This is what worries me about maintainance...
jbean1990
Posts: 69 Member
On Saturday I posted about how I had finally met my target of 12 stone, by cutting to 1660kcal p/d and not eating back exercise calories. I'm now starting the road towards maintainance and plan to gradullay increase my intake. Sunday morning I was bang on 12 stone, I consumed 1800kcal (+140 on old target) but also went running and burnt 400kcal. Today I get weighed and I'm 12 stone, 3 and a half lbs! How is that even possible?! Being at that 12 barrier was a big deal for me, and this is what worries me going into maintainance as that's quite a jump! I just don't get it, I didn't even eat enough to put that on! Any advice?
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Replies
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Only thing I'll add - I have exercised quite heavily (running) Friday (1100kc/13km), Saturday (700kcal/6.9km) and Sunday (600kcal/7.6km). Would this effect it?0
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Congratulations on reaching your goal! I would say you might want to set a minimum & maximum weight range for maintenance to allow for normal fluctuations like this. Also, maybe weigh yourself less often (once or twice per week) if fluctuations stress you out. I give myself a 2-3 kg weight range to work with & know that different times of the month, exercise habits, types of food/drink will impact my weight and I am OK with that. If I see a consistent creep over 2 weeks & clothes feel slightly snug I know it is likely to be fat, and I need to eat less/move more!
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You aren't 12 stone of fat - weight changes aren't just fat changes, throw away the dieting mindset.
Get used to water fluctuations as they will happen for the rest of your life!
Set a range - it's unrealistic to think you will weigh the same daily.
Fast weight changes are going to be variations in water and food in your digestive system. Slow changes can be fat, very slow changes can be muscle.
If you want a very quick validation weigh yourself, drink a pint of water, weigh yourself again - you wouldn't freak out about that gain would you? You just have to trust the numbers and take a longer view. You know you didn't overeat enough calories to gain fat. Logic not emotion....18 -
On Saturday I posted about how I had finally met my target of 12 stone, by cutting to 1660kcal p/d and not eating back exercise calories. I'm now starting the road towards maintainance and plan to gradullay increase my intake. Sunday morning I was bang on 12 stone, I consumed 1800kcal (+140 on old target) but also went running and burnt 400kcal. Today I get weighed and I'm 12 stone, 3 and a half lbs! How is that even possible?! Being at that 12 barrier was a big deal for me, and this is what worries me going into maintainance as that's quite a jump! I just don't get it, I didn't even eat enough to put that on! Any advice?
It sounds like it could be either water weight or constipation (maybe even both). I regained three pounds over the weekend despite running a massive weekly deficit. Got up this morning and lost the 3 lbs just going to the bathroom. Make sure you're drinking plenty of water and keeping your sodium intake limited to reduce water retention, and gmake sure you're getting fiber and fats to prevent or limit constipation.
Also, as mentioned above weight will fluctuate day to day and even hour to hour. Don't let it get to you.
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Only thing I'll add - I have exercised quite heavily (running) Friday (1100kc/13km), Saturday (700kcal/6.9km) and Sunday (600kcal/7.6km). Would this effect it?
A lot of things affect it...exercise causes water retention which is a good thing because that's how your body repairs itself. Your body is also comprised of 50-65% water and that's going to fluctuate day to day...you will have varying levels of inherent waste in your system...more sodium will affect water retention and release...more carbs than normal will replenish any glycogen that has been depleted, etc...
Body weight isn't static...your maintenance weight will be a range...a few pounds is well within the realm of normal weight fluctuations. The number on the scale isn't all fat...it's a lot of things.4 -
water weight - my weight can be anywhere from 146 to 151lbs in a given week - but when averaged out is relatively stable (I think it has varied like .5lb over the last month)
pick a range that you are comfortable with - I'd say probably 12stone +/-4lbs3 -
Maintenance is about range, not an exact number. The human body fluctuates daily as far as exact weight. Maintenance is much easier when you set an acceptable weight range and monitor that. Congrats on reaching your goal, though!2
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When I run, I tend to retain water afterwards. Certain foods will make me retain water, even if they don't have high sodium. I've learned to restrict my weighing to days that follow rest days and that aren't after a restaurant meal or high fiber meal. That means I only weigh myself about every 7 - 14 days. Alternately, weigh yourself every day and only worry if your weight stays above your acceptable maximum for more than a few days.1
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You're going to drive yourself insane if you don't give yourself a maintenance range instead of fixating on a specific number.4
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Get yourself a trending weight app (Libra or Happy Scale for example) and try entering your weight daily for a couple of weeks - it'll be eye-opening - you'll get to see your daily fluctuations in weight, realise that it's never completely stable, and get to know what affects your weight up and down on a day-to-day basis. I always fluctuate up by a few lbs on a Monday after the excesses of the weekend, but by Friday I'm back down to usual again. Don't panic!3
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Only thing I'll add - I have exercised quite heavily (running) Friday (1100kc/13km), Saturday (700kcal/6.9km) and Sunday (600kcal/7.6km). Would this effect it?
aren't you absolutely starving running those distances on gross 1600 cals?
i am smaller than you and struggle running long distances on net 1600 cals....
and weight fluctuates... set a maintenance range not one single number.0 -
Thanks for the great advice! I've kind of accepted that anything beteeen 11 stone 8 and 12 stone 6 is a good range. Would that sound right?
How many calories should I be looking at to maintain? Bearing in mind I just don't like eating back exercise calories so I'll leave them as I have been doing! 1600 has been manageable for the last 6 motnsh but obviously isn't long term. It just pretrifys me and I get a little obsessed that after all this hard work it'll go to waste!1 -
you should eat back exercise calories if you are using MFP recommendations; or if you have a fairly routine workout schedule - then something like a TDEE calculator would work (notionally between the 2 you should get a solid idea of what your maintenance should be)
start at 1660 and add about 100, keep it at that level for a week or so and weigh yourself...if you are still losing, add more calories - continue this routine until you are weight tsable - an app like libra or happyscale can help you with this0 -
spiriteagle99 wrote: »When I run, I tend to retain water afterwards. Certain foods will make me retain water, even if they don't have high sodium. I've learned to restrict my weighing to days that follow rest days and that aren't after a restaurant meal or high fiber meal. That means I only weigh myself about every 7 - 14 days. Alternately, weigh yourself every day and only worry if your weight stays above your acceptable maximum for more than a few days.
So if it's above one day it doesn't necessarily mean you've put weight on?
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nope - because weight fluctuates - over the last week, my weights have been 147, 148, 147, 149 - I haven't gained weight, its just a natural fluctuation0
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Weight fluctuates. Whether you are trying to lose, maintain or even gain: your weight fluctuates. You do not have a single, solitary weight. It will vary from day to day and during the day. Rather than trying to set a 'goal weight' perhaps envision a goal range of about 5 pounds. Otherwise you'll always be chasing a unicorn that lives behind a rainbow.
Since eating at a deficit results in weight loss, and you've been eating at a deficit: logic would dictate that eating more (than you have been) is what it will take to maintain. Trial and error will help you figure that out. About how quickly, on average have you been losing? If 1 pound per week, you'll probably need to increase by about 500 per day. If going up that much at once freaks you out, try 200-300 more for a few weeks then adjust again.1 -
Thanks for the great advice! I've kind of accepted that anything beteeen 11 stone 8 and 12 stone 6 is a good range. Would that sound right?
How many calories should I be looking at to maintain? Bearing in mind I just don't like eating back exercise calories so I'll leave them as I have been doing! 1600 has been manageable for the last 6 motnsh but obviously isn't long term. It just pretrifys me and I get a little obsessed that after all this hard work it'll go to waste!
If you don't want to eat back exercise cals, head over to scooby.com and figure out your tdee.
As it stands gross 1600 cals is massively undereating.
You might want to also consider speaking to a professional if eating more worries you so much.4 -
I can't imagine that you reached your goal without ever realizing that a person's weight (water) fluctuates considerably. Most people have to learn that "weight loss is not linear" somewhere in the process. If your journey involved measurable weight loss every single day, I'm inclined to think you were eating at an overly aggressive deficit. Relax, keep increasing your calories slowly, and only be concerned with trends, not day-to-day numbers. 4
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.....and if it's below one day it doesn't mean you have lost fat either.spiriteagle99 wrote: »When I run, I tend to retain water afterwards. Certain foods will make me retain water, even if they don't have high sodium. I've learned to restrict my weighing to days that follow rest days and that aren't after a restaurant meal or high fiber meal. That means I only weigh myself about every 7 - 14 days. Alternately, weigh yourself every day and only worry if your weight stays above your acceptable maximum for more than a few days.
So if it's above one day it doesn't necessarily mean you've put weight on?
You really need to start thinking at least week to week rather than day to day - nothing significant happens in a day. But I actually think daily weighing at least for a while would be very educational/reassuring for you - when something becomes familiar it stops being scary.
Remember weight and fat aren't interchangeable terms.
Your bathroom scales can only measure weight, they can't tell what that weight is, last night's dinner, post exercise inflammation, the glass of water you just drank etc.
PS - I was up 10lbs after a ten day holiday recently, it would have been one hell of a concerted effort to eat 35,000 cals over maintenance!
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I've lost about 46lbs since March. I wasn't massively overweight but was unhappy with how clothes fit etc, and the idea that if I go up I'll stop fitting into 32 inch trousers freaks me about because of all the hard work to get there. It's the summer break for 6 weeks now so I'm aiming to run 6 days a week, at least 7KM a day, possibly 10 on some and want to move up the rankings at the running club, so I'm sure that would counteract any bad choices or mistakes?0
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You are going to have to increase calories to match your increased exercise.
Running is really easy to get reasonable estimates for calorie expenditure.
Serious athletes eat properly....6 -
I've lost about 46lbs since March. I wasn't massively overweight but was unhappy with how clothes fit etc, and the idea that if I go up I'll stop fitting into 32 inch trousers freaks me about because of all the hard work to get there. It's the summer break for 6 weeks now so I'm aiming to run 6 days a week, at least 7KM a day, possibly 10 on some and want to move up the rankings at the running club, so I'm sure that would counteract any bad choices or mistakes?
The bad choice you are making right now is not eating enough to fuel your activity! Not sure how you are functioning!1 -
Keep making the best choices, allow to have a weight range, if it goes under, knowing needing to eat a bit more for a while, if it goes above over time, needing to adjust a little..
Let go of being at a fixed number, though aim staying in a healthy weight / body fat range.
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On Saturday I posted about how I had finally met my target of 12 stone, by cutting to 1660kcal p/d and not eating back exercise calories. I'm now starting the road towards maintainance and plan to gradullay increase my intake. Sunday morning I was bang on 12 stone, I consumed 1800kcal (+140 on old target) but also went running and burnt 400kcal. Today I get weighed and I'm 12 stone, 3 and a half lbs! How is that even possible?! Being at that 12 barrier was a big deal for me, and this is what worries me going into maintainance as that's quite a jump! I just don't get it, I didn't even eat enough to put that on! Any advice?
Recast static "12" as a fixed range you will live with, to accommodate the inevitable fluctuations - water, food volume in your body as you digest, etc.
I had a similar inflexible "number" - and I wanted to maintain that number (not a range). Doesn't work that way.
Really, my # was an "upper limit" number that I wanted to stay beneath. I should have therefore continued my journey, dieted a few more pounds below that number (e.g. in your case, maybe 11 stone 9 or 10?) and then gradually transitioned to maintenance. That way, I would fluctuate between 11 stone-whatever and the magic, mental "12".
Also... congrats!1 -
Thanks for the great advice! I've kind of accepted that anything beteeen 11 stone 8 and 12 stone 6 is a good range. Would that sound right?
How many calories should I be looking at to maintain? Bearing in mind I just don't like eating back exercise calories so I'll leave them as I have been doing! 1600 has been manageable for the last 6 motnsh but obviously isn't long term. It just pretrifys me and I get a little obsessed that after all this hard work it'll go to waste!
It's going to be a bit nerve-wracking at first, but remember that it took a long time to lose that weight; it also takes a lot of time to gain. You have plenty of wiggle room to figure out what you need to eat to keep your goal range. I found the MFP algorithm to be spot-on.
Also, you may find you log for the rest of your life, which is OK. I've accepted this as part of taking care of myself.1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0MK7qz13bU
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