Can't maintain efficiently

jminette
jminette Posts: 81
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Hey guys!
I'm really struggling to maintain. I have been eating 1200 calories (plus little snacks here and there) for almost a year. I'm 5' 3" and 115 pounds give or take. I want to stay this weight, but there are periods where I drop below it to like 112. Somehow, I always get myself to gain it back.

So, a while back I decided to try 1500 a day and I went over my goal weight. This is still pretty low calorie wise.

How do I find my maintenance calorie goals? And why the heck is it so low to maintain?
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Replies

  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    take the difference between 1200 and 1500 and eat that, which I believe is 1350 a day..

    end thread/

    curious - if you are maintaining on 1200 what were you eating to lose weight?
  • jminette
    jminette Posts: 81
    I was still eating 1200 when I started losing weight. I never went below that.
  • jminette
    jminette Posts: 81
    Doesn't 1350 sound awful low though? I'm only 21 years old. How in the hell will I eat when my metabolism slows with age?
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    you said you gained on 1500 a day right..?
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    as far as your metabolism goes…maybe you should of thought of that before eating 1200 a day and starving yourself...
  • jminette
    jminette Posts: 81
    I didn't starve myself. Thats the number mfp gave me to lose weight. This website is supposed to encourage healthy eating habits.. and I should be able to trust that. You obviously do considering you use it.
  • walleyclan1
    walleyclan1 Posts: 2,784 Member
    I am only 5 ft and my maintenance is at 1650! Are you being very accurate with logging? Are you doing any exercise?
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    Have you tried eating 1500 for a few weeks at a time? Chances are the "weight" gain was normal, due to increasing the amount of food/waste you have in your system, and increased glycogen (and the associated water retention). Just like people lose a chunk of water weight when they start restricting their intake, it's normal to gain a few pounds (not of fat) when you go into maintenance.

    Check this out: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/993576-why-you-gain-weight-if-you-eat-more-than-your-cut
  • jminette
    jminette Posts: 81
    I try to exercise a few times a week. Its been everyday since I'm on winter break and just sit around. Looking at me I have a fair amount of muscle, biceps and abs.

    I thought I was doing everything right til I read what other people maintain on!
  • jminette
    jminette Posts: 81
    And I by no means struggle to only eat 1200. Like I'm not feeling overly hungry, but I do love me some food.. lol
  • bajoyba
    bajoyba Posts: 1,153 Member
    Have you tried eating 1500 for a few weeks at a time? Chances are the "weight" gain was normal, due to increasing the amount of food/waste you have in your system, and increased glycogen (and the associated water retention). Just like people lose a chunk of water weight when they start restricting their intake, it's normal to gain a few pounds (not of fat) when you go into maintenance.

    Check this out: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/993576-why-you-gain-weight-if-you-eat-more-than-your-cut

    That.
    It's normal to gain some water weight when you up your calories, but things should even out after a short while.
  • jminette
    jminette Posts: 81
    Alright. I'm on break from college atm so im pretty damn sedentary.. When I get back to my normal routine, I'll try and up my intake and see if it evens out after some time.
  • jminette
    jminette Posts: 81
    I wonder if I'm reading her post correctly. Do the stores of glycogen and water make you appear larger as well as weigh more? As someone who's less concerned with the number and more with being comfortable with how I look, am I going to want to take her advice and lose 5 more pounds before I start to maintain? That doesn't sound healthy to me.
  • Makoce
    Makoce Posts: 938 Member
    Do the stores of glycogen and water make you appear larger as well as weigh more?

    Id like to know this too
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
    If you are more concerned with your looks, then body composition is more useful for you. Replenishing lost water and glycogen stores may make you look slightly fuller - but this depends largely on how much total weight you recover until weight finally stabilizes.

    You should consistently log and use a digital food scale to weigh everything you eat to ensure the calorie estimates are as accurate as possible. Once your body has recovered enough to become stable, your maintenance intake will be notably higher because people commonly underestimate their intake.
  • westendcurls
    westendcurls Posts: 252 Member
    You only need to drop 5 more lbs if your fixated on your scale.
  • blackcloud13
    blackcloud13 Posts: 654 Member
    I just noticed the "plus little snacks here and there". Not sure how much that translates to, and maybe you could swap for something more filling? Out of interest, how high did you go at 1, 500, and how much exercise do you do?
  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
    I wrote that post above... about glycogen. What it comes down to, is the low-weight, ripped, depleted "feel" of being at the bottom of a cut actually isn't sustainable. And yes, when the water/glycogen comes back on your body you will not feel as lean as when you are depleted.

    You have to get over that or you will fight a battle for the rest of your life and live every day eating at a deficit. Eventually that will not work anymore.
  • jminette
    jminette Posts: 81
    I'm not fixated on the scale. I don't even weigh myself daily. I just asked if I'd also feel heavier.
    People can't handle these questions without being rude.

    Plus little snacks here and there meant I would take bites of food if offered. Take a piece of candy if out in a bowl. Handful of cereal if I felt hungry. So basically that just meant I'm not always at 1200 on the dot and there are frequently little things I don't count. But I rarely feel they are over 100 to 200 extra calories a day extra.
  • jminette
    jminette Posts: 81
    Which in the grand scheme of things isn't much, but maybe it's more than I thought? Idk. I don't want to lose weight. I just want to know I can maintain at a reasonable amount. 115 at my height is nowhere near depleted and cut. That's a mid range bmi that I am happy with and want to maintain.
  • Love4fitnesslove4food2
    Love4fitnesslove4food2 Posts: 711 Member
    1200 calories is rather low. I've never eaten that low and I'm 25, 5' tall, and reasonably active. I think you should consider methodically increasing your calorie intake to an appropriate level and stay off the scale. It sounds like your metabolism is suppressed and it will likely stay that way if you don't work to change that.
  • jminette
    jminette Posts: 81
    What is an appropriate level for me is my question. Because mfp has apparently steered me in the wrong direction.
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
    Nobody will be able to give you a number. You'll just have to periodically increase calories every few weeks, and accept the initial weight gain, until your weight finally stabilizes. If you want to have an idea, use TDEE calculators and the estimate you get back can be viewed as the theoretical maximum you'd likely maintain at.
  • Love4fitnesslove4food2
    Love4fitnesslove4food2 Posts: 711 Member
    What is an appropriate level for me is my question. Because mfp has apparently steered me in the wrong direction.

    Exactly how active are you each week (in hours)?
  • Love4fitnesslove4food2
    Love4fitnesslove4food2 Posts: 711 Member
    Well, here you go. Here's a website and your numbers... http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    1-3 hours of LIGHT exercise each week (i'm sure you most certainly at least get this much): 1851 calories

    3-5 hours of moderate exercise each week: 2086

    5-6 hours of strenuous exercise: 2322

    So, at minimum you should get your calories up to 1850 calories. If you were TRULY sedentary you'd aim for 1615 calories a day but that is highly unlikely given your age and student status (at least it was for me).
  • jminette
    jminette Posts: 81
    My schedules always different and I work out different amounts each week. So I can't really tell ya.
    I did notice that when I was the busiest with school, I completely disregarded logging calories and still lost weight (that I worked to gain back cause I didn't like it). But recently it doesn't feel that way.
    It could simply be that now that I'm on break, I'm that much less active. Still seems like a low amount to maintain on even when doing nothing.
  • jminette
    jminette Posts: 81
    I guess I may be too inconsistent to really give a great answer. I'll have to work to find an acceptable maintenance level. Hoving above and below my ideal weight gets old. Thanks for the help.
  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
    I guess I may be too inconsistent to really give a great answer. I'll have to work to find an acceptable maintenance level. Hoving above and below my ideal weight gets old. Thanks for the help.

    I'm not sure who you thought was being rude... I didn't see it.

    Everyone's weight fluctuates from day to day. You're never going to live in a way that you're bang-on your target weight every day. In my experience, when you're in a caloric deficit, water fluctuations are far greater day to day than when you're eating at maintenance.
  • PaytraB
    PaytraB Posts: 2,360 Member
    Do the stores of glycogen and water make you appear larger as well as weigh more?

    Id like to know this too

    When I started maintaining, I gained about 3 lbs and it did not show. I was actually smaller in the waist (measured & verified). There is a small weight gain when you go to maintenance but you will level off. Don't worry about the number on the scale but how you look and feel.

    ETA: there is a natural weight fluctuation on maintenance. You won't always be the same number on the scale. You'll vary + or - a few pounds. That's normal and to be expected.
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
    You aren't going to remain at a static weight. We all fluctuate within a few lbs even if our calories remain consistent but consume varying amounts of carbs and/or sodium or engage in different amounts or types of activity.

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