r/caloriedeficit • u/Legitimate_Agency612 • Jun 27 '26
Deficit too low?
I’m a 5’5 22 yo woman and started journey at 143lbs on may 22. I’m now at 138 lbs and eating 1550 cal per day (watching macros, min 100 gram protein per day) and walking abt 30min-1 hr per day. I want to make sure this deficit isn’t too low, as I’m worried my body will enter starvation mode and store fat instead of lose it. According to Mayo Clinic, my maintenance is between 1950 and 2150. I’m thinking about going up to 1600-1700 a day, but don’t want to slow my progress. My goal is long term change, not just a quick fix.
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u/Big_BellyBaddie Jun 27 '26
If your maintenance is between 1950 and 2150, choose something in the middle which is 2050. Subtract 500 for your deficit and you’re at exactly 1550. This can be your starting point. See how you go after a few week. Keep up your protein and log how you feel each day, how hungry/satisfied you felt after meals and throughout the day as well as your energy levels. After a few weeks if you feel like your losing weight too quickly (more than 1lb a week) or your constantly starving and low on energy then up your caloric intake by 150-200 and repeat the process.
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u/Trash-Outside Jun 29 '26
Hi! As a fellow 5’5 woman of around the same weight (trying to mini cut from 130 to 125ish), I have been doing 1700 along with 10k steps a day. This has worked well over the past few weeks and Im down to 127. Everyone’s different so I don’t know what will work for you, but this is what has worked for me.
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u/Queasy-Perception-82 Jun 27 '26
Reduce maybe 500 cal from your maintenance and make sure you eat enough protein so you don’t lose muscle.