Maintenance calories not enough

gothchiq

My solution is to fill up on nonstarchy vegetables. Cooked cabbage, squash, green beans, spinach and so forth are very low in calories and you can eat mass quantities of them to fill up on. So first eat a heaping helping of nonstarchy veggies to fill most of the hole then slowly enjoy your carbs and protein portion of the meal. Also, apples are low cal but high in fiber and are good to start a meal with. Also try starting meals with low calorie soups. These things should fill your stomach without making you fat.

WinoGelato

Hi Everyone,

I am hoping for some help, i managed to lose the weight i desired and went on holiday to Italy with an attitude that i will relax about food and eat/drink what i want. When i came home i had put a good few pounds on (to be expected) but i just couldn't find the mindset to eat in moderation again, i have become really greedy and the gain is all my fault. After a couple of months i have gained nearly all my weight back. The thing is, i am happy to eat healthily and workout again but due to being so short my maintenance calories just are not enough to satisfy me. My height is 154cm, previous goal weight was 100lbs, (range 100 - 105) age: 32 and at this size and weight my TDEE was 1314 (at sedentary as my workouts were too sporadic to count but i would eat exercise cals back) my BMR was 1091. The thought of the TDEE figure being my daily allowance for the rest of my days is horrid and has lead me to overeating every day.

Today i am getting back on it (as my new clothes are too tight now) and need advice... I have some time to go before hitting my goal weight again but as i lose weight again this time round i want to know if there is anything i can do differently to be able to have a better maintenance calorie range? It will give me a bit of hope and hopefully maintenance will be easier the next time round. I am so envious of those who get to eat so much more when they hit the magic goal weight. For me it almost feels like a punishment, not reward.

Ps. i know 100lbs seems low but being such a short-*kitten* much more makes me look heavy, at goal i was a UK size 8 so it wasn't too slim.

Thank you in advance, sorry my post was a bit rambling!!

I had a similar experience earlier this summer, I spent a month in Italy on part holiday and part work trip and definitely relaxed from my normal routine, however, we walked everywhere. I came back about 2 lbs over my maintenance weight, but then the relaxed attitude continued and a couple more pounds came along for the party. I'm trying to get back into the routine, I've gotten back to exercising almost every day, but my food consumption is still pretty relaxed and I'm probably eating right around maintenance. The weight is slowly coming off, but it is very slow. However, I'm enjoying the summer and just trying not to stress about it too much, I know with the added exercise and when things slow down a little, I will be able to lose those last couple pounds again and get down to the lower side of my maintenance range.

I do think 1350 sounds exceptionally low for TDEE, even at 5'0. I am 5'2, I have a desk job, and when I first started MFP I chose sedentary as well. Once I started moving more, and especially after I got a FitBit, I realized that I'm much more active just in the day to day stuff, than I thought. My TDEE once I got my FitBit averages around 2100 calories/day.

ElkeKNJ

I fear to have the same problem, at 158 cm (I think that is 5"2) and a desk job, my maintenance intake is 1650 kcal, and my diet (second week in ) at 1200 kcal.
I have been hungry, but for a good reason, and I guess, normal when you are eating on a deficit.
I have today experimented with the division of the calories over the meals, eating almost half my allowance for breakfast, and have a hearty lunch too, and I do feel less hungry today.

And I am jealous, I would love to go to Italy too. We were in Austria last month, very close to Venice, but we voted 4 against 1, so no day trip to Venice for me...

Wasatcher

I remember finding maintenance a lot more difficult than losing. My mind was okay with a short or medium-term mission but the thought of reducing calories permanently was something it would fight.

Fast forward a couple of years and a bout with gaining some of the weight back and I found what worked for me. I need to feel full at times. As has been suggested the key to this is vegetables. I got really good at salads and slaws. Combine them with a lean protein and you can feel full at a low calorie expense. Marinated skinless chicken breast is the best for me for feeling full but there are others such as white fish, shrimp, etc.

It helps if you can prepare enough of the above for the office including snacks. Fruit can also be a benefit. This time of year I load up on melons.

But most importantly exercise! You may stumble on an activity that you look forward to instead of dread. I found road cycling fun and was surprised at how easy it was to hit the 400 cal mark in a session. Give it at least a month and dread my turn to Joy. It helps provide a purpose for what food control is doing for you.

Good luck! You can do this…

lishie_rebooted

...All I know is this: I personally would choose to be hungry every day, all day, for the rest of my life, rather than resort to EXERCISE!

:noway:

You should be shaking your head at more than just her comment about exercising.

Going back through aedreana's food diary, she routinely eats around 700 calories and her days consist of pringles, doritos, ad diet coke. With some fruit/veggies tossed in occasionally.

ETA: link - http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/aedreana?date=2014-07-21

heybales

To increase your maintenance calories there are 3 main options I can think of:

1. Do more exercise (and therefore have exercise calories to eat back).

2. Gain weight - a higher body weight will give you a higher calorie goal.

3. Gain more muscle - muscle is metabolically active and burns more calories at rest.

Thank you very much. I like option 3, I have asked my PT to help me out with a lifting regime.

Sadly muscle at rest burns about 6 cal per lb per day, fat is 2. So not a huge amount more burn. Unless you actually use it.
And lifting weights to increase that muscle slowly (for a woman) would take specific workouts and specific eating in surplus to even gain it - which it doesn't sound like you have the schedule to really cause it.

Now you know why so many shorter women run. Go to 10K races or longer and it may appear there aren't that many woman, until you see all the shorties standing in the between spaces of taller folks.

Extra walking daily isn't going to add much, you are moving a lighter weight through a not very strenuous activity - you won't burn much extra for the time spent. And if exercise is already sporadic, is it realistic for big chunks of time walking?

It is a bummer.

If you can lift 3 x weekly, that will help, in that the repair to a good lifting workout does burn more - more than the extra muscle does resting actually.
And then right afterwards do 30 min as intense cardio as you can manage.
Now the day between, you need light cardio to repair from the lifting, but you could do 60 min.

So with lifting say 3 x 30 or 90 min weekly.
Running 3 x 30 and 3 x 60 or 270 min weekly.

Your TDEE would be up around 1700.

You would eat that daily if you kept up that workout, even though you can tell 3 days is much more intense, but you can spread that out. And yes, only 1 rest day.

Is that more realistic eating level?

Sadly it may not be a more realistic workout level to allow it.

May just have to figure out very good foods to fill you up, that will allow a few of the things you really want to enjoy eating still.

suremeansyes

Gain weight. I'm 5'2" and weigh about 150 and don't look terrible. I currently am eating between 2000-2250 calories a day.

Beckilovespizza

To increase your maintenance calories there are 3 main options I can think of:

1. Do more exercise (and therefore have exercise calories to eat back).

2. Gain weight - a higher body weight will give you a higher calorie goal.

3. Gain more muscle - muscle is metabolically active and burns more calories at rest.

Thank you very much. I like option 3, I have asked my PT to help me out with a lifting regime.

Sadly muscle at rest burns about 6 cal per lb per day, fat is 2. So not a huge amount more burn. Unless you actually use it.
And lifting weights to increase that muscle slowly (for a woman) would take specific workouts and specific eating in surplus to even gain it - which it doesn't sound like you have the schedule to really cause it.

Now you know why so many shorter women run. Go to 10K races or longer and it may appear there aren't that many woman, until you see all the shorties standing in the between spaces of taller folks.

Extra walking daily isn't going to add much, you are moving a lighter weight through a not very strenuous activity - you won't burn much extra for the time spent. And if exercise is already sporadic, is it realistic for big chunks of time walking?

It is a bummer.

If you can lift 3 x weekly, that will help, in that the repair to a good lifting workout does burn more - more than the extra muscle does resting actually.
And then right afterwards do 30 min as intense cardio as you can manage.
Now the day between, you need light cardio to repair from the lifting, but you could do 60 min.

So with lifting say 3 x 30 or 90 min weekly.
Running 3 x 30 and 3 x 60 or 270 min weekly.

Your TDEE would be up around 1700.

You would eat that daily if you kept up that workout, even though you can tell 3 days is much more intense, but you can spread that out. And yes, only 1 rest day.

Is that more realistic eating level?

Sadly it may not be a more realistic workout level to allow it.

May just have to figure out very good foods to fill you up, that will allow a few of the things you really want to enjoy eating still.

Thanks so much for the detailed response. Seeing the numbers in black and white and the fact you have worked out what the tdee would be based on the exercises you have mentioned makes me want to find the time for the workouts. Its great to know there is a decent calorie incentive!!

I appreciate all comments on this thread, all great ideas everyone, thank you very much