Increase Calories ? HELP !

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missLEAS
missLEAS Posts: 36 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
As I am getting really close to my goal weight (only 6lbs/2.5 kg to go!) my main question is starting to become:

What about when I've reached my goal weight?

Should I continue eating and exercising the way I have, or do I have to increase my calorie amount? And if so, then by how much? Because I've heard that if you start eating again, you'll regain aaall the pounds/kilos back! Pls help. This is really stressing me out.

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  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    edited July 2015
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    Don't panic! Maintenance is just like losing—except you eat more.

    Right now, your goal should be set no higher than .5 lb. per week. Remember all that water & glycogen you lost when you started? When you switch to maintenance and stop eating at a deficit, you'll gain that back. Some people lose a couple extra pounds before maintenance to compensate.

    Your weight will fluctuate in maintenance, so have a goal range rather than a specific weight. (For example, +/- 2 or 3 lbs.) And keep eating back your exercise calories the same way you're doing now.
  • missLEAS
    missLEAS Posts: 36 Member
    edited July 2015
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    Okay but if I have lost weight by losing 1 kilo a week, can I suddenly switch to losing only 0.5 kilos per week (this by perhaps eating more?) without it backfiring or just fail?

    Thanks for writing back !
  • MarziPanda95
    MarziPanda95 Posts: 1,326 Member
    edited July 2015
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    From your pictures, I think you should move into maintenance now. You really don't look like you have another 6lbs to lose. But like editorgrrl said, your weight will fluctuate so you should have a goal weight range. You should slowly increase your calories, by maybe 100 calories a week, until you maintain :)
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    edited July 2015
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    misselenasalinas wrote: »
    Okay but if I have lost weight by losing 1 kilo a week, can I suddenly switch to losing only 0.5 kilos per week (this by perhaps eating more?) without it backfiring or just fail?

    The less you have to lose, the more slowly it comes off. That's just the way the human body works. Set your goal to .5 lb. for every 25-ish lbs. you're overweight. The smaller deficit will also help you transition to maintenance.

    Have you read the Sexypants post? It'll full of good "how-to" information, which may help relieve some of your anxiety: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

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