Help with maintenance?

emmaline8

So I went to the doctor yesterday, and we decided that I should start maintaining now and stop losing. I'm a little worried about this because whenever I eat up to my maintenance calories I feel like I've eaten so much! I'm scared about gaining, even though the reasonable part of me knows that won't happen. And then with exercise calories, I now have to eat all of those too. Eek! Does anyone else feel like this or have any tips?

shellee9tj

I felt the same way but I was doing fine maintaining for a few months and then all of a sudden the past couple months I have slowly been gaining back and I'm not sure why, maybe I got too comfortable and have been eating too much not realizing, who knows...my advice to you is to keep logging on here under maintenance and make sure you are staying truthful with what you are putting in your mouth and I think you will do fine!! :flowerforyou:

HowardRose

I was having some of same thoughts as I approach maintenance. Although I'm thinking of add 5 more lbs to my goal. I thinking that since this was a process to lose the weight and gradually lower my daily net calories, and would also gradually raise my intake to my maintenance level. I think that will help with the transition.

tigerblue

Yes, I feel like that too! I have to keep telling myself that this has worked for me, and it will be okay. I so DO NOT want to gain back, which is what I did the last time I lost!!

The good news is that I have maintained for over 8 months now. Here are a few tips: the maintenance calories that MFP suggested were too many for me. I did online reasearch (googled "calories to maintain weight") and checked several calorie/weight maintenance calculators and then chose the number I was seeing most often. I especially liked the calculator on the free dieting website (freedieting.com ??). It allows you to use body fat percentage to help calculate your needs.

Another thing that someone on this website suggested was to add about 50 calories to your intake about every 2 weeks, and watch and see what happens with each increase. When you get to the place that you begin to gain (EEKKK!!) then cut back about 50 and you're probably right on target.

With that being said, I also try to keep a buffer of about 50 calories on my food diary. Most days I try to leave about 50-100 calories "on the table". I figure that accounts for inaccuracies in food logging.

So that is what has worked for me for the past 8 months.

Also, I got a heart rate monitor so I could more accurately monitor my calories burned. I set my activity level on sedentary, even though I work out most days, and then I carefully log my workouts. That way if I happen to miss a workout, I am still in control of my calories.

Hope this helps. Happy maintenance!!