Maintainers! How does my maintenance plan look to you?

BIW2012

Hi everyone,

In December, I'll be around 15 pounds (7 kilos) from my goal weight. I'm going on vacation to Thailand and want to eat at maintainece for around a month while I'm away. I'll pick up on weight loss when I get back

I've never eaten at maintainence levels before, so I'm planning now! I'm thinking of eating at my BMR and eating back exercise calories. I won't have scales to keep an eye on things so maybe I shouldn't eat them all back?

Apprently my BMR in Dec will be 1476. Using the Harris Benedict method of 'sedentary' I get to the calorie goal of 1771 calories. I'll be working out most days and as I say, intend to eat back those calories when necessary.

How does this look to you? Would love if anyone can spot flaws or suggest another approach.

The_Enginerd

If you eat at your BMR and eat back exercise calories, that will still leave you with a deficit. You will need to eat at your sedentary calorie level plus exercise calories to account for all other activites (non exercise activity thermogenesis, or NEAT). BMR is what you would burn if you laid in bed all day without moving.

PaytraB

Enjoy your vacation. It sounds wonderful.
Use your vacation as a testing point, since you're so close to reaching your goal now. Weigh yourself before leaving. Eat wisely while away with a few treats and healthy choice meals & snacks and drinks. Keep in mind your activity level. Eat when you're hungry. Weigh yourself when you get back. How did you do? Could you eyeball a maintenance diet?
You're so close to your goal now.

I used this technique last Christmas. I was surprised that I didn't maintain, I still lost weight (not much but it was a couple of pounds), even with wine, cider and some treats.

wild_wild_life

I second both posts above. BMR does not include any daily activity. Eat at a sedentery TDEE plus exercise if you want -- although I doubt you will be sedentery on vacation.

Will you be able to count calories in Thailand? Do you want to? If not, look into a more intuitive approach. Eat when you're hungry, eat slowly, and stop when you're 3/4 full. Move a lot. Enjoy your vacation!

BIW2012

Thanks guys!

Yes, I should be able to track calories in Thailand, but I won't really be able to weigh food which (I believe) is important. That's part of the reason why I'm eating at a sedentary BMR - I would rather underestimate hehe.

Looking forward to joining you all in this forum category more often next year. Well done to everyone who is maintaining weight loss.

x

geekyjock76

Regardless of what you do, it's always recommended to periodically decrease the deficit by upping calories/decreasing exercise volume (if you added extra) as one reduces fat mass. By the time you are 10 lbs or so from your goal, you should be eating a 200 to 300 calories below maintenance and exercising relatively similarly to maintenance level of activity.

GBRhusker

Not very well-versed in all the bmr, tdee, maintenance stuff, a scientist I'm not! BUT, my nutritionist posts a sign in her office I thought you'd like: "it's not what you eat between Christmas and New Years, it's what you eat between New Years and Christmas". Everything in moderation, including, occasionally, moderation. Have fun.

kbtommi

I went to Malaysia & Indonesia for 3 weeks this summer and was able to maintain. I didn't do anything scientific, but I brought my travel scale and light weights with me and did still try to track whatever I could daily on MFP. I tried not to overdo it too many days in a row, but since I was traveling I didn't snack too much, so that may have been what saved me. Have a great time in Thailand! That's a country I want to visit next time I'm in Asia.

lknjohnson

Enjoy your vacation. It sounds wonderful.
Use your vacation as a testing point, since you're so close to reaching your goal now. Weigh yourself before leaving. Eat wisely while away with a few treats and healthy choice meals & snacks and drinks. Keep in mind your activity level. Eat when you're hungry. Weigh yourself when you get back. How did you do? Could you eyeball a maintenance diet?
You're so close to your goal now.

I used this technique last Christmas. I was surprised that I didn't maintain, I still lost weight (not much but it was a couple of pounds), even with wine, cider and some treats.

I agree with him. Enjoy yourself just dont over indulge.

whitebalance

Thanks guys!

Yes, I should be able to track calories in Thailand, but I won't really be able to weigh food which (I believe) is important. That's part of the reason why I'm eating at a sedentary BMR - I would rather underestimate hehe.

Looking forward to joining you all in this forum category more often next year. Well done to everyone who is maintaining weight loss.

x

A little terminology here... Your BMR is your base metabolic rate, the amount of calories your body burns just to keep the lights on and the motor running (so to speak). There's no such thing as a sedentary or active BMR. If you're planning to eat at your sedentary TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) plus exercise calories, then as long as everything's measured/estimated correctly (and you truly are sedentary, except for the exercise you log), you will maintain. If you eat at your BMR plus exercise calories, OTOH, then you should continue to lose. You're getting some conflicting answers because of how people are interpreting your terminology.

Congrats on your success to date, and enjoy the heck out of that trip!!