Reached goal weight and still losing weight. Looking for help/suggestions!

cedarkins

Hello MFP Community!

I reached my goal weight a week and a half ago and since then I have been increasing my calories in order to stop any more weight loss. So far, I have not been successful in halting the weight loss and I have upped my calories quite a bit: 1200 to 2700. Today I am going for 3000 calories.

I have a few questions to ask you maintainers out there:

(1) how long did it take you to find a balance between intake and output of your calories?
(2) did you experience a similar situation where weight loss continued even when increasing calories?
(3) I am still maintaining my same exercise level, and wish to maintain it. I run 6-10 miles 3x week and go to the gym the other 3x with one day of rest. I wear a heart rate monitor so I can tell you that I average a 2500-3000 calorie burn a week, not to mention I easily do at least 10,000 steps throughout the day. Any maintainers out there in a similar situation willing to share how they maintain weight with such an exercise plan?

Really, at this point, any information would help me out or at least point me in the right direction.

Thanks a bunch! I look forward to hearing all your input!

~Cedarkins! :-)

ahoy_m8

(1) two months. I was calculating my observed TDEE during loss and it still took 2 months at maintenance.
(2) yes
(3) I also try to keep my exertion steady week-to-week, but I do not try to count exercise calories. I rely on observed TDEE.

ETA: congrats on reaching goal!

RaspberryTickleChicken

Congrats!

(1) About 3-4 months
(2) Yes
(3) I have not varied very much in regards to my exercises or eating And my weight naturally leveled off on its own & Im very comfortable maintaining it

cwolfman13

I found the TDEE calculators to be fairly accurate for so long as I was being honest about my activity level. My biggest issue was that I just couldn't wrap my head around the idea that I might need 3000 calories per day to maintain...even though I was riding around 100+ miles per week and hitting the weight room 3 nights per week and overall just pretty active outside of work.

I actually had to bring my activity down a notch to where I maintain around 2800ish on average. I do some endurance riding though and when I train for those events, my calories go through the roof.

cedarkins

Thanks for your input all. I'm glad to hear that others are in the same boat. I'll see what it says for my TDEE.

dopeysmelly

It's been about a month, and I'm still finding my way. It's tough for me to know if the weight is really stable because of hormonal changes with TOM etc. So I'll know over a couple of months. I've also increased more than I expected. I guess I move around more than I thought.

nxd10

You can't up your calories and expect anything much to change instantly. Weight loss and (thank god) weight gain doesn't work that way.

I would suggest upping your calories to what is recommended, try it for at least two weeks, and see how your body stablizes. For me, when I'm on a downward slide I keep sliding for a bit, then I plateau.

Mikulam93

(1) Can't answer as my diet has been a bit all over the place
(2) Yes ! While increasing calories back to normal, I found that if i actually stuck to them (no over-eating chocolate and crap), then my body would start getting leaner again
(3) Why so much cardio? If you're burning up to 3000 calories/week from activity, that's enough for you to still lose weight. Try cutting back to running twice a week.

Bump up your calories and leave it as is for a couple weeks. Your body is an adaptive machine, it will adjust. But hey, 3000 calories a day without weight gain is something many dream of

JeanCricket

Congrats on reaching your goal weight! :-)

From your post, I'd say you are still losing due to your amazingly awesome exercise burn! If you plan to keep as active as you are, then I would recommend upping your calorie intake to make up for the calories you are burning off. Would think over time you will start to maintain :-)

I reached maintenance 2 months ago and, like you, I continued to lose. I'm still tweaking my calories, but have found eating back the calories I burn really helps!

Good luck my friend and congrats once again!

xo Jean

steff274

Me!! Am at the lowest I want to be in fact could do with gaining a couple back!! I weigh myself every morning to keep an eye on it.. I eat alot of food!! I lose a pound then eat like a bin to gain it back!! Will add you

peachyfuzzle

Your body might still be trying to catch up a little in that it might still be losing calories from the previous deficit since it has only been such a short time. You're not going to just eat a bunch of calories, and then the exact next day be gaining all of it.

I'd suggest eating a calorie surplus number for a couple of weeks straight to see if that has any difference, and then recalculate as needed.

cedarkins

An update for you all, it appears that my weight loss has slow and I am getting closer to maintaining. I think a few days consuming close to 3000 calories helped. I'm currently shooting for about 2200-2500 a day right now. Though I know I will still be tweeking things as some of you have pointed out. I think i may try a different idea of having a big meal once or twice a week to offset my high calorie burn through exercise. Boy! Trying to stay a a certain weight is difficult!

Thanks again for everyone's input! It is much appreciated!!!

cliffodom1

cedarkins wrote: »

Boy! Trying to stay a a certain weight is difficult!

You got that right. I try to focus on what I look like not what I weigh. Remember when Arnold Schwarzenegger won My Universe he weighed over 250 pounds. At 6'2" like me I would be a slob at that weight. Focus on the total package not just what the scale says.

47Jacqueline

cedarkins wrote: »

Hello MFP Community!

I reached my goal weight a week and a half ago and since then I have been increasing my calories in order to stop any more weight loss. So far, I have not been successful in halting the weight loss and I have upped my calories quite a bit: 1200 to 2700. Today I am going for 3000 calories.

I have a few questions to ask you maintainers out there:

(1) how long did it take you to find a balance between intake and output of your calories?
(2) did you experience a similar situation where weight loss continued even when increasing calories?
(3) I am still maintaining my same exercise level, and wish to maintain it. I run 6-10 miles 3x week and go to the gym the other 3x with one day of rest. I wear a heart rate monitor so I can tell you that I average a 2500-3000 calorie burn a week, not to mention I easily do at least 10,000 steps throughout the day. Any maintainers out there in a similar situation willing to share how they maintain weight with such an exercise plan?

Really, at this point, any information would help me out or at least point me in the right direction.

Thanks a bunch! I look forward to hearing all your input!

~Cedarkins! :-)

1) I still haven't reached a balance. Right now I'm recovering from a broken leg and cataract operation, so my activity level is lower, but walking on crutches is pretty rigorous according to my activity tracker. I've been maintaining for over a year.
2) I haven't really lost weight, maybe 2 pounds, but I definitely lost a couple of sizes.
3) I usually maintain a highly active workout level and can in no way eat as much as I should. I think your body eventually adapts to what you eat and do. I'm not skin and bones; I'm older so I don''t show a lot of muscles, but they're there. What I do is to log my food regularly, so I don't get cocky. My weight is pretty stable and my doctor is happy with where I am.

Keep up what your doing and start worrying about something else. That's my advice to anyone who is at goal. We spent so much time obsessing about weight we got in a rut. Now I've started working as a Zumba instructor and personal trainer at 67. I've got a group certification exam next week, a practical interview at a gym to be a personal trainer coming up. I'm taking an aqua certification next month and have to reschedule some stuff in January. I also do watercolor and all my baby cousins want paintings for Christmas.

LivingtheLeanDream

That's quick to up them by so much, but if you're not gaining then its all good and you're obviously burning them off
I've found my balance but it took me several few months.
I upped my calories by 100 at a time over a period of months, I did that when my weight loss stalled each time and it got me losing again. Eventually found that I could still lose eating 1600 plus eat back half my exercise calories.
My body seems to want to stay between 134 and 137lbs -I've been maintaining for approx 6 months.
I use TDEE method now and don't eat back exercise calories. I maintain on 2000-2400 calories.
You're obviously burning off loads to be able to eat 3000 cals - thats a great situation to be in
Just keep an eye on the scales each week/month to ensure you aren't gaining.
- I would like to see less fluctuations in my weight as I seem to go up and down by 3lbs, but I know its due to hormones or sodium, I don't let it bother me anymore.
Wishing you all the best with maintaining

arguablysamson

cedarkins wrote: »

Hello MFP Community!

I reached my goal weight a week and a half ago and since then I have been increasing my calories in order to stop any more weight loss. So far, I have not been successful in halting the weight loss and I have upped my calories quite a bit: 1200 to 2700. Today I am going for 3000 calories.

I have a few questions to ask you maintainers out there:

(1) how long did it take you to find a balance between intake and output of your calories?
(2) did you experience a similar situation where weight loss continued even when increasing calories?
(3) I am still maintaining my same exercise level, and wish to maintain it. I run 6-10 miles 3x week and go to the gym the other 3x with one day of rest. I wear a heart rate monitor so I can tell you that I average a 2500-3000 calorie burn a week, not to mention I easily do at least 10,000 steps throughout the day. Any maintainers out there in a similar situation willing to share how they maintain weight with such an exercise plan?

Really, at this point, any information would help me out or at least point me in the right direction.

Thanks a bunch! I look forward to hearing all your input!

~Cedarkins! :-)

Going into maintenance is a mighty big transition and can be very emotional. To answer your questions...

1) About 4 months, or a tad longer. But don't expect it to be an exact science. You need to find a "wing it" system whereby your mind can adjust and drift on and off of other concerns in life. This will help, believe it or not, in getting into a new routine that won't threaten to undo your progress, but at the same time, will keep you where you are. My advice on this: Don't be afraid of gaining the weight back. When you've succeeded in losing, you've succeeded at changing your metabolism. You are in control now, so don't worry. Took me every bit of those four months to get passed the hangup of not accepting that you are in a different place now than you were in life when you had to drop the cals to get rid of the pounds.

2) Yes. I kept losing even when consuming much higher calories. I have found this is because your body becomes so adapted to losing, so efficient at burning your reserves instead of what you eat, that it keeps on doing so. It will need training to re-adjust.

3) You might fade out the cardio just a little. I am 40 and recently decided to cut back on my running to about twice a week since it's easier on my knees than 4 or 5 days a week and I added in more weightlifting. These changes helped me build and maintain some needed muscle mass lost in dieting.

I have now gone back up from 185 to 197 lbs, which took since this July. Looks better on me, I'm told. Get comfortable eating more. If you're anything like me, I know it is hard now, but gradually work on increasing the amount you consume. Your body will adapt, and in time, you won't worry or feel like you've violated your dietary conscience when doing so. You will also notice more glycogen reserves (aka, "water weight") being stored on layers all over you more so than normal. Don't freak out. This is good. It means you are making progress toward true maintenance.

Things change, and therefore, needs change; just repeat that to yourself.

Good luck.