The last 15, transitioning from deficit to maintenance?

sneaky_teaky

I feel scared. I have been using MFP since January,and in that time have lost 51 pounds, with 15 to go. I have read before that once you get to the last 15-10 you need to up the calories slowly, and aiming to lose 1 lb or less a week. What worries me is that I feel on the days that I go over my goal(1340, going over meaning only by 100 or so) I gain or don't lose at all. It makes the idea of going up to a 'normal' amount of calories seem impossible. How true is it that you should slowly up your calories as you near the end, and at what point should you be doing that?

Stats:
age:24
height: 5'7"
start weight:226.4
goal weight:160
current weight:175

barbecuesauce

I have 9 pounds left and I eat close to maintenance many days. I'm still managing about a pound a week. I actually started feeling better about the whole thing when I took a two-week break and ate at maintenance--it helped me break my fear that I was going to gain weight (I actually lost 2 pounds in that time). You are not going to gain weight on 1440. Do you know what your current maintenance is? Maybe just finding that out will ease your mind, once you know exactly where the ceiling is.

Current stats: 5'6", 139 pounds.

decotterell

I just eat the maintenance amount. I have maintained for the most part. Actually started maintenance in February at 163 and weighed in last Sunday at 158.5. It was hard at first, I felt like I was eating too much. Turns out it's okay. Weigh about every two weeks and adjust calories if you need to. I've found MFP to be fairly accurate.

mccindy72

it's just in your head that you are gaining on the days that you eat 100 calories over. You've been in a deficit for a long time, so it takes some time to change your thinking that it's okay to eat at a level that isn't mean for losing weight. I've been at maintenance for years, and I can tell you that some days I go over my calorie goal and some days I'm under, and my weight stays pretty level. Everyone's weight fluctuates a few pounds, but I stay within the same 3-4 pound range.

pinkteapot3

You've done amazingly with your weight loss. The system has worked for your so far, so keep trusting it.

What is your MFP goal set to currently? If it's more than 1lb a week, switch to 1lb per week when you've got 7-8lbs to go (I'd get fed up doing it with 15lb still to go). That will give you an extra couple of hundred or so cals per day. You'll have a couple of months to get used to eating this increased amount, and you should see that the weight loss continues, but at a slower pace.

When at goal, set the MFP goal to maintain weight and you'll get some more calories again.

It will be fine - honestly. I only had 16lbs to lose in January (I'd lost more previously then failed at maintenance after a couple of years of doing it when I stopped tracking).

I started out at 1.5lbs per week which gave me 1,240 cals. When I had about 5lbs to go I switched to 1lb per week, which gave me 1,410. I'd lost at the rate I should on 1,240 and I lost at the rate I should on 1,410.

I've now been in maintenance for almost two months if I remember rightly, maintaining on 1,730 cals. I've stuck to it, logging everything as accurately as I did while losing and eating back all my exercise cals, as I always have. That means that one some days I'm eating 2,300 cals. It's working, my weight is steady. It fluctuates above and below goal by 2lbs each way but that's just daily variations in water weight and nothing to sweat.

This water weight is probably why you think you've gained after going 100cals over. You haven't. Weight is slightly higher/lower every single day - you can sweat these changes - it's trends over a few weeks or more that matter.

It is hard to switch to maintenance and not worry about every little weight change, but you'll relax into it as time goes on. Trust the system.

sijomial

Maybe you are scared because you are expecting change to be reflected in your weight day to day?
You need to ditch that mindset or maintenance will be incredibly stressful.
Your body simply doesn't work that way - weight fluctuates naturally for many reasons.

And yes you absolutely should be losing the last bit slowly - it's not just physical reasons but also starts a gentle mental/emotional transition to maintenance rather than a sudden change. Enjoy your success!

Sandcastles61

I am within a half pound of my"goal" weight, but have given myself a 2 pound either direction margin. The last5 pounds for me were painfully slow like a half pound every two or three weeks slow, but at about 10 pounds to go I had started adding back 50 calories a day for every 2.5 I lost so I could slide into this maintenance thing. So far so good. Congrats on your loss

jpaulie

Your basic metabolic rate is 1553 cals at 160, your TDEE will be around 1850 at 160 lbs based on little or no exercise. the 1800-1900 will be your maintenance range. It is not a bad idea to transition by adding 100 cals every week back into your diet. I'd probably get a little closer to your target before doing so. Maybe once you hit 165ish IMHO

zezelryck

I have lost 191lb and have been in maintenance for about 6 months or so. When I was dieting I averaged around 1250 kcals per day. Over the past 6 months I have increased my calories and have stayed at the same weight plus or minus 2lb and now consume 2200 calories most days of the week and at least once a week I can eat at least 3500 calories with no gains. I understand your fear I went through it and denied myself for a while. You probably should now be aiming at ½lb to 1lb per week loss and learn to slowly up your calorie intake until you are at target and eating enough to fuel your lifestyle. Enjoy

snowflakesav

The last 10 can be really tricky. I think things tend to slow down on their own due to stress.

MamaBirdBoss

Eh. Almost every time I've lost in the past, it's been rapidly, and then I bounce into maintenance. (This is kid #3 for me--and I've had a couple of not-paying-attention 15lb upticks, too, in the last 15 years in addition to that.) It hasn't caused me a problem. Losing slowly is actually much harder for me because the daily bouncing around is much harder for me to see that everything's being logged correctly.

Once I reach maintenance, I restrict slightly if I bounce up by 4lbs, if I'm paying attention, which I USUALLY am. (I judge by clothing tightness at that point because I'm at a size where 4lbs is very noticeable in clothes.) Less than that might be noise.

At 160, there's no problem if you dip lower at your height. 160 is the overweight line for a person an inch shorter. So you can diet like normal to 160 and then increase. If you dip lower, then so what? You have another nearly 40lbs that you could lose and be in the healthy zone.

KBmoments

jpaulie wrote: »

Your basic metabolic rate is 1553 cals at 160, your TDEE will be around 1850 at 160 lbs based on little or no exercise. the 1800-1900 will be your maintenance range. It is not a bad idea to transition by adding 100 cals every week back into your diet. I'd probably get a little closer to your target before doing so. Maybe once you hit 165ish IMHO

Do you mean adding back 100 calories every day for a week? If you added back 100 calories every week, that would only be an additional 14 calories a day...doesn't even seem like it would matter at that point.