Looking ahead to goal weight maintenance calories: This is a lifestyle change

segacs

So, I'm sticking to a 1290 net calorie plan to earn a TDEE-20% caloric deficit. I started off with 40 pounds to lose, and I've got 35 to go. So, early days yet in this journey.

But once I reach my goal weight, my caloric goal will be 1380 net calories -- in other words, only about 100 calories more than I'm eating right now.

I keep telling myself, if this is a lifestyle change, then I need to get used to only eating this amount of food FOREVER. Not just for a few months. Not just until I hit my goal. But indefinitely. Or else I'll just gain back all the weight I lose.

And yes, that's daunting, and I'm breaking it up into smaller goals. But on the other hand, I think it's also helpful for me to know that, because it helps set up expectations. I'm not "dieting"; I'm changing my eating habits forever.

Do you find it helpful or counterproductive, early on in a weight loss journey, to look ahead to what your calorie goals will be once you reach your goal weight?

joflo723

You don't have to eat 1380 EVERY day in maintenance. You know how when you're eating at a deficit, you can spread that deficit evenly over all seven days, OR, you can splurge a little one or two days and cut back a little more on the other days? Same would go for maintenance I would think...you don't have to eat at 1380 EVERY day. Eat 2500 one day (specials occasions, etc.) and cut back a couple hundred calories the other days of that week.
In fact, by the time you're in maintenance, you'll have *hopefully* learned such good eating habits that you won't even have to track anymore. So say you have a splurge one day...you just automatically know to eat light for the next several days to make up for it.
This is the world I dream of! lol

segacs

Yeah, I meant average. And this is net of exercise, so that's a big variable too. If I feel better and am therefore able to work out more effectively, then that would theoretically help me maintain at a higher calorie goal.

But even so... I think it's important for me to wrap my head around the idea that the days of eating like I used to are over. 'Cause that's what got me here in the first place.

girlviernes

Yep and finding the ways you can really make those calories work for you

occultllama

By the time you reach your goals you may find that 1380 is plenty of calories for your new lifestyle, don't be discouraged by it. As you do more exercise and get fitter you'll find it easier to burn more too.

VeryKatie

Interesting enough, I was eating at a deficit of 1300 and I'm trying 1250 out for a bit. 1300 is so much easier! It is SHOCKING how much those 50 extra calories can do. And you'll have 100

20yearsyounger

I look at it the same way. Lifestyle change and I'm getting used to my number. Right now I am trying to eat more and doing a bad job. It's shocking how easily I ate more before I started seeing how much I was actually eating.

dopeysmelly

I assume that is an estimate of what your maintenance calories will be? In other words, you don't know for sure, because it could be much higher than that. I'm 5'2", 42 years old, 120 lbs at goal weight, and I've been figuring out maintenance for a few weeks. I started at 1500 calories - still lost weight. Then 1600 - still lost weight. Then 1700 - still lost weight, so now I'm eating back exercise calories. This much higher than I thought, and much higher than an estimator told me. In other words, you won't know until you get there!

I found it extremely useful to start thinking ahead. Most useful for me was to start planning what goals I wanted to achieve, when the weight loss goal was checked off. So, I have some fitness and health goals which I've started working on at the same time as figuring out maintenance calories.

segacs

Yeah, definitely an estimate. Calculator value, not actual value. I know once I get there (when, not if, WHEN), I'll have to do some trial and error to figure out my actual maintenance range.

I guess it's not so much the calorie number itself, but the notion that I will always have to log, weigh, measure and watch what I eat... because my natural unconscious inclination is to snack myself mindlessly up to a gazillion calories a day.

tulips_and_tea

segacs wrote: »

Yeah, definitely an estimate. Calculator value, not actual value. I know once I get there (when, not if, WHEN), I'll have to do some trial and error to figure out my actual maintenance range.

I guess it's not so much the calorie number itself, but the notion that I will always have to log, weigh, measure and watch what I eat... because my natural unconscious inclination is to snack myself mindlessly up to a gazillion calories a day.

While it's good that you know this about yourself NOW, don't dwell on this type of thinking because as your body changes, your mind-set and thoughts towards food will, too. You may feel this way now, but as you get fitter and reach a healthier weight you probably won't feel that mindless eating urge and you'll become satisfied with the amount of food you need within your calorie goal.

beamer0821

i try not live to far ahead. things change you will learn new things on this journey with trial and error. i always think whatever I'm doing today is the training for tomorrow. so i don't expect to change *much* at maintenance. i expect to do pretty much what I'm doing today. so no need to get overly anxious about the future.

beamer0821

and with your journey you'll start to pick up tools to help you not mindless eat.

when i first started i also dreaded thinking about having to log forever.
but i got a digital scale and it made the measuring so easy. i just put my dish on the scale and added my food. done. i don't have to whip out measuring cups and spoons every time i wanted a scoop of ice cream. so maybe consider that to make things easier?

segacs

BZAH10 wrote: »

While it's good that you know this about yourself NOW, don't dwell on this type of thinking because as your body changes, your mind-set and thoughts towards food will, too. You may feel this way now, but as you get fitter and reach a healthier weight you probably won't feel that mindless eating urge and you'll become satisfied with the amount of food you need within your calorie goal.

That's probably true for some people, but it never has been for me. Ever since I was a teenager I battled with my weight. I'd take weight off without trying (mostly by being unusually active, e.g. while travelling) and then put it back on without trying either. I wasn't eating because I was hungry; I was eating because I love snacks and chocolate, out of boredom, out of stress, or simply out of habit. I've been at or below my goal weight not all *that* long ago (7 years ago I was 10 pounds below my current goal) and I certainly ate it all back. So I know my traps, and that unconscious eating will do me in no matter how fit I feel.

segacs

beamer0821 wrote: »

but i got a digital scale and it made the measuring so easy. i just put my dish on the scale and added my food. done.

I have one. I use it a lot now that I'm logging and tracking again. When I wasn't, I never used it. And besides, I'm often not eating at home.

Sabine_Stroehm

This is why I harp on finding delicious nutrient dense foods that will make you feel satisfied. There's very little space between losing and maintaining, and less as you get closer to goal.
You got this. You're making a plan. Most folks just "stop losing".
Keep using MFP to learn. Learn how to use the calories to your advantage. cheers

beamer0821

@segacs im glad you touched on the emotional part of things.
i think most approach a new "diet" with what's the meal plan.
and never think about what the weight is all about in the first place.

for me i could lose the weight but could never keep it off without figuring this piece out first. it was the missing puzzle piece. I've been able to drop 50lbs since figuring that out.

segacs

beamer0821 wrote: »

I've been able to drop 50lbs since figuring that out.

Congrats, that's awesome!

cwolfman13

How is it possible that your maintenance calories will only be 100 calories more than your diet calories? I find that really hard to believe. I'd say make sure you're exercising regularly...

My net calories to lose weight was around 1,850 (2200 - 2300 gross)...my net calories to maintain are around 2,300 calories (2,800ish gross)

segacs

cwolfman13 wrote: »

How is it possible that your maintenance calories will only be 100 calories more than your diet calories? I find that really hard to believe. I'd say make sure you're exercising regularly...

My net calories to lose weight was around 1,850 (2200 - 2300 gross)...my net calories to maintain are around 2,300 calories (2,800ish gross)

It's different for men. I'm a 5'1" woman. Even small calorie variations make a big difference. My estimated BMR is ~1350 calories/day, and my TDEE is ~1600. I'm eating around 1290 now on average, which is a 20% deficit. At my goal weight, my projected BMR will be ~1150 and projected TDEE will be around ~1390. So, yeah, only about 100 calories over my "diet" calories. (I don't like the word diet since it implies short-term thinking, but I'll use it here in the same way you used it, for lack of a better word.) Again, all values are estimated, and I'm busy tracking actual results to gauge their accuracy.

And I'm talking about net calories, with exercise on top of that. Since my exercise habits are inconsistent at best, I'm using the sedentary/little exercise setting and not building those workout calories into my meal plan, since if I skip exercising, I'll end up eating too much.

dopeysmelly

segacs wrote: »

That's probably true for some people, but it never has been for me. Ever since I was a teenager I battled with my weight. I'd take weight off without trying (mostly by being unusually active, e.g. while travelling) and then put it back on without trying either. I wasn't eating because I was hungry; I was eating because I love snacks and chocolate, out of boredom, out of stress, or simply out of habit. I've been at or below my goal weight not all *that* long ago (7 years ago I was 10 pounds below my current goal) and I certainly ate it all back. So I know my traps, and that unconscious eating will do me in no matter how fit I feel.

Seriously, this is me too. I'd graze all day, and that's how I got to be 200 lbs. But I've not only made peace with weighing and logging all my food, I've embraced it. The pre-logging I find incredibly helpful for planning meals for the next few days, and even a week out, making grocery shopping easier and quicker. And it's great to be able to know exactly what I'm going to have on the dinner table 20 minutes after the post-swim practice scramble in the evening, and KNOW that it's going to be healthy. This is in addition to the fact that I know that I'm fueling my body (and DD's and DH's..) appropriately AND keeping the weight off.

LivingtheLeanDream

at 1600 your TDEE sounds low even for your height. I'm only 1" taller than you and mine is 2300. I know I am very active but perhaps even realising if you were to become more active means that you could maintain on a higher amount. Take this journey one step, one day at a time and don't think long term. Focus on short term goals and discover new and sustainable habits that will mean you wont gain what you've lost.

segacs

RunRutheeRun wrote: »

at 1600 your TDEE sounds low even for your height. I'm only 1" taller than you and mine is 2300. I know I am very active but perhaps even realising if you were to become more active means that you could maintain on a higher amount. Take this journey one step, one day at a time and don't think long term. Focus on short term goals and discover new and sustainable habits that will mean you wont gain what you've lost.

One step, one day at a time is why it's so low. I'm terrible about committing to an exercise program and actually following through with it. It's hard to change so many habits all at the same time, so for the moment, I'm focusing on my eating habits. My exercise habits have always been seasonal and inconsistent, and I'm just trying to be realistic about the fact that I HATE the gym and often do spend most of my time sitting in front of a desk at work.

I will gradually introduce more exercise into the equation and that should hopefully up those TDEE numbers and calorie allowances. I've just signed up for a spinning class, and ski season's right around the corner. But what I don't want to do is set it up as all or nothing. In other words, if I fail to stick to my exercise goals, I don't want to mentally say, oh well, I've failed, might as well toss this whole thing out the window and stop with the food tracking too. Instead, I'm going one step at a time, if that makes sense.

So yeah. The 1600 TDEE is estimated at a fairly sedentary activity level, just about 250 calories a day above BMR.

jemhh

segacs wrote: »

cwolfman13 wrote: »

How is it possible that your maintenance calories will only be 100 calories more than your diet calories? I find that really hard to believe. I'd say make sure you're exercising regularly...

My net calories to lose weight was around 1,850 (2200 - 2300 gross)...my net calories to maintain are around 2,300 calories (2,800ish gross)

It's different for men. I'm a 5'1" woman. Even small calorie variations make a big difference. My estimated BMR is ~1350 calories/day, and my TDEE is ~1600. I'm eating around 1290 now on average, which is a 20% deficit. At my goal weight, my projected BMR will be ~1150 and projected TDEE will be around ~1390. So, yeah, only about 100 calories over my "diet" calories. (I don't like the word diet since it implies short-term thinking, but I'll use it here in the same way you used it, for lack of a better word.) Again, all values are estimated, and I'm busy tracking actual results to gauge their accuracy.

And I'm talking about net calories, with exercise on top of that. Since my exercise habits are inconsistent at best, I'm using the sedentary/little exercise setting and not building those workout calories into my meal plan, since if I skip exercising, I'll end up eating too much.

I can't follow your math because you seem to be mixing concepts. First you state that you are eating net 1290 and then state that you eat TDEE-20%. TDEE-20% and net calories are not the same thing. TDEE = total daily energy expenditure, or the total number of calories you burn doing everything all day long, including exercise. TDEE is 20% below that. Calories net of exercise would be the total number of calories you eat less the number that you burn while exercising.

segacs

It's okay. I was a bit confusing there. I meant TDEE calculated at a sedentary activity level less 20%. If I add workouts to that, I add some calories back, too. It's a bit of a hybrid method but it's working for me so far.

Anyway, this isn't about the math. This is about the long view of changing eating habits indefinitely, as opposed to short term for a 'diet'. That would be true regardless of what that magic number is.