Petite and just starting maintenance

Digbysmom

I'm 5'2, 66 years old and have logged on for 254 days. I've gone from 141 pounds to 108 and I'm just entering maintenance. MFP has added an additional 30 calories daily. I'll start adding that tomorrow and see if that keeps me at my goal weight of 108. I'm wondering if any petite women found it a challenge once they started adding more calories. I'm pretty must convinced I'll be logging my food for the rest of my life, as it's become such a habit now.

Pam

MeiannaLee

Its challenging meeting my calories becasue its just so much food.
Im 5'1, 100 pounds and I eat 1900 calories a day. Ive been logging everything for almost a uear now!

BurnWithBarn2015

Digbysmom wrote: »

I'm 5'2, 66 years old and have logged on for 254 days. I've gone from 141 pounds to 108 and I'm just entering maintenance. MFP has added an additional 30 calories daily. I'll start adding that tomorrow and see if that keeps me at my goal weight of 108. I'm wondering if any petite women found it a challenge once they started adding more calories. I'm pretty must convinced I'll be logging my food for the rest of my life, as it's become such a habit now.

Pam

Congratulations on reaching your goal weight

And in theory the weight loss you had over the last weeks would give a good maintaining level.
For example if you lost over the last month 2 pounds that means you ate 7000 calories in that month under your maintenance level.
So adding those back should hold you at your goal weight

Pawsforme

An addition of 30 calories doesn't sound right at all. Did you mean to type 300?

If my math is correct you've lost 33 pounds in about 36 weeks, or almost one pound a week. A one pound a week loss is typically achieved by about a 500 calorie a day deficit. So it doesn't make sense that MFP would only add 30 calories per day to maintain.

We have a very supportive group for petites in maintenance. We'd be happy to have you join us!

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/109137-petites-in-maintenance

LivingtheLeanDream

I was also thinking you must have meant 300 extra cals.....

and yes, the petites in maintenance group is great

Congrats on your achievement I loved and still love having extra calories - I maintain on 2100-2300 cals though (active gal here)

And just thinking about how light you are now, we are all so very different - I'm same height but happily maintaining and feeling very slim at 130lbs...I suppose I must have a larger frame. We are all unique

Digbysmom

Folks, unless I've done something wrong my caloric goal went from 1200 to 1230. I set my goal at 108 pounds and showed my weight at 108, indicating I'd reached my goal. My new caloric count poped up at 1230. Even I thought that seemed wrong as 30 more calories equals one of my favourite crackers. Have I done something wrong here? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Pam

Pawsforme

Did you change your goal to maintenance instead of losing? Click on "settings" and then "update diet/fitness profile" to change goals.

ejbronte

Same tiny increment has happened with me: 5'0"; down to 105 or 106 pounds (depending on salt and other factors). 57 years old. Desk-job sedentary. Set my status to Maintain and got a whopping increase from 1200 to 1240 calories (that's before activities. I'm able to usually get to about 1400 by the end of the day; but still....!).

Digbysmom

Thanks for your comments every one. I went into my settings to reset it to maintenance only to discover that I had done that correctly, and similar to ejbronte above, I got an additional thirty (30) calories. I'll watch carefully, but I may have to increase that as I suspect I'll keep losing at that rate.

segacs

Yep, it's entirely possible that if you're petite, a bit older, and sedentary, you won't get many extra calories from normal daily activity once you hit maintenance. The reason for this is that, while losing, you probably would have needed to drop below the 1200 calorie floor to truly be at a 250- or 500-calorie daily deficit. Since MFP won't go below 1200 base calories, it stopped there.

The good news is, you can earn more calories through exercise, just as you did when losing weight. Few of us are truly sedentary, even with desk jobs. Your TDEE is probably quite a bit higher than the base NEAT calories that MFP is giving you. Continue to log and eat back those exercise calories if you want to maintain. It might take some trial and error to find the right number, but it should be a reasonable amount of food.

And yes, please join our petite maintenance group, if you haven't already! There are lots of us there in the same boat.

Digbysmom

Thanks so much. I applied to join the group yesterday so hopefully that will work out. The biggest shock is realizing how many calories I must have been consuming to get to 141!! I'm in such a routine now that it's kind of reassuring to know that I shouldn't have to drastically increase my intake to maintain.

Pam

BurnWithBarn2015

There is something wrong here

You ate 1200 calories a day for 36 weeks and lost 33 pounds
Which means this:

To lose 1 pound you have to eat 3500 a week less than normal maintaining level.
So 33 pounds is 33 times 3500 over those 36 weeks = 115500 calories that you ate less
Now you ate for 36 weeks 1200 calories daily is for a week 8400 calories. For 36 weeks is 302400 calories.


And that for 36 weeks so maintaining your weight was at that point those two together 417900 calories if you shouldn't have lost weight to stay at the same level.
Now divide this by 36 weeks and than by 7 days and you get 1658.3333 for daily...to maintain at that point

But you cut back Now your maintaining is a bit lower of course you are lighter but for sure it is NOT 1230 calories a day

you will find out eat the 1230 a day and you will still lose weight over time...up it by 100 calories for 2 weeks and so on till finally you stop losing weight

But for sure you dont maintain on 1230...you cant otherwise you would not have lost 33 lbs in 36 weeks.

BurnWithBarn2015

btw i am in the same boat...finding maintaining level.
And busy with it for 90 days now and still upping slowly my calorie intake.
Seems it is even higher than 1900.....

But we will see i just upped it again for the coming 4 weeks. When i still lose weight i up it again with 100 calories for the day.

It takes a lot of patience i must say and i am surprised about the fact that i find this waiting game harder than my whole weight loss period of time

TavistockToad

How much have you been losing per week eating 1200 cals?

BurnWithBarn2015

33lbs in 36 weeks she said.

lol correct me if i am wrong...than my calculations are wrong too.

ejbronte

I think there's even more math involved (at least for me: and I'm horrible at math...):

Started at 134 pounds last December. Goal weight set to 110 pounds. MFP did, indeed set me at 1200 calories. Over the course of around half a year, I lost at a fairly slow and steady rate till in about July, I hit the between 110 and 108. From there till around end of October to find myself fairly steady and comfy at 106/105; fat % at around 22 or 23 according to the scale; measurements a healthy 34-25-34 (would love to lose that extra inch waistwise, but I won't sweat it. Literally.).

Now. I also built in a nice chunk of brisk walking periods and light weight lifting, which gave me more calorie burn - usually building up to around 1400 by the time I was through (then as now). Did not bother to eat back such small earnings: it seemed silly. And, often, when I ran my reports, I found my net calories would be at around 1100. So: with the extra 200 calorie earnings, together with days netting a little less than 1200: this might account for ability to have lost the weight when MFP set me at 1200, maybe? It did take the entire half year or more to lose the 28/29 pounds.

And would that maybe account for the tiny increment from 1200 to 1240? And say that, at the end of the day, my actual maintenance allowance is between 1300 and 1400. Am I thinking straight (I often don't!).

BurnWithBarn2015

think the other way around....you eat 1200 normally Now i am going to eat 1300 so 100 more.
that is 700 a week so 2800 a month more. that is not even a pound weight loss in a month.

So no the math is off.

Just keep it simple
If you lose a pound a week means you ate 3500 less than normal
Adding those 3500 a week should keep you at the same weight.
That is all there is too it.

Now fluctuations and TOM/hormones can play a part and of course weighing less so a lower maintaining level. But that is not hundreds and hundreds calories difference.

See the simplicity and logic of it

When you lose normally one pound a week you can eat 3500 calories more to NOT lose and NOT gain in a week.

BurnWithBarn2015

Just keep in mind it are all estimations. What MFP does and any other trackers/counters

It is something you have to test...trail and error.

Upping slowly your calories by eating for 2 or 4 weeks 100 calories a day and keep weighing your self will tell you in the end what your numbers really are.
Losing means upping it again with 100 calories a day and see what happens etc etc.

Gaining ( besides fluctuations) so when you gain and it wont come off is cut it back a bit.

You do this till you found a range you stay in.

Mine for example is much higher i expected and any calculation out there. I am still upping my calories so happy me Steady as it goes
And when i add more exercise soon i can eat more on those days or bank them whatever.

trina1049

Hi, I'm 5'2.5" 66 years old with a medium frame and am very close to maintenance. I'm currently at 127 lbs. and only losing ounces per month so the last 4 or 5 lbs. will come off very slowly. I've been logging for 682 days as of today and have lost 51 lbs.

I'm looking at maintenance around 122 -125 lbs. I've guesstimated my maintenance estimate using the Scooby and IlFYM sites which put me at around 1750 - 1800 calories. This includes exercising 3 -5 times per week at the gym (weight training, cardio, yoga/Pilates) and daily activities.

If sedentary, my TDEE is around 1220 - 1240 calories so the key seems to be maintaining an exercise schedule to eat more calories.

middlehaitch

I completely understand your maintenance calories being just 30 over your 1200 to lose.

MFP gave me 1200 to lose 30lb.
I have maintained between 100-105 lb for 6y. My last few pounds were very slow as my maintenance is also 1200, 5'1, 62yo, when sedentary.
I tend to maintain easily between 1200-1400 cal, depending on exercise and activity level.
I only log occasionally now.

Glad you have joined us on the 'Petites in maintenance' group.

Cheers, h.

ejbronte

BurnWithBarn2015 wrote: »

think the other way around....you eat 1200 normally Now i am going to eat 1300 so 100 more.
that is 700 a week so 2800 a month more. that is not even a pound weight loss in a month.

So no the math is off.

Just keep it simple
If you lose a pound a week means you ate 3500 less than normal
Adding those 3500 a week should keep you at the same weight.
That is all there is too it.

Now fluctuations and TOM/hormones can play a part and of course weighing less so a lower maintaining level. But that is not hundreds and hundreds calories difference.

See the simplicity and logic of it

When you lose normally one pound a week you can eat 3500 calories more to NOT lose and NOT gain in a week.

Logic! Ah, it was never a close friend of mine, but when we actually approach, we find we get along. Thank you for that - it does spin things into a sensible perspective.

BurnWithBarn2015

yvw just remember it is all estimations but it is as close as you can get..you only find out by trying.

That's why i said mine was lower too i thought but i am still losing ( very slowly) so upping my calories.

lol np with that at all the higher the better.

But got it down to 5 lbs loss over the last 3 months so it is very close now.

Digbysmom

Since I started this thread I think I'll weigh in again, no pun intended. On 1200 calories I was losing on average a pound a week. It appears when you're petite you just get a small number of calories back on maintenance, but I think it's going to be different for each person. I will continue to log on and just take it day by day. If I notice my weight going down I'll increase my caloric intake. MFP has taught me to rethink my relationship with food.

BurnWithBarn2015

Digbysmom wrote: »

Since I started this thread I think I'll weigh in again, no pun intended. On 1200 calories I was losing on average a pound a week. It appears when you're petite you just get a small number of calories back on maintenance, but I think it's going to be different for each person. I will continue to log on and just take it day by day. If I notice my weight going down I'll increase my caloric intake. MFP has taught me to rethink my relationship with food.

Thats the way to find out indeed Just slowly upping till the weight loss stops

Good luck on that one lol i know i am anxious about it.