0.3 pounds from goal, how do I start maintenance?

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OnceBitt2xshy34
OnceBitt2xshy34 Posts: 797
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Hi, I am 0.3 pounds from goal, once I reach it, how do I start the maintenance part? I know I need to add more calories back but how do I determine how many? Thank you in advance.. Tori

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  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,345 Member
    edited November 2014
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    Try adding 100 cals for a week, then up them another 100 etc Keep an eye on your weight and if alls still good keep upping them til you find your maintenance cals.

    If you know your TDEE you could also just start eating at those higher cals and give your body a few weeks to adjust to eating more.

    For me I lose eating at 1600 cals/ .5 lb loss a week.
    I maintain at 2000.

    Go into goals on Mfp and set it to stay same weight and mfp will tell you what cals you can eat to maintain.

    Well done on getting to goal ☺
  • OnceBitt2xshy34
    OnceBitt2xshy34 Posts: 797
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    Thank you very much, and thanks for your help :)
  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
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    Harvard Medical School says that to maintain weight if you're exercising 30 min / day, you'll need about 15 cal / lb.
    http://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/HB_web/calorie-counting-made-easy.htm
    So nudge your current calories up in increments of 50-100 until you're no longer losing, not gaining, and you'll probably be around 15 / lb.

    51637601.png
  • indianwin2001
    indianwin2001 Posts: 296 Member
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    MKEgal wrote: »
    Harvard Medical School says that to maintain weight if you're exercising 30 min / day, you'll need about 15 cal / lb.
    http://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/HB_web/calorie-counting-made-easy.htm
    So nudge your current calories up in increments of 50-100 until you're no longer losing, not gaining, and you'll probably be around 15 / lb.

    51637601.png

    That formula is almost exactly what IIFYM tells me my TDEE is--Thanks for the post. I just started maintenance yesterday and its good to know Harvard is on my side :D
  • OnceBitt2xshy34
    OnceBitt2xshy34 Posts: 797
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    Thank you so much, appreciate it :)
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    How fast have you been losing weight? If at an average of a pound a week over the last couple of months it's likely you will end up needing to eat about 500 cals a day more.
    As suggested above just walk your calories up slowly and set a range of weight where you are comfortable to maintain. A range of + or - 3lbs perhaps?

    To me it makes much more sense to use your own logging data and actual weight loss results than go back to calculators which are only an average estimate and don't compensate for an individual's logging inaccuracies.
  • OnceBitt2xshy34
    OnceBitt2xshy34 Posts: 797
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    sijomial wrote: »
    How fast have you been losing weight? If at an average of a pound a week over the last couple of months it's likely you will end up needing to eat about 500 cals a day more.
    As suggested above just walk your calories up slowly and set a range of weight where you are comfortable to maintain. A range of + or - 3lbs perhaps?

    To me it makes much more sense to use your own logging data and actual weight loss results than go back to calculators which are only an average estimate and don't compensate for an individual's logging inaccuracies.

    Thank you.. So far so good, 12 days in and maintained except for a 0.8 pounds loss

  • 47Jacqueline
    47Jacqueline Posts: 6,993 Member
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    You may lose more weight until you stabilize. Don't think of that as a continuing on your weight loss - it will not keep going down and shouldn't.

    Time to move on to other issues in your life instead of focusing on food all the time.
  • OnceBitt2xshy34
    OnceBitt2xshy34 Posts: 797
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    47Jacqueline wrote: »
    You may lose more weight until you stabilize. Don't think of that as a continuing on your weight loss - it will not keep going down and shouldn't.

    Time to move on to other issues in your life instead of focusing on food all the time.

    Yes I agree, the only reason I lost that in the first few days is because I did not add enough calories back.. Thank you for your advice :) T

  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,160 Member
    edited November 2014
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    OnceBitt2xshy34 wrote: »
    Hi, I am 0.3 pounds from goal, once I reach it, how do I start the maintenance part? I know I need to add more calories back but how do I determine how many? Thank you in advance.. Tori

    jissn.com/content/11/1/7

    OnceBitt you did a good job and that is a good question. LolBroScience posted the above link yesterday that is a good science paper relating to issues with "Deficient Diets" just in case you went that route. It talks about how to try to prevent the normal weight rebound syndrome and to get your body metabolism to normal to help prevent weight rebound. It is a science paper but not that hard to read.

    Again Congrats and best of luck with the harder upcoming part of dieting.

  • LumberJacck
    LumberJacck Posts: 559 Member
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    Congrats at being 99% towards reaching goal weight!
  • acogg
    acogg Posts: 1,871 Member
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    There seems to be a natural five pound bump when you stop dieting. I have forgot the hormone (I used to know it, Alzheimer moment). It will level out. When I experienced it, though I stopped logging my food, I continued to weigh myself. When I saw the scale jump, I mentally went back into low calorie/high burn mode. So I dropped another five pounds that I hadn't intended. I actually had to start logging my food again in order to regain the lost five pounds. I have seen this five pound maintenance bump with other MFP friends who have gone to maintenance. It seems to last two weeks and then drop off again in another two weeks. Don't freak out like I did. The body is weird and the explanations are many. Your experience may be different, but this was mine.

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