How many calories will be Maintenance for you?

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  • dorothytd
    dorothytd Posts: 1,138 Member
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    This thread is really interesting! I am also 5' 5" and weigh 125-126. My maintenance calories are 1530 on MFP before exercise. I exercise just about every day and eat around my TDEE - 2300ish daily. Maintenance has been steady.
  • mfoster1019
    mfoster1019 Posts: 152 Member
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    I think the maintenance thing is screwy on here. I hit my end goal in September and then switched to maintain, which took me from 1200 cals to 1640 cals (without exercise cals). Since then I've gained 8-10lbs. Some of it is muscle I think, but definitely not all of it. I exercise 7 days a week. So clearly, for me at least, maintenance does not work. It's very frustrating that the logic of counting calories to lose weight works, but the same logic of counting calories to maintain does not.
  • kinsellae
    kinsellae Posts: 167 Member
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    For me it's 2100 total intake not net. It's actually really sad (seriously makes me emotional lol) but other than when I work out I would say I'm pretty sedentary. I work out 4 days a week and stay home with my kids so the only activity I get is cooking, cleaning, playing with my kids, etc. I also drive everywhere.
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
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    Maintenance according to MFP is 1650 for me. I ate that much yesterday and it said I will stay at 155 if I continue to eat 1650. I am 5ft 5inches.. that sure don't seem like much. I played with it and when I enter more it says I will gain...

    That is why building and maintaining lean body mass is so very important. The more lean body mass you have, the more calories you can eat without gaining weight. One interesting thing that I have noted is that a lower-carb plan combined with one hour of vigorous exercise on three days a week and weight-lifting and/or calisthenics for fifteen minutes to a half hour on the days in between discourages eating any more calories than your lean body mass requires. My report on calorie consumption reveals that over the last 90 days, my calorie consumption has gone up slightly as I have built my muscles up. But my body fat has continued to fall as I get more fit. Over the course of getting more fit in the last seven months, I have lost 26 pounds and lost 7 inches off my waist. I look completely different from the person I looked like before I started. People who haven't seen me in a while don't even recognize me at first glance. :laugh:
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
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    I think the maintenance thing is screwy on here. I hit my end goal in September and then switched to maintain, which took me from 1200 cals to 1640 cals (without exercise cals). Since then I've gained 8-10lbs. Some of it is muscle I think, but definitely not all of it. I exercise 7 days a week. So clearly, for me at least, maintenance does not work. It's very frustrating that the logic of counting calories to lose weight works, but the same logic of counting calories to maintain does not.

    The type of calories DO matter because of the bio-chemistry. Sugar consumption will slow down the transport of ATP (adenosine tri-phosphate) to your muscles and that will make you sluggish---and that causes you to unconsciously move less--and thus you don't wear off as many calories (even in spite of forcing yourself to do an hour at the gym). Since I eliminated sugar and simple carbs, I am able to eat more calories and still lose body fat.
  • Flixie00
    Flixie00 Posts: 1,195 Member
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    1870 + exercise calories, 5 ft 10 ", and sedantary.

    Hit maintenance in November, and due to the holiday season, my food diaries have not been too hot lately. Will continue at this level for January and the re-evaluate.
  • watfordjc
    watfordjc Posts: 304 Member
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    Right now? 3,200 to 4,000 (or more, depending on activity).
    At maintenance? Not a clue as my goal after reaching my goal weight is to regain any muscle lost and become "overweight" (BMI) - maintenance weight is the time after next that I hit 155 lb.
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
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    I think the maintenance thing is screwy on here. I hit my end goal in September and then switched to maintain, which took me from 1200 cals to 1640 cals (without exercise cals). Since then I've gained 8-10lbs. Some of it is muscle I think, but definitely not all of it. I exercise 7 days a week. So clearly, for me at least, maintenance does not work. It's very frustrating that the logic of counting calories to lose weight works, but the same logic of counting calories to maintain does not.

    My guess is that it's not the maintenance calories that are too high, it's that you suppressed your natural metabolism by eating 1200 calories to diet- which was too low. Your example is one of the prime reasons that 1200 calorie diets get so much hate around here- you can lose the weight, but you're set up to gain when you get to goal.
  • MsDover
    MsDover Posts: 395 Member
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    When I reach my goal weight, maintenance will be 1500 a day.
  • BackTatJIM
    BackTatJIM Posts: 1,140 Member
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    Around 2,650 for me
  • veganashley
    veganashley Posts: 70 Member
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    MFP tells me 1680 for sedentary, but I'm new at maintenance, so I'm not sure yet. I have it set to 1600 right now (based on Scooby's TDEE calculator) and am trying to eat back all exercise calories. I'm 5'8" and 120lbs.

    My plan is to stick with this for a few weeks and see what happens. Does this sound right? Should I go with MFP's 1680 instead? I am just starting to exercise after being a couch potato for most of my life. I definitely do not want to lose any more weight, but I do want to tone up.
  • strongmind_strongbody
    strongmind_strongbody Posts: 82
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    Not sure, but I'm really hoping for a nice, round number...like, say....4000? mmmmmmm....food..... :love:


    Sigh....I think mine's around 2200 :angry:
  • wendyapple
    wendyapple Posts: 323 Member
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    my tdee bounces between 1800-2400 and even when i was super active and eating around 1800 i was gaining. so i've lowered it to lose what i gained and will try again once i reach my maintenance weight. seems like the mfp calculations work really well for some but others need a lot of tweaking until they find what works. zig zagging might work too...
  • PamL66
    PamL66 Posts: 116 Member
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    I'm 5'5" (almost) and just under 126 lbs. My goal weight was actually 130 and I'm VERY happy with my current weight, though I'm working on toning up what I've got. MFP has my maintenance calories at 1640 for lightly active (I'm a second grade teacher, so I'm on my feet a good bit). I also work out at least 5 times per week, though I've had to change my routines due to weather and a knee injury/physical therapy. I need to work on healthier eating again as I've really not counted calories over the holiday break. I have also avoided the scale. I just changed to maintenance to start 2013, but after 1200, then 1500 calories, 1640 seems like a lot on a daily basis. We'll see what happens. I really don't want to lose more weight, but I don't want to gain weight either.:wink:
  • NordicAlien
    NordicAlien Posts: 110 Member
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    MFP says to lose a pound a week, if I don't work out, I need to eat 2190, so I guess maintenance would be 2690? I think this is too high, though. I probably need to go get my metabolism tested, I'm pretty sure I screwed it up through years of starvation interspersed with "rebellious" periods where I tried to eat normally.

    When I'm eating cleanly, I'm lucky if I break 1800 net. Although over Christmas my diet has been full of junk, which adds up fast.

    Interesting to see how different everyone's figures (and reactions to them) are.
  • JustPeachy044
    JustPeachy044 Posts: 770 Member
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    when i hit my goal weight of 140 and goal bf% of 27% I should eat about 1650 if sedentary, more like 1850 if active. we'll see...
  • naticksdonna
    naticksdonna Posts: 192 Member
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    No more than 1500 a day and I'll be hard pressed to get those in. That is, unless I eat all those carbs but that won't be happening.
  • debs6
    debs6 Posts: 232 Member
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    I am 5"5" and 149lbs - and carrying between 13-18 lbs of excess skin after pretty significant weight loss-- so taking the middle road - the equivalent of 134lbs. I have been maintaining pretty well since April of this year based on 1590 plus exercise calories. I tend to burn around 500 at least each day so am eating around 2100 per day. 1590 is based on me being sedentary.
  • vjohn04
    vjohn04 Posts: 2,276 Member
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    Hi Guys-

    Been maintaining since November 16th. I maintain on 1900-ish NET. I am 31, 5' 8.5" and 142 lbs.
  • kfesta52
    kfesta52 Posts: 98 Member
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    I've been fine tuning just how much maintenance should be for the last few months, and have been surprised and pleased with how much I can actually eat. I'd like to eat just a hair over maintenance to support muscle building; not sure I'm quite there yet. I still kind of do the MFP eat-back-the-exercise calories thing, so I generally vary between about 1,600 and 2,100. My average was 1,850/day over the last two months. I'm 5' not-quite-1", 105, and fairly active.

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