How do you know when it's time to switch to maintenance?

syk731
syk731 Posts: 34 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I'm 5'5 and currently 133 lbs. My initial goal weight was 135, which I chose initially partly because I thought it was the highest of the weights that I might be happy about. Had I had more confidence in my ability to lose weight, I probably would have picked 125 as my ultimate goal weight. I was 135 before I became pregnant with my first child, almost 10 years ago, but had been 125-130 for the few years before that, and I was pretty happy with how I looked then, so I figured if I could get back to that weight, I'd be happy.

I weigh less than I have in almost 10 years. I actually think I look pretty good. Not perfect, of course. I've still got some fat on my belly and lots of saggy and stretch-marked skin on my belly from my pregnancies. I would never wear a bikini, but that's okay with me. I feel better about how I look in clothes than I have in 10 years, and I'm more muscular now than I was then, because I'm also lifting now and I lifted weights only minimally back then

So I'm trying to decide whether I should keep going with losing, and try to get to 125, or start thinking about switching over to maintenance. I'm also scared that I'll gain some when I start maintenance, so I'm wondering whether I should lose a little more first for that reason too.

I feel like I get losing now, and it's not so hard, once I figured it out. But I'm a little scared of maintenance, because it's an unknown, and I'm afraid it's harder. Sounds crazy, right?

Replies

  • epiphany29
    epiphany29 Posts: 122 Member
    Why not try maintenance for a couple of months, see how you feel then try again to get down. First off that gives you a break from the weight loss counting, and also gives your body some time to adjust to its new place.

    Just a thought. I could be wrong. I have been before.

    pip
  • sorcha1977
    sorcha1977 Posts: 133 Member
    If you're happy with the way you look and feel, you could switch gradually. Eat another 100-200 calories per day this week and then another 200-ish next week (or whatever you need to get up there) until you get to maintenance so it isn't this feeling of, "Holy cow I just ate so much food!" It's similar to easing into losing weight by reducing your cals by 200 per day over the course of a few weeks until you get down to -500 or -1000, so think of that in reverse. :)
  • RoyBeck
    RoyBeck Posts: 947 Member
    It's one of the most important things IMO knowing when to maintain opposed to losing. If your happy and healthy then try maintaining but you have to know when that time comes. Are you happy? If so I'd say now.
  • yummy_meats
    yummy_meats Posts: 1 Member
    switch to maintenance when you feel happy with your body. sounds like you're pretty pleased now, but if you'd like to lose another 5lbs, i say go for it!
    as for gaining when you switch to maintenance, make the transition gradually. suddenly eating much more than you had is going to make you gain. in fact, I'd recommend keeping basically the same diet you had for loss but allowing yourself more freedoms like a sweet once a week or something like that. if you just go back to how you are before, you'll gain it all back

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