Initial jump in weight - entering maintenance

mazcor536
mazcor536 Posts: 115 Member
edited July 2018 in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I know when you begin maintenance and increase your calories accordingly, you get an initial jump on the scale. I’ve googled relentlessly and searched the forum and there is so much info about why that happens etc, but no one ever says how big that increase is (I know it’ll be different for everyone)! I made sure to get to the bottom end of my maintenance range before I upped calories, my increase hasn’t been dramatic so far (1.2lbs in two days - well within my normal fluctuations), but I’d just feel more confident having a rough idea of what to expect in the first week or two of eating at maintenance. Many thanks!

Replies

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    mazcor536 wrote: »
    I know when you begin maintenance and increase your calories accordingly, you get an initial jump on the scale. I’ve googled relentlessly and searched the forum and there is so much info about why that happens etc, but no one ever says how big that increase is (I know it’ll be different for everyone)! I made sure to get to the bottom end of my maintenance range before I upped calories, my increase hasn’t been dramatic so far (1.2lbs in two days - well within my normal fluctuations), but I’d just feel more confident having a rough idea of what to expect in the first week or two of eating at maintenance. Many thanks!

    i have a diet break every 6 weeks at maintenance, it doesn't make the scale jump for me.

    depends how much you increase your calories by, probably?
  • teranga79
    teranga79 Posts: 202 Member
    Why would there be an increase?
  • Maxxitt
    Maxxitt Posts: 1,281 Member
    My experience is 2-3 # depending - I keep my protein & fat intake fairly consistent regardless of whether I am in deficit or maintenance, so the calories I add to maintenance are carbs and mostly of the higher fiber variety, which causes more bulk as it passes through.
  • mazcor536
    mazcor536 Posts: 115 Member
    Thank you! :)
  • ncfitbit
    ncfitbit Posts: 1,058 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    ..I personally went up about 3 Lbs.

    Following for the future...

    You went up and stayed there or did your weight go back down eventually? ( I’m assuming you stayed at those maintenance calories.)
  • Lillymoo01
    Lillymoo01 Posts: 2,865 Member
    I just kept increasing my calories by 100 a week until I hit maintenance so didn't experience an increase in weight at all.
  • CarvedTones
    CarvedTones Posts: 2,340 Member
    edited July 2018
    I adjusted and continued to lose slowly and adjusted more until I stayed pretty stable. Ended up a bit below goal, which is fine. Not sure why anyone would get a bump unless they didn't slow down the loss near the end.
  • workinonit1956
    workinonit1956 Posts: 1,043 Member
    I’m technically not in maintenance quite yet, but what I've done is I’m slowly increasing my calories to my goal weight maintenance level. While doing this, my weight stayed the same for almost 3 weeks and now just in the last couple of days, I’ve lost 2 pounds.
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 5,164 Member
    I didn't experience a jump. I started gradually increasing my calories. I actually lost a bit more than my original goal before I found my maintenance calories. I also didn't restrict carbs (or anything else) while losing so there wasn't really an increase in carbs to deal with.
  • mmebouchon
    mmebouchon Posts: 855 Member
    You might be able to get an idea about what is normal for you by looking back to see how much weight you lost the first week of dieting. Most of that wonderful first big loss was probably water and glycogen weight.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    ncfitbit wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    ..I personally went up about 3 Lbs.

    Following for the future...

    You went up and stayed there or did your weight go back down eventually? ( I’m assuming you stayed at those maintenance calories.)

    It stayed up...I eat more carbs in maintenance and thus hold onto more water than when I'm dieting and glycogen stores are always topped off in maintenance. I don't really care about the number on the scale...it's just water and glycogen and it's a good thing.

    You also have to keep in mind that maintenance isn't a static number...body weight isn't static...maintenance is a range. My average maintenance is 180 Lbs...but I fluctuate between 178 and 182 generally. I can fluctuate even higher if I travel (airplane bloat) or have a couple of days where I eat out more and have more sodium. I've gone up as much as 8 Lbs on the scale overnight, but that's rare.
  • ncfitbit
    ncfitbit Posts: 1,058 Member
    I see. That is helpful to know and something to plan for. Sounds like I need to shoot a little below desired goal weight so there’s room to bump up a little and stay within a range I can live with. Thanks!
  • mazcor536
    mazcor536 Posts: 115 Member
    Superb you guys! Thanks for your responses. I bumped up 2.4lbs this past week and dropped 0.4lb this morning. Very early days, but first week of eating at maintenance is finished. :)
  • mazcor536
    mazcor536 Posts: 115 Member
    This is good advice. Initially I wanted to be under 11 stone (154). That is the ultimate red outline maximum. The moment I crept under 154 I’ve stayed under 154. I got down to 148 with a sudden whoosh when I decided to try maintenance. 150.2 today and well under 154 so all is good! Plenty of wiggle room to figure this out!
  • xbowhunter
    xbowhunter Posts: 1,239 Member
    So far I'm finding maintenance to be going well. I'm 5'7" and my weight varies from 145lbs to 148lbs.

    I never did return to eating simple carbs & I think that was the best decision I ever made. Makes maintenance so much easier!
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    I didn't get any jump at all - small deficit when losing and high'ish carbs whether losing or maintaining contributed to that.

    It's really not something to be that concerned about, you don't have to switch to perfect maintenance instantly, you have the rest of your life to fine tune things, :smiley:
  • WilmaValley
    WilmaValley Posts: 1,092 Member
    Very interesting information

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