Anyone else at their goal weight keeping to 1200?

AJinBirmingham

I'm at my goal weight - 5'5'' and 128lbs, give or take a couple because the scale won't sit still - but I keep my MFP goals set at 1200, and just go over that as/when I'm still hungry (or have an eating based accident of some sort.)

I'm worried that f I set my calories to maintenance, I'll almost always want to eat until I use up my entire calorie allotment, and then still go over some days, resulting in a weight gain.

Does anyone else do it this way? Is anyone having success at using their maintenance goals as set? How?

cwolfman13

1200 calories is a deficit of maintenance calories goal...it's not maintenance. If you're at goal, why would you continue to eat at a deficit of calories? That doesn't make any sense whatsoever. When I reached goal, I went to maintenance...'cuz definition of the word maintenance means maintaining. If you set to maintenance, by definition you would maintain...eating all the way to your maintenance goal. This is simple science and math.

I maintained for three months with maintenance calories...that's why they're called maintenance calories. Yes...you may need to play with them a bit and you should probably increase slowly to maintenance because I would guess you've been eating at a substantial deficit and now just stomping on the breaks...that's going to throw a monkey wrench in your metabolism...this is why everyone says to slowly increase your caloric intake as you approach goal...so when you get there, you're pretty much a couple hundred calories away from maintenance and you body doesn't freak out.

Up your calories slowly...but like 100 calories per week (100 calories per day more for 7 days...then up again for 7 days...then up again) until you get to maintenance.

Seriously...couldn't imagine "dieting" the rest of my life...especially on a calorie intake that birds live off of. My wife is 38 and 5'2" and 122 Lbs and maintains on 2300 calories per day.

Terree_G

As far as I'm concerned, 1200 is a deprivation-level weight-loss setting. Anyway, since we are pals, I look at your diary now and then and it doesn't seem to be at 1200, at least not for the past few days, so I'm not sure why you're asking if anyone ELSE is doing this.

Mine is set at 1600; I am often under, often close, and rarely over, and I'm maintaining at 130 (it's been months). I am still wondering how to cut the last 4 lbs of subcutaneous fat that bothers me, but other than that, I am mostly happy at 1600. Still have the occasional evening where I'm hungry one hour after dinner, but... *shrug*

redscylla

I would never want to do it, but there have been some respected medical studies that showed subsistence level calorie intake was linked with longevity. And I have a great-aunt who provides some anecdotal proof. She's 93 and has always "under-eaten."

nxd10

I agree that it is hard to move into maintenance. I hit what I ultimately set as my absolute goal, and now look in the mirror and see I could lose another 10 pounds (yes, safely).

I think the real danger of maintenance - and why so many people regain - is doing what you are doing. They keep low calories and then they feel comfortable overeating a little (because they haven't upped yet) and drift into old habits.

What I have done is work on exercise and building muscle to make myself look better. I make sure I eat my exercise calories. I am so comfortable at this calorie level that I feel a bit sick when I eat more.

I would suggest that you up your calories, say, 200, log assiduously and then make sure you AVERAGE that every week. See how that goes.

nxd10

I would never want to do it, but there have been some respected medical studies that showed subsistence level calorie intake was linked with longevity. And I have a great-aunt who provides some anecdotal proof. She's 93 and has always "under-eaten."

Those clinical studies in rats have not replicated well in humans. And when they said 'low', they meant adequate nutrition while 35% underweight.

kirstyfairhead

I think you may still have some work to do regarding the way you think about eating.

What I think you are saying is that if you set your number to maintenance, you will still want to 'cheat' sometimes and therefore may gain weight. I'm inclined to think that you need to break away from thinking about, and being 'made happy', by cheating but this may take some time.

It's easy to think that when we've lost the weight we have achieved the goal but actually we have still got a long way to go....keeping it off, year after year.

If having a lower number helps you psychologically at the moment then go for it, you can 'cheat' every day, all the way up to maintenance calories...just not any more than that. This is a journey and we all need to go through certain stages to get there but maintenance is just eating, it's about what you are going to eat for the rest of your life, some days may be higher and some lower but the idea is just to average out at the right numbers.

So put your numbers wherever you need them to be, just make sure you actually EAT at maintenance level!!

3dogsrunning

If keeping your goal at 1200 works for you, that's fine, but why not move it up? You are consistently eating well over that anyway. It looks like you maintain a closer to 2000 calories. Or even bump it up a little at a time and get used to hitting the goal.

TavistockToad

I'm at my goal weight - 5'5'' and 128lbs, give or take a couple because the scale won't sit still - but I keep my MFP goals set at 1200, and just go over that as/when I'm still hungry (or have an eating based accident of some sort.)

I'm worried that f I set my calories to maintenance, I'll almost always want to eat until I use up my entire calorie allotment, and then still go over some days, resulting in a weight gain.

Does anyone else do it this way? Is anyone having success at using their maintenance goals as set? How?

Eh? 1200 is a deficit, so you will still lose weight. If you eat at maintenance you will maintain your weight...

When in maintenance you should have a goal range not one weight to account for fluctuations. You will find that one day you may be over, but one day you will be under.

You seriously cant eat 1200 calories for the rst of your life!

Sarauk2sf

She is not eating 1,200 calories!


OP: I looked at your diary, and assuming accurate logging you have averaged 2,000 calories for the last 2 months. Why don't you just set your target at 2,000 and eat to that. You will feel less restricted and likely not want to go over in any event.

nxd10

I think you may still have some work to do regarding the way you think about eating.

What I think you are saying is that if you set your number to maintenance, you will still want to 'cheat' sometimes and therefore may gain weight. I'm inclined to think that you need to break away from thinking about, and being 'made happy', by cheating but this may take some time.

It's easy to think that when we've lost the weight we have achieved the goal but actually we have still got a long way to go....keeping it off, year after year.

If having a lower number helps you psychologically at the moment then go for it, you can 'cheat' every day, all the way up to maintenance calories...just not any more than that. This is a journey and we all need to go through certain stages to get there but maintenance is just eating, it's about what you are going to eat for the rest of your life, some days may be higher and some lower but the idea is just to average out at the right numbers.

So put your numbers wherever you need them to be, just make sure you actually EAT at maintenance level!!

Bingo

TavistockToad

She is not eating 1,200 calories!


OP: I looked at your diary, and assuming accurate logging you have averaged 2,000 calories for the last 2 months. Why don't you just set your target at 2,000 and eat to that. You will feel less restricted and likely not want to go over in any event.

Sorry, I was just going by the original post....

CoderGal

I'm at my goal weight - 5'5'' and 128lbs, give or take a couple because the scale won't sit still - but I keep my MFP goals set at 1200, and just go over that as/when I'm still hungry (or have an eating based accident of some sort.)

I'm worried that f I set my calories to maintenance, I'll almost always want to eat until I use up my entire calorie allotment, and then still go over some days, resulting in a weight gain.

Does anyone else do it this way? Is anyone having success at using their maintenance goals as set? How?

Nope, I just hopped to maintenance. Expect a water fluctuation, and then expect that to go away if you continue eating at maintenance. Not that you are actually eating 1200 cals by the looks of it, but I'd rather not try it to see how long I can deprive myself before my health starts suffering for it.

Sarauk2sf

She is not eating 1,200 calories!


OP: I looked at your diary, and assuming accurate logging you have averaged 2,000 calories for the last 2 months. Why don't you just set your target at 2,000 and eat to that. You will feel less restricted and likely not want to go over in any event.

Sorry, I was just going by the original post....

I was just making the comment for anyone else reading, not at the earlier posters :flowerforyou:

sugarchic64

what was your start calorie intake?? and loose!???

Greenrun99

No.

llkilgore

No.

I'm 5'7", 60 years old, and have maintained at about 123 pounds since losing 58 pounds in 2011. I never restricted myself to as few as 1200 calories a day as I was losing the extra weight, much less after it was off. You don't get any extra points for deprivation. It just makes things harder.

AJinBirmingham

Thanks, guys. As some of you noticed, I'm not EATING only 1,200 calories/day - I've just got my settings there. My tracking is accurate, I eat from 1,200 all the way up to 3,000 calories and my average is much higher, about 1,700 last month.

I probably should have mentioned that I've been "dieting" since I was 8 years old and have been at/near my goal weight for much of my life, including the last 3 years, after recovering from my fattest EVER post pregnancy weight of 198.5lbs.

I'm not at all new to this and my issue is minor - if I can comfortably average my maintenance calories whilst set for a deficit, I worry that I'll gain if I set them for maintenance.

In my head:

Under 1,200 at bedtime = Where are my treats?
1,200 = You can stop eating now.
1,500 = Stopping now would be a good idea.
1,800 = Watch it!
3,000 = You're going to pay for that . . .
Over 3,000 = (probably feeling sick) Have you lost your GD mind?!!

I guess my own, personal fitness/weight control psychology isn't all that common. (I actually posted this half hoping to find out that a lot of people were in the same boat. Thanks again for the eye opener.)

3dogsrunning

Thanks, guys. As some of you noticed, I'm not EATING only 1,200 calories/day - I've just got my settings there. My tracking is accurate, I eat from 1,200 all the way up to 3,000 calories and my average is much higher, about 1,700 last month.

I probably should have mentioned that I've been "dieting" since I was 8 years old and have been at/near my goal weight for much of my life, including the last 3 years, after recovering from my fattest EVER post pregnancy weight of 198.5lbs.

I'm not at all new to this and my issue is minor - if I can comfortably average my maintenance calories whilst set for a deficit, I worry that I'll gain if I set them for maintenance.

In my head:

Under 1,200 at bedtime = Where are my treats?
1,200 = You can stop eating now.
1,500 = Stopping now would be a good idea.
1,800 = Watch it!
3,000 = You're going to pay for that . . .
Over 3,000 = (probably feeling sick) Have you lost your GD mind?!!

I guess my own, personal fitness/weight control psychology isn't all that common. (I actually posted this half hoping to find out that a lot of people were in the same boat. Thanks again for the eye opener.)

Honestly it probably is. I think a lot of people did not understand what exactly you were asking. The OP did sound like you were only eating 1200 calories a day. Maybe repost and give some info like you did in this one. I say repost because although you may get some more responses, you'll also find many will not read your new post, only the first.


ETA - with your first post I wasn't sure if you were doing it as a mental thing to limit your food or if you just really underestimated how often you went over.

lithezebra

I started eating more than 1200 just as soon as I lost the weight I wanted to lose. Unfortunately my maintenance is only about 1500-1600 calories a day, but even having a few hundred extra calories has been great. I have not been gaining, or losing, just maintaining, and building some strong muscles.

Edited: I was going by your original post. In light of your later post, no, I set my calories to a conservative estimate of my activity and eat back some of my exercise calories. It would be too confusing for me to set my calories at any number other than the actual number I intend to eat.

ndj1979

I am curious if anyone has ever counted the number of 1200 calorie threads there are? I swear there is like ten a day ...crazy..

3dogsrunning

See...:laugh: