Weight gain when switching to maintenance calories ?

RedheadedPrincess14

So I hit goal weight and actually really happy with how I look. I've been doing a bit more excercise than usual but mostly cardio so I doubt it would be my muscles retained water but in the last two weeks, I have gone up about three pounds since making this switch. Is this water weight that will come off or is there some inevitable weight gain that comes with upping calories? Should I expect them to go away after a bit?

stanmann571

It depends on A lot of factors.

how long you were in a deficit is a big factor, Which is why overshooting your goal and "reverse dieting" is a popular way of going into maintenance, as it give you some time to adjust to what is actually your maintenance.

livingleanlivingclean

You're eating more food (more food/waste in your system) , and probably more carbs (more water retention). Your weight is likely to increase initially.

Do you track every day? Perhaps just see how your weight goes over a few weeks - maintenance calories, like your deficit calories, are just an estimation. You might need to reevaluate.

Jthanmyfitnesspal

The switch to maintenance takes a little trial and error. Most important is to keep logging. Most people will gain weight back if they stop.

I got some bounce when I switched plan, too. Part of this is that your weight will bounce around in a band of up to 4 pounds. We tend to diet until we get our goal weight for one or two days, then go on maintenance. In that case, the goal is at the minimum of your weight band. You'd have to go until the average of a week or more was at goal.

Anyway, you can just keep your intake a bit conservative: don't eat all your exercise calories, etc. Do some big workout days and hold back on the eating. Then your weight will slowly trend down. If you see a trend upward, you need to edit your daily intake.

Best of luck!

RedheadedPrincess14

stanmann571 wrote: »

It depends on A lot of factors.

how long you were in a deficit is a big factor, Which is why overshooting your goal and "reverse dieting" is a popular way of going into maintenance, as it give you some time to adjust to what is actually your maintenance.

I was in a deficit for about 8 months ? With a couple weeks off here and there. So reverse dieting would be a more gradual increase in calories?

RedheadedPrincess14

livingleanlivingclean wrote: »

You're eating more food (more food/waste in your system) , and probably more carbs (more water retention). Your weight is likely to increase initially.

Do you track every day? Perhaps just see how your weight goes over a few weeks - maintenance calories, like your deficit calories, are just an estimation. You might need to reevaluate.

Yes I track and measure everything every single day so perhaps a bit lower than they suggest?

livingleanlivingclean

RedheadedPrincess14 wrote: »

livingleanlivingclean wrote: »

You're eating more food (more food/waste in your system) , and probably more carbs (more water retention). Your weight is likely to increase initially.

Do you track every day? Perhaps just see how your weight goes over a few weeks - maintenance calories, like your deficit calories, are just an estimation. You might need to reevaluate.

Yes I track and measure everything every single day so perhaps a bit lower than they suggest?

I meant tracking your own weight, but tracking/weighing your food is still a good idea during maintenance.

Id track your body weight on a trending app - you'll be able to see if you're maintaining or gaining... After a few weeks, you might need to adjust (down/up..who knows!)

collectingblues

It's very common to gain between 3 and 4 pounds after entering maintenance -- replenishing of glycogen supplies, water and food weight, etc.

You may be able to get it off, but it would require eating at a deficit again. Then overshoot your goal to allow for that buffer.

I've heard some people say that it'll settle out, but I've seen nothing but broscience about that. Frankly, I think it's just safer to set a goal that's lower than what your actual maintenance range should be, and start maintenance from that lower goal.

TavistockToad

RedheadedPrincess14 wrote: »

So I hit goal weight and actually really happy with how I look. I've been doing a bit more excercise than usual but mostly cardio so I doubt it would be my muscles retained water but in the last two weeks, I have gone up about three pounds since making this switch. Is this water weight that will come off or is there some inevitable weight gain that comes with upping calories? Should I expect them to go away after a bit?

sounds like normal fluctuations to me... you need 4-6 weeks of maintenance data really be able to see a trend

AnnPT77

If you go to maintenance in a big-ish calorie jump, you're likely to see a small (few pounds) scale jump, caused by some combination of higher average digestive system contents and water weight (glycogen replenishment, a few extra carbs eaten, a little extra salt eaten, etc.)

Remember how people tell you we tend to lose weight faster in the first week or two, from reduced water weight and digestve contents? This is the same thing in reverse. It's not fat; don't worry about it.

"Reverse dieting", i.e., adding calories back slowly once you reach goal weight accomplishes at least two things: (1) you continue to lose weight while you do it, at a nearly invisible rate, and (2) you add the inevitable non-fat weight increase at an invisibly slow rate, too. The two effects mostly cancel each other out scale-wise, amongst daily fluctuations. In other words, it's mostly a mind hack, IMO.

If you actually overshoot maintenance calories by a few, you'll tend to see slow, gradual weight creep upward, not a jump.

Repeating: The scale jump isn't fat. Don't worry about it.

RedheadedPrincess14

AnnPT77 wrote: »

If you go to maintenance in a big-ish calorie jump, you're likely to see a small (few pounds) scale jump, caused by some combination of higher average digestive system contents and water weight (glycogen replenishment, a few extra carbs eaten, a little extra salt eaten, etc.)

Remember how people tell you we tend to lose weight faster in the first week or two, from reduced water weight and digestve contents? This is the same thing in reverse. It's not fat; don't worry about it.

"Reverse dieting", i.e., adding calories back slowly once you reach goal weight accomplishes at least two things: (1) you continue to lose weight while you do it, at a nearly invisible rate, and (2) you add the inevitable non-fat weight increase at an invisibly slow rate, too. The two effects mostly cancel each other out scale-wise, amongst daily fluctuations. In other words, it's mostly a mind hack, IMO.

If you actually overshoot maintenance calories by a few, you'll tend to see slow, gradual weight creep upward, not a jump.

Repeating: The scale jump isn't fat. Don't worry about it.

Thank you so much. This makes perfect sense to me. Exactly what I needed to hear for now. but yes, I'll definitely keep track of it on a weight app but I think you're likely right

wbhollie7781

Increasing by 3 pounds is not necessarily fat gain and it pretty normal when switching to maintenance calories. I would freak out when I got to the weight I wanted and it started to fluctuate but, what took me WAY to long to realize is that when you get to a weight you are happy with, use the mirror and not a scale.

SezxyStef

AnnPT77 wrote: »

If you go to maintenance in a big-ish calorie jump, you're likely to see a small (few pounds) scale jump, caused by some combination of higher average digestive system contents and water weight (glycogen replenishment, a few extra carbs eaten, a little extra salt eaten, etc.)

Remember how people tell you we tend to lose weight faster in the first week or two, from reduced water weight and digestve contents? This is the same thing in reverse. It's not fat; don't worry about it.

"Reverse dieting", i.e., adding calories back slowly once you reach goal weight accomplishes at least two things: (1) you continue to lose weight while you do it, at a nearly invisible rate, and (2) you add the inevitable non-fat weight increase at an invisibly slow rate, too. The two effects mostly cancel each other out scale-wise, amongst daily fluctuations. In other words, it's mostly a mind hack, IMO.

If you actually overshoot maintenance calories by a few, you'll tend to see slow, gradual weight creep upward, not a jump.

Repeating: The scale jump isn't fat. Don't worry about it.

all this.

When I hit goal I started my reverse diet with an extra 50 calories...I ended up losing down a couple extra pounds as I got up to maintenance...but it's all good it balanced out.