Adjusting to Maintenance calories

mari5466

I am approaching my weight loss goal, I might extend it another 4-5 pounds but I have been reading peoples tips on here on how to maintain and I noticed a lot of people slowly add calories into their diet until they reach maintenance calories. I was just curious how other people added them, like 50 extra a week or more. I am 5ft, GW:115, CW:117 but I will probably make my new GW:110.

Gamliela

I did use th 50 calories a week suggestions. Its working for me. I had an increase in hunger for a few days after raising the calories! I'm not gaining and I'm fairly consistant through the week. I mostly added extra fat and some carbs as my protien level was already adequate to high. Best wishes and congratulations on your weight loss acheivement!

sijomial

I just jumped straight from deficit to what was my approximation of my maintenance calories based on the rate of weight loss.

Remember if you decide add slowly then you are still in deficit and losing weight so if you go that route then probably best to start the process at what you wish to be the top of your maintenance range not the bottom of your range.

rosebarnalice

My weight loss goal was 1400, and my maintenance goal is 1800; so I added 100 per week for 4 weeks.

Spliner1969

I went 5 lbs below my goal weight before adding in calories. I figured it would take time to adjust to more calories and I was right. Once I was 5 lbs below my goal, I started adding about 200 calories a week back in over the period of about 3 weeks. I gained probably about 3-5 lbs but stayed under my goal weight. I now have my daily goal set to my maintenance calories, then I allow MFP to add back in exercise calories which I have tuned fairly accurate by now. So as long as I finish my day with 100-200 calories left (to take into account inaccurate exercise calories) I don't gain weight permanently. Sure from time to time I'll see an uptick when I've had a lot of sodium, but it goes away by watching the sodium for a few days and increasing water intake. As a matter of fact now that I've been in recomp mode for about six months I've managed to lose another 5 lbs or so. It fluctuates but tends to stay about where I want it. I'm working on dropping body fat still so losing a little weight slowly doesn't hurt. I'm gaining muscle as well (yea yea.. I know slight deficit that shouldn't be possible but trust me it is) slowly and dropping body fat so it's all good. I figure at some point, probably around the holidays I'll allow myself to bump up over maintenance for a few weeks on a short bulk then do a cut in the early spring late/winter to get ready for spring. Then I'll be back at maintenance levels again, and hopefully at the body fat percentage I want (I'm at 10-11% now, would like to see 6-8%).