metabolism/upping calories to maintain question.

ohheyyitsrenee

I know there's a million topics asking questions similar to mine so please don't get annoyed that I'm posting my question. I just want advice that's all.

I'm 19, very petite, 5ft 1 and I now weigh 97-99 pounds when i started at 116 back in september. I lost a solid pound a week and i'm very happy with my body now and I have killer abs. But It's time for me to start maintaining weight and tone more. The problem is that I was eating under 1000 a day (700-900) not on a purpose but with school, and work and what not it, it got hard. I was eating very healthy though, very clean, lots of fruits and veggies, chicken, oatmeal, greek yogurt etc. I drink a lot of water a day so i'm very hydrated all the time. There were days where I'd get to 1200 here and there but it wasn't too often. Now with a month off from school I wanted to fix that, find a balance where I can add more calories and start maintaining (goal for the new year). I do also take a fat burner, Hydroxy core Elite. But anyway, I work out 4 times a week it used to be 45 minutes of cardio and then 15 minutes of strength training but now it's 25-30 minutes of cardio, 30-45 minutes of strength training, not hard core strength training or anything but I do lift weights. The other three days a week I work retail. I don't fully think I messed up my metabolism or put myself into starvation mode because of the supplement that I take and because lately like this past week i've been STARVING. These past two sundays at work i've gotten myself to 1200 maybe over it and ever since then my body decided it wants food. That's how I knew, okay it's time to eat more which i'm completely okay with. I guess what I'm wondering is, the fact that i've been very hungry lately does that mean that my metabolism is okay? Should I start with a basic upping of 100 calories a week, getting myself to the 1200 and going from there? I think my maintain will probably be 1400-1500. Thank you, I appreciate your time reading this and helping.

MelissaPhippsFeagins

I would up to at least 1000 daily, though it sounds like your body is asking for 1200 and then up slowly from there until you find your maintenance sweet spot. My experience is that you may be hungrier now that you are lifting more. Good luck with maintenance and congrats on getting to your goal.