5 more pounds to lose before maintenance...

Dancer_2015

Hi everyone,

I have been using MFP now since about February-March. I started at 192 pounds (20 of which I had gained in about 5 short months due to college). Now, I weigh 145. My goal is 140 and then I want to start maintenance. Currently, I am having a VERY difficult time losing my last 5 pounds. I eat 1200 calories a day, however, when I work out I don't usually eat ALL of them back.. only some. I thought there was nothing wrong with that until I started reading the forums. I just started reading the forums now and am seeing that when I begin maintenance I may gain it all back because I was eating only 1200 a day and I lost it kind of quickly. I feel SO good with how I am now and once I get down to 140 I really want to maintain and not just be another person who gained it all back.

I am 20 years old and my height is around 5 feet, 5 inches. I usually don't feel too hungry when I only eat 1200 a day, however, I'm wondering if I should change my weight loss goal to lose 1 pound per week (I am currently at 2 per week) in order to get these last 5 off and then begin maintenance. I fear that I am sending my body into "starvation" mode or something and that is why I'm not losing the last 5. I'm always VERY terrified of gaining it all back. Throughout high school I weighed 165, then I went to college. I gained ten pounds in my first year and about 15-20 last fall (my sophomore year).

I want to lose weight in the healthiest way possible and I thought, up until I started reading the forums, that I was doing that with MFP. However, now I fear I will gain it all back. What is the best and healthiest way to lose the last 5 (no matter how long it takes) without gaining anymore back?

Thanks everyone!

Zaniejane

Read this thread:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

If you decide that you need to eat more, go up slowly and monitor what your body does. Personally, if I needed to up my calories by 400 I would up by 100 for a month, see what's going on , re-evaluate and so on.
I like to be consistent and slow so that I have the real data to know my actual TDEE. Once I have that magic number I am reassured that as long as I meet it or go under it I will not gain. I was about two pounds from my goal weight for four months before I finally lost them. Now I feel confident about maintaining because of the "plateau" or practiced maintenance

Dancer_2015

Okay, so based on the threads and research I have read, I have chosen to change my weight loss goal to lose 1 pound per week. This will up my calorie intake from 1200 to 1420. Because I am only five pounds away from my goal, I'm thinking I should start approaching the maintenance level more gradually? Please read my previous post and help guide me in this decision! I want to work towards maintenance, while still losing my last five pounds. I just want to be sure that when I do begin to maintain, I don't gain it all back right away.

Dancer_2015

Mandybarbell,

Thank you for your reply! I have read this post before, but I am not on the TDEE plan so it is hard for me to understand. In order to work towards losing my last five, would you suggest I increase my calorie intake from 1200 to 1420? I don't want to gain any weight, but I also want to lose the last five slowly so that once I begin maintenance I don't put it all right back on.

Zaniejane

I suggest increasing to 1300 or 1350 for a month. See how your body reacts, then evaluate what to do next.

Zaniejane

I lost my last five pounds at a rate of under half a pound a week. The secret is to not worry too much about the scale ( frequent five pound fluctuations) and to be accurate in measuring and recording.

LivingtheLeanDream

Increase by 100 cals for a few weeks and then another...the last few lbs are soo hard to shift, I have basically given up as my body seems to enjoy staying the same weight but I've made my peace with that, 3 lbs won't change my body. You won't gain back the weight you lost unless you resume eating how you did before you started your 'diet'.
It's about making lasting good habits and being aware of how much you're eating which will ensure you won't gain.
I'm petite and have been maintaining for over a year eating up to 2000 cals a day easily.

ahoy_m8

What everyone else says re: adding kcal slowly. Also, I find lower BF% requires much more intake accuracy. Less caloric wiggle room, if you will.

bjallen929

Thanks run rutheerun, I am fighting that last 5. I guess i gotta just keep on keeping on.

fiddletime

Last time around the last 5 pounds became my maintenance range and when I lost them that became the top side of my new maintenance range. You're doing great. This isn't rocket science. You won't rebound unless you eat more than you burn. My weight loss calories were 1200 and so I increased by 50 calories a month when I was close to my goal. My final maintenance was 1350. Take it slowly on adding back calories. The reason I gained back 25 pounds was because I stopped logging gradually and before I knew it, was back where I started. It never really "ends".

lorrpb

With only 5 lbs to lose, the recommended goal is 0.5 lb per week. It's also recommended to set a maintenance range of 5 lb, so you're already at the top of that range. Good job!

nxd10

It took me longer to lose the last 5 pounds than the first 28. I did not lower my weight goals, I just kept plugging away. If you're slowing down it means you're close to your optimal weight.

BTW, although I eat plenty of carbs, I know my body will not lose efficiently - no matter what my calories - if I eat more than 40% of calories from carbs. That's not low carb, it's high protein and fat. Also pretty satisfying in the winter.

I also had a goal range. So I celebrated and considered it a 'win' when I hit 155. But my ultimate goal was 150. I have maintained between 150 and 155 for almost 4 years.