Starting at a normal healthy weight—is calorie counting for weight loss still safe?

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lamertume
lamertume Posts: 3 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm 5'5" and about (sometimes slightly less than) 123 lbs, 10 lbs lighter than I was a little over a year ago. My weight loss wasn't the result of calorie counting—I hardly paid attention to what I ate—but rather due to increased physical activity and decreased overeating. I've never looked chubby or overweight but I was definitely full-figured at 130, and I struggled immensely with body image at that time. Now I'm starting to gain back and it's causing me a lot of body image anxiety, so I've started calorie counting again to try to stay as slim as I am currently—but I'm worried that, since I'm in the lower third of a normal healthy bmi, calorie counting will only serve to make me more obsessed with food and result in less healthy habits while not causing me to lose any weight. Should I even try to restrict my caloric intake, or just stick to exercise and eat whenever I'm hungry?

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  • Mediocrates55
    Mediocrates55 Posts: 326 Member
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    If it worries you, there's nothing wrong with counting calories to stay at maintenance weight. It keeps you accountable for your food choices and makes sure the scale doesn't move too much. Calculate your TDEE and stick around that number to stay at maintenance.
  • coruscatti
    coruscatti Posts: 81
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    There is a whole section on the forums for maintaining weight, so it's definitely healthy! I have similar goals to you -- I am 5'4", started out around 129 and I am currently 125 (goal weight is 120). I plan to continue calorie counting and logging exercise even after I reach my goal weight, but with a maintenance TDEE in mind. I have found MFP to be very helpful when it comes to developing healthy eating habits as well.

    One thing to be aware of though, is I'm not sure MFP's TDEE calculator is completely accurate. Judging by my rate of weight loss, it seems to have calculated my caloric needs as being smaller than they actually are. So keep monitoring your weight, and if you find yourself losing weight while you're supposed to be in maintenance, make sure to adjust your daily caloric limit accordingly.
  • galprincess
    galprincess Posts: 682 Member
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    I would suggest posting on maintaining weight they will be of more help

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