New to maintenance

dracupg
dracupg Posts: 4 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I've lost about 20Kg in the last year or so and am pretty much at my goal weight. I've always struggled to maintain my goal weight and find I slip back into bad habits very easily. I exercise quite a lot and stick to a 1600 calorie limit during the week, but all bets are off at the weekend :# I was finding it hard to socialise without the food and alcohol being involved! Would be interested to hear other perspectives from people in a similar situation. I'll start reading the past posts as some of them seem relevant.

Replies

  • DamienAngelica
    DamienAngelica Posts: 281 Member
    I just entered maintenance as well. Right now, I'm still trying to find the calorie sweet spot, so to speak, but I'm already thinking ahead to the summer when we go out more and spend time on a friend's boat. I suspect I'll eat at a slight deficit during the week so I can indulge a bit on the weekends, as you mentioned, but indulge a bit, not binge. One or two small glasses of wine, not a bottle. A shared dessert instead of a whole one for me.

    But I also know that sometimes I'll drink more wine or eat more dessert, and when I do, I'm smart enough now to know that I may have to eat at a bigger deficit afterward to compensate. I weigh myself daily so I'll be keeping track and I'm also very active.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    1600 calorie limit for maintenance?

    I've been in maintenance for about 5 years now. I just maintain healthy habits for the most part...eat well and exercise regularly. I typically have a dandy old time on weekends as well. My maintenance calories are around 2800-3000 per day.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    dracupg wrote: »
    I exercise quite a lot and stick to a 1600 calorie limit during the week,.

    Wow - that sounds like a 5 day a week diet.
    Would be amazed if you couldn't increase that 1600 which really is poverty calorie levels and IMHO gong to make maintenance a lot harder than it has to be.
    Clearly you like a freedom weekend but the balance looks a bit off to me.
    Do you have an idea of the weekly deficit you had until recently? (From your recent rate of loss is a good guide.)

    My personal keys to maintenance are vigilance through daily weigh ins to spot a developing trend and setting an upper intervention weight that triggers action if I breach it.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    It sounds like your 1600 limit on the weekdays is being offset by weekend splurges. 1600 is a really low maintenance calorie budget for a man, since men need a minimum of 1500 calories per day. However, if you average out how many calories you eat over a week, you're probably going to find that it's a lot more than 1600.

    So if you have successfully maintained your weight for a while, I would go back and look at your average calorie intake over the past several weeks. I'd use that daily average as your calorie goal. That doesn't mean you have to hit that calorie target every day; you can still save calories for the weekend. But it would help you quantify how much you're eating.

    I'd be especially sure to log those weekend meals. That sounds like it's going to be the key to figuring out your maintenance calories. If you eat it, log it.
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,997 Member
    edited April 2018
    dracupg wrote: »
    I exercise quite a lot and stick to a 1600 calorie limit during the week,.
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    1600 calorie limit for maintenance?
    sijomial wrote: »
    Wow - that sounds like a 5 day a week diet.
    Would be amazed if you couldn't increase that 1600 which really is poverty calorie levels and IMHO gong to make maintenance a lot harder than it has to be.

    I'm 67 & 5'8" and have been maintaining at 156 +/-1# for the past 2 months on only 1550-1650 net cals/day w/o a cheat day.

    I actually consume 2100-2200 cals/day and burn 550-650 cals/day lifting and rowing for a net ave of 1600 cals/day.

    I haven't had any difficulty doing this and have not experienced any energy or nutritional issues eating/exercising in this way.

    My macros continue to be at around 34%P/38%C/28%F, which at 2100 cals works out to about 178gP/200gC/65gF which is a very well balanced diet, sufficiently high in protein and carbs to fulfill my energy needs and maintain my musculature.

    What I have also noticed since I started eating and exercising in this way (actually started doing this about 5 months ago at 159 and quickly lost 3# after which it stabilized at 156) is increased vascularity and muscular definition which (based on my last BF measurements by DXA and hydro, which were 12.5 and 8.3% respectively at the end of Feb, and were the lowest levels ever measured by either method) IMO are evidence of increased fat burning while maintaining resulting in a slight recomp.

    Further proof of that will be determined if my BF measurements are even lower while maintaining the same weight at the end of May when I plan to get my BF measured again.
  • Azercord
    Azercord Posts: 573 Member
    I'm also confused by your weekday limit (or impressed by your weekend splurge). I'm 5'9" 165lb and my maintenance is ~2500 calories a day. If I know something is coming up on the weekends I just bank some calories and I'm fine.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    At age 58 and 5'9" I'm currently maintaining on c. 3000 cals.
    Maybe that's why I feel 1600 is dreadfully low!

    (I do exercise a lot though and have a fairly high activity level.)
  • DragonHasTheSapphire
    DragonHasTheSapphire Posts: 184 Member
    I'm still trying to find out my calories to maintain as well, I originally did 1800 cals. I was losing a lb a week, I'm female and weigh about 111 lbs, and I would consider myself pretty active. 1900 and 2000 calories I still lose weight, now now I'm trying 2150 and see what my body does. I weigh my food and measure my liquids, I don't see how I need anywhere over 2000 since I'm quite small.

    1600 would starve me, imo!
  • CarvedTones
    CarvedTones Posts: 2,340 Member
    59, 5'8", ~162 and currently at 1800 + some exercise calories; I think I may have to adjust that base lower because I have to shave some exercise calories. I have had some crazy bouncing the last few days (160 4 days ago, 162 2 days ago and 164 today; no way did I eat enough to account for that) so I am not sure.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    DragonHasTheSapphire wrote: »
    I'm still trying to find out my calories to maintain as well, I originally did 1800 cals. I was losing a lb a week, I'm female and weigh about 111 lbs, and I would consider myself pretty active. 1900 and 2000 calories I still lose weight, now now I'm trying 2150 and see what my body does. I weigh my food and measure my liquids, I don't see how I need anywhere over 2000 since I'm quite small.

    1600 would starve me, imo!

    Because you're active.
  • RadishEater
    RadishEater Posts: 470 Member
    For me, long duration low -medium intensity exercise lets me rack up freebie calories for later. i.e horseriding, 3-5 mile brisk walk, elliptical. High intensity exercise however leaves me too ravenous to postpone meals.

    For the meals pre-socializing, I try to pack in the protein and fiber to keep myself full; however, compared to a year ago everything I eat and drink is vastly moderated when socializing. I'd rather be happy with my body and have 1 full glass stout and do sample tasting for 2 more beers and a pretzels than have 5 glasses of beer and a cheese plate too.

    My friend's bday is tomorrow, so I looked ahead on what I want to eat/drink and planned out how much to exercise to fit everything into maintenance calories.
  • Maxxitt
    Maxxitt Posts: 1,281 Member
    dracupg wrote: »
    I've lost about 20Kg in the last year or so and am pretty much at my goal weight. I've always struggled to maintain my goal weight and find I slip back into bad habits very easily. I exercise quite a lot and stick to a 1600 calorie limit during the week, but all bets are off at the weekend :# I was finding it hard to socialise without the food and alcohol being involved! Would be interested to hear other perspectives from people in a similar situation. I'll start reading the past posts as some of them seem relevant.

    In addition to the good advice above, think of maintenance as a range rather than a set number. Hitting the highest number of that range for 4 or 5 days in a row might trigger a modest deficit for a few days or a week, for example.

    Think of per-week calories for maintenance rather than per day if your life rhythm involves more calories on the weekend. Calculate your weekend first then your other days to see what might be reasonable. What I found was that I needed to be a bit more moderate on the weekends to be comfortable during the week and maintain within a range.

    People that are more active every day (not necessarily planned exercise, but more moving around) seem to have less trouble in maintenance than people who are truly sedentary.
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,997 Member
    If the question is "how to" maintain at whatever level that works for you, there is a pretty good blog article on this subject that was posted on MFP today:

    The Not-So-Secret Key to Weight-Loss Maintenance

    http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/not-so-secret-key-weight-loss-maintenance/

    The key? Consistency in what/how you eat and what you do & how you exercise.

    Of course, you still need to find out the what/how much food/exercise works for you to achieve maintenance, which is usually a matter of trial and error, but, as soon as you figure that out, staying in maintenance simply requires remaining consistent in doing those things.

    That's what I do but, for many, it is easier said that done.

    FWIW, IMO and based on my experience, this requires daily discipline in eating & exercising, which is inconsistent w/cheat days or cheat weekends and calorie banking generally, which is why I do not believe in or practice those things.

    Some people adamantly claim that these practices work for them but I do not believe that long term maintenance is sustainable unless you remain constantly vigilant in monitoring what/how you eat and w/o continuing to exercise regularly (if it is an essential part of your CICO calculations).

    Feel free to disagree and choose you own path but don't be surprised if you start to gain weight w/o being consistent in what/how you eat and what you do and how you exercise.
  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,324 Member
    this week i realized i've been looking at weight loss backwards...and maybe you are too. Many people count caloires and work out so they can burn the foods they eat during their daily routines.

    This time, i'm doing it the other way around. i changed all my life routines..and the weight loss has followed. It is actually an easier approch to weight loss.

    it is what we DO ..how we SPEND our time that makes us fat... the what we're eating is secondary.

    So.. look at your social habits.. your habits at home... and change them.. then you'll be able to keep your weight off. It takes a good while to get used to...but it works.

    a few examples from my life.. i no longer drink alcohol at home.. or stop off at happy hours, order take out food..or delivery food, or go through fast food.

    Many caloire countiers pride themselves on still doing these things..making the numbers work.. but it just leads to regaining the weight.

  • fiddletime
    fiddletime Posts: 1,868 Member
    I was in China for 3 weeks recently with 3 square meals a day, and no way to calorie count and no scale. I ate the meals till I was full, but skipped any breads or deep fried foods. I ate rice. I avoided snack food, mostly because I was pretty full. On the weekends I ate one big meal and a snack of cookies. I lost 2 pounds. I was really surprised because I ate so much at my meals.

    I took away from that that snacking probably adds more calories than I realized and if I watch the bite here and there and just stick with meals that are common sense, I can at least maintain. Common sense meals were high in veggies, and avoiding breads and deep fried. Interesting experience as I’d been trying to lose that weight for 6 months.
  • CarvedTones
    CarvedTones Posts: 2,340 Member
    edited April 2018
    sijomial wrote: »
    CarvedTones wrote: »
    59, 5'8", ~162 and currently at 1800 + some exercise calories; I think I may have to adjust that base lower because I have to shave some exercise calories. I have had some crazy bouncing the last few days (160 4 days ago, 162 2 days ago and 164 today; no way did I eat enough to account for that) so I am not sure.

    There's nothing crazy in those fluctuations.

    Don't react and make adjustments due to perfectly normal weight fluctuations or you will drive yourself mad.
    You know it's not fat. Trust the process that caused you to successfully lose weight.

    Yeah, I know it makes sense. At 1600, walking 3 or 4 miles a day and not adding any calories for that, I was losing a little over a half pound a week. Now at 1800 and adding some (like maybe a third) of my exercise calories since I have upped my walking to 4 or more often 5 miles a day, though over the last few days because of extenuating circumstances I average a little under 1800 a day total. I do the math and know I should not be gaining and certainly not a 4 pound swing (probably really 2 in each direction). But at 5'8", 164 is the hard ceiling - a BMI of 24.9. It's purely a mental hangup, but I don't want to see that edge any higher.

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