Finding my maintenance weight

nooie19

In October 28th 2018 I reached my goal weight of 133 which I chose pretty randomly. I’m 5’3” and 133 is a healthy BMI and I can wear a size 6.

I’ve never been able to maintain, so I don’t know how I’ll “know” that I’ve hit my maintenance weight, or what I should expect the range to be. I now weigh 129.5 so I am still losing but more slowly than before. How long do you think it will take for my bossy to settle in with a maintenance weight?

I’m not counting calories so I haven’t changed anything with my eating habits. I do write down what I eat and shoot for three meals a day with plenty of fruits and veggies, lean protein, low carbs. Sweets are an occasional indulgence with small portions.

cmriverside

Well, you'll have to make the decision. If you're still losing and you don't want to be, eat more.

The calorie numbers you are using may not be right for you. I eat about 500-600 calories per day more than any of the online calculators say I should - I've figured that out over years of tracking.

I settled at 21-22 BMI. I like how I look and it is my high school weight.

I have a weight range of five pounds. When I get to the high end I cut back on desserts or snacks. When I get to the low end I add back a snack here and there.

TavistockToad

nooie19 wrote: »

In October 28th 2018 I reached my goal weight of 133 which I chose pretty randomly. I’m 5’3” and 133 is a healthy BMI and I can wear a size 6.

I’ve never been able to maintain, so I don’t know how I’ll “know” that I’ve hit my maintenance weight, or what I should expect the range to be. I now weigh 129.5 so I am still losing but more slowly than before. How long do you think it will take for my bossy to settle in with a maintenance weight?

I’m not counting calories so I haven’t changed anything with my eating habits. I do write down what I eat and shoot for three meals a day with plenty of fruits and veggies, lean protein, low carbs. Sweets are an occasional indulgence with small portions.

if you're still losing weight you need to eat more.

maintenance should be a range, not just one number, to account for fluctuations.

sijomial

Your body will settle in maintenance when your calories in match your calories out - most people make that a conscious decision not an accidental one.

An extra 250cal snack a day should do it if you like your current weight, maybe let Christmas and New Year pass by first though.

Your range should be wide enough to cope with your normal weight fluctuations, daily/weekly/monthly/seasonally - it's very personal. I can fluctuate by 5lbs and I've never had a problem with unintentional weight loss so I just have an upper intervention boundary that triggers action to head off a rising trend instead of a + or - range.

AnnPT77

How often do you weigh yourself? Is it often enough to have a decent idea of your typical random weight fluctuations (from changes in water weight and disgestive contents changes)? If so, I'd suggest giving yourself a maintenance range that's just a bit wider than those typical fluctuations. Then if you hit the top end, cut back a intake a little or move a bit more until you're around the bottom end; or if you hit the bottom end, eat a bit more until you come back up in the range.

If you're still losing, add a little bit to your eating routinely (maybe some extra nuts in your oatmeal, or avocado on your salad, or peanut butter, or really anything you like that adds up to the (say) 100 calorie range daily). Monitor until you see what your weight is doing; if still losing, add another incremental amount, etc., until weight stabilizes at a happy spot.

You may find that you end up eating a little more than you expected, at stable weight: Some people find that their daily life energy level picks up a little as they come out of a calorie deficit, so their TDEE goes up a bit. Not guaranteed, but might happen.

nooie19

Thank you for your comments everyone. I guess the main issue is that I’m not sure what my “ideal” weight is. I’m in good health right now at 129, but I certainly would t mind losing a little more. I’m eating healthy foods, not skipping meals, and not going hungry. So is it okay to continue my current trend of losing about two pounds a month? I’m still well within normal BMI. I just don’t know how to determine what is the right weight range for me.

cmriverside

Don't over-think it and just relax.

The weight range is one you'll have to DECIDE on, so just pick a number and use it. It's not engraved in stone, you can adjust later.

When I first lost weight I was really happy to be in the healthy BMI range. That was 163 for me. After some time at that I was ready to lose more and get to the middle of my healthy BMI. I'm now at 140, and still in the range of healthy BMI at 21-22. It is an evolving thing in the beginning. I've been at 140 for years now and that's where I try to stay - between 140 and 145.

NadNight

I’d pick a range of about 5lbs and weigh in every couple of weeks. If you drop below, you need to eat more- if you start to go over, eat a little less.

I think the easiest thing to do is eat exactly what you’re eating now with just a little extra. Keep up eating three meals, eat healthily, exercise but let yourself indulge in dessert more often or add a little extra cheese to your pasta, for example. Nothing crazy, just little changes that are easily adjustable.

Try and relax, don’t overthink. Don’t worry too much if you go under or over your daily goals every once in a while. Get an idea of what you’re eating, track your weight/measurements for a few months then if nothing has really changed then you’ve cracked it!

nooie19

Thanks everyone for your help. I’m going to work on maintaining 127-133 and reassess in six months. I don’t know why it didn’t occur to me that I could in fact adjust the goal if needed. This makes sense if I’m shooting for lifelong fitness.