Maintenance findings...4 months on :)
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@kim55555 thank you for hitting the like button
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It would be better to increase your nourishment for healing your back, its time to rest and eat more actually. 2500 would be ok for recooping from an injury, take care, I was hospitalized for sciatica,not fun!!RunRutheeRun wrote: »@cloudi2 will I do it for the rest of my life? Absolutely intend to while God gives me breath in my body and good health. Last week I had to rest 3 days due to sciatic pain and I reduced my cals to 1900 just in case, I know if I weren't as active I wouldn't need as much food.
I get the feeling you want us all to go up a BMI level or three.
She'll gain weight if she's goes over her maintenance level. That isn't good for backs, joints or general health.
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RunRutheeRun wrote: »lauraripson wrote: »Thanks so much for posting!! I've been wondering if I should just switch to maintenance. I've been working out daily, eating healthy, logging most days, for a few years now. I can tell definite differences in my body, like strength, endurance, etc, nothing else has ever really changed. My weigh has stayed a constant all this time. Around 145 and I'm 5'5. I'm starting to think that this is just how I'm supposed to be. As long as I'm living a healthy lifestyle, nothing else matters right? At least that's what I have to keep telling myself!!
@lauraripson your body is at its happy weight
go with it, that's what I did
I don't think she sounds happy about it though!0 -
Yes, if you can get up early run a lot, walk thousands of steps recorded by fitbit during work day, come home do housework and do the strength training she does, then 2100 cals seems, well, maybe not enough really.SuperJo1972 wrote: »Well done - What a great inspiration to us all. It helps to know that a healthy maintenance is doable.
)
For such an active young woman.
'SEEMS' being the operative word here! But reality is reality. If you want to be healthy body fat percentage, slim and fit into nice clothes, it's worth finding the correct numbers of the weight you will be happy at.
Personally I get MIS ER A BLE over 130lb, but my reward is a highly efficient machine in the top 1% of fitness for my age. And I couldn't give up turning heads, and my gorgeous younger boyfriends either! Seriously, my features get all hidden and my butt and legs get out of proportion if I gain above 130-133. I look every year of my 44 years, my confidence goes and alongside it my posture. I feel heavy when I run, and generally tired. I LOVE being 19/20 BMI Or 15-18% body fat.
Here's the logic. If she wasn't eating enough there's no way she would have the energy to do all of that and feel so good doing it too!
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@Springfield1970 Thanks for your comment. I don't feel ever that I need more cals when I eat at 2100-2200. Unless I have a very high cardio day, then I eat a little more. When I'm not as active 1800 is enough. I listen to my body and this works for me. I'm in the best shape of my life and have realised for me it's not always about the scales but about my stats which are just fine in my opinion (and I frequently get complimented on my physique) Saying I have loads of energy I'm feel I'm doing things right.
It sounds like you are at your happy place, congrats 0 -
UPDATE - 10 March 2015
It turns out I can't eat as many calories as I thought!!
I'm now at 6 months into maintenance and after upping gross calories to 2100 mid January, for 3 weeks now my weight has consistently stayed at the higher end of my goal range which I don't like.
I have had to re-evaluate my intake and think about what was the overall cause of this small gain... and its simply that on Saturdays, which is what most of you would call my cheat day, I eat whatever I want - it turns out I have been eating up to 3000 cals!(its hard to log take away accurately) yep! And I do this every week! Now 3000 isn't too bad for someone as active as me, but when I upped my overall calories throughout the week in January to 2100/day, that meant my deficit became non- existent, in fact I was eating a little too much!
Anyway, I have adjusted my intake now to reflect my one high day as I enjoy having a day when I don't have to think or worry about calories. The other days I will eat at 1900 and that will leave me in deficit overall by 1000 calories each week.
Maintenance continues to be a learning curve!
Watch this space!
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Thank you for posting these updates; they have been really helpful in my own journey of trying to maintain my weight. I've been maintaining my weight (between 60.5 and 61.5) for a little more than a month now and have made many findings.
I found that I became obsessed with numbers and making sure I was eating enough calories. Recently, I began wondering when I began to obsess because before I wasn't like this. Before, I would just keep to small portions but eat whatever I wanted. Reflecting on the good habits I took on as I lost weight, I realized that in order to maintain I was throwing away those good habits I worked so hard to keep.
Because of this, I've just decided to go back to those old habits:
1. Drink a cold cup of water every morning and every hour.
2. No afternoon snaking. (I find that just eating 3 meals in good for me)
3. No fruit after lunch.
4. Low-carb dinners as recommended by my doctor. I'll eat carbs, just less that I would normally eat during lunch.
5. If offered a dessert or snack, only eat a small portion.
6. No need to log every gram. Just eat intuitively and go for small portions in general.
7. Get lots of sleep.
8. Try to move your body whenever possible.
I still think that writing what I eat is very important, so I will continue logging. However, I don't think I will measure everything as precisely as I have been doing these past two months because doing so made me feel like I was restricting myself so much. So what I'll do now is buy a journal and write what I ate and how I felt (as recommended by the Blogilates channel).
I'm aware this might not work for some, but it's the least stressful and realistic way for me to maintain my weight in the long term. Hope this helps others!0 -
@desi9837 thank you for your detailed and informative reply
I thought I was at the stage I could dispense with logging my food but its not going to be something I can ever stop, I just lose track of how much I'm eating.
You've made some great points and I agree with the majority of them, I'm not bothered about low carb, I keep an eye on my intake but each to their own.
Wishing you all the best for maintenance Its still a learning curve for most of us.
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Thank you so much. I just reached my goal and am going on maintenance. You are so inspiring!0
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This is such an amazing post / thread! I'm bookmarking this, because I know I will want to read back over it when I reach the point when I am ready to go into maintenance
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@scrappyhappy thank you and well done on reaching maintenance
@dragn77 Thanks for your lovely comment, wishing you all the best as you strive to get to your goal, you'll get there before you know it 0 -
10th April (update at month 7 of maintenance) - am still at higher end of goal range (138lbs) despite cutting to 1900 for 4 weeks, have now cut to 1700 gross cals. My TDEE is average of 2100. Would like to see my low number again so will eat at this lower amount for next 3 weeks and see how I do. My average steps are up from 16k to 20k. Need to lose 4lbs before July when its vacation time.
My hips are 1/2" smaller though! 35" hips now. (and my sons gf whos a skinny wee thing has 35" hips, so I'm happy with my measurement ) Waist hovers around 27", was 26.5 so thats where the extra weight is!
I'll keep the updates coming! 0 -
Good! My eating over Tdee experiment didn't work! Then I had an emo time and comfort ate! Back at netting 1500 for a while. Haven't jumped on the scales for 3 weeks. It's a fine line!0
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I'm on month 3. I seem to range between 119-123. I follow similar things as you do! Most days I have over 130 active minutes, and the other days I always have at least 60! Walks are very refreshing!
I average between 1800-2300 calories a day even though my maintenance is 1500 with doing nothing.
Happy 4!0 -
@Springfield1970 yeah, a fine line is what it is..unfortunately - I had hoped with all my activeness that I could eat more and more...but thats not how my body works..sighhh it is what it is
@higgins8283801 thanks for your comment, you're doing great and do similar mins to me...keep up the great work 0 -
RunRutheeRun wrote: »10th April (update at month 7 of maintenance) - am still at higher end of goal range (138lbs) despite cutting to 1900 for 4 weeks, have now cut to 1700 gross cals. My TDEE is average of 2100. Would like to see my low number again so will eat at this lower amount for next 3 weeks and see how I do. My average steps are up from 16k to 20k. Need to lose 4lbs before July when its vacation time.
My hips are 1/2" smaller though! 35" hips now. (and my sons gf whos a skinny wee thing has 35" hips, so I'm happy with my measurement ) Waist hovers around 27", was 26.5 so thats where the extra weight is!
I'll keep the updates coming!
Hi @RunRutheeRun
It baffles me how you arnt able to lose the scale weight! You have made amazing progress with your measurements and people keep telling you and thinking you've lost weight. Your body comp is changing and your photos show that you are looking leaner and leaner as time goes on!
I think a RMR would benefit you! I'm curious to see what your RMR is, then at least you would know where you stand! Maybe it's crazily high like over 1500. Or mayb it's low under 1200.
It'll be interesting to see if the scale goes down eating 1700. Don't make ourself too miserable or hungry doing it though. No diet is worth that.
I'm going to get my RMR tested again soon. I'm hoping it's at least 1350. The highest I've managed to get it to was 1550 after 5 weeks of eating in surplus (300 over TDEE)0 -
I'll join in this group now that I'm maintaining. I like to call it rocomping though as maintenance to me is a dirty word lol (that I've struggled with in the past)
I've decided to eat 2200 calories for 6 months of the year and for the other 6 months of the year eat at a 10-15 % defecit which is around the 1900-2000 calorie mark.
My scale range is 59 - 60.5 kg. 25 % body fat. I'm a 5 foot 2 female.
At present im recomping. My goal is to average 2200 weekly calories which is eating at TDEE or just slightly below. I lift very heavy weights and I am seeing nice changes in body composition! I also include 2-3 intense cardio pw and I keep pretty active during the day.
I'm measuring my progress taking my body fat %, monthly photos, and measurements.
Goal is to get to 20 % body fat0 -
@Kim55555 RMR isn't that same as BMR? how would I calculate that? My BMR according to online calculators is 1380...I think! It'd been a while since I calculated that so will go do that now.
Kim you're at a great weight, I totally agree with the body re comp 0 -
RunRutheeRun wrote: »@Kim55555 RMR isn't that same as BMR? how would I calculate that? My BMR according to online calculators is 1380...I think! It'd been a while since I calculated that so will go do that now.
Kim you're at a great weight, I totally agree with the body re comp
Hi BMR is taken when you just wake up in a laboratory and haven't done any activity or anything. Resting is not as controlled ie, you get up shower, drive your car walk into laboratory to get tested. BMR is slightly more accurate.
The online calculators or weight scale calcs are a good guide for what your RMR could be but then again it needs to take in other factors ie I drove my RMR into the ground doing 3 months of eating at something like 30% deficit, not fueling myself enough for my activity. My result came back at 850 RMR. The calculator would have told me 1300. 5 weeks of eating in surplus sparked my metabolism up to an amazing 1500.
Yeah I'm at a good weight, body recomp is the way to go for now until spring. I just want to tone and lose more fat off my tummy.
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@KIM55555 So how would I know my RMR? I don't use gyms etc
Just recalculated it online with fitness frog - 1308.
How does that help me now though?0 -
@RunRutheeRun You are doing awesome on maintenance. This thread was a great idea because it shows others that they are not alone in their quest to maintain a healthy weight. I've been doing it successfully for 3 years now and the hardest part for me has been trying to balance my daily exercise routine with the amount of calories that I'm eating. Unfortunately I have a tendency to over exercise and not take in the right amount of calories which causes my weight to sometimes drop below what it should be. I'm a lifetime member at Weight watchers and do find that the monthly weigh ins and keeping a log of what I eat and how much I exercise helps because it shows me that I need to either eat more calories or stop the amount of exercising that I'm doing so that I'm not in a caloric deficit... Best wishes for your continued success in maintaining and also to others in this thread as well. 0
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@Eileen_S thanks for your reply - well done on maintaining for 3 yrs + you've got this My body has gotten used to my runs so a friend whos a personal trainer has suggested more HIIT intervals to see if that gets my body shifting a few pounds so I'm at the low end of my goal range again. 0
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Update 20 April - 2 weeks of cutting to average daily gross cals 1750 - scale has moved big time, almost 3lbs down in 2 weeks, so I'll keep on going, I'm aiming for 3 lbs below lowest goal range to give me a bit of leaway 0
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Awesome work It is SO much easier to make these smaller adjustments sooner than to let things slide. Maintaining within a range makes so much sense. 0
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Well I went on a comfort eating jag after a heart break (minor) which surprised me at its force! So I've gone back to cutting most days at about 1/200 under Tdee. I'm just going to do this forever lol with the odd blow out day. I can't do maintenance! It just creeps up so quickly and stealthily!0
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Yep totally! ! I think it's gonna be periods of cuts and then back to maintenance level for me, right now I'm happy with my cals even when cutting....but I change my mind on this journey all the time lolSpringfield1970 wrote: »Well I went on a comfort eating jag after a heart break (minor) which surprised me at its force! So I've gone back to cutting most days at about 1/200 under Tdee. I'm just going to do this forever lol with the odd blow out day. I can't do maintenance! It just creeps up so quickly and stealthily!
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8 months on....
5th May 2015 update:-
Week 4 of cutting to 1700-1800 cals gross....4.8lbs gone woooot that's me back at lowest original goal weight yippee....only now I'm moving the goal posts ..5lbs more is my aim:- 129 lbs here I come lol 0 -
RunRutheeRun wrote: »8 months on....
5th May 2015 update:-
Week 4 of cutting to 1700-1800 cals gross....4.8lbs gone woooot that's me back at lowest original goal weight yippee....only now I'm moving the goal posts ..5lbs more is my aim:- 129 lbs here I come lol
You're doing a fantastic job on your journey to maintain. It's always nice reading about the success that others are having. Thanks for keeping your thread updated. 0 -
Bump. Eleven pounds to go before maintenance.0
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Update 9 months on...
This week I've finally seen my much sought after 133lbs! Yippee I am now 1lb lower than my goal weight and my plan is to still cut until I lose another 4 more vanity pounds in preparation for my holidays in Jul
I did however have a 6 week plateau recently despite eating in deficit...it happens
thankfully I'm back to losing again!
My average steps are consistently 21k /11 miles a day.
Average cals to lose 1/2lb week are 1850 fross7
Maintenance cals are between 2100-2300.
This gal is in a very happy place 0
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