Maintenance Calories ?

palmerig88

I've been experimenting with maintenance and have already increased my goal twice. MFP set me at 1880 in July, I kept losing 1 pound per week so I increased to 2100 thinking it would level off. I kept losing 1/2 pound per week so I increased to 2400, figuring I needed at LEAST 250 more. I keep thinking it is all very scientific but I have suddenly lost 4 pounds in 2 weeks at 2400. Well I know I don't need 3400. That is just crazy.

I am 32, 5'6" 135 pounds. I lift weights and my cardio activity has greatly decreased in the past month since my softball and kickball seasons ended. I always ate back my exercise calories before anyway so I don't even know if that matters.

How have you done on maintenance? I can't find my darn measuring tape or I would check my body fat % again. I haven't checked in quite awhile. What websites or methods have worked for you to determine the correct intake?

ilovedeadlifts

I've never been able to dial my maintenance in perfectly.

Personally I think it's better to keep setting new goals anyway, so I'm never trying to maintain. I'll gain some weight/muscle, then lean back out. then repeat.

maintenance pretty much says "this is good enough, ill stay here"

zaph0d

The simple TDEE calculation works well for me
http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html

palmerig88

It said a little over 2600 at the highest activity level I could maybe try that

palmerig88

I've never been able to dial my maintenance in perfectly.

Personally I think it's better to keep setting new goals anyway, so I'm never trying to maintain. I'll gain some weight/muscle, then lean back out. then repeat.

maintenance pretty much says "this is good enough, ill stay here"

I never thought about it that way thanks. Just sick of my clothes getting looser and I don't want to look emaciated.

TavistockToad

I'm not sure what ur asking? If 2400 isnt enough, try 2600 for a couple of weeks. You can manually change the calories so it doesn't matter how high you have to go.

iWaffle

I've been doing maintenance since the first of August. You're not going to stay dead-on the same weight every day. It fluctuates up and down a few pounds (at least for me). If you're losing too much then just up your calories a bit the next day and go back to maintenance the next day. It's like driving a car. You make small adjustments daily (every few seconds in a car) to keep on the same approximate path.

Going4Lean

In every calculator i use my TDEE is 2700-2900 and i always eat less than that , but my weight never goes down from 178-182

ilovedeadlifts

I never thought about it that way thanks. Just sick of my clothes getting looser and I don't want to look emaciated.

definitely agree with that. you don't want to lose forever.

nothing wrong with eating alittle above maintenance to add some lean mass, then cutting back to the original weight. You might like the results better that time around. 135 pounds can look several different ways.

VelociMama

You are pretty active, so I'd say just keep upping it until it levels off.

geekyjock76

Your TDEE is more or less a range rather than a rigid single number. For example, I was maintaining between 2800 to 2900 depending on how much NEAT calories I expended throughout the day. It took about two and a half months to truly level off, though, because I kept upping carbs while having inconsistent water intake on several days I weighed myself - a cup of water is half a lb.

Has your water intake been consistent each day? You also stated you drastically curtailed exercise this passed month - part of the loss of weight could be due to that as your body is readjusting to changing energy availability.

FluffyDogsRule

I never thought about it that way thanks. Just sick of my clothes getting looser and I don't want to look emaciated.

definitely agree with that. you don't want to lose forever.

nothing wrong with eating alittle above maintenance to add some lean mass, then cutting back to the original weight. You might like the results better that time around. 135 pounds can look several different ways.

i agree with this...maybe try to add a little more muscle (you'll see a gain on the scale) then cut back down. or just have more fun foods on the weekends and keep at your current calorie number during the week?

palmerig88

Thanks so much. Re:above I was asking for others experiences and if it sounded right that a 135 lb woman would need to eat way more to maintain

palmerig88

Oh yeah and I think I haven't been drinking enough I'm not thirsty very often unless I'm playing sports that could be part of it

nxd10

My sister worked really hard to lose 60 pounds at age 20. When she hit her goals and was clearly getting too thin, she stopped her supervised calorie restriction and upped her calories like you did. She just kept losing and losing and losing.

It was like her body had a new setpoint and it knew where it wanted to be.

Eventually what she did is just stopped logging and eating what she wanted until she stopped losing (not pigging out, but just eating until she was satisfied and not paying attention). Once she stopped losing, she started logging what she was naturally eating for a few weeks and kept that as her calorie goal.

She kept that weight off for 20 years though two kids until her thyroid went crazy and messed her up. But to me, that's a long term success.

palmerig88

I'm afraid if I don't log I wont eat enough. I'm too consious about everything now

nxd10

I hear you. I am also very cautious. I am worried about what happens when I hit maintenance. I hit my initial goal weight but still have more to go so reset. It is hard to imagine going back.

Cyriatan

I won't use MPF's calculator. I see a lot of people saying they're under a 1200kcal diet because MFP said so - which is crazy! I'd try with Mifflin-St Jeor formula considered to be the most accurate (for women: [9.99 x weight (kg)] + [6.25 x height (cm)] - [4.92 x age (years)] -161) to get your BRM and then multiply that with the adequate activity factor:

1.2 = Sedentary (Desk job, and Little Formal Exercise)
1.3-1.4 = Lightly Active (Light daily activity AND light exercise 1-3 days a week)
1.5-1.6 = Moderately Active (Moderately daily Activity & Moderate exercise 3-5 days a week)
1.7-1.8 = Very Active (Physically demanding lifestyle & Hard exercise 6-7 days a week)
1.9-2.2 = Extremely Active (Athlete in ENDURANCE training or VERY HARD physical job)

If you know your bodyfat percentage, try the Katch-McArdle formula then, in theory, better: BMR = 370 + (21.6 x LBM) Where LBM = [total weight (kg) x (100 - bodyfat %)]/100. Then multiply.

This won't give you the EXACT number, you have to try a little bit. And indeed "calories in = calories out" equals maintaining weight. You just have to find the range. Maybe it doesn't help and you have alredy tried changing the calorie calculator, but as I didn't saw/understood you did along the thread just my two cents, maybe it helps. Also try thinking maybe you're using an inadequate activity factor if you keep losing weight. Activity factor counts for your daily actitvity, including but not restricted to exercise. You can also try things as 1.35, 1.375, etc. Just remember that yes, it's quite "scientific". If you try several times and continue losing, maybe you shoud think about hyperthyroidism or such.