are we slowing down our metabolism?

AI1108

MFP has me at 1200 cals a day. My maintenance is about 1700 cals a day. My question is.. when I hit my goal weight, will I have slowed down my metabolism so much that when I start eating 1700 cals a day again I will start gaining weight or will my body just go back to normal? I plan to keep exercising even after hitting my goal weight but should I be worried about this?

kellywaller1

I would like to know the answer to that one also!!

jaysp87

once you hit your goal weight your maintenance will not be at 1700 anymore

RattieLove

bump

Elleinnz

My question is.. when I hit my goal weight, will I have slowed down my metabolism so much that when I start eating 1700 cals a day again I will start gaining weight or will my body just go back to normal?

Not if you are losing your weight by eating good healthy food and making sure you eat very close to your net calories every day - if you follow "unhealthy ways" - yes - you might have an issue when you get back to "normal" eating....

That is why it is so important to do this "slow and steady" ......

ai965

After I meet my goal, I'm going to slowly go up about a hundred calories or so daily, a week at a time just to be safe until I get back to my maintaining calorie goal.

bonnymom

once you hit your goal weight your maintenance will not be at 1700 anymore

agreed.

dragonbug300

Simple question with a complex answer.
Larger bodies take more energy.
At a higher weight, you have a higher BMR than you do at a lower weight. Thus, once you reach your goal weight, you will burn fewer calories during any given activity and also have a lower BMR.
That being said, the body adapts to certain situations, so the difference shouldn't be too noticeable. You'll still be able to eat until full and indulge every so-often without fear of expansion.
Exercise also helps.

Rmarshall1184

Your caloric needs (maintenance, weight lose, or weight gain) is based on your weight. Of course there is your muscle mass, daily activity level, natural metabolism, body type, etc. to consider but baseline is just weight. So when you hit your caloric goal, you should re-adjust your needs based on your new weight.

In my opinion, your intake goal should be met without factoring what you burn. For example if my maintenance is 2000, and you burn 500, dont aim to replace those 500 with more calories. Just dont go as hard when maintaining, and burn too much.

You are right to worry. Alot of people who try to lose weight never learn how to maintain: they only know how to cut. And maintaining weight takes just as much or sometimes more effort.

Did I help any?

AI1108

This definitely makes sense. I re-calculated and at my goal weight my new caloric intake would be about 1600 to maintain so I'll have to readjust my eating when I get there. Because I've also added a little bit of muscle through my workouts I also got a personal body fat monitor so I can figure out my caloric needs more closer based on muscle mass/body fat percentage rather than on just body weight alone. Thanks everyone! Definitely answered my question