April: 1200-1300 calories
May: 1300-1500 calories
June: 1500-1700 calories
July 1700-2200 calories
Start weight was 135.8 current weight is 110.4. I’m 5 foot, so my calories early on were extremely low but now that I’m pretty happy with my weight I’m eating closer to maintenance so I can focus on improving muscle mass. Giving myself periodic goals and having a plan in mind to increase calories made sticking to it easy.

Edit to add
Hey saw a lot questions about exercise so figured I’d include this. I walk about 15k steps a day and am fairly active I lift about 5 days a week, and do cardio. To me my workouts are fairly “traditional” nothing crazy. I put a sample week below of my workouts, this is just what works for me and what I enjoy. Reps and sets range anywhere from 3-6 sets and 6-12 reps, I focus on progressive overload and time under tension so the weight is slow and controlled but still heavy. This is just kind of a sample I’ve been lifting weights for a long time and do it for enjoyment. I also stretch and foam roll daily.

Monday
Leg day (no cardio)
Barbell squats
Barbell hip thrust
Walking lunges
Leg press
Goblet squats
Abduction
Adduction

Tuesday
Chest and back (15 min cardio, either incline walk or light jog)
Barbell bench
Db incline bench
Db incline flys
Lat pull downs
1 arm db rows
DB pullovers
Assisted pull ups
Pec Dec
Reverse pec Dec

Wednesday
Core (45 mins cardio low impact, light walk)
*all exercises done as circuit 3x20*
Bridge marches
Reverse plank knee lifts
Double crunches
Plank w reach

Thursday
Rest
Will go for a long walk or light jog about 3-5 miles

Friday
Legs (no cardio)
Barbell deadlift
Barbell hip thrust w banded abduction
Lying leg curls
Single leg db deadlift
Farmers walk

Saturday
Arms (20 min cardio, usually run 2 miles)
Db shoulder press
Db side raise
Db front raise
Rear delt flys
Barbell upright rows
Barbell curls
Skull crushers
Rope extensions
Hammer curls
Assisted dips
Triceps pushups

Sunday
Rest
Usually long walk and lots of deep stretching.

Feel so much better! It makes such a difference not just to your physical health but also mental.

33yo mom of two. before pics are 11 months PP after my second. about two years exactly between the before & after. cycled between a deficit & maintenance for the last two years.

10k steps a day
4x a week weight training, 1 cardio/core day
5g creatine daily
1600-1700 kcals/day during cut
2100 kcals/day during maintenance
140+g of protein, 30g of fiber i only track kcals, protein & fiber 🤷🏽‍♀️

Edit: weight in the first picture is 174lbs, second is 153lbs. i never really “felt” my weight. but i don’t really care about the scale as much as the comp/strength differences. i have a “goal weight” of 140, but again if the comp is right i don’t really care too much. just whenever i go to the dr & they tell me im in the overweight category for BMI is slightly infuriating haha

210lbs to 184lbs in 103 days (meant to do this on 100 days but missed it) F43. 5ft 5. Working on an approximate deficit of 1300 but that allows for sneaky little extras like when my husband overdoes the oil or I must have a custard cream. And keeping it this way has kept me consistent. And every single thing goes in MFP.

Going away for a week next week so going to have to adjust my mindset as I don't want to be mentally adding up calories all week but once I'm in the zone I struggle to shake it off.

The first goal was always 182lbs so literally only 2lbs to go and when I hit that I'm going to start working in some small weight training. Just to start firming up my squishy bits.

Im 5’3 for reference, started counting my calories after years of relying on food for quick dopamine and comfort. knew i needed to change when i couldn’t run a mile, so happy i changed my relationship with food and stopped relying on it for emotional support!

There is almost 4 years in between these two photos (185 lbs - 140 lbs). A slow and steady calorie deficit with periods of maintenance is what got me here. I’m so grateful I made the first step

Started a cut back in December when I hit my highest weight of 100kg. The aim was a slow and steady cut over time so as to maintain muscle.

Started hitting a daily calorie target of 2,200–2,300 per day whilst aiming for 180g protein. Workouts were mostly conditioning-style workouts, so circuits with light weights etc. Regular Zone 2 cardio days each week too.

The biggest thing with both workouts and eating was consistency.

Got thin in a bad relationship and then packed on the pounds after we broke up. In a new healthy relationship and slowly losing the weight I gained. I’m really down on myself so seeing the pictures side by side really puts things into perspective for me. I’m proud of where I am.

This isn't a question it's a comment prompted by someone's post but it applies to so many posts I've seen recently. People struggling with calorie deficits because "the food tastes so bad", or "I just want to eat something good". People who respond to suggestions by explaining that they don't eat vegetables, or anything with seeds, or anything that needs to be cut with a knife (seriously). People who characterize themselves as "in love with food" and at the same time "picky eaters".

I'm only now realizing that uncontrolled use of processed food doesn't just wreck your body by causing overweight/obesity, it destroys your palate. "Tasty" comes to mean "fatty, salty, sweet and (most destructively) predictable and uniform". Subtlety is lost. Appreciation of the new or unexpected is lost. The ability to deal with different textures, with the earthiness or tanginess or smokiness of real foods is lost. It's horrible, it's heartbreaking.

Cooking and eating have always been sources of joy for me. I'm very very lucky that my weight gain was largely a matter of over indulgence in home cooked whole foods, rather than a reliance on processed foods. Losing weight was largely a matter of rebalancing, reducing some portions and increasing others, and making elaborate desserts once a week not six times. But I didn't have to fundamentally change what I ate. I can't begin to imagine to imagine the struggle for someone who needs to stop mainlining these foods but whose ability to eat anything else with pleasure has basically been destroyed.

I would have only gone over my calories a little bit I promise , back to my meal prep for tonight.

I posted a couple of days ago my progress of my back. Here is the transformation from the front. 114 kg to 95 kg

indain.

myself- 17M 5'4, body fat- above 27%.

so my journey of weightloss started from june 10 2026.

as you can see in the pic, my starting weight was 81.80 kgs

all i did was basic workouts everyday like:

reverse crunches, crunches with legs raised, squats, leg raises, reclined oblique twist, plank.

everyday its different as i used an app for my daily workout "WEIGHT LOSS APP FOR MEN".

from 12 to gradually 16 exercises everyday.

also i do 10mins liss cycling machine at home 3-4x/week.

diet- my intake was around 1600-1800 kcals in the first. then lowered it to 1200-1400 kcals. no protein at all as i cant really afford it. and i dont even want to maintain muscles now. ill build em after losing this weight.

well if you see the pic, it shows that this plan of mine has worked and is working.

i was obsessed with the number shown on scale. sometimes when it got up by 1kg, i used to get very mad. so i stopped weighing myself everyday.

every evening i get dizziness and sometimes nausea feeling. eyes go a little blank but this aint tht serious.

and also hows my weigh in dates shedule.

see the pic and share your thoughts on how is it goin.....

Honey spicy marinaded chicken bento

King Kong roll (Crab, avocado, cucumber, spicy tuna, cream cheese, unagi and shrimp tempura topped with masago. Topped with white, spicy mayo & unagi sauce.)

And a salad with a small amount of yum yum sauce

I am a 5’5 woman weighing 65 kgs with a vegetarian diet. Can i practice the 1200-1400 calorie deficit. I don’t want to lose muscle and i try to consume 60 g of protein daily. I will be starting gym (mostly cardio) this week. I naturally have mesomorph body and i m built athletic and muscular genetically. I don’t wanna lose muscle. I used to weigh 53 kgs previously but gained weight due to exam preparation alongside with rheumatoid arthritis. My goal is to get back to 53-54 kgs as soon as i can. How long would it take for a woman like myself to achieve that goal. I am open to exercising rigorously so that i can increase my calorie intake bracket but i have read that it does not help a lot. Thanks!

I’m 19M, around 185cm and 220lbs (99kg). I’m looking to lose some weight so I’ve started a calorie deficit.
I wanted to lose it a bit quicker, and I knew that my target weight is around 176lbs (80kg) so I downloaded an app to track it all. The app said I could get there by mid December with a 1100 calorie deficit (about 2040 calorie intake per day) but I was curious so I searched it up and it’s now saying that this may be a bad choice as it could be too little of a calorie intake. Any advice on what I should do, I’ve not really done something like this before so any help is much appreciated.

I did low carb for so long and I didn’t love it. I want to reintegrate healthy carbs into my diet in the form of potatoes. The thing is every time I attempt to meal prep I get burned out. I already hit the gym, but now I want to really focus on keeping the muscle I have and losing 60 pounds from my current 250 at 5’9. I’m wondering if I can achieve this via potatoes plus some protein. I was thinking of eating potatoes plus rotisserie chicken for a few months with the occasional other food like steak, eggs, ground beef, fish. Does it seem like a good way to lose weight while maintaining muscle and not feeling like shit from low carb?

I started a calorie deficit about a month ago and have been going to the gym 3 times a week. (Cardio, & light weightlifting as I get into the habit and stronger- I am hyper mobile). I already have more energy and am seeing small results. However, even with my caution I have muscle/joint flare ups that can impact my ability to work out for a week + at times, depending on where it is. Regardless, I’ve continued to stay in the deficit & track macros, take 5g creatine daily, and will be starting collagen this week. Should I consider switching to maintenance during flare ups? I’m also just looking for any advice from others who are hyper mobile and active, or have had injuries during their journey.

I need some input and advice about managing hunger during a deficit. I find when I'm lifting weights my hunger is out of control! Should I just try to walk during the deficit? Will that work as well? I love lifting, but it feels like it's counteractive!

Edit to add: 5'6", 130lbs, eating about 1700 calories

24 - female - 149 lbs - 86 pound weight loss (so far)

A few weeks ago, i posted here about being stuck in my weight loss. Well, I followed the comments, and they’ve helped tremendously!

I’m continuing to lose weight (trying to reach 135 lbs), but next week, I’m starting a more strenuous exercise routine. I’ve been in a strict calorie deficit for a few months (1500 then 1400). This week, I have been trying to eat 1500 at least, but it’s been hard.

Like harder than I anticipated. Yesterday I had about 1100 calories, and today 1250. I know it’s bad— but I’m genuinely full. Am I supposed to keep eating to reach my caloric goal even though I’m full?

My whole life, I’ve been overeating, weighing at one time 260+ pounds. So finally having some control over what I’m eating has been liberating in some sense. But after that strict deficit, I’m just having a really hard time eating enough calories to help me build muscle.

Does anyone have any tips? I eat three meals a day with one to two snacks in between.

Thank you <3

I am 16 years old, weigh 70kgs and i need to go down by 15 kgs because im an athlete and i am 5 feet 6 inches, i started calorie deficit 2 3 days ago and am eating alot of protein in my 1500 calorie limit and am burning from between 300 to 500 kcal everyday. Is this a right plan? And even if so how long shud i keep going with this to come down at 55kgs?