To maintenance or not to maintence

rachelrb85

That is the question. I'm currently at the lowest weight I've been in probably since being an adult. I'm 5'4" and 123 lbs currently eating TDEE less 10%. I also lift heavy (SL 5x5) 3x week. I'm happy with my weight overall, but still want to lose some fat particularly around my waist and arms. While I sit here fantasizing about spot reduction, what are my real options? What exactly happens at maintenance while heavy lifting? Do you continue to burn fat and maintain muscle, just at a slower rate? Am I better off eating at a deficit until I lose the fat I want and then switch to maintenance?

sardelsa

Hey Rachel,
I could have written this exact post a few weeks ago when my weight dropped very low, it kind of freaked me out! BUT it was so annoying that I still had some problem areas I wanted to work on (you know those stubborn "mommy" areas, grrr).. but then I decided to eat at maintenance (which I think is maintenance, I still have no idea...I ditched the scale for now) and I am working on heavy weight training. (Ps. Awesome you are doing the SL 5x5 program.. I would love to do that but my gym at home and me being alone is limiting)

I have noticed a significant improvement in my problem areas, for me it was my stomach and thighs.
Unfortunately I do not have the answers whether or not it is right for you. I am not sure how much you have to lose,etc.That being said if you are not finding the results you want from eating at deficit and lifting, trying to increase your cals and lifting might be your solution.
I'd love to hear what more experienced others think about this!

_lyndseybrooke_

I have this same question. I'm only 3 lbs from goal (125 lbs at 5'5"), but I still have some excess fat in my belly and arms. I don't have any overhang over my pants or anything, but I'm still pretty soft in those areas. I don't want to weigh less than 125 lbs, but I'm wondering what will happen to my body when I switch to maintenance and continue lifting.

On Scooby's TDEE calculator, if you choose "gain muscle, lose fat," it'll instruct you to eat at maintenance. That eases my mind a bit. I mean, it's logical that, if you're maintaining your weight and gaining muscle, you've got to be losing fat at the same time or else it wouldn't be maintenance.

I know the changes will be slow, but hopefully being able to gain some muscle will improve the way my body looks. I'm not going to keep eating at a deficit for much longer. I mean, how much weight do I have to lose to get rid of my stubborn problem areas? I don't want to be stick thin. I want sexy muscles and a firm body.

I probably didn't help much, but know you're not alone. I'm interested to see what other responses you get.

rachelrb85

Bump for more input

anuulak

Looking forward to the responses as well

avaughn34

I am curious about this as well.

Zelinna

All I can do is tell you my experience. For me, it wasn't until I started maintaining that I was able to really change the way my body looked.

At 5'7, I have been maintaining between 145 and 150 since November of 2013, and have been really focused on heavy lifting since January 2014. I had incorporated strength training into my workouts prior to this, but this is when I actually started a lifting program.

During that time I have dropped another clothing size and definitely noticed more definition in my muscles. I was an 8 pant & medium shirt, and am now 6 pant & small shirt.

I still have "problem areas" around my hips and butt and considered trying to lose another 10 lbs to get rid of that. In the end I decided that hitting 135 would be too skinny for me and I should continue to work on losing fat instead.

eimaj5575

Bump, in for answers

Serah87

Curious to, as I have only 3 more to go to goal weight.

lavaughan69

bumpity bump.

JCLondonUK

Another bump. Surprised that the more experienced lifters haven't dropped in to help. Maybe try posting the question in the fitness part of the forum?

sijomial

If you are wondering about maintenance then I would say switch to maintenance.
Give yourself time to find your real maintenance calories, it's really valuable information.

It also gives you a chance to decide if this weight is the weight you want to be for the long term and get used to the new you. Sadly it does seem very common for women to focus on what they see as faults rather than enjoy the progress made!
(Meanwhile fat blokes are admiring their biceps in the bathroom mirror and thinking they look great.)

You will also find training is much more rewarding and recovery much easier. Your body will continue to change in positive ways at maintenance.

Even if it just gives you a diet break you will be mentally and physically refreshed while you decide what you want to do.

rachelrb85

If you are wondering about maintenance then I would say switch to maintenance.
Give yourself time to find your real maintenance calories, it's really valuable information.

It also gives you a chance to decide if this weight is the weight you want to be for the long term and get used to the new you. Sadly it does seem very common for women to focus on what they see as faults rather than enjoy the progress made!
(Meanwhile fat blokes are admiring their biceps in the bathroom mirror and thinking they look great.)

You will also find training is much more rewarding and recovery much easier. Your body will continue to change in positive ways at maintenance.

Even if it just gives you a diet break you will be mentally and physically refreshed while you decide what you want to do.

This is great advice, thanks!

stevesilk

Definitely an interesting topic. I can say after being on "maintenance" for almost a year that nothing ever really stays the same. You're either losing or gaining something. For example, if you were to "maintain" a static weight for 10 years but did little or no activity, you would see that your body composition would change, resulting in more fat and less muscle. It's a proven fact that as we grow older, without any additional outside influences, we lose about 10 pounds (or 8%) of muscle every 10 years.

The reverse is also true. In other words, with a significant exercise program, usually involving heavy (different for everyone) lifting or sprinting, we can not only maintain but also add muscle. The challenge is doing this on maintenance.

So it comes down to how we view ourselves. Body weight is a particularly misleading measurement. For example, BMI, which uses strictly a weight and height component, has me at 25.9 and places me in the overweight category. But I have a 32 in waist and have approximately 10.5% body fat. So measures strictly off weight are flawed without other criteria.

Gaining muscle while maintaining weight is hard but not impossible, as long as you are patient. It takes longer because you want to whittle away at your body, rather than ride the roller coaster of bulking and cutting. Here are some suggestions.

Take up the kind of exercising that builds muscle. Lifting heavy weights and focusing on compound movements is one example. By compound movements I mean squats, deadlifts, bench press and pull-ups (Yes, women can do pullups, or at least use the lat machine). Start light. Get some coaching (online or in person from someone who knows what they are doing). Eat healthy with good portions of protein (you'll need this to build muscle) and get lots of sleep. Your body needs to recover.

Don't like the idea of lifting? Maybe riding your bicycle is your idea of work. But you aren't going to be going slow. You'll be going fast, riding hills and trying to maintain 18-22 MPH for extended periods. Obviously this is something (like lifting heavy weights) that you'll have to build up to. And do some upper body work as well, because all this hard work is focused in your lower body.

Or maybe you are a runner, in which case you might go to your local high school track and start sprinting. Not running - Sprinting. Running the 50-400 meters and timing yourself will absolutely build muscle over time.

Building muscle requires OVERLOAD. You stress the muscle past the point it normally goes, and then you give it sufficient time to recuperate. The key is putting it under stress, and forcing it to grow. Realize that it takes time, and you'll want to work on form in every situation because that will be the long term determiner of how successful you will be.

Now do you have to do this? No. Every one of you in maintenance or near maintenance has done super! I hope you're congratulating yourself for your accomplishment. You don't need six pack abs and muscles everywhere. Ideally, you're already happy with and in yourself. But continuing on the fitness journey may be something you're at least interested in, and maintenance can be a time with lots of additional changes for you. If so, it will be because you stay intentional about it. It won't happen by accident. Also, realize that it takes a long time to build muscle on maintenance. A good year might be adding 3-5 lbs while maintaining your weight. Or it might be slightly more. But realize that you are losing fat while you are gaining muscle. A lady who weighs 130 at 22% body fat, and gains 5 lbs of muscle in a year, would reduce her body fat to 18%. Doesn't sound like much but that's a huge number, and very obvious difference. Your clothes will be too big. And you'll be surprised by what you see in the mirror.

Don't want to reduce from where you are. Fine. Find exercising you love and you can do for enjoyment, and do that. Maintaining your current size and weight will be very fulfilling and the extra exercising will let you enjoy the snacks you love. Good luck.

GymRatGirl13

I have been at maintenance for two years...wait, two and a half now! My only observation worth noting is that cardio makes me look like crap. My weight has stayed pretty close to the same, but my clothes fit differently. I had to go up in pants because my quads and hips filled in. My shirts still fit the same, but I am in better proportion now. I have days when I look lean, then I have days where I look like a bloated blimp. Lol. I will say that cardio is my enemy, in terms of appearance. I mountain bike 5-6 days a week in the summer, so lifting becomes second priority, and I only do it around 3 times a week. I noticed that I started to look "skinny fat" after a month of pretty much just mountain biking. I added in my 3 days of lifting again, and I am looking hard and "full" again. My weight hasn't moved and I still eat maintenance (I eat back my MTB calories). Good luck everyone!

logg1e

Really helpful thread. Thank you to those who replied with advice, you've given me lots to think about.

SideSteel

Honestly I don't think there's a one-size-fits-all approach when you're in this position.

I have a couple of clients who are in a similar position but I am not taking the same approach because they are unique in their outlook on things.

For example I have one client who I'm fine with dieting down further even though she's happy with her current weight. In her situation however, gym performance is great (lifts are going up), adherence is great, and I'm getting no sense of any sort of fatigue from running a long-term deficit. That's not necessarily how things typically go when you're dealing with someone who has been losing weight and is approaching lean levels of bodyfat.

There may be situations where you would want to bring someone up to maintenance or near-maintenance intake and focus on gym performance, and really get them to invest more "interest" in performance based metrics and less focused on their body or on the scale. If someone is training with appropriate volume and eating near maintenance give or take, and they are adding weight across the board to their lifts, then over the course of months I guarantee you that good things are happening to their physique. It's just a process that appears slower because you don't have immediate feedback in the form of the scale and you don't necessarily see changes happen as rapidly in your physique.

With fat loss, especially as you are approaching leanness, you are typically rewarded with rapid changes both on the scale and at some point, in the mirror. So maintaining and even slowly bulking requires some mental commitment or conditioning of sorts as far as properly setting the expectation.

So as far as the OP goes I would honestly say the answer is "it depends". I could see in some cases the answer being "keep cutting" and in other cases bringing calories up, being patient, perhaps shifting your focus a bit and revisiting your goals in a few months would be the way to go.

clarion_r

I have nothng to add, but wanted to thank steve and SideSteel for their advice! I do weight training and am starting to look at maintenance so great info