WHY should I up my calories at the end?

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nxd10
nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm 53 and tall. have passed my first two initial goals and am down to a weight I felt good about at 25. My new - and probably final - goal is 13 pounds away. I'm comfortable with the 1300 calories MFP gives me, have been averaging a pound a week, and am eating back my modest exercise calories. My BMI is 22 and BF is 27.

I keep reading that as I get close to the end of weight loss, I should lower my goals to 1/2 pound a week. Why?

I was going to hit my goal and raise calories to 1/2 pound a week when I got there to make sure I stabilize and don't regain. Is that a bad idea?

Replies

  • contingencyplan
    contingencyplan Posts: 3,639 Member
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    As long as you are in a deficit you will continue to lose, and below a certain point that is unhealthy.
  • KevinHuss
    KevinHuss Posts: 24 Member
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    It doesn't sound like a terrible idea... that is my plan as well. The only thing I would say is that I rarely allow myself to cheat while I am trying to lose, and if I go over I make up for it the next day. When I hit my target, I will set my calories to 1/2 lb a week and be less strict on the overages and not worry about making up for overages the next day. I will monitor my weight and if I do drop more than about 2 below my target or gain more than 2 above my target, I will modify my eating a bit for a few days. I will want to stay +- 2 lb of my target.

    I started at about 279-280 and am down to 183 now. The target is 179 which is 4-5 lb below the max weight for normal BMI for me. So I will allow myself to flucuate between 177 - 181.
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
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    At some point you will have to up calories to the maximum amount which can allow you to maintain your body weight and composition. Think of this from a psychological standpoint - which is probably the most damaging and debilitating aspect of the fat loss process. Which would freak out a person more: upping to maintenance when you continue to decrease the deficit so that you are perhaps a mere 250 calories under; or upping to maintenance when you kept the same deficit and now are staring at 500 to 750 calories under maintenance?

    Everyday people make comments describing how terrified they are about upping calories to adjusted maintenance because they maintained the same steep deficit the entire time. When you consider that sustaining an excessive deficit can lead to additional loss in LBM and further decline in your endocrine system, upping calories closer to adjusted maintenance level will cause far less stress and anxiety. In short, it will alleviate a lot of the stress that comes with the fat loss process.
  • pri0810
    pri0810 Posts: 14 Member
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    I've been told by my gym instructor that 1200 calories a day isnt enough and I should know increase to at least 1500 a day... I've dropped clothes size and weight but I still have an issue with my stomach. Im worried if I increase my calorie intake I will gain weight. What should I do?
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    At some point you will have to up calories to the maximum amount which can allow you to maintain your body weight and composition. Think of this from a psychological standpoint - which is probably the most damaging and debilitating aspect of the fat loss process. Which would freak out a person more: upping to maintenance when you continue to decrease the deficit so that you are perhaps a mere 250 calories under; or upping to maintenance when you kept the same deficit and now are staring at 500 to 750 calories under maintenance?

    Everyday people make comments describing how terrified they are about upping calories to adjusted maintenance because they maintained the same steep deficit the entire time. When you consider that sustaining an excessive deficit can lead to additional loss in LBM and further decline in your endocrine system, upping calories closer to adjusted maintenance level will cause far less stress and anxiety. In short, it will alleviate a lot of the stress that comes with the fat loss process.

    ^^^ This! Additionally, as you get leaner, you metabolism and hormones that control hunger and satiety, like leptin and gherlin, work against you somewhat. By reducing your deficit, you minimize this effect.
    Why would you stay in a deficit that would have you losing 1/2 lb per week when you reach your goal? At that point, would you not eat at maintenance?
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    why would you only want to eat 1300 calories for the rest of your life?
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    The less you have to lose the larger % of lean muscle will be lost is your deficit it too big. So if you want to lose fat, and not muscle, a smaller deficit is needed as your body cannot breakdown the fat fast enough, if there is not a lot of it to use, as fuel.

    And it gets you ready for maintenance intake without a large jump in calories all at once.
  • msudaisy28
    msudaisy28 Posts: 267 Member
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    I kept my calories at 1500 for the first 65 pounds lost. I eat back my excercise calories, so that was a net 1500. My deficit got smaller as my TDEE decreased along with my weight. My maintenance calories at goal weight (another 10 pounds) will be 1700-1750. With that in mind I increased my calories to 1600 recently and have been losing very, very slowly since, but I'm still losing. I'd rather do it very slowly than have my body freak out when I get to maintenance because it's getting extra calories.
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
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    I kept my calories at 1500 for the first 65 pounds lost. I eat back my excercise calories, so that was a net 1500. My deficit got smaller as my TDEE decreased along with my weight. My maintenance calories at goal weight (another 10 pounds) will be 1700-1750. With that in mind I increased my calories to 1600 recently and have been losing very, very slowly since, but I'm still losing. I'd rather do it very slowly than have my body freak out when I get to maintenance because it's getting extra calories.
    This intelligent lady gets it :wink: Awesome progress, btw!
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
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    At some point you will have to up calories to the maximum amount which can allow you to maintain your body weight and composition. Think of this from a psychological standpoint - which is probably the most damaging and debilitating aspect of the fat loss process. Which would freak out a person more: upping to maintenance when you continue to decrease the deficit so that you are perhaps a mere 250 calories under; or upping to maintenance when you kept the same deficit and now are staring at 500 to 750 calories under maintenance?

    Everyday people make comments describing how terrified they are about upping calories to adjusted maintenance because they maintained the same steep deficit the entire time. When you consider that sustaining an excessive deficit can lead to additional loss in LBM and further decline in your endocrine system, upping calories closer to adjusted maintenance level will cause far less stress and anxiety. In short, it will alleviate a lot of the stress that comes with the fat loss process.

    No, I am definitely planning on going on to maintainance. I just don't plan to immediately go from a 500 calorie deficit into a 0 deficit. I figured I'd go into 250 and see how it goes and then go to 0.

    At 150 - my goal weight - I will be a good healthy weight and what I (and a number of 'experts') consider my ideal 'adult weight'. I weighed that and went back for that for a lot of 15 years. However, I've weighed 140, and even in the 130's at this height without any diet or conscious exercise - just life. So I certainly have enough flexibility that I will not go into an unhealthy weight zone if I slow at 150 and just make sure I don't immediately start regaining.

    These models on MFP tend to be for folks a bit younger than I am. My metabolism is slower.
  • kimad
    kimad Posts: 3,010 Member
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    I kept my calories at 1500 for the first 65 pounds lost. I eat back my excercise calories, so that was a net 1500. My deficit got smaller as my TDEE decreased along with my weight. My maintenance calories at goal weight (another 10 pounds) will be 1700-1750. With that in mind I increased my calories to 1600 recently and have been losing very, very slowly since, but I'm still losing. I'd rather do it very slowly than have my body freak out when I get to maintenance because it's getting extra calories.

    I have also been slowly increasing my calories as I get close to goal, so my body doesn't go WTF if I do it all at once.
  • llgisme711
    llgisme711 Posts: 17
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    Bump
  • MelisMusing
    MelisMusing Posts: 421 Member
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    I kept my calories at 1500 for the first 65 pounds lost. I eat back my excercise calories, so that was a net 1500. My deficit got smaller as my TDEE decreased along with my weight. My maintenance calories at goal weight (another 10 pounds) will be 1700-1750. With that in mind I increased my calories to 1600 recently and have been losing very, very slowly since, but I'm still losing. I'd rather do it very slowly than have my body freak out when I get to maintenance because it's getting extra calories.
    This intelligent lady gets it :wink: Awesome progress, btw!
    bump. good info!
  • GenesisandEden
    GenesisandEden Posts: 338 Member
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    bump
  • BCSMama
    BCSMama Posts: 348
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    I also am approaching my goal and looking into maintenance. I am planning on upping slowly until I stop loosing. I have found that MFP is just a guideline, everyone is very different and you have to figure out what works for you. It is pretty freaky adding in calories when you've had great results on the deficit and I'm the first to admit that I'm having a hard time with it all. However, I don't want to loose any more muscle than I already have and my ultimate goal is to be healthy, so I'm trying to constantly remind myself of that.
  • 970Mikaela1
    970Mikaela1 Posts: 2,013 Member
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    I've been upping mine 100 calories every two weeks as i get closer and now that im ay my girl im at 1800 cals a month and ill be eating at 2000 and see if im still losing:)
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
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    The less you have to lose the larger % of lean muscle will be lost is your deficit it too big. So if you want to lose fat, and not muscle, a smaller deficit is needed as your body cannot breakdown the fat fast enough, if there is not a lot of it to use, as fuel.

    And it gets you ready for maintenance intake without a large jump in calories all at once.

    Thank you. That was exactly the information I was looking for.

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