Please post if you use your goal weight maintenance calories as your daily goal?

Verity1111

At what pace have you been losing weight? Do you find that it's easily sustainable? Do you eat back exercise calories? Also, would you mind sharing your stats? Thank you in advance for any responses to any portion of that

jennybearlv

I apparently am the only person that does this. I used a TDEE calculator to find my sedentary calories at the middle of my healthy BMI range. A few days ago I realized I wouldn't lose weight very fast as I got close to that goal, so I changed it to the calories for the bottom of my BMI range, about a hundred less at 1350.

I do eat back all of my exercise calories over the course of the week and the 1450 had been sustainable. With changing to 1350 and a sudden increase in my walk/run mileage last week I seem to be going over a bit, but I'm sure I'll adjust in the next few weeks.

I'm 5'3" 221 lbs. Starting weight was 275 in September. I did 1200 and didn't eat back exercise calories through November losing 3 lbs a week, then ate at or below maintenance Thanksgiving through New Years, then started the 1450 plus exercise calories in January. I lost 3 lbs per week at first and it has gone down a little from there. Trendweight has me currently at 1.8 lbs/week.

My energy levels at this current intake are fantastic and I like that I'll never have to fiddle with my calories in MFP again. The only adjustment to make will be dealing with burning fewer calories for the same amount of exercise as I lose. I either have to eat less or do more to make up the difference. The do more approach has worked so far, but there is only so much time in the day and energy available to my body. I'm hoping I get less hungry as there is less of me to fuel.

Verity1111

jennybearlv wrote: »

I apparently am the only person that does this. I used a TDEE calculator to find my sedentary calories at the middle of my healthy BMI range. A few days ago I realized I wouldn't lose weight very fast as I got close to that goal, so I changed it to the calories for the bottom of my BMI range, about a hundred less at 1350.

I do eat back all of my exercise calories over the course of the week and the 1450 had been sustainable. With changing to 1350 and a sudden increase in my walk/run mileage last week I seem to be going over a bit, but I'm sure I'll adjust in the next few weeks.

I'm 5'3" 221 lbs. Starting weight was 275 in September. I did 1200 and didn't eat back exercise calories through November losing 3 lbs a week, then ate at or below maintenance Thanksgiving through New Years, then started the 1450 plus exercise calories in January. I lost 3 lbs per week at first and it has gone down a little from there. Trendweight has me currently at 1.8 lbs/week.

My energy levels at this current intake are fantastic and I like that I'll never have to fiddle with my calories in MFP again. The only adjustment to make will be dealing with burning fewer calories for the same amount of exercise as I lose. I either have to eat less or do more to make up the difference. The do more approach has worked so far, but there is only so much time in the day and energy available to my body. I'm hoping I get less hungry as there is less of me to fuel.

No you're the only person so far who is kind enough to share. Thank you. I truly appreciate you sharing your personal experience with this method. I'm considering starting this after I lose a little more weight. I am down somewhere around 35lbs and I have about 60-70lbs to go. The Basal Metabolic Rate for my goal weight (127lbs) is around 1300 so I am eating under it when I reach my goal which is 1200. I am thinking of upping it at least to 1300. It said for little to no exercise the calories I would need at 127lbs would be about 1500calories (the calculator Im using at https://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm).

I agree with the hoping to get less hungry part. I think I just love food because honestly some days I am not hungry at all but I just love to eat a lot of food. I guess if I eat low on most days and then eat high on other days it will balance out anyway lol. Thank you again for sharing your experience so far! Good luck. ^_^

heybales

Been done for years - the Fat to Fit site uses this method.

I had a full blown spreadsheet years ago to help nail it better dealing with daily activity and exercise. I know at least 20 that followed it to goal weight.
The normal rough 5 level TDEE charts talk exercise only - not increased daily life.

And if you are going to learn to eat appropriately for your level of activity, that means eating more when you do more, eating less when you do less.
Life lesson there.

So yes you should eat back exercise calories, since aren't you burning that in the day?

But for that to be based on goal weight - you need to set MFP to goal weight and follow the program set to maintenance.

The problem is - it's much slower than is really necessary - even for a reasonable realistic loss amount.

And as you get closer to goal weight - really slow.

But if lifting strength training - it can be very beneficial as you start almost recomping near the end.

Other method is take 5% off the goal weight figures, until you reach goal, then add that 5% back on.
That keeps it at a more reasonable pace right to the end.

Verity1111

heybales wrote: »

Been done for years - the Fat to Fit site uses this method.

I had a full blown spreadsheet years ago to help nail it better dealing with daily activity and exercise. I know at least 20 that followed it to goal weight.
The normal rough 5 level TDEE charts talk exercise only - not increased daily life.

And if you are going to learn to eat appropriately for your level of activity, that means eating more when you do more, eating less when you do less.
Life lesson there.

So yes you should eat back exercise calories, since aren't you burning that in the day?

But for that to be based on goal weight - you need to set MFP to goal weight and follow the program set to maintenance.

The problem is - it's much slower than is really necessary - even for a reasonable realistic loss amount.

And as you get closer to goal weight - really slow.

But if lifting strength training - it can be very beneficial as you start almost recomping near the end.

Other method is take 5% off the goal weight figures, until you reach goal, then add that 5% back on.
That keeps it at a more reasonable pace right to the end.

Thanks for the tip! I like it. I eat back my calories if I'm hungry and if not I "save" them and use them another day when I am hungry during that week so I still average the same net usually. I appreciate your input.

Traveler120

That's exactly what I did. Starting at a sedentary and overweight 152 lbs (I'm 5'4") 2 yrs ago, I figured if I started eating at my goal weight maintenance level, and being at least moderately active (7-10 hrs/week) I would eventually get there and I wouldn't have to change anything once I reached my goal.

On >> http://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html it gave me 1870 as maintenance calories for my goal of a moderately active 125 lbs. So that's what I did (1700-1900) and lost over 30 lbs, 7 inches off my waist and I'm now maintaining at 115-120 lbs while eating on average the same calories. Some times I'll go over 2000 calories but I compensate with more activity.

Kimblesnbits13

Traveler120 wrote: »

That's exactly what I did. Starting at a sedentary and overweight 152 lbs (I'm 5'4") 2 yrs ago, I figured if I started eating at my goal weight maintenance level, and being at least moderately active (7-10 hrs/week) I would eventually get there and I wouldn't have to change anything once I reached my goal.

On >> http://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html it gave me 1870 as maintenance calories for my goal of a moderately active 125 lbs. So that's what I did (1700-1900) and lost over 30 lbs, 7 inches off my waist and I'm now maintaining at 115-120 lbs while eating on average the same calories. Some times I'll go over 2000 calories but I compensate with more activity.

This is quite inspiring! Doing what you can sustain for a lifetime is important and I bet this made "dieting" a lot easier for you than others.

Francl27

I lost eating 1650-1750, which is pretty much my maintenance now if I was sedentary, which thankfully I'm not.

StarBrightStarBright

This is such a great idea and I'm thinking of switching to it!

jessicapk

I have done this and had great success with it in the past. I would set my maintenance calories as my goal but aim for a daily deficit of 500-750 calories. The advantage is all mental. If you keep a healthy deficit in there, you lose. If you have a rough day and go up to maintenance calories, you're still in the green. It draws a better line between a good day and a bad day for me. I wish MFP would allow a range of calories since you can eat above your specified deficit yet still lose weight. It allows for good days and bad days to not turn into a stream of bad days because that one red day discouraged you.

girlinahat

This is what I have been doing, following the suggestions from fat2fitradio.

I am just under 5' tall, and started at 147lbs. My goal weight is around 110-115lbs and my current weight is 124lba

Because I am short I realised that any deficit needed to be small, so using the eat to goal weight method allowed me to practice eating at my intended weight, so i easily got used to it, and I accept it'll be painfully slow.

My calories at sedentary are 1460 at my goal weight. BMR is not a good figure to use as a target, as it does not take into account normal life. I use the MFP app daily average figures, and allow my fitbit to calculate my exercise calories. So I aim for a daily NET of 1460.

my eating fluctuates - so on Saturday I ate a total of 2379 calories, and in fact no day this week have I eaten less than 1500 calories. Adding in exercise and eating ALL of my fitbit calories, my NET for this week is 1437 calories.

I am losing slowly, at a very slow rate of 1/4lb a week. This is fine for me, as I only have about 10lbs to lose. i'm also training for a Half Marathon so I don't want too much of a deficit as it would affect my training.

I think it a very effective way of approaching weight loss. it's slow, yes, but it gets your body into practice for maintenance at the lower weight, and you spend the time during your weight loss actually learning what a normal amount of food is for that weight. Otherwise you drop weight, then have to INCREASE calories, and relearn, which may be why some people fail and put back on.

Lounmoun

I only changed my calorie goal to my goal weight maintenance amount at the beginning of last week so I can't tell you it is amazingly successful yet, slow loss or if I will even do it long term. It has been sustainable so far and I logged a lot better. I lost 1 lb that first week though- which is probably mostly down to better logging.
I do eat some exercise calories.

heybales

jessicapk wrote: »

I have done this and had great success with it in the past. I would set my maintenance calories as my goal but aim for a daily deficit of 500-750 calories. The advantage is all mental. If you keep a healthy deficit in there, you lose. If you have a rough day and go up to maintenance calories, you're still in the green. It draws a better line between a good day and a bad day for me. I wish MFP would allow a range of calories since you can eat above your specified deficit yet still lose weight. It allows for good days and bad days to not turn into a stream of bad days because that one red day discouraged you.

The discussion is actually different than what you were doing.

You set eating calories to maintenance AT goal weight, not current weight.

Auto-deficit right there.

Your method is a much better way if you can keep realistic about deficits and losing weight and not pummeling yourself over missing a goal - allows flexibility.

Sadly I'd bet the majority would attempt it, but then try to keep an extreme deficit and shoot themselves in their metabolism and have binges at the same time.

Verity1111

jessicapk wrote: »

I have done this and had great success with it in the past. I would set my maintenance calories as my goal but aim for a daily deficit of 500-750 calories. The advantage is all mental. If you keep a healthy deficit in there, you lose. If you have a rough day and go up to maintenance calories, you're still in the green. It draws a better line between a good day and a bad day for me. I wish MFP would allow a range of calories since you can eat above your specified deficit yet still lose weight. It allows for good days and bad days to not turn into a stream of bad days because that one red day discouraged you.

Bit of a misunderstanding. What I mean is if your goal is 125lbs and someone who is that weight and your height can eat a maintenance calorie amount of 1400calories then you pick 1400calories as your goal while dieting (even if youre 200lbs). So you pick the amount you will need to eat at the end and then never need to change your daily amount even when you reach your goal weight. No need to keep lowering your calories to readjust.

Verity1111

Thank you everyone for the input!