Maintenance break

glitterstreet

Hey,

So I've been on a 'diet' of net 1400 calories for about 4 months and it's been not too difficult to stick with. However, lately I have been feeling like a bottomless pit and hungry all the time. I only have 10pounds left to loose, but I am wondering if I should take a maintenance break for a few weeks? I mean I'd like to but I do not want to gain. I was going to aim for 1550 net calories on maintenance, I am currently 130 pounds and 5'5. Also, I have not had my period for over 6 months and I am wondering if this has to do with nutrition, I have had blood work done and scans which indicated I do not have PCOS, my hormones are normal and I am not pregnant. My thyroid is also fine. Also, just to add I am currently undergoing assessments that will determine my entrance into law school so maybe that is contributing to the hunger I feel. TYIA

Susieq_1994

I would say that if you're having difficulty sticking to your diet then it would be better to up to maintenance for a while rather than try to brave it out and then eventually blow things up with a big binge session .. As we get closer to maintenance, for some reason a lot of people self-sabotage without intending to do it.. Taking a break might avert that

Montarosa456

Personally I think you may have success losing more weight on more calories - I initially lost a couple of lbs in maintenance..

As I'm not a Dr I'd rather not comment on your cycle but if your feeling hungry all the time then it could be how your taking in your calories is not suitable for your needs (aka empty calories) or you are genuinely not eating enough for your lifestyle...I can't judge as I can't see your diary..

Give it a try for a few weeks and see how you feel?

sijomial

If you are mentally and physically fatigued by dieting then a maintenance break is a really good idea.
Just a couple of hundred calories a day can make an enormous difference to how you feel emotionally, the food choices you can make and also reflected in how you can exercise and recover.

I came down in stages and maintaining for a while actually gave me the confidence to decide to lose at a slower rate when I decided it was time for the next few pounds to come off.

Be ready for a temporary bounce up in weight and try not to freak out.

geekyjock76

Are you really netting 1400 calories? If so, for how long? I ask because your profiles states you are on a 1200 to 1300 diet and regularly exercise up to six days a week for 70 to 120 minutes. If you started out eating on the lower end, with that much exercise, your net calories could have been low enough to cross the threshold which leads to disruption in LH pulsatility and ovarian function. I suggest you read this abstract regarding a landmark study on the area by Ann B. Loucks.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12519869

glitterstreet

I haven't updated my profile for a while but I did start off at 1200-1300 calories. Thanks, everyone and I'll take a look at the abstract.

pkw58

Just to let you know, when I hit maintenance I lost the last 10 pounds over 3 months. And I didn't intend to.

glitterstreet

I hope that happens to me, congrats!