Need a little help with maintaining

ChrisS30V

Hey all, I have finally reached the weight that I am comfortable with (6'3" 155 lbs) and would like to maintain from here on out. I started out at about 210 lbs back in January and have been religiously tracking calories and weighing food since then. My eating habits have changed quite a bit and I no longer resort to drinking sodas or eating junk food.

I stayed right around 1800-1900 calories the whole time and lost weight without much effort. However, now, in order to maintain, MFP says I'll need to consume around 2500 cals a day. Ok, I can do 2500 pretty easily. But after factoring in my runs (which range anywhere from 3-6 miles, 3 days a week) the calculator says I need to consume 3000 or so calories on those days in order to maintain. Should I just eat at 2500-2600 a day and call it good, or do I need to "eat back" the calories on my exercise days? I really don't care to eat that much more because my diet is set up pretty much the way I want it and I'm at a point now where I don't think it would be a great idea to lose anymore weight. I would love to hear what some of you have done who have been in a similar situation.

geekyjock76

You're going to periodically increase calories to let your Resting Metabolic Rate recover which will increase your TDEE. During the initial week, you may experience noticeable weight gain. As you continue to increase caloric intake, the gain will be less until it's relatively stable with very little fluctuation. That's really the only way to discover your actual adjusted TDEE. Just be patient and increase calories gradually until you reach weight homeostasis.

ChrisS30V

Thank so much for the advice. That sounds like a good plan to me, so I guess I just gradually increase my caloric intake until I hit a sweet spot of not really gaining and not really losing weight?

cwolfman13

When I went to maintenance I upped my calorie by about 100-200 per week until I got to where I thought I needed to be. I actually use the TDEE method, but it comes out pretty mucyh 6 of 1 with MFP...I'm 5'10" and eat around 2700-2800 calories to maintain with my exercise...so 3000 doesn't sound off to me if you're working out, running, etc. I originally thought it would be around 2500, but I just continued to lose weight...actually started losing a little faster as my metabolism recovered from months and months of dieting.

dieselbyte

You're going to periodically increase calories to let your Resting Metabolic Rate recover which will increase your TDEE. During the initial week, you may experience noticeable weight gain. As you continue to increase caloric intake, the gain will be less until it's relatively stable with very little fluctuation. That's really the only way to discover your actual adjusted TDEE. Just be patient and increase calories gradually until you reach weight homeostasis.

Exactly. Increase your calories slowly, about 100 calories per week. If you go from 1800 right to 2500, your weight will increase because your body will increase fat stores . take your time, and track your results. You will be able to eat more andn not gain significant weight.

LarryDUk

you are 6'3 and 155 pounds?

action_figure

Listen to your body. Keep weighing yourself, and watch how it goes.

Capt_Apollo

wow.

i'm 6'3" and 220lbs.... you're skinny.

nhradeuce

Is that a healthy weight?? I'm 5'9" and I weigh 155 and I'm about 10-11% body fat. That seems really light for your height.

In any case, the daily caloric goals don't sound unreasonable to me. I am maintaining at about 2250 plus what ever I work out. My net daily ranges from 2500-3000 depending on my workout.

ChrisS30V

I really appreciate the input. I will eat more, keep track of my weight, and either eat more or less accordingly.

ChrisS30V

Is that a healthy weight?? I'm 5'9" and I weigh 155 and I'm about 10-11% body fat. That seems really light for your height.

In any case, the daily caloric goals don't sound unreasonable to me. I am maintaining at about 2250 plus what ever I work out. My net daily ranges from 2500-3000 depending on my workout.

155 for my height isn't QUITE to the unhealthy stage yet, but my doctor recommends that I start to focus on maintaining/maybe gaining a bit. Realistically, I probably should have stopped losing when I was in the 165-170 lb range, but I was enjoying seeing the fat fall off lol It's been a life-changing experience losing the weight, but now the real work begins.

nhradeuce

155 for my height isn't QUITE to the unhealthy stage yet, but my doctor recommends that I start to focus on maintaining/maybe gaining a bit. Realistically, I probably should have stopped losing when I was in the 165-170 lb range, but I was enjoying seeing the fat fall off lol It's been a life-changing experience losing the weight, but now the real work begins.

Good deal. Start lifting heavy and you'll put on a few pounds plus your BMR will go up.