Eating for muscle definition, not necessarily bulking

[Jbrewer49]

I need some advice on losing body fat & defining muscle. For the past 4ish years I've been eating 1200-1400 cals/day and working out 5 days per week, weights and cardio. I've been maintaining my weight pretty normally around 110 with 20% body fat. (I'm 5'0 and 27). I've been trying to lose some body fat (I'd like to be closer to 15%) so I've been lifting heavier. Now I'm only able to exercise 4 days a week with cardio each day (hiit/circuit type) and in addition lifting weights 2 days and Pilates one day with the cardio. When calculating my tdee, I get that I need around ~1775 per day. Well I have a hard time wrapping my brain around that increase but I know I'm not doing something right so before increasing calories, I thought I'd get some opinions on the best way to go about this. The only macro I have been counting is protein and aim for 85-115g per day. I also have been trying to cut added sugars out for 2 weeks (no change yet).

[yrot21]

Lift heavy, build a good base (meaning, you'll have to add 250 calories on top of your TDEE), get plenty of rest. You need 2,250 calories to bulk right. You were off by a little. Most women are disappointed when they diet-down to a ridiculous weight. The fat will still be there, because you don't have any muscle underneath to support the "look" you're going after.

[terracotta]

have a look at these article I have on the basics of muscle gain
the truth about toning
nutrition for muscle building

hopefully that will clear up common misconceptions regarding muscle gain.. "bulking" is not something I personally feel is necessary, although different people have different definitions of bulking. Any amount of muscle you want to build is going to require caloric surplus, but women gain muscle slowly, so you really dont want a huge surplus. I would go with the 1800 calories, and see if you are gaining at least 1 lb a month, if not then up it to 2000, and if not then, you can up it further!

[jessicajlin]

do your cardio in the morning on a carb depleated stomach
walk uphill, and walk a quick walk, no running
in 30 minutes you should achieve 2 miles
do that for 45 days and youll be closer to where you wanna be @ %15
good luck...............

[DaniGrrl]

do your cardio in the morning on a carb depleated stomach
walk uphill, and walk a quick walk, no running
in 30 minutes you should achieve 2 miles
do that for 45 days and youll be closer to where you wanna be @ %15
good luck...............

Wut???

If you do cardio to get down to 15% but you have not added any muscle, you are going to look like a skeleton. If you want more muscle, you should do a bulk/cut cycle. If you don't have definition at your stats, losing weight isn't going to get you the definition you want. I was bulking on 2200 calories and I'm older than you are with similar stats. Bulk for at least 6 months, but if you feel like you can go longer, then keep going. When you're done with your bulk, then you cut. Repeat the process until you are happy with the amount of muscle and leanness that you have.

[thepowerwithin]

I definitely get your calories up to at least maintenance. You can do it slowly in increments or just shoot straight up. You may gain a bit, but it's likely fluid. Choose a solid program (don't do your own thing). Keep the emphasis on lifting, not so much cardio. In fact, if your calories have been that low for 4 years (yikes), I'd say ditch the cardio or most of it for now and just work on getting your calories up and a solid lifting program.

You don't need to cut out sugars. It's not going to help with fat loss. Just eat a variety of foods, with emphasis on adequate protein and fats and fill in the remainder with carbs. Check the nutrition sticky for a guide on how to calculate your needs.

I agree with Dani and terracotta.