Just eating the calories required to maintain your desired weight - rather than a larger deficit?

hamlet1222

Whatever your ideal weight, once you get there you'll want to be eating the correct amount of calories to maintain it right? So why not start just eating that amount of calories now? In theory your weight should eventually meet this ideal - it may take longer, but at least you'll be getting used to the calorie intake you'll need to be at for the rest of your life.

If your weight stabilizes above or below, you can just adjust the calories a bit, and congratulations, you've worked out how your body differs from the standard formulas you used to calculate what your ideal calorie intake should be.

Anyone tried this approach?

rsclause

calorie deficit = loss
calorie equal to maintaince = same

PeachyCarol

If I'm not mistaken, @christinev297 did that for a while.

I end up doing it on some days with higher activity, but it's not an intentional thing. I've toyed with the idea briefly though. I might actually make the change over to doing that once I complete C25K.

20yearsyounger

Not exactly. I did use my BMR at my goal weight though.

shadow2soul

rsclause wrote: »

calorie deficit = loss
calorie equal to maintaince = same

@rsclause - He means eating at the approximate maintenance from your goal weight.

Example:
CW Maintain = 2394 - 2410 (depending on calculator used)
GW (losing 7.8 lbs) Maintain = 2335 - 2351 (depending on calculator used)

In my case, it would take forever to see any change because the difference is so small and could easily be wiped out with minor errors.

However, when I was heavier, it would have provided a nice deficit to lose at. If I was still 200 lbs and eating for my goal weight maintenance, I would have about a 600 calorie deficit. As I lost weight, it would get smaller until it's almost not there at all (like it would be if I tried it now).

VioletRojo

I did it that way, but it took me six months to lose eight pounds, and I had to be perfect with weighing and logging. If you're not in a hurry it can work.

jemhh

This same thread topic is going on here: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10262292/lose-weight-by-eating-at-maintenance-calories-for-goal-weight#latest

Normally I wouldn't re-direct but this isn't a topic that comes up everyday so it's interesting that it's coming up twice today.

Yi5hedr3

Theoretically it should work that way, but it would be slow as you mentioned.