Can’t seem to maintain

GrumpyHeadmistress

I reached my GW of 125 in early November on 1300. I immediately went on vacation and gained a few lbs which quickly came off when i returned home.

I got to GW again in early Dec and put my calories up to 1550. I estimated my maintainable calories based on my rate of loss whilst on 1300.

However over the past few weeks I’ve been steadily gaining (4.5lbs) despite staying within my calories.

I’ve had a few meals out and a few heavy strength sessions but always eaten within my 1550 calories. I’m also at the TOM where I gain water weight.

My mentality is “ah well, I’ll sort it out at after New Year” but I am concerned that I don’t seem to be able to maintain and that my maintenance calories are going to be ridiculously low if I gain on 1550.

Anyone experienced something similar?

rheddmobile

I doubt you're really gaining steadily on 1550. Part of it is probably TOM and part is probably glycogen replenishment of your muscles, which adds a little more water weight. Or you could be logging inaccurately. But most likely it's a temporary jump as your body recovers from a low calorie diet and grabs some extra water, in which case you should stop gaining soon.

TavistockToad

sounds like normal fluctuations given you're at a time in your cycle when you know you gain water weight.

maintenance is a range not a number, so really most of those 4lbs should be in that range?

GrumpyHeadmistress

TavistockToad wrote: »

sounds like normal fluctuations given you're at a time in your cycle when you know you gain water weight.

maintenance is a range not a number, so really most of those 4lbs should be in that range?

Except my TOM weight doesn’t usually last two weeks. But I think you’re right, it’s a combination of things.

My maintenance range is meant to be 120-125 but as of this morning I’m at 129.2

TavistockToad

GrumpyHeadmistress wrote: »

TavistockToad wrote: »

sounds like normal fluctuations given you're at a time in your cycle when you know you gain water weight.

maintenance is a range not a number, so really most of those 4lbs should be in that range?

Except my TOM weight doesn’t usually last two weeks. But I think you’re right, it’s a combination of things.

My maintenance range is meant to be 120-125 but as of this morning I’m at 129.2

TBH if it was any other time of year i would say knock 100 cals off and tighten up your logging, as i know for me i can get a bit lax with my logging and it stops the scales moving, but given that its Christmas on Monday if it was me i would probably not worry about it too much till Jan. unless of course its bothering you and making you feel uncomfortable?

sijomial

It's a hard time of year to establish a reliable baseline from which to make decisions and adjustments.

Without knowing your stats 1550 sounds very unlikely to be a number that would cause consistent and real (in sense of fat not water) weight gain.

A fresh start in January trying for consistency and to work out what are your personal range of fluctuations seems sensible.

I certainly gain water weight very easily and quickly, 1lb a day when away on holiday/vacation isn't at all unusual. I'm used to how my body seems to react so can accept that the numbers I see don't reflect the mathematics of calories in / calories out in the short term.

LivingtheLeanDream

Its likely its just fluctuations, keep an eye on how your weight goes for say another 4 weeks, although with the festive period and extra eating that will factor in. We do fluctuate a lot naturally, goodness my weight can bounce up 3lbs for a few days after having a chinese takeaway e.g, and during TOM it can go up by 2lbs. Set yourself a weight range of +/-5lbs e.g.

Get to know your fluctuations, trend your weight using a weight app for example and that way you will be more confident in your ability to maintain.

collectingblues

GrumpyHeadmistress wrote: »

TavistockToad wrote: »

sounds like normal fluctuations given you're at a time in your cycle when you know you gain water weight.

maintenance is a range not a number, so really most of those 4lbs should be in that range?

Except my TOM weight doesn’t usually last two weeks. But I think you’re right, it’s a combination of things.

My maintenance range is meant to be 120-125 but as of this morning I’m at 129.2

Keep in mind that it is normal and common to gain three to four pounds after coming out of a deficit -- that's your body rebuilding glycogen stores, food weight, etc.

So if you want that 120 starting weight, that means you really need to get down to 116/115 or so before entering maintenance, with the understanding that you're going to settle out closer to 120. It doesn't mean that you did anything wrong. It's just nature of being a human being who went from a deficit to maintenance.

Rocknut53

@GrumpyHeadmistress Your story is my story. After a year and a half of losses, reaching my "dream" goal weight of 129ish a year ago, I went to Hawaii in May to reward myself, gained 3 pounds and since then I'm up another 4. I'm struggling to find the right balance right now. I know I can do it, but it has been extremely frustrating. Reading the responses to your inquiry will help me as well. There are several factors I can point to that has hampered my progress: I haven't been weight training, my logging got a little lax, and when the weather started getting really crappy I cut down on my hiking. With sub zero temps forecast for the next few days I know I just need to be diligent about what I'm eating (and drinking) over the holidays. Hang in there, we got this!

GrumpyHeadmistress

Rocknut53 wrote: »

@GrumpyHeadmistress Your story is my story. After a year and a half of losses, reaching my "dream" goal weight of 129ish a year ago, I went to Hawaii in May to reward myself, gained 3 pounds and since then I'm up another 4. I'm struggling to find the right balance right now. I know I can do it, but it has been extremely frustrating. Reading the responses to your inquiry will help me as well. There are several factors I can point to that has hampered my progress: I haven't been weight training, my logging got a little lax, and when the weather started getting really crappy I cut down on my hiking. With sub zero temps forecast for the next few days I know I just need to be diligent about what I'm eating (and drinking) over the holidays. Hang in there, we got this!

Glad I’m not the only one! I’ll start again after Christmas and stick to “maintenance” in the meantime.

GrumpyHeadmistress

collectingblues wrote: »

GrumpyHeadmistress wrote: »

TavistockToad wrote: »

sounds like normal fluctuations given you're at a time in your cycle when you know you gain water weight.

maintenance is a range not a number, so really most of those 4lbs should be in that range?

Except my TOM weight doesn’t usually last two weeks. But I think you’re right, it’s a combination of things.

My maintenance range is meant to be 120-125 but as of this morning I’m at 129.2

Keep in mind that it is normal and common to gain three to four pounds after coming out of a deficit -- that's your body rebuilding glycogen stores, food weight, etc.

So if you want that 120 starting weight, that means you really need to get down to 116/115 or so before entering maintenance, with the understanding that you're going to settle out closer to 120. It doesn't mean that you did anything wrong. It's just nature of being a human being who went from a deficit to maintenance.

I may be rubbish at maintaining but I was good at losing so I’ll use 115lbs as my target for my next go at maintenance.

nowine4me

That’s pretty much how maintenance rolls for me....up 4, down 2, up1 down 3. Over months and months it evens out. Would be much easier if the scale just said the same thing every day.

lorrpb

Set a 5-10 lb range to maintain within. When you hit the top or bottom of the range, adjust your calories by 100-200 per day til back in mid range.

Keep in mind that your cycle fluctuations happen not only when actually having TOM. Some women fluctuate up during ovulation, etc. There are many other reasons your body weight fluctuates, as mentioned up thread.

Fluctuations are more obvious during maintenance because they're not masked by ongoing losses. Many of us like to weigh daily and track in a trending app like Happy Scale, Libra, or Trendweight, depending on the platform. This allows you to see the averages over a longer period. In maintenance it is most helpful to look at the 4-8 week trend, not day to day or even week to week.

I've been maintaining for about 14 months. I know my trend patterns from watching Happy Scale. My maximum fluctuation during that period has been 9 pounds, but most typically I fluctuate within a 5 lb range over a period of weeks. That range is a couple pounds higher than I originally intended, but as long as what goes up comes back down within a few weeks, I'm ok with it.

richardgavel

How often do you track your weight? I do daily because with more frequent data points, I can tell the difference between a spike and fall vs a trend up or down at lot easier.

ridiculous59

This post makes me feel much better. I've experienced the same thing and was also wondering how to deal with it. Thanks for all your suggestions

GrumpyHeadmistress

richardgavel wrote: »

How often do you track your weight? I do daily because with more frequent data points, I can tell the difference between a spike and fall vs a trend up or down at lot easier.

I vary but as I’m gaining so much recently I’m weighing daily and using HappyScale