Anyone reached the weight maintenance stage instead of weight loss phase, and have advice

adamgrearson1

Hello everyone,

Over the past year, I have lost over 50 lbs and have achieved my goal weight of 200 lbs. It may still be considered slightly overweight on the BMI scale, but I'm not concerned because I consider the BMI to be an archaic and outdated system which doesn't accurately measure each individual's muscle mass or bone frame size. I am at a very good weight, especially since I am 6'2". I don't want to become anorexic or look like a skeleton either.

Now that I am happy with and ready to maintain my weight, and no longer looking to lose weight, I am posting to see if anyone else has also entered the weight maintenance stage. If so, do you have any advice on how you maintained your weight?

Here is some background context concerning my efforts to lose and maintain my weight:

I lead an active lifestyle as much as possible each day, especially for a Masters degree student whose academic work requires me to sit for extended time periods to do readings, conduct research, write papers, etc.

I walk an average of 30 to 60 minutes each day. My old Fitbit model that I currently use has been tracking my steps: I have been averaging over 10,000 steps every day, with some days as high as 18,000 to 20,000. I'm thinking of buying a Fitbit Charge 2 so that I can track calories burned through weight training. Has anyone used that Fitbit model, and can anyone give me some feedback on it?

I have a gym membership that I use at least twice a week for: cardio exercises (i.e. treadmill and stationary bike) and weight training. I also have a flat bench and dumbbells at home that I use for weight training if and when I can't make it to the gym.

I eat very healthy foods (lots of vegetables and protein), and I have been averaging around 1300 to 1400 calories each day. The educators I meet with at a local weight management clinic have recommended that I fill up on more protein to get my daily calorie intake up to around 1600 calories to help with weight maintenance and with building muscle.

Any advice or shared experiences would be greatly appreciated! Thank you for your time.

Take care,
Adam

kommodevaran

First find out how many calories you need to maintain. That's the easy part. MFP does that for you. The hard part is really eating that, and not more. It takes a profound change in habits and attitudes.

smolmaus

Keep doing exactly what you're doing now if it's working for you except add in some more calories? I agree about adding in more protein if you want muscle building. It might be you just up your current protein portion sizes, easy peasy.

As for maintenance advice, pick a sensible range that you want to maintain within, not a static number. And learn to be okay with gaining a little sometimes and adjusting gently back downwards rather than panic-dieting. That was the hardest part for me and something I still struggle with.