Coming off a diet - how to maintain

avaapple99

I am just coming off a diet in which I have lost 22lbs quite quickly (in about a month and a half) and I am scared to eat the amount of calories that are recommended to me. While I was on my diet, I was calorie restricting (eating about 800 or less per day, which I know is bad) and the amount of calories i have been eating to maintain differs day to day. Sometimes i'll eat around 1,900 and sometimes i'll eat about 1,100...I'm wondering how it is possible that I will maintain my weight if i am increasing the calories consumed when on my diet by such a drastic amount.

queenliz99

That is thing about maintenance calories, it's the amount that keeps you at this weight.

Liftng4Lis

Add 100 calories every 5 days til you hit maintenance.

sijomial

It sounds like you are desperately trying to stay exactly the same weight every day - that way lies madness!
- You must allow yourself a range of weight to maintain within to allow for perfectly normal and natural fluctuations (both daily and monthly).
- If you are genuinely scared to eat enough to maintain your weight you should consider professional help. (If you are using it as a figure of speech then ignore this comment!)
- As Lis says just walk up your calories steadily week on week and don't worry about calculators or try to second guess where your maintenance calories end up. You need to reduce your stress levels and enjoy maintenance - not fear it.