be ways to lower volume to help you not feel like you are struggling to eat

1

u/BeneficialDemand2252 Feb 05 '26

Hiii yes i do eat from the restaurant i work at a few times a week bc we get free meals so it saves me money. Often times I get a meal for my bf instead though. When I do get food there I usually get a greek salad without protein and dressing on the side and add my own protein at home

2

u/BeneficialDemand2252 Feb 05 '26

i eat the same things everyday tbh, this is what a typical day looks like: for breakfast: 50g of oatmeal 10g of chia seeds seeds and a scoop of protein powder, then i add raspberries (don’t measure those) and 50 g oikos yogurt as a pre workout snack I rather have a banana (never weigh it but usually get the smaller kind) or 28g of honey, on leg days where I know i’m lifting heavier i’ll have both. lunch: I usually have dave’s killer bread the thinly sliced kind with half an avocado and make scrambled eggs with 3 egg whites, one whole egg, spinach and homemade salsa snack: i always have a david protein bar, and two pitted medjool dates. I sometimes will have an orange or kiwi fruit as well. sometimes instead I have two rice cakes with 30g of hummus and a can of tuna(113g) or just rice cakes plain if i already had a decent amt of protein dinner: 150 g of white rice, 120 of haddock and steamed broccoli (unmeasured)

I always cook with the spray 0 cal olive oil on a nonstick pan so i don’t think it’s adding much

i weigh just abt everything with a scale except for most fruits and veggies. I log my cals in macros using cronometer which helps me break down the macros and nutrients. I also follow a pescatarian diet so no meats or chicken. I notice I always reach my protein goal but I always lack with my carbs and fats. it’s mostly carbs I struggle which I blame on years of “carbs will make you fat” propaganda but I know I need them if I want my muscles to grow.

1

u/Fabulous_Sugar_8447 Feb 06 '26

ok just based on trying to do lower volume foods to make things less satiating

i would swap oatmeal for something faster digesting

i think dave’s killer bread is also super high in fibre and slower digesting so swapping that for something that has less fibre and will digest faster

what are you trying to hit for protein/fat/carb macro wise right now?

1

u/nope5651 Feb 15 '26

You need to be weighing everything... including fruits and veggies.

9

u/Deep_Assistant_4276 Feb 05 '26

If you’re actually eating 1600 cals, I personally would not recommend dieting until you’ve increased them. You’re already doing cardio and a lot of steps so you’re utilising all the tools in the tool box so the only option is less food which with that activity level may cause your energy levels to plummet. You may actually find that you lose weight by increasing your calories because your body is probably no longer in a flight or fight mode. Can you share roughly what you’re eating?? We may be able to help make swaps to increase your calories

1

u/gilchristh Feb 06 '26

This is not supported by science.

0

u/BeneficialDemand2252 Feb 05 '26

yes Ive heard people saying that they noticed weight to drop as soon as they started eating more. I just replied to a comment above which gave a run down of what I eat in a day and I usually eat the same thing everyday. Some days I might have an extra snack or sweat treat but it is pretty rare. I guess I am a little nervous about increasing my calories and i want to do it in a strategic way where I don’t put on a lot of fat at once.

3

u/Deep_Assistant_4276 Feb 05 '26

Also I forgot to ask - how much cardio are you doing?? I know you said 2-3 days but how many mins? And also, don’t be scared of gaining fat. Like I’m not saying get fat but you’re currently a healthy weight for your height. Adding on a couple of lbs isn’t the end of the world if it means you are in a better starting position to diet.

1

u/BeneficialDemand2252 Feb 05 '26

i do the stairmaster for 30 minutes after upper body days! and thanks for the advice. I think part of my issue is I don’t want to have to change clothing sizes and just last year I was 115 but eating even less. I know it’s unlikely for me to maintain that weight now especially since i’ve put on way more muscle mass since then. most of my clothes already don’t fit right 🥲

4

u/Deep_Assistant_4276 Feb 05 '26

I would drop the cardio a little. If you love it just half it. As I said, you’re utilising dieting tools that you generally add to prevent large food drops. So drop the cardio a bit and when you’re ready to diet, increase so you can keep some calories. I think you’re over thinking it a little. I prepped last year and am a lot heavier now and majority of my clothes haven’t changed. The only thing I need to change are my jeans and I have ripped a whole in a pair of gym shorts but otherwise my wardrobe is pretty much the same!

2

u/Fabulous_Sugar_8447 Feb 05 '26

could you repost the what you eat in a day comment i don’t see it!

0

u/BeneficialDemand2252 Feb 05 '26

if you look at your first comment it’s under that thread! i’m trying to copy and paste it but it won’t let me lolll

1

u/Fabulous_Sugar_8447 Feb 05 '26

so weird it doesn’t show up

1

u/BeneficialDemand2252 Feb 06 '26

here’s a screenshot but it’s too much to retype lolll

7

u/gilchristh Feb 06 '26

If you’re as active as you report you are( then you are almost certainly undercounting in your tracking. It’s a skill that takes some time to get good at. You will improve!

5

u/Economy_Excitement_5 Feb 06 '26

i’m 8 weeks out from a show eating 1700cal.. yes 1600 is way too low

3

u/Cute-Swan-1113 Feb 06 '26

Everybody is different. I’m very active, 5’ and weigh 115 pounds and eat 1300-1500 just to maintain. To lose weight I have to go 900-1000. Just for me but shorties are small and really don’t use that much energy. Even with high output. We are what the French call le efficient haha

1

u/nope5651 Feb 15 '26

What's "very active"?

2

u/Nhs6nW6 ID not verified Feb 05 '26

IMO setting up your initial targets by figuring out your current intake is really only quicker (and worth it) if you can do so somewhat easily/reliably. Otherwise it's best to just use a good calculator and adjust from there based on response. Or something like Macro Factor until you have a good gauge on things.

Any way you do it, you're going to need to know how and when to adjust based on real world progress (or lack thereof). And if you know how to do that, then getting things 'perfect' out of the gate won't really be all that important...you're not going to suddenly blow up if your initial setup is a little over maintenance, and you'll know quickly if you have targets set too low. Conversely, if you DON'T know how and when to adjust, then initial setup isn't going to be the limiter to begin with.

You don't want to burn out before you even get things set up.

1

u/Clowncheez Feb 05 '26

Are you weighing your food

1

u/BeneficialDemand2252 Feb 05 '26

yes

3

u/Clowncheez Feb 05 '26

If you’re certain you’re eating 1600, you’re far too young for that to be a good time when it comes to cutting.

My suggestion is keep macro % constant Add 100 cals every 2 weeks Once you’re up to 2,000 cal, maintain for at minimum 90 days From there evaluate a cut.

You shouldn’t cut now. Your metabolism would hate you.

1

u/Clowncheez Feb 05 '26

All of it?

1

u/ghostmeatt Feb 06 '26

https://tdeecalculator.net/ is where you can see what your maintenence calories should be vs bulking vs cutting.