Hit my goal weight just before the holidays!

Leanqueen01

Hi All,

I have now hit my goal weight! YAY (106lbs 5ft3 23year old female) I understand getting to the correct maintenance calories can be trial and error and can take a while to figure out! For those who are currently maintaining given your personal experience is it worthwhile switching over to maintenance now or try to keep a calorie deficit over the holidays? (just to make sure i don't gain with all the tempting food around..)

Leanqueen01

mazjubean wrote: »

Hi All,

I have now hit my goal weight! YAY (106lbs 5ft3 23year old female) I understand getting to the correct maintenance calories can be trial and error and can take a while to figure out! For those who are currently maintaining given your personal experience is it worthwhile switching over to maintenance now or try to keep a calorie deficit over the holidays? (just to make sure i don't gain with all the tempting food around..)

Sorry 109LBS

LivingtheLeanDream

No calorie counting for me Christmas day and Boxing day (I'll eat around 3000 cals both days), then it'll be back to a few days of deficit (around 1600) then maintenance cals after that (2100) - I don't expect any real gain ...apart from the usual fluctuations up when a splurge happens which is only temporary. I always keep active during the holidays.

This is my 3rd Christmas since hitting maintenance

Well done on reaching goal

LivingtheLeanDream

When you introduce higher calories the scale will show a gain but it's a temporary fluctuation as the glycogen stores replenish....your body will adjust and get used to those extra cals and within a few weeks the weight will settle back to your normal weight.

xKoalaBearx

I would keep a deficit except on those days you might have a party or some event you want to enjoy more food on. I would then suggest you try reverse dieting. It worked really well for me in transitioning from losing weight to maintaining weight.

CONGRATS!!!

Leanqueen01

RunRutheeRun wrote: »

No calorie counting for me Christmas day and Boxing day (I'll eat around 3000 cals both days), then it'll be back to a few days of deficit (around 1600) then maintenance cals after that (2100) - I don't expect any real gain ...apart from the usual fluctuations up when a splurge happens which is only temporary. I always keep active during the holidays.

This is my 3rd Christmas since hitting maintenance

Well done on reaching goal

Wow congratulations on 3 years!! I think it will be the same and not calorie count over Christmas and eat at a defect over the holidays & not lack on keeping active!

Leanqueen01

xKoalaBearx wrote: »

I would keep a deficit except on those days you might have a party or some event you want to enjoy more food on. I would then suggest you try reverse dieting. It worked really well for me in transitioning from losing weight to maintaining weight.

CONGRATS!!!

Good idea! Please can you explain a little more about reverse ? I have not heard of this term b4 but I do like the sound of it! ☺

LivingtheLeanDream

@mazjubean thanks the way i do it works well
The first year I was on here and still needing to lose I gained a proper 4lbs over Christmas and all because I ate whatever I wanted for about 2 weeks lol...took me 6 weeks back then to lose that and I said never again would I do that mindless eating malarkey! We live and learn eh

LivingtheLeanDream

Reverse dieting is just upping cals slowly over a period of time and staying (around) same weight...
I tried it and it helped me find my true maintenance cals - pushed the reverse dieting til I got to 2500 cals but I was gradually gaining even after sticking it out for a period of months to see if my body would get used to it and settle back down (it didn't! ). But I ended up realising that 2200 was my true maintenance and that's as much as I can eat or I gain.

Leanqueen01

RunRutheeRun wrote: »

@mazjubean thanks the way i do it works well
The first year I was on here and still needing to lose I gained a proper 4lbs over Christmas and all because I ate whatever I wanted for about 2 weeks lol...took me 6 weeks back then to lose that and I said never again would I do that mindless eating malarkey! We live and learn eh

Im glad im not the only one it does sound very tempting to just eat no holds bar! But your right its definitely not worth it. MFP is a great help @ seeing everyones experiences & helps a lot at not making the same mistakes! As for reverse Thanks dieting i think i will be upping my calories all 50-100 per week, to help ease myself in. Your maintenance calories sound brilliant! I would love to be able 2 each that much! Fingers crossed can only find out by trail & error. Thanks for all your feedback your a great help

LivingtheLeanDream

@mazjubean you're welcome sharing is how we learn

You'll be amazed at how much you can maintain on....just keep up any exercise, obviously if you stopped being active then the maintenance cals drops. I move alot so I can eat alot lol

FitPhillygirl

mazjubean wrote: »

Hi All,

I have now hit my goal weight! YAY (106lbs 5ft3 23year old female) I understand getting to the correct maintenance calories can be trial and error and can take a while to figure out! For those who are currently maintaining given your personal experience is it worthwhile switching over to maintenance now or try to keep a calorie deficit over the holidays? (just to make sure i don't gain with all the tempting food around..)

Congrats on reaching your goal weight before the holidays. Awesome job! I don't count calories on holidays as that is my time to relax and enjoy my family and friends. I'm currently 16 pounds under my goal weight and usually just as active on a holidays as I am on other days, though. So if I am a little over on calories it isn't enough to show up on my scale anyway.