Is it risky to "unofficially" jump into maintenance for awhile?

emilysusana

So... I'm within a half pound of my initial goal weight (in my lowest weigh-ins) but I have modified my goal slightly so that that will be the middle or top of my desired maintance range, so I'm considering myself not quite there yet. Now, as we all know, this week is Christmas. I've done well sticking to my deficit (its small) on days we don't have anything special, but I've gone over when we've gone out to eat with family or hosted a huge Christmas party or when I've made cookies for the kids. I looked at my averages and over the last 8 days, I've netted right at what MFP suggests for maintenance.

What would you do? Set to maintenance until the holidays are over (we'll be visiting family and out of our routine) or keep the deficit set and know I'll sometimes go over? I understand that it's all a mental game, I'm just wondering if doing it one way or the other will be better for keeping me on track and resuming the deficit after Christmas.

RAinWA

Either way will work, it just depends on what you think will work for you. Although you might set it for maintenance and think of it as "maintenance practice" to see how you do.

And congrats on being so close to goal - that's awesome!

Francl27

I did, my appetite increased, and I never managed to go back to a deficit. But it's not a problem for a lot of people, so hopefully it shouldn't be a problem for you.

That being said, what you've been doing is exactly how I've maintained my weight for 2.5 years. I stick to a deficit when possible, and just don't sweat it if I go over.

emilysusana

Francl27 wrote: »

I did, my appetite increased, and I never managed to go back to a deficit. But it's not a problem for a lot of people, so hopefully it shouldn't be a problem for you.

That being said, what you've been doing is exactly how I've maintained my weight for 2.5 years. I stick to a deficit when possible, and just don't sweat it if I go over.

That's interesting. I kind of wondered if I would do better in maintenance keeping a built in deficit, knowing I had a little room to go over, or setting to maintenance, but being more strict. I think the benefit of leaving the deficit in place is that I have trouble leaving calories on the table at the end of the night. I end up eating them if they're there for sure. So having the ideal being I stop at net 1260, but knowing I can go up to 1500 without doing damage, may work for me for maintenance. The trouble would be if and when I needed to lose again. I'd be so used to being lax with the rules.

lorrpb

That's basically what I've done. Since I got to the top of my maintenance range, I've increased my cals slightly, basically in terms of a few extra snacks or desserts. I'm SLOWLY ratcheting towards the bottom of my goal range. If I want to drop a little more, I can just cut out the extra snacks or treats and I'll be right back into my losing deficit. It seems that everyone is different and we each have to find the approach that helps us stay on track.

lightenup2016

I recently switched to maintenance for the rest of the holiday season, and it's been great. I'm more relaxed, and have successfully maintained my weight for about two weeks now. It's been easier than I thought, maybe because I've found that my maintenance calories are higher than I had thought they'd be! Anyway, this has been a nice practice for future maintenance once I hit my goal weight (14 more lbs to lose). After Jan. 2nd it's back to a deficit!

Good luck to you, and Merry Christmas!

HappyGrape

yes, actually I think it's great idea. I have been up and down and I knew how to gain, and how to loose but not how to maintain. It was new learning to do this. So yes, taking a break and learning how to maintain would be great help long term

Docbanana2002

Here's what I'm doing--maybe this idea will fit you. I want to lose about 10 more after having been at maintenance for a while. After struggling to hold a deficit during this time of year I ended up switching to the maintenance that I will have after my 10 pound weight loss (about a 60 cal deficit from my current maintenance). Then I don't feel too bad, I just tell myself I'm eating at maintenance for the new body which is good practice and can help me very slowly work towards goal. If I have a day when I am not hungry for all the calories, I don't eat them. I'm not pushing hard to do that... but am banking a few extra here and there.

nxd10

Just get your head back into it when you're ready. And really recommit.

SideSteel

I think most people will be better off setting the goal to maintenance and treating the time period with the goal of maintaining weight as opposed to trying to remain in a deficit and failing to do so.