Too much weight loss? Counting Calories to maintain

aubned92

I have been obese for over 20 years. This year, I finally did it. Through portion control, clean eating, and healthy living I dropped a ton of weight. When I hit 140 from 200, I was excited and more than happy with that weight. Then I kept dropping.... 130....125....115...still dropping. I literally rejoined MFP to track calories to maintain weight. Ugh! It's the opposite of what I've had to deal with my whole life (eating too much). Has anyone experienced this... It boggles my mind.

Pawsforme

Yes. I think it's fairly common to continue to lose weight in maintenance. It's often hard to find just how many calories it takes to maintain a certain weight range.

Psychologically (even subconsciously) it can be difficult to give up the reward of seeing the number on the scale go down.

I think you're wise to start logging to make sure you keep your calories up. Many years ago I developed an eating disorder because I had such a hard time letting go of seeing my weight continue to go down. I told everyone I wasn't dieting, that I was trying to maintain, but . . . . gosh, I just can't eat enough/it must be all the exercise I'm doing/my body is finally working right, etc." The reality was that I really, really liked seeing that number go down. I'm not saying you or anyone else who has this problem is on the road to an eating disorder. Just that it's something to be aware of.

aubned92

Pawsforme wrote: »

Yes. I think it's fairly common to continue to lose weight in maintenance. It's often hard to find just how many calories it takes to maintain a certain weight range.

Psychologically (even subconsciously) it can be difficult to give up the reward of seeing the number on the scale go down.

I think you're wise to start logging to make sure you keep your calories up. Many years ago I developed an eating disorder because I had such a hard time letting go of seeing my weight continue to go down. I told everyone I wasn't dieting, that I was trying to maintain, but . . . . gosh, I just can't eat enough/it must be all the exercise I'm doing/my body is finally working right, etc." The reality was that I really, really liked seeing that number go down. I'm not saying you or anyone else who has this problem is on the road to an eating disorder. Just that it's something to be aware of.

You're right! After two decades of obesity, it's hard not to enjoy it. Yet, at the same time I worry and get sad when my numbers keep dropping.... I hit my goal lowest ideal weight and really don't want to lose more. Like you mentioned, it could be easy to develop an eating disorder.... I thought something was "wrong." Then I started tracking calories and realized I'm not eating nearly enough! DUH! It's difficult to find a balance between too much and too little when you struggled with TOO MUCH for so long.

1961dublin

I am in exactly the same boat. My goal was 62 kilos, but kept slowly dropping, and today I am 59.9 kilos!! Yaayy!! Well its a nice kind of 'problem' to have! But xmas is coming so I guess things will move in the other direction soon, so enjoy the scale reductions for now!!

Azurite27

I fully expected to need to continue to count calories in maintenance. For those who always been overweight, I tend to think this is pretty common. We're not used to maintaining without tools.

But also, I did continue to lose a little in maintenance. I occasionally go over my calories when my weight drops below a certain point. Finding the right mix of calories and activity is a lot of trial and error.

lynn1982

This happened to me as well, then eventually I gained back some of the weight by tracking calories. Then I gained back too much (5-10 pounds)...I fully expect this to be a lifelong habit of tracking calories - perhaps not as diligently as when I was losing the majority of weight, but I've certainly had trouble finding a happy medium for maintenance.

Carnhot

I am now past my realistic goal (at which I look great and feel healthy) and on my way to my idealised goal (which is a number and nothing more). I tell myself I am building a buffer for Christmas indulgence but I already have the next excuse planned. I can't think of any excuses past that one but I am very inventive. It is a real problem. I never thought it would be.

aubned92

1961dublin wrote: »

I am in exactly the same boat. My goal was 62 kilos, but kept slowly dropping, and today I am 59.9 kilos!! Yaayy!! Well its a nice kind of 'problem' to have! But xmas is coming so I guess things will move in the other direction soon, so enjoy the scale reductions for now!!

I know it's a strange complaint but a true concern. I did great with my first clean Thanksgiving, so no issue of packing it on during Christmas. I am blessed, I just don't want to starve myself or be unhealthy in a different way than I was before.

aubned92

Azurite27 wrote: »

I fully expected to need to continue to count calories in maintenance. For those who always been overweight, I tend to think this is pretty common. We're not used to maintaining without tools.

But also, I did continue to lose a little in maintenance. I occasionally go over my calories when my weight drops below a certain point. Finding the right mix of calories and activity is a lot of trial and error.

So true. I think my brain just doesn't get it... The counting to maintain or eat enough. I'm trying to learn, adjust, and accept.

aubned92

Carnhot wrote: »

I am now past my realistic goal (at which I look great and feel healthy) and on my way to my idealised goal (which is a number and nothing more). I tell myself I am building a buffer for Christmas indulgence but I already have the next excuse planned. I can't think of any excuses past that one but I am very inventive. It is a real problem. I never thought it would be.

It is strange.... I find myself forcing food to reach my calorie count which is not what I was used to after 20+ years. I now know weight loss is more mental than physical. So unexpected!! I love my body and my newfound health.... I just don't want to go to a different extreme.

aubned92

lynn1982 wrote: »

This happened to me as well, then eventually I gained back some of the weight by tracking calories. Then I gained back too much (5-10 pounds)...I fully expect this to be a lifelong habit of tracking calories - perhaps not as diligently as when I was losing the majority of weight, but I've certainly had trouble finding a happy medium for maintenance.

It's weird for me too because I didn't calorie count to lose.... I'm all about portion control and clean eating now and that's what did it for me. So counting calories after the fact is so bizarre. Glad to know it's "normal" though.

msidorow

I too am in a similar camp. Was an overweight teenager, the one others said "could look so much prettier if she lost a few pounds." It messed with my self-esteem, but I didn't really pay attention to my habits or take action to make changes until I was in my 20s. I dropped 30lbs and was really proud of myself!

Five years ago I lost another 40lbs and felt great at my ideal weight. But the pound kept coming off to the point where I had others concerned. It became difficult to think of myself as 'too skinny' after thinking of myself as 'too fat' for so long. I convinced myself that my body would just know when I'd lost enough wait. Again, I wasn't paying attention to the mistakes I was making. Now I am working hard (most days) to reach my goals and get myself back UP to where I will feel much better about myself.

It's nice to know that there are others who I can relate to!

aubned92

msidorow wrote: »

I too am in a similar camp. Was an overweight teenager, the one others said "could look so much prettier if she lost a few pounds." It messed with my self-esteem, but I didn't really pay attention to my habits or take action to make changes until I was in my 20s. I dropped 30lbs and was really proud of myself!

Five years ago I lost another 40lbs and felt great at my ideal weight. But the pound kept coming off to the point where I had others concerned. It became difficult to think of myself as 'too skinny' after thinking of myself as 'too fat' for so long. I convinced myself that my body would just know when I'd lost enough wait. Again, I wasn't paying attention to the mistakes I was making. Now I am working hard (most days) to reach my goals and get myself back UP to where I will feel much better about myself.

It's nice to know that there are others who I can relate to!

Thank you for sharing... It's is a crazy roller coaster that's for sure. Our mind and emotions can really play tricks on us. I try to explain to people that my #1 goal is to be healthy, no matter the number on the scale but most people are just like "your so lucky to be skinny, why are you complaining?" I'm not.... I think we are all just trying to find BALANCE. Good luck sweetie - you got this!!!

LivingtheLeanDream

I'm glad you're using MFP as a tool to help you eat a bit more, sounds like you were getting too low a weight.

I've been maintaining my loss for 2+ years but I still log, more to ensure that I'm actually eating enough and keep an eye on my macros.

hekla90

I have an issue now with eating enough, my appetite is crap. I am hungry less often and get full on less. I got to my vanity goal about 9-10 months ago and was doing great maintaining on about 1700-2000 calories, then experienced a break up in November and my anxiety and stress wiped out my appetite completely and I am currently at an unhealthy weight 41.8 kg from 46.3 about a month ago. I'm currently under the care of a physician, but most days force feeding myself to the point of being nauseated I get around 1300-1400. Do keep tracking so you can find your spot where you can maintain. You can also try liquid calorie supplements, which is probably where I'm headed soon. I only say this because I do accurately track what I eat even more so so I can show my doctor when I go back, you can still get to dangerous weights eating a relatively reasonable number of calories. Im not living on Diet Coke and 500 calories of cauliflower or something. It's good to be mindful of your health though and I wish you the best

BernieMBurke

I've decided to enter maintenance today. I'm still 7 lbs. from my UGW (3 lbs. from a healthy BMI), but the pounds are coming off quick and don't want to blow by it. I've been doing a lot of walking/running (around 15K on weekdays and anywhere from 20 - 30K on the weekends). My net calories have sometime been negative for the day on weekends even though I'm eating over 2,000 calories. Doctor has agreed to let me go to my UGW, but doesn't want me going any farther. I'm going to have to tone down the exercise to make this work.

aubned92

hekla90 wrote: »

I have an issue now with eating enough, my appetite is crap. I am hungry less often and get full on less. I got to my vanity goal about 9-10 months ago and was doing great maintaining on about 1700-2000 calories, then experienced a break up in November and my anxiety and stress wiped out my appetite completely and I am currently at an unhealthy weight 41.8 kg from 46.3 about a month ago. I'm currently under the care of a physician, but most days force feeding myself to the point of being nauseated I get around 1300-1400. Do keep tracking so you can find your spot where you can maintain. You can also try liquid calorie supplements, which is probably where I'm headed soon. I only say this because I do accurately track what I eat even more so so I can show my doctor when I go back, you can still get to dangerous weights eating a relatively reasonable number of calories. Im not living on Diet Coke and 500 calories of cauliflower or something. It's good to be mindful of your health though and I wish you the best

I practically live on protein/vegan/super food smoothies. If it weren't for these, I'd be worse off. I hope you can get on track and maintain a healthy weight. Stay strong!!

maillemaker

I would love to have this problem.

aubned92

maillemaker wrote: »

I would love to have this problem.

You think....

mickmgd

Really interesting reading here so thanks to author and contributors. I have dropped 52lb and probably have 6-8lb to go. As such I am starting to look at maintenance and it worries me more than the weight loss targets did. I have found a diet/exercise lifestyle balance and I net around 1200-1300 calories per day after exercise. I want to keep the exercise up as this was as much about lifestyle as weight loss. The app suggests 500 more calories which is a third more food than I currently eat. I don't want to increase sugar or fat content just to hit a number every day, but I look at where my portion size would need to be and I can't see how I could consume that much food

GaleHawkins

This is a concern that any of us may have. 100%+ regains has been a life long issue in my case.

I learned this time around it was a good idea to maintain for 6 months after losing 40%-60% of weight loss goal. Some state to do this after a 20% weight loss.

@aubned92 you now know you know how to lose weigh and all you have to do is to learn how to maintain. As you start to regain some of your muscle mass that you have lost will help your weight recover I expect. My regains during maintenance turned out to be more muscle development even though I only walk for exercise.

Best of success.