unexpected experience

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reddaddie
reddaddie Posts: 121 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I recently hit my goal and switched to maintenance. my new calorie goal went up about 800. I am having difficulty hitting that number.

I enjoy the lower cal lunches that that I switched to and I am aware of the approximate counts of food and find it hard to not pick weight friendly meals.
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  • MrsFowler1069
    MrsFowler1069 Posts: 657 Member
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    Hmmm....well, I can't say that I expect to be in this position any time soon. lol But congratulations on hitting goal. I can see how this could be an issue. My tastes in food and the things I crave have changed a lot already. Beets? Really? Who knew??

    My guess is that this isn't terribly unusual and you will make this adjustment successfully as well, by working in a fewer more calorie-dense foods, or an extra snack or two. No reason you can't keep your lovely lunches. :)
  • annakow
    annakow Posts: 385 Member
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    I changed my goal to postpond maintenence in time, no idea how to start. I like my low calorie diet :(
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    I recently hit my goal and switched to maintenance. my new calorie goal went up about 800. I am having difficulty hitting that number.

    I enjoy the lower cal lunches that that I switched to and I am aware of the approximate counts of food and find it hard to not pick weight friendly meals.

    try swapping any low fat dairy for normal stuff, add nuts as a snack.... enjoy the fact you can have the odd treat which fits into your calories!
  • chani8
    chani8 Posts: 946 Member
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    Wooohooo!! You did it!!! You met your goal weight!! Great job!!!!!

    I entered maintenance also, but I guess being short (and lazy), I only get 200 more calories.

    Nuts (esp Brazil), cream, slices of cheese, flax seed 'oatmeal', dates stuffed with almonds, peanut butter.
  • bunbunzee44
    bunbunzee44 Posts: 592 Member
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    it would be a good idea to bring the calories up little by little, like 200cals more, and then after a few weeks or something add 200 again until you are at your maintenance level. going 800 cals up all of a sudden sounds a bit too much :)
  • ekaustin7
    ekaustin7 Posts: 185 Member
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    Increase your calories slowly so your body gets used to having more food without feeling like you're overstuffing it. I have been increasing towards maintenance for 2 months now, 100 calories a month. It doesn't seem like much, but it gets me used to having more food a little at a time versus feeling like I immediately need to eat another meal's worth of calories just to not lose more weight.
  • Girlwithnoname77
    Girlwithnoname77 Posts: 108 Member
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    Congratulations on reaching your goal weight. How exciting!
  • jackielou867
    jackielou867 Posts: 422 Member
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    I wouldn't be in a hurry to up a whole 800. Try a couple of hundred and monitor weight, if its dropping add a couple more. I am like you not at goal yet but I am maintaining while I do strength work at the gym. I have also found a newfound love of healthy over sugar. Who knew. Some days I find myself low at the end of my calories, but often have a treat night which can go a bit over, and I usually come in even at end of week. Let us know how you go :-)
  • rduhlir
    rduhlir Posts: 3,550 Member
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    Eat a small serving of nuts at each meal, that will hit the number for you.
  • jayjay12345654321
    jayjay12345654321 Posts: 653 Member
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    Congratulations! I've heard you should add 100 cals per day for a week, then do it again, and so on until you get to a number where you really are maintaining instead of losing. 800 extra cals a day is a pound and a half gain over a week, or in your case, leveling out. If that's in line with what you were losing, easing up to that number should be about right for you to maintain.
  • stevepax
    stevepax Posts: 86 Member
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    I had/have exactly the same problem. I think this is very common, especially among people who lost quite a bit of weight (I'm at 65 pounds lost). Go up slowly, and just rework your current meals to have a bit more calories - use your full-fat dressings, or add cheese to your salad, etc. Eat a hamburger now and then, even if it's from a restaurant. You'll find that in a few weeks, you'll be having no trouble.

    A couple other things - make some nice fruit smoothies or protein shakes. That's a great way to add some healthy calories. And put peanut butter in stuff. Everything is better with peanut butter!
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
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    Me too. Good habits. And sorry, I am so not worried about hitting my calorie goal because I'm eating too little. I trust my body to let me know!
  • reddaddie
    reddaddie Posts: 121 Member
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    Thank you all for the support, I tink vanilla back in my latte could help ;-)
  • susanprows
    susanprows Posts: 10 Member
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    Hi! I experienced the same "problem" that you are having. How about trying this...just eat a bit MORE of what you are already eating to bump up your calories? Eat two plums instead of one, eat a whole slice of whole wheat toast instead of half... you know, stuff like that. Definitely don't change back to the old eating style... you need to be on a heart healthy eating routine for life! Take care.
  • MrsFowler1069
    MrsFowler1069 Posts: 657 Member
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    Thank you all for the support, I tink vanilla back in my latte could help ;-)

    Yes. :)

    Enjoy!
  • Donald_Dozier_50
    Donald_Dozier_50 Posts: 395 Member
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    I am not that close to goal (34 lbs to go) but I am never concerned about days I can't eat enough calories. If I am hungry and have not met the daily calories, I eat. If I am not hungry I don't.
  • symonspatrick
    symonspatrick Posts: 213 Member
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    I am having the opposite problem. I find it very easy to eat or drink more calories, a handful of nuts or a few spoons of peanut butter and I am already close to my goal. I used to eat 3000 to 4000 calories per day so trying to stay under 2000 is a new learning experience for me. Fats are 9 calories per gram so it doesn't take very many grams for the calories to add up. If I could just eat your 800 calories for you we would be set but unfortunately it does not work that way.
  • Fit_Natasha
    Fit_Natasha Posts: 83 Member
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    Hi! I experienced the same "problem" that you are having. How about trying this...just eat a bit MORE of what you are already eating to bump up your calories? Eat two plums instead of one, eat a whole slice of whole wheat toast instead of half... you know, stuff like that. Definitely don't change back to the old eating style... you need to be on a heart healthy eating routine for life! Take care.

    This is such a good advice! I will keep this in mind when I reach my goal!
  • britelite3169
    britelite3169 Posts: 18 Member
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    Personally I would just increase to what your body says feels right. Keep an eye on the wieght, and if you are still loosing then go for things that are slightly higher in cals but healthy,EG nuts.
  • MelissaPhippsFeagins
    MelissaPhippsFeagins Posts: 8,063 Member
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    Congratulations for making it to your goal!

    I am not at my goal yet, but do know from my own past yo-ying that the thing I'll never be able to do is stop exercising. When I stop moving more, I start eating more. I am definitely less hungry when I exercise.

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