Weight Maintenance Issues

dpr73

I have been maintaining for 8 years now after a 70lb weight loss. Initially, I was maintaining between 135-140 with strict calorie counting. I jumped into running about 4 years ago (I enjoyed doing this once or twice a week for three miles per day on rest days) and fell a bit and have been fluctuating from 130-135 ever since.

However, I have always maintained easily by calorie counting pretty religiously. Unfortunately all of that counting made me too strict--often missing out on social functions to keep the calories and my weight steady (I lose weight very easily it seems). I knew this was not sustainable about one year ago, at which point I stopped counting closely. I listen to hunger and try to just eat with knowledge of the calories generally (usually between 2100-2300) but not closely. I am never hungry or deprived (except in the mornings, which is baseline). However, I have been getting so nervous because I am now hovering JUSTTT above my low end of the weight range (130.8).

As a 5'7 male (26 years old), I do not want to be much below this weight. My clothes fit fine, I look the same, my energy is good, but I am SOOO nervous over my weight falling any lower. Are there any suggestions/words of wisdom for all of this? I know a lot of people tend to gain weight when they let go of all the tracking, but I fear the reverse.

J72FIT

Sounds to me you are overthinking. You look good, you feel good and you are enjoying the freedom of being liberated from tracking. Enjoy it. Let your body settle where it wants to settle...

cmriverside

Exactly.

Overthinking. That's where anxiety disorders (like body dysmorphia and eating disorders) get their start.

You're fine. Think about something else!!

KickassAmazon76

I agree with the above.

You can always set a bottom limit. What is the lowest you are comfortable going? If you hit that, it's your trigger to resume logging to return to where you are happy.

I do this... But sadly on the other end. I have started logging again because I crossed over my top threshold and want to lose again.

Mithridites

Would you be less nervous if you gained 5 or 10 pounds? If so, set MFP to gain slowly @ .5 pound/week or less and start a strength training routine that will compliment your running. To my thinking, that would be one way to feel empowered. But I'm in a very different situation so YMMV. Good luck!

sijomial

That does seem a very light weight for a young man. It does seem a lot more common that people's weight drifts upwards until they hit their limit and they make a deliberate intervention. That's exactly what I do, I start to make small adjustments to get back in range.

Not seeing why you wouldn't do exactly the same when your weight drops towards your lower limit - make some intervention(s) to correct the drift. It doesn't have to be a major change unless your weight is dropping quickly.

You could try the middle ground of casually logging rather than "logging religiously" or not at all if that helps you?

Food substitutions (higher cal versions rather than diet versions of foods) and drinking some calories are pretty painless ways to add some calories to your day without more volume. Or add a snack into your routine.
It's what I do to correct a drift - look for painless/easiest ways to tilt the balance to stay in my chosen range.

briscogun

I bounce around my weight limits (bottom and top) all the time. When I hit the bottom... WOO HOO! I can have a beer or an ice cream sandwich at night for desert (150-200 calories).

Don't over think it. Most people are hitting the TOP of their maintenance range, not the bottom, so its a good problem to have. But don't let it turn into a "thing". Have an extra serving of something today and enjoy it!

ExpressoLove11

Seems like you have space for a few snacks 😊

nanimoose

Keep monitoring your weight. Add an extra couple hundred calories in some festive holiday foods. It seems a very good problem to be having at this time of year.

I've been the same way as you, where I've tracked calories and became overly strict. I ended up below my healthy weight range. I decided to shift focus to fitness (strength, mainly) and by doing so I found myself naturally eating more, which helped my weight bump up a bit.

I wouldn't worry too much about being underweight unless its causing health issues though.

elisa123gal

You're young.. you need to go out and live life..not worry sick about your weight. You've done a great job.. I don't know where 130 falls on the BMI chart for you. But why not hit for the middle of your BMI.. weigh every day or week..and only log and track when you gain more than a few pounds.

Relax.

springlering62

Honey, i don’t mean to get in your business, but I hear worry in your post, so I’m going to say this outright.

I am a 57 year old female, also 5’7” and also at 130.8 this morning. I am very thin but muscular.

I cannot imagine being a young man at my same height and weight.

Oh god, I’m going to sound like those busy body people I avoid, but relax and eat something. If you go higher than you intend, you have the knowledge and the means to rein it in.

If you’re subconsciously worried about size, have you considered recomp with weight training?

I spent thirty years worrying about weighing too much, and missed a lot of good things. Don’t spend your next thirty years worrying about weighing too much or too little. Life flows by too quickly. Get out there and live your best life.

Warmest Hugs, sweety.

J72FIT

springlering62 wrote: »

Life flows by too quickly.

Indeed. Don't spend it majoring in the minors...

dpr73

Thank you all! I do have a tendency for overthinking in most endeavors. I have upped my calories for a little to try to trend back up to mid range (134-136)

Strudders67

I'm in a vaguely similar position, but I still track my intake and exercise each day.

You may be under-estimating the calorie burn from your runs. You may also be over-estimating what you're eating. Perhaps track a day, every so often, to see if you're really eating / burning what you think.

I hit my goal and moved to maintenance just as lockdown started so there were multiple changes going on all at once. Despite thinking I was eating at maintenance, I continued losing weight. After several more kg dropped, I felt fine, my clothes fit and I still look good - but I was heading towards the bottom end of my Normal BMI range and that did raise alarm bells. I changed my MFP set-up to gain (at 0.25kg/0.5lb a week) so that I could see how many calories that would give me - and did that for a few weeks. That number actually stabilised my weight.

I now add a (weighed) handful of nuts to my daily snacks, add oil to my salad etc in order to eat a little more (around 100 cals) than MFP thinks I should be maintaining on. Sometimes, maybe once every few weeks, I have more than that and don't worry about it.

Attend those social functions (if any are still going on currently), have a beer if you want it, have a pizza if you want it. It's unlikely you'll do this every day. Keep track and if you find yourself heading upwards, more than you'd like, you know what to do to get it back down a bit. In the meantime, I enjoy yourself.

mylittlerainbow

sijomial wrote: »

That does seem a very light weight for a young man.

Not necessarily. Both of my husbands weighed 125 in their 20s and 30s; one was 5'8" and the other was 5'4". They were both very active and quite healthy.

dpr73

mylittlerainbow wrote: »

sijomial wrote: »

That does seem a very light weight for a young man.

Not necessarily. Both of my husbands weighed 125 in their 20s and 30s; one was 5'8" and the other was 5'4". They were both very active and quite healthy.

Yes. I am not necessarily concerned about my current look. i am small but I like my size and shape.