New to maintaining, what can I expect?

sweetnlow30

I will try to keep this short so I won't post a whole back story. Basically I have met my goal after some obstacles including spine surgery and another surgery where I regained some weight and had to lose a bit again. I am now down to 125 pounds at 5'3" and I feel pretty good but my stomach is flabby and I have a lot of loose skin since I was overweight my entire life. I haven't been able to do any weight lifting due to spine damage and I am serious need of building some muscle. I now have the go ahead from my doctor as long as I am very careful and don't over due it.

MFP gives me 1740 calories to maintain with a lightly active lifestyle. I walk ever day and rest my back when I need to. I am eating 1300-1400 right now and I will up that by 100 daily each week. I am going to start a modified version of Chalean extreme just focusing on the weight lifting portions without cardio and doing what I can with the mobility I have. Should I start now or wait until I am up to maintenance calories? I worry the scale will fluctuate with new exercise and I won't know if I am eating the right amount for maintenance. How much gain should I expect from exercise and for how long? I really don't want to screw this up and I am a little nervous about maintenance.
Thanks for the help :flowerforyou:

walleymama

If you start adding 100 calories a day while also adding a new exercise routine, the worst that will happen is you might lose a couple of pounds. I would start your weights now if you are ready, also increase your calories as planned. If you continue to lose weight as you increase your calories (because of the added exercise), just keep increasing them until your weight levels off. That will be your maintenance level.

Note that it's normal for weight to fluctuate around 5 pounds while on maintenance. I have been on maintenance for a few months now and I stopped tracking my calories some time ago. However, I have a "5-pound rule": if my weight goes above my goal/lowest weight by more than 5 pounds, I start tracking again. Most of the time when this happens it turns out it is just a bit of extra water gain (as demonstrated by the fact that I can lose the extra 1.5 to 2 pounds in one day), but lately I've been bad and know it; I'm almost 8 lbs above my goal/end weight so it's time to track again and I've reduced my daily caloric goal accordingly. This time I will continue for at least 6 pounds to put me back to a nice mid-point for my maintenance weight.

SezxyStef

If you start adding 100 calories a day while also adding a new exercise routine, the worst that will happen is you might lose a couple of pounds. I would start your weights now if you are ready, also increase your calories as planned. If you continue to lose weight as you increase your calories (because of the added exercise), just keep increasing them until your weight levels off. That will be your maintenance level.

Actually this part isn't true...when reverse dieting and adding in new exercise you can expect to gain a few pounds...but it is water weight.

This can last up to 4 weeks...for both adding in calories and exercise.

For maitenance (I've been here for 2 months) I continued with logging consistently and accurately. I reverse dieted up to my maitenance and while doing that lost weight...

I have the 5lb rule as well...anything between 152-158 and I look at my logging. That being said...if I go below 152 I am okay with that as I am considering going to 145 this fall anyway.

Maitenance is no different than losing with one except...you don't get that "smile" when you've lost...everything just basically stays that same so lots of us set new goals...

Fitness goals, life style goals etc.

I personally feel logging consistently, exercise and living life is the key to maitenance....

alereck

Maintaining can be scary, we work so hard to get to our goal no one want to screw up. But just think about how long it took for you to lose the weight, it's the same with gaining weight, it happens gradually.

So as long as you are aware of your weight and body don't fear changing your calories or workout routine. From experience, adding strenght training will add muscle which will burn more calories than you did before. 100 calories is not a lot, maybe add a bit more - I know, I know but trust me - maybe add a protein shake (about 150 calories) for after the workout to help build lean muscle. I increased my daily calories by 300 then gained 3 lbs and reajusted to 200 and it has been working.

What I've been doing since I hit my goal weight is checking the scale daily, if I go up 3 lbs or more I take a closer look at what is causing the change, then I go down a bit in calories... You should expect to increase in weight when doing strenght training, so if you go up a pound or two look at your body and the way your clothes fit. Ask someone for their opinion, you might be gaining weight but looking better.

Good luck!

nxd10

Congratulations. It looks like you have a good plan. I wouldn't worry about fluctuations from a new exercise right now. If you do, start it while you maintain your calories for a week, then up them.

You might also try tai chi for toning and building strength. It's good for people with injuries - you can even do it sitting down to very good effect. It will tone your arms and upper body to complement your walking.

What to expect? Your weight will continue to bounce around a little. You will continue to lose inches even if your weight is stable. Your skin will slowly shrink. And you'll be healthier. It takes a while to figure out your correct calories, but you're going about it the right way.

Keep logging.

sweetnlow30

Thank you to everyone who replied! I think I will start my workouts this week and slowly increase my calories. I plan to stay off the scale for a bit and just measure. Thanks again