Upping my calories...does it work well?

MayaSPapaya

So I've been a 1200 eater for quite a while, and I lost 20 pounds by doing so. And I never really felt hungry...but I'm starting to feel hungry at the end of the day. I want to lose 15 more pounds by the end of june, so I figure I should up my calories. From what I understand, if I eat 20% less then my TDEE, I will lose weight. Is that correct?
How long until I see it working?
My TDEE is 2507 and I multiplied it by .8 and I got 2005. I feel like thats a lot of calories to be eating to continue to lose weight. Is this accurate?
I'm 5'3, 175 pounds, and a 19 year old female. And I excercise for 30 minutes 3-5 times per week.
I was thinking of upping to 1600-1700...would that work? Please help

SteelySunshine

My calculations would put you at about 1 pound a week with your activity level and calorie intake. But, that is a good thing IMO, it would be about 8 lbs and that is very doable and you will be learning healthier eating habits since you won't have to make a huge adjustment to maintain. I think 1200 calories is an ok amount, it's not really starvation level, but it is pretty low. At this stage body composition becomes a lot more important anyway. Building muscle will help you metabolize what you eat a lot more efficiently so that you won't ever have to worry about a 1200 calorie diet again.

snooj

For comparison, I'm also 5'3", 115 lb, do about the same amount of exercise, and lose weight at 1600. I just upped it from 1500 where I was losing 1.5 lb/week on average. So, yeah, I think 1600-1700 would definitely work. To be honest, at 1600, I'm completely starving.

Because you've been at 1200 for a while, it may take a while for your body to adjust to 1600-1700, so don't worry about the first week. You can also try slowly upping your calories. Some people like to just jump way up, and others prefer to up it 50-100 calories each week.

257_Lag

I like 1600 or so. True story...

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/975646-another-eat-more-to-weigh-less-win