Long term maintainers (like me): advice on why I am where I am

jrwms714

OK, this will be TMI, but I am hoping that long-time maintainers can sort through it and help me to figure it out. I am 3 years into maintenance, which has been relatively easy for me. I have a 2 lb. range b/c I am only 5'0" and a larger range is too much, and that range works well. I have been in that range for the whole time. Whenever I move to the upper edge of it or go over it, I drop back on calories and exercise differently, and it always goes back to where it should be. I use Happy Scale, and the Moving Average works well for me.

However, in the last few months, I have been a lb. or even more above my range, and have been working hard at getting it off in the usual way, as I stated above. I have adjusted my calories according to MFP and am at 1240. I am careful about calorie measuring, logging, and exercising (weights, cardio, Pilates, circuit training 5x/week), and the needle does not move. If I were not trying to get off a few lbs., I'd be thrilled at how consistently I weight EXACTLY the same, day after day.

Would like some advice about this: I was on vacation for the entire winter. During the times that I am gone (which is every year), I lose some weight due to running around more, but I am not at a gym more than once or twice a week and the rest of the activity is walking. I came back in April, and started the usual routine I use here (stated above) and since then, the scale doesn't move. I am wondering if these two lbs. that I can't get off could just be muscle mass from the working out that I am doing, that I did not do before? Or am I kidding myself? Nothing else explains why there's no movement towards loss. Occasionally, my moving average dips down .10 and so does the scale, but then it's right back up to the same number. Two months is a long time to be on a plateau so I doubt that's it. I am fit, my clothes fit the same, and I look about the same. But I know that a few lbs. can be a slippery slope, so I'm concerned.

Need thoughts/suggestions/ideas from people who have been maintaining for a while, especially if you have run into this situation yourself?

serindipte

"Measuring, logging" - how are you measuring? Food scale or cups?

kommodevaran

I suspect your daily non-exercise activity accounts for more calorie burn that your deliberate exercise, and/or you're knowingly or mindlessly compensating for exercising either with food, or less non-exercise activity, or both, and/or being on vacation makes you happy so you're not knowingly or mindlessly compensating for feeling miserable with food.

jrwms714

Food scale; also cups. Depends on what I am eating.

slimtastesbetter

I understand the slippery slope, but maybe your maintenance range is actually a little bigger than you first thought? Maybe it's actually a 4 lb range rather than 2 lbs? If you look and feel the same and your clothes fit the same that's really what's most important not the number on the scale. Some might say 1240 is too few calories for the amount you workout, although you are very short. Maybe you need one or two days a week where you eat a few more calories to give your metabolism a kick? You could experiment with that perhaps. I don't know enough about muscle mass to know how much muscle you need to put on to show up on the scale. I sometimes wonder that about myself. Sorry I can't be of more help. Hopefully you get some other suggestions.

jrwms714

Hi - guess I wasn't clear enough about my calories. I generally eat between 1500 and 2000 depending on the day. I don't use TDEE, but daily gym cals. I am doing the 1240+exercise cals only recently to try to lose the lbs. I need to lose. I have tried the larger range and it just doesn't work well for me because I'm so small. Thanks so much for your input. I do appreciate it. I think I am wondering about the muscle stuff ... or if I am just fooling myself. Since you have wondered about that, too, maybe we can both get an answer!

RoxieDawn

jrwms714 wrote: »

Hi - guess I wasn't clear enough about my calories. I generally eat between 1500 and 2000 depending on the day. I don't use TDEE, but daily gym cals. I am doing the 1240+exercise cals only recently to try to lose the lbs. I need to lose. I have tried the larger range and it just doesn't work well for me because I'm so small. Thanks so much for your input. I do appreciate it. I think I am wondering about the muscle stuff ... or if I am just fooling myself. Since you have wondered about that, too, maybe we can both get an answer!

Depends. Varying factors need to be in place for that to happen. What do you do in the gym? Is it strength training to build muscle as in *progressive overload? Protein intake sufficient for building muscle?

You could just be retaining extra water due to your added exercise. More information would be helpful.

SummerSkier

I am short also. I suggest cutting either back on how many of the exercise cals you eat back - say 80% instead of 100% or cutting the base cals back by 50 or so. Whichever is easiest for you. You don't say how old you are but 2 months is a long time to sort of muddle around the same weight. You could also try changing up what you are eating. There is error always in counting CI and CO so if you are eating something which is off by logging too low a lot, you might have some counting errors that way.

jrwms714

I apologize for leaving out some info. I am heading towards age 72, which is an important factor in all this. My workouts are interval training using the elliptical, rowing machine, stationary bike, etc. - each for 30 - 40 minutes when used, and a total of 60 minutes. In Pilates, I am in the Intermediate classification, using the reformer among other things, and about 75 minutes. When I do weights, it is mostly machines, lifting, and some exercises with free weights, and 40 minutes or more. At this stage of my life, I work on being fit and on not hurting myself, so strengthening is never super advanced, as it was when I was younger. I think it is much harder to lose weight post-menopause (TMI?) and this short, but I did it when I lost the 40 lbs., although it took 2.5 years to do so, and have maintained it easily for 3 years. So not sure what's going on. I will re-look at counting, or cutting back exercise calories, although I don't eat all of them back some days. My appetite is really very small. I'm curious, mostly, if this could just be "weight" from muscle or just having me fine tune stuff even more than I am?

RoxieDawn

jrwms714 wrote: »

I apologize for leaving out some info. I am heading towards age 72, which is an important factor in all this. My workouts are interval training using the elliptical, rowing machine, stationary bike, etc. - each for 30 - 40 minutes when used, and a total of 60 minutes. In Pilates, I am in the Intermediate classification, using the reformer among other things, and about 75 minutes. When I do weights, it is mostly machines, lifting, and some exercises with free weights, and 40 minutes or more. At this stage of my life, I work on being fit and on not hurting myself, so strengthening is never super advanced, as it was when I was younger. I think it is much harder to lose weight post-menopause (TMI?) and this short, but I did it when I lost the 40 lbs., although it took 2.5 years to do so, and have maintained it easily for 3 years. So not sure what's going on. I will re-look at counting, or cutting back exercise calories, although I don't eat all of them back some days. My appetite is really very small. I'm curious, mostly, if this could just be "weight" from muscle or just having me fine tune stuff even more than I am?

The exercise you are doing most likely is causing you added water weight/retention but not is not added fat gain.

If you have trouble losing at the rate you setup MFP for, yes fine tuning your logging and exercise calories should get you going in the right direction.

middlehaitch

Going by your exercise description and you intake from exercise calories burnt, I would think you are eating back too many exercise cals.
This is coming from a 64yo, 5'1, 100-105lbs woman who has been in maintenance 8 yr.

It would be worth your while to work from your collected data and derive your deficit from that.
If you have seasonal consistency working with a winter and summer TDEE may be good for you, otherwise continue with NEAT.

I learned early on they my average class, Pilates, aerobics, aquafit, rowing, etc burned an average of 200 cals a hour, so if I go to the gym I just log an extra 200, or portion of.
Lifting, I use the bar and some machines following a structured programme with accessories, I have 200 cals for 90min, or portion of.

Do a bit of number crunching and see what your actual daily needs are then drop 100-250 cals.

Cheers, h.

cmriverside

When I start getting the exact same reading on my body weight scale for several days in a row, it usually needs a new battery.

briscogun

You said that you vacation in the winter and now you are “back”. I’m assuming you were in two different places and using 2 different scales? Maybe one is just off from the other?

Just a thought...

jrwms714

Thanks, all for your advice. I like the thoughts about the two scales, but since I am there every winter, I know that the scale is a lb. lighter than the one at home and I adjust for that difference. I am taking what some of you said to heart and will eat back only 50% of the gym/etc. calories MFP gives me, which I know are more than they should be. I don't always eat them back, but since I am trying to lose those few lbs., this might be the way to go for me. Funny thing is, after all my worry and whining, this AM, I stepped on the scale and voila! 1.5 lbs. down. Now I know that may be a fluke and I intend to try the new regime of fewer exercise calories until the weight stabilizes for a while back into my range. Lesson that I should know by now, after these years of maintenance: trust the journey, and have patience. We covered this in another post on this forum: maintainers need to be vigilant but not go crazy over fluctuations. This one lasted too long, but I have to trust that I know what I am doing and what I need to do, and that these forums every so often give me a new idea to try. So thanks!

hroderick

mechanical scales wear out.

LivingtheLeanDream

I do think you need to tweak your calories a little bit, as @middlehaitch says, trying cutting a few hundred calories - that really will make all the difference and that small weight creep will be history in no time.

mjglantz

I've been at my goal weight for about 4 years and just recently have seen about a 2 lb gain. I realize that I've been eating a bit more (vacation, holidays) and exercising a bit less as I'm older. Cutting back just a little to get back to where I want to be.

lorrpb

Have you used the same scale in the same place, weighing at the same time under the same conditions as when you weighed 2 lbs less? Any of these variables could easily account for a 2 lb difference.

nxd10

I had a similar issue at 5 years. (You can read my post on the post.). I would be concerned because I did have a hard time taking that small amount of weight off - even after I cut calories and even though it had worked before.

A couple of things that have worked for me:

Up your exercise. Maintainers need to basically exercise (even walk) an hour 5x a week to maintain. If I don’t do it I start slipping upwards.
Up your protein. If my carbs are over 40%, no matter how little I eat I can’t lose weight.

I wrote elsewhere that I was feeling poorly as well as suffering a sudden and inexplicable weight gain in January. I was treated then for the symptoms but the weight never went away, even though my calories were low. Two weeks ago my doctor put me on the Whole30 diet to get at the symptoms (not for weight loss). It’s essentially a Paleo elimination diet. I’ve dropped six pounds in two weeks, even though it wasn’t my intention. And I’m very very full. It feels great and is very similar to what I did when I initially lost weight.

The big difference is not the calories but the higher protein.

Good luck.

jrwms714

Thanks for this. It resonates. And good to know that you, like me, can be doing everything right and it still doesn't move. I have always exercised 5 days a week, and have lately increased the intensity some to get these few lbs. off - cardio, free weights, Pilates, walking, etc. But I love your up the protein, down the carbs idea; I am scant on carbs, but could be scanter. I have looked at Whole30 and just might try it if things don't change. It seems easy enough ... it's just a few adjustments to how I already eat. The good news is that the scale has been dipping down some here and there on some days, so my body might be trying to do what I want it to ...

nxd10

It's really easy if you're eating healthy already. I lost six pounds. My husband's lost 8 in the same two weeks. And I'm not even watching calories (though am logging) and I feel very very satisfied. My husband wants to stay on a less strict version after the 30 days (so we can eat out). But this essentially an eating lifestyle you could stay on forever and enjoy.