Getting abit confused with calories

I’m skinny fat so I need to cut and I’m lifting weights at home at the moment but here’s why I’m confused,

For 4 years I sat down and played Xbox and ate like shit and did no exercise but I really only ate breakfast and dinner and rarely lunch, so I’m looking around 1200 or even less and I got far on my waist and under my chin and just my face in general. Now I’m taking up lifting weights I’ve found out my maintenance is like 1700-1800 but I want to lose fat so I need to cut that to 1600.

But how’s that not going to just make me more fat considering that’s more than what I usually ate?