Hit goal weight,worried? any adice

Ophidion
Ophidion Posts: 2,065 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I recently hit my goal weight and have adjusted my calorie intake to stop losing. I am concerned about putting my calorie intake up to maintenance,as I've had it at losing 2lbs a week for over 70 days.I do at least 1-2 hour of cardio (running/bike riding) on my cardio days, and strength training and 20 mins cardio (running) every other day. So one day cardio, one day lifting,rinse and repeat.

Guess what I'm saying in a nutshell is I'm worried I'm going to pack a lot of weight straight back on. I am aware the numbers on the scale are indicative of progress and I pay attention to my BF% and the tape measure is my friend.

Any helpful words or advice would be appreciated. Thanks

Yes I know I spelt Advice wrong, Internet dyslexia :P

Replies

  • Ophidion
    Ophidion Posts: 2,065 Member
    Bump
  • herblackwings39
    herblackwings39 Posts: 3,930 Member
    I still have a long way to go to reach goal, but have you considered raising your calories gradually till you reach your maintenance level?
  • Ophidion
    Ophidion Posts: 2,065 Member
    I still have a long way to go to reach goal, but have you considered raising your calories gradually till you reach your maintenance level?
    Thank you for answering, I have considered this...but due to the amount of physical activity I tend to do everything implies i would be quite under my recommended calorie intake. I will keep this in mind though.
  • JennieMae42
    JennieMae42 Posts: 3 Member
    The initial question seemed like you were afraid your maintenance calories would be too high for what you really need. Then your latest response made it seem like you are afraid you will still not be taking in enough calories and doomed to wither away.

    If you're afraid of not taking in enough calories, make sure to record your exercise in MFP so that it counts the burned calories into your allowance.

    As far as packing the weight back on - if your maintenance intake is too high, you could adjust your activity level down. If sedentary still doesn't do it for you, just use MFP as a logging tool, but try to come in a little under every day - or maybe more carefully measure your portions (maybe you're putting more on your plate than you really think)
  • kdeaux1959
    kdeaux1959 Posts: 2,675 Member
    This is simply phase II of the process... Now, we have to define "maintenance"... this is where you really find out where you are at. Move your intake to where you think it should be and monitor, closely... If you gain (more than what would be considered a normal fluctuation), back off a little.... If you still lose -- add a little more till your weight stabilizes. Personally, what I have done as I have neared my weight goal is to taper my intake to drop fewer pounds per week... By doing so, I have hopefully avoided making a big diet change to get to maintenance... Also, keep a goal ahead of you... You have been very goal oriented to get where you are today... now your fitness goal may be to increase strength, flexibility, speed, or define those new 6 pack abs you are now sporting... By maintaining a new goal (consistent with the original goal but continuing to improve your overall fitness level) you continue to progress and continue to have a new goal to strive toward. There is always something that could be just a little bit better... recognize and applaud the accomplishment, just keep a new goal in sight. Best wishes.
  • CharRicho
    CharRicho Posts: 389 Member
    I think you just have a pick a method and try it. I mean, if you put a couple of pounds back on, adjust back down and go up gradually. If you lose a few more pounds, raise your calories.

    A few pounds one way or the other is not going to kill you at this point. Your weight is going to fluctuate, that's natural.

    Congrats on reaching your goal!
  • Ophidion
    Ophidion Posts: 2,065 Member
    @JennieMae42-thanks for responding, your advice is very accurate...didn't mean to sound like I'm doomed either way.

    I record all my exercise,measure all my food portions OCD and have my maintenance set to sedentary as I work on computers for a living.

    I was hoping if anybody could let me know what to expect as far as adjusting my calorie intake to maintenance after a period of having it set to a loss eg will it fluctuate for a couple of weeks then stabilize.

    Just read the new reply's...thanks everyone, I will follow this advice and see how I go, and am always setting new goals as this is not a phase or the end but just the end of the beginning.
  • DawnEH612
    DawnEH612 Posts: 574 Member
    Bump
  • Bettyeditor
    Bettyeditor Posts: 327 Member
    If you have been eating way under your maintenance calories, then jumping up to maintenance is basically the same thing as a "metabolism reset" (eating at full maintenance for 8-12 weeks), which I am in the middle of doing. So I can speak to this topic....

    I lost 70 pounds under eating (1300, then ramping through 1500-1600-1700-1800 in a few weeks). From there I jumped straight to 2400 calories in just a day or two (my maintenance calorie level). I gained an average of a pound a week the first three weeks. At the end of Week 4 (this morning), I lost 1 pound. This is normal. First you gain a few. Then your weight fluctuates. Then stabilizes. I expect in a week or two I will stabilize. After a couple of weeks with no gain/loss, I will consider my reset completed. Then I will cut only 15% below maintenance to lose.

    I strongly advise that you JUMP to your maintenance as quickly as possible to minimize weight gain. It takes your body a minimum of 8 weeks to fully adjust to a change in calories. The more slowly you reach that new level, the longer you delay the stabilization phase and the more you will gain along the way.

    By the way, for this to work you have to know pretty accurately what your maintenance truly is. Do you know your TDEE? Do you track your activity with a Fitbit or BodyMedia Fit? Do you measure your workout burn with a heart rate monitor? If you under- or over-estimate your maintenance calories, then you may gain/lose and have to make adjustments to find the right number, which complicates the adjustments your body is trying to make anyway to the new level of calories. The more accurately you know what it takes to maintain your weight, the better you can maintain.

    Congrats on your weight loss and best of luck to you! :flowerforyou:
  • chelseasunrise
    chelseasunrise Posts: 28
    You seem worried that you don't know the amount of calories you really need? Maybe you should invest in a HRM watch and monitor a few general days for yourself to see what the average calories you use in an entire day is. Then you will know around the amount you would need to maintain. Or you can just use a general guide e.g. online calculators. I lost a lot of weight 2 years ago (I'm back because I've just had my first child not long ago) and when I got to maintenance I actually lost more weight in the first two weeks. Take it week by week. If you put on a little weight take your calories back down, if you lose weight, put them up until you find a balance. Good luck!
  • Ophidion
    Ophidion Posts: 2,065 Member
    thanks everyone for being so helpful...appreciate the advice. Will follow it and adjust accordingly.
  • DawnEH612
    DawnEH612 Posts: 574 Member
    First' congratulations for hitting your goal. It is part one of a lifetime journey. Two, consider having a goal weight RANGE. I used to have one set weight in my head but realized i was setting mylf up for perpetual failuer. Body weight not only fluctuates day to day, but as frequetly as many times in one day. My range is 3 pounds above and 3 pounds below my GW.
    As i was appraoching my goal weight i slowly began increasing my calories by 50-100 calorie/day increments. It was more for the mental aspect of it, for me, than the actual physical aspect. I never gained any significant weight that i can recall after doing that and i think i actually lost weight after one of those increases.
    Third, i have a fairly sedentary job but i have my activity lever set above sedentary and by the sounds if it,you should move ous up to the next activity level.
    Fourth, if, after increasing your calories, you gainweight, DONT PANIC and the next day quickly return to your old calorie numbers... Stick with it for atleast 1-2 weeks, although it can take your body up to 4-5 weeks to adjust to a change in calories. If you gain weight, RELAX, take a deep breath! Your body is likely just readjusting itself and the weight should come off once you stabilize. If you decide to lower your calores, again, only reduce by a small fraction, such as 50 calories/day. DO NOT return to the calories ata which you started... Just wait it out. I highly suggest calculating you BMR and TDEE. NEVER never never eat under your BMR... Your TDEE is the average number of calories you should eat a day to maintain your current weight. Both numbers are invaluable in this journey.
    Keep us posted on how things work for you. I have attached a blog i wrote about maintenance phase...check it out if youd like.
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/DawnEH612/view/maintenance-phase-and-motivation-502155
  • Ophidion
    Ophidion Posts: 2,065 Member
    @DawnEH612-Thanks, will check blog out and congrats on your progress(great profile pic) Your info was most helpful.

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