How long will it take before I know if it's helping or not?

So, I had maintained a weight of 136-138 with a body fat % around 16-17 percent for YEARS. Then in 2010, I decided to start doing triathlons. My weight and body fat started to go up, and continued to climb the more I trained. I hadn't changed anything with my eating, and then last year after finishing a half ironman, my weight was up 15 lbs from when I started endurance sport, and my body fat close to 25%.

Through these last couple years, I consistently have eaten about 2000 calories a day, despite burning about 3000 (or more!) every day. Everyone's been telling me I have to eat more! So since I've tried EVERYTHING else and keep gaining body fat, I decided I'll eat closer to what I'm burning (2500-2700 calories a day) and see if that works.

But I'm paranoid it's going to make me gain even more. I know my body will need to go through an adjustment phase, since I've been underfueling for more than 2 years now. How long should it take my body to readjust to eating enough before I start to lose weight?

Thank you :o)

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