How do you figure out your Maintenance calories?

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Makoce
Makoce Posts: 938 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I'm 2 - 3 lbs from maintaining now.
But MFP is giving me 1493 calories
Scooby site is giving me 1463
and other sites are giving me anywhere from 1390 - 1533.

I'm 21, female, 5'2, and my goal is 110 lbs.

I know the numbers from calculators arnt exact -- and Ive seen many people say you need to trial and error to figure out your mait.
But how do you know if the number isnt working for you?
I know the scale number goes up due to chemical releases and water returning when you go back to maintenance.
How do you tell the difference?

To be honest, Im pretty scared to maintain after a year of eating at a deficit.
There's so much that can go wrong, you know?

Replies

  • martyqueen52
    martyqueen52 Posts: 1,120 Member
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    I would adjust at 1450 to maintain.

    The best thing to do is weigh yourself in the AM when you've slept of a good 8-9 hours or more, after you've used the bathroom.

    Wait a week, do the same and see where you are. Also, scales are bad to measure progress. Take a few pics and compare them a week later... see how YOU feel as well.

    If you gain a lb.... no big deal. It can be lost in a week, literally.
  • tjthegreatone
    tjthegreatone Posts: 324
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    I think it is trial and error and not too much obsession with the scale.

    For me - my maintenance calorie amount is greater than what most of the calculators say. I do a lot of cardio and strength training, have a fair bit of muscle mass, and work an active job. Most calculators don't take all these into account. Other women may find the opposite to be the case.

    Also I am sitting at about 5lb heavier than my goal weight - for months I went through binge/restrict cycles as I could not figure out how to eat 'normally' anymore. But now I'm less bothered (it's probably mostly glycogen + some fat + some muscle from eating at a slight surplus). I am also beginning to eat more intuitively.

    Some people deal with this by overshooting for their goal weight to account for any upsurges when they switch to maintenance but given that most people already have very low goal weights (which may be lower than their bodies' set points) it may not be such a good idea.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    You're not really going to have an exact number...nobody has a TDEE of exactly XXXX calories. It is going to be within a certain range of calories....the human body is actually really good at maintaining, you have to consistently under or over eat to override that ability.

    It really is just trial and error...you know it's working over time when, as a general trend, you are maintaining weight. Keep in mind that your weight isn't static either...you're going to have a range. For example, I fluctuate from 180 - 185 throughout any given week...but if I take the average of my weigh-ins for the past 7 months or so and I weigh about 183.
  • aliceb39
    aliceb39 Posts: 84 Member
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    As the others have said, it's not an exact number. I agree about not obsessing on the scale - go by how your clothes fit. If they start getting a little tight, you're eating a little too much. If they keep getting looser, you're not eating enough. I would keep logging to help you see if there are trends in your gain/loss/maintaining. Try 1450 calories for 2 or 3 weeks--if that's not quite right, raise or lower the amount, and try that for 2 or 3 weeks. Good luck to you!
  • Chris_B62
    Chris_B62 Posts: 63 Member
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    I know the numbers from calculators arnt exact -- and Ive seen many people say you need to trial and error to figure out your mait.
    But how do you know if the number isnt working for you?
    I know the scale number goes up due to chemical releases and water returning when you go back to maintenance.
    How do you tell the difference?

    To be honest, Im pretty scared to maintain after a year of eating at a deficit.
    There's so much that can go wrong, you know?

    You gotta start somewhere. Try this BMR Calculator. Use it as a tool for a starting point. Then adjust from there depending on how your weight fluctuates. http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/

    Good Luck. Some day, I too will be trying to figure out my maintenance weight. <fingers crossed> :tongue:
  • Makoce
    Makoce Posts: 938 Member
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    I know the numbers from calculators arnt exact -- and Ive seen many people say you need to trial and error to figure out your mait.
    But how do you know if the number isnt working for you?
    I know the scale number goes up due to chemical releases and water returning when you go back to maintenance.
    How do you tell the difference?

    To be honest, Im pretty scared to maintain after a year of eating at a deficit.
    There's so much that can go wrong, you know?

    You gotta start somewhere. Try this BMR Calculator. Use it as a tool for a starting point. Then adjust from there depending on how your weight fluctuates. http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/

    Good Luck. Some day, I too will be trying to figure out my maintenance weight. <fingers crossed> :tongue:

    This site gives me the most out of all of them, 1591
  • abfit4life
    abfit4life Posts: 220 Member
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    I understand your need to be hyper-vigilant about the numbers, I was like that as well. To be honest, I'm actually still weaning myself from that obsession. Like everyone has said, you have to spend some time using a trial and error method. I ended up taking the average of 3-4 numbers and started there. During the last nine months of maintenance I still have to make adjustments because my activity level fluctuates and my new LOVE for strength training has shifted my body composition and calorie needs. Its not a static number, let your body be your guide.
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
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    Pick one of the numbers you came up with.
    So, 1450.

    For the next 3 - 4 weeks, track your food intake and monitor.
    See where are at the end of that period of time, compared to your current stats, and then adjust those numbers.

    I would start by not only scale weight, but also take measurements.....
    arms, hips, waist, bust, etc....
    Maybe take some pics also so you can compare current, with where you are at 4 weeks.

    Then that can give you an idea of which way you need to go with your numbers.
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
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    ......strength training has shifted my body composition and calorie needs. Its not a static number, let your body be your guide.

    I would encourage you using strength training.
  • rosanna421
    rosanna421 Posts: 65 Member
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    im 5'1 118lbs and trying to figure out maintenance as well, trying to maintain but adding strength training. its difficult but i feel better on more calories now compared to 1200 calories, i have more energy as well which helps with my workouts, and i would even give it 2 months, if it seems like you gained, a deficit for a week or 2 should help, doubt we can gain that much fat by a couple of calories more.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    But MFP is giving me 1493 calories
    Scooby site is giving me 1463
    and other sites are giving me anywhere from 1390 - 1533.

    Those are all the same number.

    If you're worried, pick the lowest one and eat at that level for a few weeks. If you're still losing weight, add 100 calories and see what happens. Repeat until you stop losing weight.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
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    I was using a 500 calories a day deficit. I went to 250 and watched what happened to my weight for a few weeks, then adjusted.

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