Advise, Please

aupston

So....
I have lost 80 lbs over the last year.
I have done it with diet changes. Over the last 3 months, I have been moving more.
I have hit my major goal with that weight loss. I am giving myself a break. I am continuing my eating plan (slow carb) but I am increasing my exercise.
Starting this month I have purposefully been walking 10,000 steps a day. Before that I was averaging 5000-6000. I also have added at least 30 mins of actively moving in a lap pool 3 times a week.

My issues now include the fact that my hunger level has increased......
My current weight is 180. I am 5 feet tall. I am over 50. I figure I have 20-30 more lbs to lose but I am taking a break on actively losing weight but am staying at or below 1500 calories a day. My trade off for taking a break was to increase my exercise. I have maintained my current weight for 6 weeks. I have been measuring once a month so if I have a body change without weight loss I will be able to tell

I am thinking of adding up to half of my calories back to combat the hunger if it happens.
Any experience you can share?
Any tips/advice?

Thanks in advance

jemhh

I would suggest eating at maintenance for a couple of weeks. It will help with the hunger:

https://bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-full-diet-break.html/

I think that doing a work around the way you are attempting is a waste.

rj0150684

I’m not sure what you mean by “actively losing weight”. If you’re eating 1500 calories and exercising, at 5’ 180lbs, you’ll lose weight. Probably more than a little bit. If you’re too hungry, you probably have all of your exercise calories as a buffer you could eat back and, especially if you’re walking 10k steps/day, still probably maintain something approaching 1lb/week loss. Based on your stats (and assuming you’re 55), you should be burning almost 1350 calories/day just being alive. It really doesn’t sound like you’re taking a break from weight loss at all.

lorrpb

OP says she’s maintaining in 1500. I don’t quite understand because at 180 and any height you should be able to maintain on more than 1500.

In response to the question about managing hunger : You could play around with trying different foods for greater satiety and different timing of when you eat what. Most people find that protein helps improve satiety, as can veggies and salads which add bulk. Check out the “volume eaters” thread in the food forum here on MFP.

Congrats on you success yo date!

aupston

Thank you for all your comments....
They have really given me things to think about....
I like the idea of flexible dieting. Making good choices and staying in control.
The hunger component is new for me since I added the increase in exercise. Hunger has been one of the things I have struggled with in the past-when I am hungry I overeat.

I have added the exercise component because I know it is important and with my weight lose is easier now.
Thanks again

conniemaxwell5

Because you've added exercise you're burning more calories, therefore you need more food. Track your calories in and calories out. If you want to stop losing weight, calories in should equal calories out. If you want to lose, you should eat at a deficit. I would suggest weighing weekly as you increase your food intake to satiate your hunger. If you're tracking everything and monitoring your weight as you do so, you'll be able to find the proper balance to maintain your current weight or continue losing weight.