What do you do when you reach your desired weight?

1andylock
1andylock Posts: 8
in Food and Nutrition
So I am there at my goal.
I have lost 70 lbs so I am a happy healthier man.
Heart attack gave me the motivation if you want to know how I did it.
So i have been on the 1200 cals a day and it worked for me.
I am still on it and still losing and now i want to stop it.
Its slowed down a bit.
I dont particularly want to eat too more and I dont want to exercise less so how do I stop it.
My BMI is perfect so if I keep losing it will only get worse the other way.

Andy

Replies

  • RedHighHeelz
    RedHighHeelz Posts: 5
    First off, CONGRATS! on losing the weight, that's awesome!

    Reset your goals to maintain weight and you will get a baseline of how much you need to eat to maintain your weight.
  • ArroganceInStep
    ArroganceInStep Posts: 6,239 Member
    I dont particularly want to eat too more and I dont want to exercise less so how do I stop it.

    Can't help you. Pick one.
  • LittleFootHafner
    LittleFootHafner Posts: 302
    Congrats!!!

    Unfortunately, you will probably have to start eating more in order to maintain.
    That being said, it doesn't have to be bad foods! Add more fruit back in, or more wheat carbs...
    Try eating healthy food that are higher in calories (beans, etc...)

    Good Luck!
  • fcp1234
    fcp1234 Posts: 1,098 Member
    I dance naked in the rain.

    Congrats !
  • 1andylock
    1andylock Posts: 8
    Thanks I knew that it meant eating a bit more but I am calorie driven now.
    So should I go up to the 2000 mark to maintain it. Or is it more.
  • crazy_ninja
    crazy_ninja Posts: 387 Member
    I dance naked in the rain.

    Congrats !

    Bet you can do that already :tongue:
  • rowyourboat
    rowyourboat Posts: 125 Member
    First off, I'm glad to hear you are doing well after a heart attack! My husband had one in July. It is scary and certainly changes everything.

    Secondly, great loss and congrats on your new healthy lifestyle. I've heard something about a maintenance mode on here. You will have to eat more, but continue to exercise and your weight should remain the same.

    Best wishes and god bless!
  • katevarner
    katevarner Posts: 884 Member
    Add in calories slowly. Maybe an extra 100 to 150 per day for a couple of weeks, see how that goes, then add in another 100 or so if you are still losing. It's not easy. I have been in maintenance for a couple of months and I've only lost another couple of pounds, but I was eating a lot more than you when I was losing--about 1650 per day. If you just can't eat that much more, cut your workouts by 15 minutes and see if that helps.
  • christou84
    christou84 Posts: 79 Member
    I'm no expert, but I'm guessing you should increase your daily calories intake... like someone said above, not bad food, just healthy stuff like nuts, fruits... and if you used to excercise 5x a week for example, do it 3 times or 4 times now... But otherwise, Congrats on your accomplishment... Looking fwd to say that too one day "that I'm losing too much" :)
  • Mabuhay1
    Mabuhay1 Posts: 38 Member
    What a good problem you have there. Congratulations. So if I maintain 1200 calories plus do some exercisesI will also continue to lose weight. Now, I will try and make sure I will not go over 1200 quota. Well done. Cheers
  • lolaluv4
    lolaluv4 Posts: 36 Member
    congrats! thinking of weight loss as math, 3,500 calories is a pound. to lose weight at a healthy pace, 1,200 calories gives you a 500 calorie deficit every day (500*7=3,500) you end up losing a pound a week. you just need to add back that 500 calories a day so you would be eating 1,800 calories a day to maintain.
  • KyleB65
    KyleB65 Posts: 1,196 Member
    I cannot speak for anyone else but me.

    My initial goal was 180 lbs. However, I moved away from weight loss once I hit 190 lbs. I still lost a few more lbs during the transition but as I experimented with maintenance eating I moved back up to 193 - 195 lbs. This seems to be the weight that I am most comfortable at. (Note: Started at over 272 lbs).

    I found/find maintenance a harder thing than the weight loss. Not that it is hard to eat maintenance calories. My appetite is way down from my past life and my taste now revolves around much better food choices than in the past. The difficulty for me was how to re-direct the mental and psychological efforts I had made to lose the weight. Kind of like a pent up energy that had no where to go and it made me scared that it would turn back into over eating! So, I started to set performance goals. It began with being able to run 5k. Then to run 5k in less than 30 min, then to run 10k , then to run 10 k in less than 60 min. I am now training to run a 21K in Feb and I am doing the 100 sit up program and working towards 25 chin ups (front & back grip). A friend I run with says that he feels I will eventually run a complete marathon. Maybe yes, maybe no? I do not want to get ahead of the smaller goals I have set.

    So, my suggestion? Find something you enjoy or try something new and set yourself a goal. No need to share it with anyone!!! The important thing is that YOU have a goal and that you focus on that until accomplished. Then celebrate and start again with a new goal! For me, I can see an endless number of health and fitness goals ahead of me that will last until I take my last breath!

    Best of luck on your continued journey and a big congrats on what you have achieved to date!
  • 1andylock
    1andylock Posts: 8
    So I get it.
    Its not a lot more to eat and if I do eat more then make if good cals.
    I will work on 1800 calls as suggested by lolaluv4 and add a bit at a time as katevarner has suggested
    Also find a new goal in life that is not the weight loss but still is healthy.
    Like KyleB65 says.
    and Yes it is a nice problem to have but one that needed all you advice.
    Keep it coming.
    Its been a lonely journey sometimes.

    And some advice from me Mabuhay1 when you eat 1200 and exercise you can eat back your exercise cals.
    If you dont you could reach starvation mode.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    I'll be having a beer that day! :drinker: :laugh:
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    Increase calories incrementally. I would consider about 150/week, monitor results every couple of weeks.
  • 1andylock
    1andylock Posts: 8
    My Old life style gave me the heart attack.
    So I dont want to go back to drinking, but i know what you are saying.
    Yeh I work abroad all the time living in hotels and was smoking 40 a day and drinking 10 to 20 Coronas a day.
    If you asked me I lied and said I smoked 15 to 20 a day and drank 5 to 10 beers a day.
    I can control the no smoking and drinking as i dont want another heart attack, obviously.
    I know at the moment if I allow myself treats then they will become common things and then slowly i will go back to the old me.
    My goal is to stay slim now I have done all this work but ahead I see the dangers looming and when you are away from home you have to have loads of discipline as there is no one to nag you.
    So I will skip the beer thanks and have tea instead but thanks for the sentiment.
    I still go to bars at night when away as I cannot stay in the hotel room as it feels like a prison.
    I just drink tea instead of beer and it is very motivating.
    But when the shots start flying then a shot of green tea does not cut it.
    But I have been recovering now for 6 months so getting there and people accept that I dont drink any more and encourage me.
    Its interesting nobody want to by me a drink any more.
  • aakaakaak
    aakaakaak Posts: 1,240 Member
    You continue to balance your weight and calorie intake while toning your muscles to your desired appearance.
  • GodzillaR35
    GodzillaR35 Posts: 73 Member
    the day i reach my goal i will dance in the rain nude.
  • 1andylock
    1andylock Posts: 8
    Thanks Everyone for the advice.
    I have added a picture so you can see how look now.
    I have gained a chicken neck but i fix that by using a big paper clip behind my head to take up all the loose skin.
    Good Luck in your quests I will be behind you all.

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