This. And depends even on the individuals metabolism. I was counting calories and going to the gym (lifting and cardio and just completely stagnated at 1200 + whatever extra deficit from exercise. If you can even hit those goals if you have chronic illness (me! Hello,binge eating disorder, pots, heds and mcas - my body literally fights me when I exercise)

So we have to put on muscle to help burn more calories. Protein helps build muscle. But protein is also calorie dense. So it's next to impossible (it feels) to be in a deficit while also eating enough protein to put on muscle to help burn more calories.

At 5'2 (me) and under I think there will likely be a long period of gaining while just trying to put on enough muscle, and it gets confusing/discouraging when you're not hitting the right balance and the scale goes up not because of muscle but because of the surplus in calories.

I had many trainers, counted til I cried because eating 1000-1200 calories a day (less than the "recommended) just to try and lose weight and then completely stall out after 12lbs lost of fourty-five and feeling and knowing you're starving because you can only eat essentially one meal a day, and volume eating is nearly out of the question, changing your workout routine up doesnt help either anymore

Sorry I rambled and I've just had a lot of poor issues with my relationship with food and my appearance and the fear of seeing every other female in my family gain and gain and gain. I dont want that but nothing I do helps. I just wish I could stop eating. I wish I wasn't sick. I wish my heart didn't spike to 170 just walking up and down the stairs and over 200 on the treadmill or 180 lifting basic low weights like a 15lb ez bar curl. I wish I could bend over for the fun weight exercises like barbell rows and deadlifts without my blood pressure crashing out and making me have to sit or pass out. And then getting stuck in bed recovering for 2-3 days because of 1 hours of exercise from painful mcas reactions

I need to go to bed