New to this part of my journey

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4bugsmama
4bugsmama Posts: 2,875 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
So I have made the decision to stick at the weight I am now. I have worked hard over the past 90 days to reach a weight I am happy and confident with.

Now the scary part --- I have never done a maintenance program. I know MFP will help keep me accountable and the tools are great. But, this is an unfamiliar place for me. I have either always been gaining or losing, never at a weight I want to maintain.

Any thoughts/suggestions/insight?!

Replies

  • cnbbnc
    cnbbnc Posts: 1,267 Member
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    I just switched to maintenance on Saturday, so I'm feeling a little lost myself. I'm trying to find a number to settle on by increasing my calories in increments of 100. Congrats on having hit your goal! :smile:
  • 4bugsmama
    4bugsmama Posts: 2,875 Member
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    Thank you!
    I was really surprised at the big jump in my daily calories when I changed my settings to maintain. It really scares me to increase over 400 calories a day! I worked hard to get where I am and I don't want to change my mindset to think I have all these calories that I need to consume. Is upping your calories 100 at a time a rule of thumb? Again, this is so new to me!
  • KimberlyVermillion
    KimberlyVermillion Posts: 6 Member
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    I was scared at first to up my calories. I was so used to my 1200 a day then when I switched to maintnance I was supposed to be around 1600. I am almost two months in and doing good. My weight stays within about a pound of goal weight.
  • 4bugsmama
    4bugsmama Posts: 2,875 Member
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    Thank you all for the information. I was much more skeptical this morning, but after getting responses, I feel much better! I will have to pay close attention to the scale and how I feel. Thanks again!
  • BurnWithBarn2015
    BurnWithBarn2015 Posts: 1,026 Member
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    Don't be scared

    Maintaining works the same as weight loss...keep counting and weighing :)
    You wont gain it all back overnight.
    But you will have fluctuations...so dont flip out over those. Wait those out and see what happens

    Now indeed for your mind and body it is better to increase a bit daily spread over some weeks.
    And dont get me wrong you can eat suddenly 500 more too... but you will have a big fluctuations which is for many people very scary.

    So eat for a week or more weeks 100 more daily and than up again. repeat...till you really gain weight. Not a fluctuation so dont be scared when you gain a pound...wait it out When that pound doesn't come off after a week or 2 weeks cut a bit back. You know how to do that :)

    Now keep a weight range...so 3 or 5 below your desired weight. Over that and you cut back or you eat more etc.

    I do 5 pounds this because i have a medical issue with salt....meaning when i only look or snif on salty foods i gain 3 pounds of water weight lol kidding.....But you get the idea.
    Some people fluctuate more than others.

    Best thing to do is...keep on weighing yourself....and your food. And you will be good, so enjoy it and dont be scared.



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  • totaldetermination
    totaldetermination Posts: 1,184 Member
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    keep weighing yourself regularly.
    Set your maintenance range, and if you go outside it tighten up your calorie measurements and get back to the bottom of your range.
  • mylittlerainbow
    mylittlerainbow Posts: 822 Member
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    One week today in maintenance. Added 100 calories to each of the past seven days and was still down one pound. I will stay at this level for another week to make sure, though, before I add another 100 calories. Continuing my level of physical activity and water, and continuing to log all on MFP. Being accountable to myself - the logging and the weekly weighing (I have a 3-pound range within which I want to stay) - is the only thing that will work. I have completed diets before and gone into maintenance before and then eventually dropped the ball and started eating whatever I wanted once again. Do NOT want to go through this ever again. Good luck to you!
  • BikeTourer
    BikeTourer Posts: 191 Member
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    I know you are worrying about gaining but if you don't start trust the program that got you here to keep you here you will continue to lose and that will eventually be a problem too.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
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    Maintenance is very straightforward. Keep doing what you've been doing. Celebrate every day you're still in your target weight range. Don't focus on one number - have like a 5 pound range around your goal where you're happy. Know you'll bounce around in there. Take all those skills you learned while losing and keep doing them.

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