How much leeway do you allow yourself?

paperpudding

Have now reached goal weight, well, I hit it exactly last week but didnt change anything, now I am under and have re set MFP to 'maintain weight' rather than 'lose weight.'
As I had it set on 'lose 1/2 pound a week' this only gives me an extra 100 calories per day than before, so not a drastic difference.

I weigh myself once a week, every Sun or Mon evening - now, as before, I know my weight won't be exactly static. My question is how far either side would you go without re calculating?
My goal weight is 62 - am thinking leave things as is on 1.5 either way? Ie accept 63.5 maximum, 60.5 minimum and re calculate if things get above/ beyond that?

ThatOperaGirl

You're talking in kilos, right? If so, I think that's a very sensible weight range to allow yourself I've been trying to keep within a kilo above or below my goal weight -- it's been a bit of a struggle since lately I keep dropping below it, but in the grand scheme of things, I'm still quite new to maintenance, so I know I'll probably have to recalculate a few more times before I find my sweet spot. All the best to you!

sijomial

I work on +/- 2lbs but treat that as a fairly flexible target anyway. I'm a daily weigher so I'm used to seeing the normal fluctuations.

If there's a good reason why I've gone over (a very sociable weekend for example!) then it's obvious it's just a temporary blip. It can take a little while to find the sweet spot but as you only had a small deficit you won't be far off.

Well done on your success. :flowerforyou:

Domane1963

I hit my target of 139lbs two weeks ago today but I've since lost another three so that I can fluctuate UP to 139.

lbesaw

Apparently a little too much. I am a high risk food addict and have been know to reoffend. Keeping on track after an infraction is difficult but I AM working through it, my future health depends on the good changes I have made and in sticking to my program. When I am losing I am totally commited and on board. When I hit plateaus I sometimes fall into my "old self" habits of eating over my program. I'll get it under control though. I see myself improving and changing as I go along in my journey.

theycallyoumister

You've done what I did. My daily went up just over 200 calories. I maintain a 5 lb target range (2.5 either side of target)

paperpudding

You're talking in kilos, right? If so, I think that's a very sensible weight range to allow yourself I've been trying to keep within a kilo above or below my goal weight -- it's been a bit of a struggle since lately I keep dropping below it, but in the grand scheme of things, I'm still quite new to maintenance, so I know I'll probably have to recalculate a few more times before I find my sweet spot. All the best to you!

Yes, sorry if I wasn't clear, am talking in kg 's.
so about 2.5 lb either way in imperial measurements, seems about right.

My calorie allowance isn't much more but sure don't want weight to creep back on, has taken 10 months to lose it.

w2bab

my husband hit his goal weight of 180 lbs. in June (down from 277 in January), and has been maintaining ever since. He weighs daily, and his weight fluctuates between 177 and 186, mostly depending on his salt intake. He's happy having that wide a range because it allows him to indulge now and then without feeling like he's messing up his whole program.

I'm still working on mine, so not into maintenance yet.

splashblob

My current weight is around 51Kg, and once it goes up to 52.7+ kg or so then that's when I start to get worried and start watch what I eat closely again.

nxd10

I have a 3 pound range (1.5 kilos) I think of as normal fluctuations. I weigh between 150 and 153 pounds.

I go below that once in a while and it doesn't bother me - first of all because I always come back up into it and secondly because I wouldn't mind losing a bit more. But I would go back into calorie deficit if I went over it for more than a two or three days.

iechick

I wasn't following a traditional calorie restricted plan when I was actively losing weight (was not a mfp member either). When I reached my original goal weight I started experimenting with different ways of eating for maintenance and over the course of several months I lost an additional 16ish pounds. My weight is finally stabilizing, give or take a couple pounds, but it's been a wild ride lol. I now have a new goal weight range of 3 lbs, but I'm currently under the low end by .5lb Figuring out maintenance is a process of trial and error as you find what works best with your body.

gmansmom2

I allow myself 5 pounds. After that I am back in diet mode!

Pidgeywendy

Hello and congratulations on your loss :-)

Rather than have specific amounts in mind, I plan to do something slightly different when I reach my target. I currently am in weight loss mode, and weigh myself every morning....I need to keep a tight control! Once at target, I'm going to try and wean myself off the daily weigh ins, and go for once a week on a Friday morning. My plan is to go back into weight loss mode if I gain weight two weeks in a row. Whatever that gain may be.

I'm hoping to be able to maintain my weight by having a stricter control on my eating through the week, and relax it a bit at the weekends. Weighing myself every Friday morning should give my body a chance to 'even out' any normal fluctuation due to salty food, alcohol intake etc eaten over the weekend, by the following Friday...if the scales show a gain one week, and a gain for a second week - it's back to weight loss mode for me!

KarenJanine

Congratulations on reaching your goal!

It might be worth weighing once a day for a couple of weeks just so you can see what your natural daily fluctuations are. You can then see what is a 'normal' fluctuation for you.

For example, last week I had one day where I was 165 lb the day following a heavy lifting session. The next day I was only 158. That's a pretty big difference and a lot of water retention. But by watching these fluctuations I know to expect my weight to be much higher after lifting days. I use the Happy Scale iPhone app to track weight fluctuations and it helps give an idea of 'real' weight.

rainbow198

my husband hit his goal weight of 180 lbs. in June (down from 277 in January), and has been maintaining ever since. He weighs daily, and his weight fluctuates between 177 and 186, mostly depending on his salt intake. He's happy having that wide a range because it allows him to indulge now and then without feeling like he's messing up his whole program.

Congrats to your husband! This is what has been working for me as well. I try to stay at the low end of a 5 lb range. During the week I eat well and stay at a slight deficit. During the weekend I'm more relaxed with my eating and I usually gain a couple of lbs.

Then I repeat the same the next week, lose that weight/water weight during the week, the weekend comes (pizza, yes! ice cream, uh huh!) and rinse and repeat. This helps me to stay in control, maintain my weight and enjoy my treats.

JoRocka

5 lbs- but I don't weigh myself usually but like 2-3 times a year.
I can look and see if I'm getting out of wack.

Sabine_Stroehm

As a woman? +/- 5LBS depending on ovulation, menstruation, and what I ate (which is why I weigh daily).

Seesawboomerang

I have a 5kg range but in reality just fluctuate 2kg usually. For ages now I've maintained at between 62-64 kg.

60kg is a target to aim at if I look in danger of exceeding 65kg.

Right now it seems that no matter how much or little I exercise, and how ever much or little I eat, I stay in that 62-64 range. Which is ok.

I weigh weekly and take measurements monthly. The measurements are much more consistent and reassuring.

I recalculate often. Sometimes I want to set a TDEE, sometimes I want to eat back exercise cals. I have to make the numbers a motivator, rather than be slave to them. I use other calculators than MFP as MFP would barely feed me through a coma.

paperpudding

Thanks for your replies - am not going to weigh daily though - that just seems too much becoming a slave to the scales to me - and my journey so far has moved along nicely on weekly weighs so I want to maintain same routine.

kristen6022

I'm tall, 5'11, so I allow myself 10+ from 145. Friday I was 148, went on vacation, ate and drank like the day is long, so Friday I'm assuming I'll be back around 150. I REALLY like to maintain between 145-150 in the summer and 150-155 in the winter (less movement, tend to eat more, etc). If the scale gets over 155, I drop my allowance from 1800 to 1600 and start reducing again.

nxd10

Kristen - we are in almost exactly the same place and at the same height. But I don't think of that as bouncing 10 pounds. I'll be interested in seeing whether I get up to 155 pounds this year.