What is maintenance?

LaurenLouG
LaurenLouG Posts: 65 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I am SO CONFUSED on figuring out what my maintenance would be.

I'm 5'5, 120lbs (and wanting to stay there) currently eating 1400. I dot know how much I can eat without gaining. I ate 1600 today and now I'm terrified that I'll balloon again :( HEEEEELLLLPPP MEEEEEEE.

Replies

  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    maintenance is what you do to your car right - change oil, change tires, etc..??

    In all seriousness, you will not "balloon" by eating 200 extra calories..remember there are 3500 calories in one pound, so you would have to over eat by that amount to gain one pound.

    Go to a TDEE calculator and put in your gender, height, and weight and then for goal weight put in your current weight and the number they give you is how many calories you should eat to maintain current weight.
  • MzManiak
    MzManiak Posts: 1,361 Member
    It's really all an estimate. Sometimes you need to play with the numbers until you figure it out. What's your TDEE? That would be the first step. Eat at that amount for a couple weeks, if you are still losing, add 100 calories to it until you stop. If you start to gain again, subtract 100 calories from it until you stop. That's how I would do it, anyway... Good luck. :wink:
  • tpcooper
    tpcooper Posts: 30 Member
    First, let me say I have never done this well!

    I think the best way to do it would be to up your calories 100 per day, keep there a week, and see what happens. Once you reach a point you don't lose for a week you are probably about there. Then weigh once a week and if you gain a week make a small adjustment down.

    Of course, I usually have a big pizza party the day after I go off a diet (and start ballooning up), so don't pay too much attention to me. :-)
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  • momzeeee
    momzeeee Posts: 475 Member
    Losing weight is the easy part, figuring out how the heck to do maintenance for long term weight loss success, so you don't end up part of the statistical 95% failure rate is the hard part :grumble:

    For me, it took over three months to figure out what my maintenance sweet spot is. Just spend some time experimenting and you'll get there :) Also, I ended up losing 10 more pounds after I started transitioning into maintenance-so don't freak out about gaining with a few extra calories :smile:
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  • momzeeee
    momzeeee Posts: 475 Member
    Also, most have a maintenance 'window' of several pounds, since your weight can fluctuate based on a variety of factors that have nothing to do with calories (especially women!). 5lbs is a popular window, though I have a personal one of 3lbs and I usually stay within .5lb of my goal weight in either direction.
  • nwg74
    nwg74 Posts: 360 Member
    I have been maintaining since March and have a 5 pound range which I have stuck too all this time. I still like to lose another 5 pounds but I am in no hurry.

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