What should I expect when I move to maintenence?

tegalicious

Hi everyone! I have been on my weightloss journey for approximately 5 months now and am finally at a place where I really like how my body looks. I have been moving my calories up slowly as I got closer to goal weight and have also lost a little extra to make up for the return of my glycogen stores. But now my question is will my measurements change when I start eating at maintenance? Any other changes I should be aware of beforehand?

Thanks!!

*Also should you look at my profile, don't be alarmed by my current weight being so low... I weigh on the wiifit board on carpet so I am actually ten pounds heavier... I didn't know about the inaccuracy of weighing on carpet until I was already about three months in and haven't bothered to change my settings.

LexiBlack12

Bump

nxd10

My body keep recomposing itself in better and better ways since I started maintaining. I haven't done anything spectacular in terms of exercise, but I'm definitely getting thinner and more muscles.

Brandolin11

I didn't notice that any measurements changed for me when I went on maintenance. I like that you're slowly moving your calories up because one issue I had was feeling sick after adding all those calories in at once. I immediately went back down and upped my cals 50 calories each day for a week, then 50 more the next week, etc. until I reached maintenance.

One thing I experienced (and have read over and over from others) is that for some people it takes a little while for your eyes to adjust to your new size. In other words, you still see yourself as "big". It's not quite body dsymorphic disorder (that's a serious disease that requires therapy and meds) but it's kind of like "phantom limb" where you feel like the fat is still there. I found a good article on some solutions for that, if you're dealing with that and are interested.

http://www.oprah.com/omagazine/Can-a-Negative-Body-Image-Make-You-Gain-Weight/1

wheird

That depends entirely on what your goals are.

Are you happy as you are now?

tegalicious

I am happy with how I look in the mirror. I have come to accept that I may not be able to lose the tiny bit of belly fat I have left without heavy lifting and haven't looked into that enough to say yay or nay yet. I guess my question really is will I gain some inches back with the restoration of glycogen? Will I look five pounds heavier or just be five pounds heavier technically due to the glycogen?

wheird

Glycogen is stored in your muscles, so yes, you will look a bit bigger in terms of muscle.

tegalicious

So if I am understanding this correctly to maintain the look I have now while in a deficit I either have to lose a tiny bit more and then move to maintenance or move to maintenance and incorporate heavy lifting?

SherryTeach

I didn't notice that any measurements changed for me when I went on maintenance. I like that you're slowly moving your calories up because one issue I had was feeling sick after adding all those calories in at once. I immediately went back down and upped my cals 50 calories each day for a week, then 50 more the next week, etc. until I reached maintenance.

One thing I experienced (and have read over and over from others) is that for some people it takes a little while for your eyes to adjust to your new size. In other words, you still see yourself as "big". It's not quite body dsymorphic disorder (that's a serious disease that requires therapy and meds) but it's kind of like "phantom limb" where you feel like the fat is still there. I found a good article on some solutions for that, if you're dealing with that and are interested.

http://www.oprah.com/omagazine/Can-a-Negative-Body-Image-Make-You-Gain-Weight/1

I had the opposite body image problem. Right after I lost all my weight, I felt so small. I was aware of being able to cross my legs, walk without thigh rub and being able to wrap my arms around my body. Now, a year later, my body just feels "normal," whatever that is.

One thing to remember about maintenance, is that is is basically the same as the weight loss part, just with a few more calories. If you abandon your new found lifestyle, the weight will just come back. I still log everything and weigh regularly.

tegalicious

I don't think I will ever be able to not log what I am eating. That was where I went wrong so many times before. I would get to goal weight and think great! Now I can go back to being normal! But not this time! Logging and exercising and being aware of calories and nutrients is the new normal for me now.

47Jacqueline

I'm on maintenance and I'm doing alright. I raised my calorie intake about 200 calories plus I eat back some of my exercise calories. I was working with a nutritionist while I was losing and got a lot of help from her about the amount of food I should eat on maintenance.

I'm not sure what I expected, but I didn't get a lot of muscles and I did lose a lot of fat. I still weigh myself about every other week and keep my food diary for honesty's sake.

PaulaKro

I found a good article on some solutions for that, if you're dealing with that and are interested.
http://www.oprah.com/omagazine/Can-a-Negative-Body-Image-Make-You-Gain-Weight/1

Thank you. That was fascinating!

wheird

So if I am understanding this correctly to maintain the look I have now while in a deficit I either have to lose a tiny bit more and then move to maintenance or move to maintenance and incorporate heavy lifting?

Well, strength training will cause your body to start storing extra glycogen anyway...so...

Ideabaker

Bump. Thanks for the great "words of wisdom", am hoping more will chime in as I approach maintenance!

tegalicious

Guess it is pretty obvious that I haven't done any research on heavy lifting lol! I just want to know what it would take to maintain the look I have now. Would that mean losing more weight?