Advice on maintaining?

wilsonunc

Hi guys! So ... I think I'm officially in maintenance mode! woohoo! I went from 215 lbs to somewhere in between 125-128 lbs. 8). I'd love advice on how much I should be eating and how I should get there now that I am in maintenance mode. I know you get this question a lot!

So I'm 5 foot 5 (5'4" and 3/4s of an inch but whatever ;D) and I'm a college student. I'm, like I said before, in the upper 120's for weight, and I work out 4-5 times a week for an hour. I was losing at 1200 calories a day without eating back exercise calories (according to the machines, I would burn 700-800 calories per session, though I don't really believe that). I'm a pretty busy student, and I get 15,000 steps in a day on average according to the step app I have on my phone.

What do you guys think? Right now I'm eating 1400-1500ish calories a day. I need to get better at spacing out my meals so I don't end up eating terribly huge meals at the end of the day, haha.

Serah87

1200 calories at 20 yrs old???

For your age, height and weight. Maintenance calories would be around 2200 calories or even more depending on exercises. Good luck.


ETA: I am 45 yrs old and 5'2 and 113 pounds, my maintenance calories with my exercises is around 2400-2500 calories as of right now. (I just started maintenance a couple of months ago.)

SomeNights246

I'm right around your weight (though I fluctuate by the same ten lbs - in that I gain and lose 10 lbs every other month, which is normal for some of us lol) and just an inch taller. I maintain at about 1700-1900 before exercise. With exercise, I can easily eat 2400 a day and not gain a permanent gain.

nxd10

Congratulations! That must feel great.

I think you should either use MFP to calculate your calories and then log your exericse or put in the correct activity level OR you should use another calculator and follow that advice. I agree that's not a lot of calories for someone your age.

I had to use 1200 calories PLUS MY EXERCISE to lose but I'm taller and much older than you. Maintaining, I'm netting over 1700 and eat more than that with my exercise - and you exercise more than I do and are 35 years younger.

There are tools. Use them.

dopeysmelly

nxd10 wrote: »

Congratulations! That must feel great.

I think you should either use MFP to calculate your calories and then log your exericse or put in the correct activity level OR you should use another calculator and follow that advice. I agree that's not a lot of calories for someone your age.

I had to use 1200 calories PLUS MY EXERCISE to lose but I'm taller and much older than you. Maintaining, I'm netting over 1700 and eat more than that with my exercise - and you exercise more than I do and are 35 years younger.

There are tools. Use them.

^^This. The calculators are just a starting point. It'll take a while for you to figure it out, but be patient while you do. I've been maintaining for about 2 months, and I'm still figuring it out.

terbusha

A great thing to do is revere diet your maintenance calorie level up. This is slowly adding calories into your diet over time. Getting the calorie level at which you maintain your weight up sure makes maintaining your progress long term so much easier. Hit me up if you need any help with this.

Allan