Maintaining is turning out to be harder then losing
dad4192
Posts: 21 Member
Last year about this time I was 252lbs. A few weeks ago I hit my goal of 185, yay me. Since then it has been a battle to maintain. Currently I am sitting at 179lbs. I can not, for the life of me, eat the calories MFP suggests. Right now they say I should be at 2220 calories a day. If I am lucky Ill use maybe 1800-1900 a day now. Ive cut my cardio down by a 1/3 and have doubled my lifting. Not sure what else to do. Any thoughts? Ive been told "eat more" but after 9 months of regimented dieting it's very hard to just add more food.
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by doubling your lifting, you've negated any "maintenance" that cutting your calories would've done...
in other words, lifting is probably burning more calories than the cardio was.... so you effectively are not eating at maintenance....
Im with you though, I cant seem to eat enough..... I have found that grazing on some healthy fats & carbs is a help....(cheese, nuts, etc)0 -
I'm not maintaining yet, but I get where you are coming from because some days I have so many exercise calories to eat back, I don't know what to eat. How about healthy foods that are high in fat? Peanut butter (fresh, organic), cheese, nuts etc.
These foods aren't bulky so it can help you get some extra calories in, without the mental blocks.
Hope this helps. Well done on reaching goal! xx0 -
I have the same problem, right now. I have been adding several protein shakes to my day, which helps tremendously. Other than that, just try to have more dense calorie foods when you do eat. I know what you mean, though...there are days I just cannot eat another morsel. Who would have thought eating more would be a problem?! LOL0
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Have some cheese for snack or a bit of chocolate, drink juice, milk or *gasp* wine with your dinner. That easily adds another couple of hundred extra calories to your day...0
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I would suggest eating more meals a day.
I had same problem some time ago with reaching my goal of 1800 cal a day now I can easy do 3000 when I do a lot of exercises.
My solution was to eat more for each meal and add an extra 4th meal during the day between lunch and dinner.
As long as you are lifting you should still provide a lot of calories with high enough protein and carbs.0 -
Eat what you need to stay at your goal weight. Finding the right amount will be trial and error.0
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I totally agree-I've been in maintenance since March and since then I've lost another 13.5lbs, while not trying
It's frustrating because I don't have much more wiggle room, but I'm still losing every week. I've been eating intuitively and also transitioning to a whole foods, plant based diet, but I'm thinking about going back on the plan I did for weight loss (alternate day IF), and following it's maintenance schedule, just to try and get the weight loss to stop. Really was hoping I wouldn't have to do that though, sigh... 0 -
I had exactly the same starting weight as you and my goal weight is also exactly the same as you - hope to be there in 3 or 4 weeks. Now, for the absolute life of me, I can't comprehend how anyone who got to the same 252 lbs weight, that I got to, can't figure out how to work a few extra calories into their diet. I could quite literally sit here all night and recite a list and certainly Messrs. Ben and Jerry would be lending a hand along the way 0
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I just started maintenance a couple of weeks ago and am trying to adjust too. I just weighed myself yesterday and lost another lb. I'm trying to figure out if I should consume more cals. or decrease exercise by a day. I really don't want to cut my exercises since I'm trying to gain muscle and strength, though. Maybe a couple rum&coke zeroes weekly (especially on those crappy days) will help lol.0
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Eat what you need to stay at your goal weight. Finding the right amount will be trial and error.
Gah! Trial and error. I am having the same problem. I never had a whole lot to lose in the first place, but I've found that I am 'maintaining' a weight that is 3-4 pounds more than I want it to be. (and by that I mean, I have stayed here and not fluctuated down to my ideal weight)
Sometimes I want to say that what I have right now is my ideal weight. I look good, I'm happy and healthy. So, it just comes down to the number on the scale. I haven't found a solution yet, but I have been successful in not going over the weight I never want to see again.0 -
I'd love to find myself unable to eat all my calories!
Yes, maintenance is the tricky bit. As was already said - a bit of trial and error to find your ideal input against output.0 -
I agree...maintenance has been way more difficult for me than losing weight was. It's not super exciting seeing the scale stay the same week to week. Losing weight was exciting!! Seeing the scale drop was my motivation to keep with it. I am not finding it hard to eat the extra calories (that's the easy part of maintenance for me!) it's just keeping the motivation to continue tracking, weighing food, etc...
I agree with others that said to add in extra treats here and there...things like wine, peanut butter, cheese, nuts, avocado, etc add up pretty quick.
Good luck!
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Add daily calories slowly. Start with 1800 or so for a few weeks or until you are comfortable, then keep adding 100 every two to four weeks. There is no need to rush.0
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calorie dense food add olive oil on most things srs lol.0
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I struggle with this too...because I am a long distance runner I really should be eating a lot to maintain...but I can't keep up. I have added in multiple protein shakes to get my calories up there. It seems to be helping in a variety of ways. 0
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You may want to google "leptin" and read about the role it plays in fat storage along with cortisol levels. I have at least 1 day every 10 days where I eat 3000 calories just to let my body know there is enough food out there and there is no need to slow my metabolism down. Of course I run and lift during the week but am keeping my routine the same.0
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I agree...maintenance has been way more difficult for me than losing weight was. It's not super exciting seeing the scale stay the same week to week. Losing weight was exciting!! Seeing the scale drop was my motivation to keep with it. I am not finding it hard to eat the extra calories (that's the easy part of maintenance for me!) it's just keeping the motivation to continue tracking, weighing food, etc...
I agree with others that said to add in extra treats here and there...things like wine, peanut butter, cheese, nuts, avocado, etc add up pretty quick.
Good luck!
I'm not maintaining weight yet but I'm curious about it so often read these threads. I've heard people say it's hard to eat the extra calories (honestly I just can't wait until I can not worry about an extra tablespoon of butter for cooking or eat a whole bagel instead of half) but I definitely get that sticking to one number on the scale will be hard. I plan on letting myself fluctuate 3 lbs each way.
Anyway, my question is are you guys all planning on tracking/weighing for the rest of your lives? I can see why it would be a good idea.. I think I'll just weigh myself every week and if it goes up or down three lbs THEN I'll start weighing/tracking to gain/lose that weight. I don't know.0 -
add foods high in calories...
Olive oil= 120-150 per tablespoon
Avocado= 50-70 per ounce
Peanut butter= 200 per serving
Dressings= 100-300 per ounce
Nutella=200 per serving
ice cream=130-250 calories per 1/2 cup
protein shakes, smoothies (add all kinds of fruits + milk=200-500 calories per/12 oz), add peanut butter to these and that's an extra 100-2000 -
Fat...cook with more oils/butter...eat nuts and whatnot...nut butters...drink a beer or two...or three...full fat dairy....avocados, etc. You don't have to stuff yourself to get in calories. There are a lot of calorie dense foods out there that are also nutrient dense...also, not every single thing that goes into your pie hole needs to be a nutrient dense food...that's why they call it a pie hole...you can have pie.0
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I agree...maintenance has been way more difficult for me than losing weight was. It's not super exciting seeing the scale stay the same week to week. Losing weight was exciting!! Seeing the scale drop was my motivation to keep with it. I am not finding it hard to eat the extra calories (that's the easy part of maintenance for me!) it's just keeping the motivation to continue tracking, weighing food, etc...
I agree with others that said to add in extra treats here and there...things like wine, peanut butter, cheese, nuts, avocado, etc add up pretty quick.
Good luck!
I'm not maintaining weight yet but I'm curious about it so often read these threads. I've heard people say it's hard to eat the extra calories (honestly I just can't wait until I can not worry about an extra tablespoon of butter for cooking or eat a whole bagel instead of half) but I definitely get that sticking to one number on the scale will be hard. I plan on letting myself fluctuate 3 lbs each way.
Anyway, my question is are you guys all planning on tracking/weighing for the rest of your lives? I can see why it would be a good idea.. I think I'll just weigh myself every week and if it goes up or down three lbs THEN I'll start weighing/tracking to gain/lose that weight. I don't know.
As of right now I am still tracking my calories and weighing/measuring food. For me it's the key to success. If I stop doing either one I get lax and eat more than I should and start to gain weight. I have been maintaining since November of last year and each time I stop tracking I gain. I figure if I have to do it the rest of my life it's worth it if it keeps the weight off.
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Fat...cook with more oils/butter...eat nuts and whatnot...nut butters...drink a beer or two...or three...full fat dairy....avocados, etc. You don't have to stuff yourself to get in calories. There are a lot of calorie dense foods out there that are also nutrient dense...also, not every single thing that goes into your pie hole needs to be a nutrient dense food...that's why they call it a pie hole...you can have pie.
LOL...this cracked me up. Mmmmmmm pie......I'll have a slice (or 3) of strawberry rhubarb please!0 -
That's the best problem to have in life!!0
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After two years of maintenance, and watching others go through maintenance, it's not uncommon to lose more weight and sink below your goal weight. It's as if your body is still revved up and still dropping weight.
Don't be too quick to rev up your eating right away. Time will take care of that for you. Vacations, celebrations, holidays and all sorts of occasions will come along when you'll loosen up a bit. And then there will be the inevitable illnesses, injuries, work overloads, trips and such that will cut into your workout schedule as well. You'll start to gain the extra weight you lost back fairly naturally. The trick will be stopping that weight gain. That's when real maintenance starts.
Jeanne0 -
Spoken like a true expert jeanne 0
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I wish I could trade problems with you. I find it very easy to eat and drink the extra calories needed to maintain or gain. There are a lot of foods on my [ wish I could eat more of them] list. I am sure mine are different than yours but there must be something you used to eat or used to eat more of that you would now be allowed so that you could maintain or gain. Maybe some more pizza or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches would work for you.0
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Anyway, my question is are you guys all planning on tracking/weighing for the rest of your lives? I can see why it would be a good idea.. I think I'll just weigh myself every week and if it goes up or down three lbs THEN I'll start weighing/tracking to gain/lose that weight. I don't know.
I am only weighing/measuring, but each time I start to see any upwards trend I set a goal for a little loss and start logging again.
Right now I have a few kg to shift again as per my ticker. However, I'm not following MFP weight loss goals. I have custom entered a daily calorie goal, with MFP set to maintain.
I find this easiest, so I'm not permanently in that 'diet' state of mind. Any downward trend is then as slow a creep as the upward trend was but it prevents the sort of yo-yoing that messes my body up.0 -
I find it very easy to maintain weight. The harder you lift, the hungrier you get, so you should have no problem eating back exercise calories.
I think most 'people' are just afraid to eat the maintenance calories. They think they'll gain, even though they won't.
Fry your eggs/foods in butter, coconut oil or any kind of oil you prefer. 1tbsp is a lot of calories. Eat a slice of pizza. Eat some cookies. Stop making it hard.0 -
I MAINTAIN AT LEAST A CALORIE LOAD OF 1500 TO 2000 CAL A DAY, I JUST SPREAD IT OUT OVER 6 MEALS . GREAT THING IS IM NEVER HUNGRY. I HAVE LOST OVER 140LBS SO THE FEAR OF ME GAINING THE WEIGHT BACK IS SOMETHING I CONTEND WITH ON A DAILY BASIS BUT WHAT I HAVE LEARNED EATING MORE ACTUALLY HELPS ME MAINTAIN MY WEIGHT AND PLUS I HAVE LOST A FEW MORE POUNDS SINCE 0
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I found that lifting Super heavy caused my weight to go down. Back when I was losing I didn't have this problem, Then again,although I was lifting heavy, NOWHERE near what I am doing now. I am actually training for a powerlifting comp and I am tryin to NOT dip below my weight because i see a decrease now in my lifts if I do.
Wow, what I would have done to have this problem back in the day! Lifting weights does a body good. But so good it's made me lose WEIGHT! I've actually had to completely kill not only my conditioning days but some of my assistance exercises and just focus on my main lifts for my powerlifting competition.,
ANd I have to still wrap my head around the fact that I need to eat more. After watching what I eat...even putting it down here...it's hard to go from that to more calories. I always told myself I'd relish it when that would happen. Now I struggle. And it's imperative that I do, That you do! I completely understand. Maintaining is harder than losing. Losing weight wasn't the end. It was only the beginning!0 -
As long as you are in a healthy weight range and BMI%, don't worry if your initial goal isn't the exact right number you thought it was going to be. If it is 10 pounds higher or lower, just go with it. I thought my original goal of 139 was unobtainable, and then my weight and new healthy lifestyle seems to be settling without suffering between 125 and 135. I am on my second year of maintenance at 128. On top of that, I am at a lower weight and size than i was at age 19, and hadn't been below 140 in 20+ years.
If you are below where you want to be, I recommend adding avocado, nuts and extra frozen yogurt with fruit. It works for me.0
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