Switching from losing to maintaining

debi_f

Okay this is a bit of a psychology question ( as in when will my head catch up), but now that I've not only reached, but gone lower than my goal weight, when do I stop feeling guilty for allowing myself a few extra calories?

I'm eating healthy for the most part (hey, we're all human, right?), but trying to allow myself extra cals without guilt is hard for me. Anyone else face this? What did you do?

debi_f

*bump*

Has no one else experienced this? Really?

neverstray

No. I'm so happy that I can eat more. Maintenance is so easy compared to losing. I love even cheating sometimes, knowing it won't matter because I don't need a deficit.

No guilt at all. Why would you feel that way. As long as I generally stay within the guidelines I set for maintenance, I am happy.

GuruOnAMountain

I'm not at maintainance yet but I'm guessing when I am I'll feel a bit like that. To be honest, though, my maintainance calories will be hardly anything more than what I'm eating to lose anyway (I'm only 5 foot and not quite 1 inch tall so will probably be eating around 1400-500 for maintainance on a non work-out day while I'm on 1200 now).

RobinvdM

Im dreading the conversion. I know in my head that you're supposed to eat more once you hit maintenance, but wrapping my head around +500 calories (or whatever your deficit is) is pretty intimidating. I would, I guess, recommend easing yourself into it gradually. Add in your 500 over the course of a week or a month (I wouldn't take too long!) I think that is what I intend to try doing. Though I may be so happy to have +500 calories back I could just switch that day :laugh:

Flowers4Julia

Hi there! I have...it was a weird adjustment for sure! I'd suggest just easy into adding a few calories...... 50 here, 50 there and make it a slow smooth transition.

I've been maintaining since last Christmas, but I have fluctuated up and down, so weight is always something to be watched. For me, picking a range of weight was helpful....like a 5 pound range...then staying within that instead of one specific number.

Hope this helps :flowerforyou:

love4fitnesslove4food_wechange

I think maybe seeing it from a health perspective --to keep losing isn't healthy and chronic caloric deficits have been shown to reduce metabolic rate. Use that as motivation to get your calories in!

reneecgc

It gets easier. I been on maintenance since August. I weigh myself more often on maintenance than I did when I was losing
weight, so I know that I am still eating right. I still eat the same way-just more. The whole idea was to switch to a healthier
lifestyle not a diet. I suggest to still track you calories for awhile until you body adjusts.

csplatt

I gained 1.5 lb over two days on maintenance. I know that scientifically urban should't be fat because I did't eat 7000 too many calories in two days, but it put me back in the 140s dang it! It is probably just extra food working thru my system and maybe I had too much salt. Still stinks to see!

geekyjock76

To make it psychologically easier, you should be reducing your deficit the closer to goal weight as that's what you need to do anyway. Returning to maintenance by merely adding another 250 calories is a lot easier to accept than 500, 750 or 1000 calories when people continue steep deficits all the way till maintenance is the next step.

I trained one lady recently, who was deathly afraid of eating at maintenance - she had chronically under-ate by consuming 700 calories less than predicted TDEE - 20% and her weight loss stalled for several months. I told her to end the deficit and work back to a maintenance of 2000 calories while reducing cardio. At the end of her two month maintenance, she weighed the exact same with identical body fat scores and measurements as she did just prior to her change in dietary and exercise habits. She not only corrected her endocrine system and primed it for fat loss but realized just how much energy her body needs to maintain her present weight.

debi_f

Thanks all! My husband was telling me last night that I could safely gain back 20 pounds while staying below a safe, healthy weight, and I totally freaked! The idea of gaining back 20 pounds is terrifying, though I know he's right... Technically.

My original goal was to lose 30 pounds, but I've lost closer to 70. I don't want a single one back, either, though I know that's a bit unrealistic given normal fluctuations. Maybe it's just a matter of getting used to the fact that "I did it" rather than "I'm working on it."

love4fitnesslove4food_wechange

Thanks all! My husband was telling me last night that I could safely gain back 20 pounds while staying below a safe, healthy weight, and I totally freaked! The idea of gaining back 20 pounds is terrifying, though I know he's right... Technically.

My original goal was to lose 30 pounds, but I've lost closer to 70. I don't want a single one back, either, though I know that's a bit unrealistic given normal fluctuations. Maybe it's just a matter of getting used to the fact that "I did it" rather than "I'm working on it."

In all honesty--this type of thinking is what led to me being nearly hospitalized and taken out of school--I was severely anorexic and near death. This was the thinking that kept me wrapped up in being a certain number and never letting a single pound come back. PLEASE GET HELP if you cannot shake these thoughts! Listen to your husband; he loves you and has more of an objective stance than you currently have.

kajpen

The biggest and best switch in my thinking was to let go of the number on the scale and focus more on my body composition. Muscle takes up less space than the same weight of fat (A pound of fat and a pound of muscle both weigh a pound :-)... but a pound of muscle takes up much less space than a pound of fat). So even though the scale stays the same or goes up... I LOOK different and better because I am losing fat over my muscles.

I am heavier than a friend of mine, but I look smaller (we are the same height and body style This is because she doesn't lift weights and does a lot of cardio, whereas I lift weights (heavy weights). I wear one size smaller than her, even though I am heavier scale-wise. Again, the way you look and feel in clothes (and out of them) is way more important than what the scale says.

For going into maintenance mode, I added on 100 calories per week until my weight stabilized. It's still hard for me to get all my calories in some days, but I try really hard to get as close as possible most days.

debi_f

I've been doing a lot of cardio, and it feels great!

Yes, I have some loose skin issues around the belly, but for the most part, I feel pretty (and look) pretty good. I'll try adding small calorie numbers and see if I can deal with that (emotionally).

It's just the idea of gaining weight that freaks me out! I know that "hovering" within a 5-pound range is probably realistic, but the idea of gaining that much... well, it's disturbing to say the least. And just the idea of it keeps me from wanting to eat more than what I've been eating.

Guess it's just a Catch 22.

nesy66

in the past when I reached target weight i found if i just held steady for a few weeks to let the new weight become my default setting, I found I could gradually eat more and I didn't gain weight. It was a real surprise to me cos i was worried if I increased my eating my weight would go straight up. I think the settling during the first few weeks was really important though. Personally I found maintaining weight more tricky than losing it. Instead of tempting choices being a simple "No" I found being able to say maybe, or yes required more self control.

katevarner

I'm supposed to be in maintenance, but I'm still losing because I can't wrap my head around eating enough to sustain my workout burn. I've been going up by 150 calories every few weeks, but now I'm pretty close to eating what I burn most days and still not actually maintaining. Some days I'm even eating more than I burn. And that's particularly hard. But I'm still working on it. Just keep trying to adjust and it should happen.

debi_f

Thanks again.

Nessy66: I think you've hit it on the head for me -- being *able* to say maybe or yes is scary. What if I say yes too often? What if I fall back into the habits that got me here to begin with? Losing was relatively easy, because I could just say no and then feel good about it.

katevarner: I know I need to start eating more, but like you, I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the amount.

Guess baby-steps are the way to go! (Last night I allowed myself an evening snack when I normally would have just said no to eating so late. And I refuse to feel the least bit guilty about it!) Well, I'm working on not feeling guilty about it. ;-)

love4fitnesslove4food_wechange

Yikes. Please work on yes..people don't get fat overnight. you have nothing to fear.

kfesta52

I know just what you mean. I almost posted this same question to the forum a couple of months ago when I was looking down that same barrel and kind of feeling freaked out. It's tough to switch from a mode of "ultra-careful-and-restrictive-and-I-don't-really-need-that-so-I-won't-eat-it", to a mode of "gee-I-really-can-"indulge'-a-little-and-it won't-be-the-end-of-the-world". I've been adjusting for the last 6 or 7 weeks, and so far what feels like a high calorie count (and quite indulgent) hasn't made any difference at all on the scale or measurements. Whew! I'm trying hard not to let the new freedom get the best of me, for sure. I think it's just one of those things you have to take one day at a time. As soon as I see measurements and scale start going up, I know I'll have to reign it back in, but I'm figuring out what makes that happen. I'm just working on that balance. Good luck!!!

flanchick

I've just started to think about maintenance. I'm just a couple of months away from my goal. How do you figure out the maintenance calories? I still want to keep tracking using MFP but I'm not sure how to adjust from loss to maintain.

flanchick

went searching and I figured out how to readjust to maintaining - have a good night everyone!

phildawson75

My brains still in the OMG food mode. Iv just switched from eating around 2900, down to 1200 for 12 weeks, and now back to my TDEE of 1900.

The extra 700 feels amazing, I'm able to eat lots more healthy food now. I love cooking now too, whilst before I ate crap and frozen/ready meals for convenience.

Without eating so much choc, beer, sweets I feel so much more full of energy. When I do endulge It tastes so much more satisfying. I think because I feel I've made a lifestyle change rather than a quick diet I can do this the rest of my life. So glad I found MFP!