The transition into maintenance....

kennyh75

I'm basically done my weight loss at this point, next step is toning and maintenance.

I'm interested in the mfp community's advice now at this step. Even though I continue at -1 lb a week settings, and consistently keep a weekly deficit under the goal calorie count, I am trying to get my mind around how to stay on target without going too far the other way (i.e. start easing too much the other way where I start gaining).

That is, I am trying now to eat my full calories every day, and get as close to the number daily as possible. However, my mindset is that if I increase my calorie count settling to the "maintenance" level (I'm still at -1 lb a week goal), I will suddenly start gaining again.

Point is, I don't want to gain weight again, but also do not want to continue losing at the rate I have been. I've already bought an entire new wardrobe. The whole deal seems very psychological at this point. - K

pg3ibew

I am in the same boat as you.

I am going to experiment for the next few weeks. Eat a bit more. Change up my exercise routine a bit. See where the scale goes and then adjust accordingly.

ka97

I would suggest changing your settings to .5lbs loss per week. If you continue to lose, add 100 calories at a time until you hit your magic number. It's not like just flipping a switch. It's an ongoing process where you continue tracking your weight and logging your food, and adusting either your calories in or out. It's also helpful to think of your maintenance weight as a range; your body will have normal fluctuations, so don't freak over a lb or two, but find the range that's normal for you and try to keep it there.

chrisdavey

what exercise are you doing?

If you were set at 1lb loss per week then just add 250cals per day (per week) and you'll be at theoretical maintenance cals.

"toning" is losing BF to expose muscles so if you don't have enough muscle mass (for you're standards) then you will need to gain weight to achieve that.

Mummyadams

Congrats on reaching maintenance, though in some ways this can be harder as you don't have a weight goal you are reaching for. Suggest to keep logging as I assume you have been, to avoid falling off the wagon. But perhaps increase your intake with 'good' foods, more protein rich foods etc. Depending on what you end up doing with exercise routine (i.e will you change this to reflect maintenance mode, like increase weights etc), you may find you need to eat more to sustain this change.
Am interested in what others have to say.

Gohomebay

I am pretty well also the same. Looking to drop a few more so I have a little fluctuation room. I am slowly upping my calories. But also don't want to start gaining back. It is an interesting process. I have found in general eating healthily is pretty easy. And don't have a large appetite. GL!

geekyjock76

Ideally, you want to reduce the deficit so that you are assuming a weekly weight loss goal of 0.75 lbs (375 cal) to 0.50 lbs (250 cal) when you have 20 lbs or less to lose to your goal.

If you were continuing a 1 lb a week weight loss goal, yet were consistently under on your calorie goals, then you were adhering to a strategy greater than 1 lb per week.

The above is a moot point since you have reached your goal weight, however. You can increase your daily calories by 100 every few days until you reach a point after a month or so where you are able to maintain your current body weight with minor fluctuations due to water retention and glycogen refeeding. If you plan to do less exercise during maintenance, you will need to gradually reduce activity as well to coincide with the smaller deficit. Keep in mind that your present TDEE is likely adjusted and may be slightly different than the predicted value.

love4fitnesslove4food_wechange

what exercise are you doing?

If you were set at 1lb loss per week then just add 250cals per day (per week) and you'll be at theoretical maintenance cals.

"toning" is losing BF to expose muscles so if you don't have enough muscle mass (for you're standards) then you will need to gain weight to achieve that.

you mean add 500 calories per day and theoretically he'd be at maintenance?

Debby0904

If you look at the scale often, do not be alarmed to see your weight temporarily increase. It is your body getting used to increased calories. Also, increase your calorie intake slowly (i.e. 200 calories more for a week or two then increase again) until you reach your desired amount. Less shock on your body plus a better gauge to see how much you should eat now rather than a mass increase and going down.

qball1949

I have been maintaining for over 10 years now,and it took me a long time to get my head around the idea.I continued to lose until I was a few pounds under my goal weight,then eased off a bit to see what happened...

It was all plain sailing for years,I would gain a few,lose a few,then I retired.....By the time the celebrating was finally over,I was 18lbs up,but with MFP I have dropped 10 lbs in the last 3 months...

Relax,enjoy,but pay attention.I always tried to hit the panic button at 2lbs over my goal weight...It worked for me...!!!

gennyturner

This was Great information for me. I hit my goal weight about 5# ago but to nervous to quit loosing.
Thank you for all the great info and good luck everyone.

chrisdavey

what exercise are you doing?

If you were set at 1lb loss per week then just add 250cals per day (per week) and you'll be at theoretical maintenance cals.

"toning" is losing BF to expose muscles so if you don't have enough muscle mass (for you're standards) then you will need to gain weight to achieve that.

you mean add 500 calories per day and theoretically he'd be at maintenance?

Sorry I forgot to specify that it will take 2 weeks to get there. It's called reverse dieting. Basically, you're TDEE will generally be lower after prolonged dieting so you should slowly up the cals to get back to where someone of you're height/weight "should" be. Although studies still show that the TDEE of someone who has lost weight is slightly less than someone who was always that weight.

love4fitnesslove4food_wechange

what exercise are you doing?

If you were set at 1lb loss per week then just add 250cals per day (per week) and you'll be at theoretical maintenance cals.

"toning" is losing BF to expose muscles so if you don't have enough muscle mass (for you're standards) then you will need to gain weight to achieve that.

you mean add 500 calories per day and theoretically he'd be at maintenance?

Sorry I forgot to specify that it will take 2 weeks to get there. It's called reverse dieting. Basically, you're TDEE will generally be lower after prolonged dieting so you should slowly up the cals to get back to where someone of you're height/weight "should" be. Although studies still show that the TDEE of someone who has lost weight is slightly less than someone who was always that weight.

True. I plan to do this once I teach goal--hopefully in 6 weeks.

SyStEmPhReAk

I'm basically done my weight loss at this point, next step is toning and maintenance.

I'm interested in the mfp community's advice now at this step. Even though I continue at -1 lb a week settings, and consistently keep a weekly deficit under the goal calorie count, I am trying to get my mind around how to stay on target without going too far the other way (i.e. start easing too much the other way where I start gaining).

That is, I am trying now to eat my full calories every day, and get as close to the number daily as possible. However, my mindset is that if I increase my calorie count settling to the "maintenance" level (I'm still at -1 lb a week goal), I will suddenly start gaining again.

Point is, I don't want to gain weight again, but also do not want to continue losing at the rate I have been. I've already bought an entire new wardrobe. The whole deal seems very psychological at this point. - K

based on your bf%, height, weight, age and lifestyle, have you done calculations on what your maintenance level is?

if you keep an appropriate macro split based on your fitness goals and continue to workout, it'll be hard to put on the extra weight you are afraid of gaining. but i know exactly what you mean - its all psychological! think of it as trial and error. increase a 200 calories or so one week and then weigh yourself and take bf% measurements. continue to increase in small (200 calories or so) increments until you are happy. That's the best (non professional) advice i can give.