net 1250, total 1700, starvation mode?

bakergirl178

i'm f 5'6", 127 lbs, and 18 years old; weight lift 2x a week, cardio at least 5, and 2+ days a week i work 5 hour shifts at a restaurant. i've set my daily net goal as 1250 with light activity because i know i'll go over it, and with exercise i end up consuming a total of about 1700-1900 calories a day. so over a week, my daily intake ends up being about 1350-1400 calories a day average. i was just wondering, is netting 1250 calories with exercise and eating calories back the same as just eating 1250 and not eating back; could that possibly put me into starvation mode? i've been feeling dizzy and unmotivated and my body is stubbornly holding onto fat! also, what's the best way to set your body to lose fat instead of muscle? i want to make sure that i'm doing that too...

Francl27

I'm not sure I see what you want to lose at 5'6" and 127lbs. But 1250 plus exercise calories is probably fine.

crlyxx

There are differences. As far as I know, simply eating 1200 with no exercise puts you at risk of losing muscle mass. By eating 1700 and working out to net 1200, you can more effectively lose weight while maintaining muscle.

chatogal

wondering here what kind of fat you might have?? Please realise that some fat is necessary to our bodies, it insulates and keeps us warm, protects and helps nourish us, are you on your way to being anorexic?? Please think again about losing more weight.

sed1217

I think you probably want to "lean out" more than lose weight at this point, since you are a good weight for your size. Maybe try a more aggressive weight training schedule or plan. There are a lot of great resources on here for weight lifting and balancing diet appropriately. I bet heavy weight training will get you the results you are looking for.