Too many maintenance calories?

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twhaley1990
twhaley1990 Posts: 140 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I'm brand-spanking new to this maintenance thing, so I could just be paranoid; I have heard a lot of people say that they have continued to lose weight on the maintenance cals MFP gives them, but has anyone gained? And is there any way to find out your cals given are too high without trial and error?

Not sure if any of this is necessary to answer my question, but in case it i,s I'm a smidge under 5'3, 115.6 lbs, 23 year's old, and lightly active, lost one lb a week on 1250 and am now on maintenance at 1750 :)

Replies

  • The_Enginerd
    The_Enginerd Posts: 3,982 Member
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    It's trial and error for everyone. The number the site spits out is just and estimate based on population averages, but each person is a little different.

    Myself, I had to up my calories slightly because I slowly lost.

    Also, your weight may swing up a bit as you enter maintenance, so keep track of the long term trend. Don't try to chase short term swings.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,943 Member
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    I've lost some weight this month on maintenance. It really is by trial and error to find your actual maintenance calories. I've kept a spreadsheet over the last month I've been on maintenance, recording my daily calories and my weight. I seem to have stayed within a 3 pounds range toward the end of the month when I upped my calories a bit, so this is okay with me.
  • ifyouknew
    ifyouknew Posts: 68 Member
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    I wear a BodyMedia armband that measures my calorie burn, and I weigh or measure pretty much everything I eat, so I think my food and exercise numbers are about as accurate as they can be. But if I eat what MFP suggests, I gain slowly but steadily. I need about a 200 calorie deficit per day to keep steady. But that's ok, as long as I know that, I just aim to see that green '200' on the app at the end of every day!
  • beckyhoo
    beckyhoo Posts: 34 Member
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    I've wondered the same thing. Certainly not EVERYONE finds MFP's maintenance level to be too low. But those for whom it is too high don't seem to speak up about it much.

    I've been in maintenance for a few months now and haven't figured it out yet, what with the holidays and various other factors. I also recently got a Fitbit, so I'm still trying to determine how accurate its calorie adjustments are. I've been trying to give myself a bit of a deficit cushion until I get a feel for it. Some weeks I'm fairly spot on, but others I think I've done well and the scale surprises me. So yes, unfortunately trial and error is necessary. One must be prepared for fluctuations and willing to make adjustments.
  • einzweidrei
    einzweidrei Posts: 381 Member
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    Mine was initially 1920 and then MFP bumped it up to 1980. (I am "lightly active" or so I say.)

    I found that the online calculators (the one on IIFYM) seem to run lower for me but that's because there's not a good option for me to pick for exercise. I don't REALLY exercise (I walk at times) but I'm on my feet constantly at work. I have a feeling I could actually maintain on a little more than the 2,000 I am given everyday but my eating is very crazy right now.

    ETA: No you can estimate but without trying, you wouldn't know for sure. Because we're all different.
  • sfbaumgarten
    sfbaumgarten Posts: 912 Member
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    It's definitely trial and error. If you're worried about jumping up too much initially, just gradually raise your calories until you stop losing.
  • mzjoe4life
    mzjoe4life Posts: 1 Member
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    yes. but thats only because i didn't stick to what i was suppose to do. also your weight may stay the same or the scale may go up becasue he have lost fat but gained muscle. so measure yourself and then remeasure yourself in a month. i think that scale is the devil. lol
  • kdiamond
    kdiamond Posts: 3,329 Member
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    It's definitely trial and error. If you're worried about jumping up too much initially, just gradually raise your calories until you stop losing.

    This ^^^^^

    It took me a good 6-12 months to really figure out my maintenance.
  • rabblerabble
    rabblerabble Posts: 471 Member
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    After hitting my goal weight a few weeks ago, I've been able to bump my typical calories for a day from about 1800 to 2500 and am holding steady.
  • stuffinmuffin
    stuffinmuffin Posts: 985 Member
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    I lost weight maintaining on MFP initially. I think the thing is switching from calorie restriction to suddenly being given so many more to play with that it initially seems quite baffling!

    I currently use a Fitbit to maintain with and it's spot on, I have maintained almost perfectly for about a year now.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
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    I lost over a year and slowed to a crawl when I hit my goal weight. When I hit mainenance I dropped to losing 1/2 pound/week. I've been +/- 3 pounds since then (9 months) so I'm still technically at a 250 calorie deficit. But I'm obviously not - I'm at maintenance.

    It could be that my fitbit zip overestimates how many calories I burn walking - I net my goal, I eat more than that. In case as everyone else says, it's trial and error.
  • MelissaPhippsFeagins
    MelissaPhippsFeagins Posts: 8,063 Member
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    When I got to within 5 lbs of goal, I started adding 50 calories to my goal weekly. I am currently 1lb from my goal and have maintained that for two weeks. I can live with that, but think that due to some illness and stress, I will drop that 1lb soon on the calories I'm at now. I won't add anymore even when I do though. This calorie level seems to be working for me and I am not always hungry enough to eat the whole 1650. I think when spring arrives and I'm outside gardening and hiking more, I'll have to eat more to maintain, but we'll see.
  • twhaley1990
    twhaley1990 Posts: 140 Member
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    Thanks for all the advice guys! I'm thinking the best thing for me is to add calories slowly so that I can monitor more closely
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,613 Member
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    We are of similar height and weight, but you are much younger:) I found my maintenance calories to be closer to 1950 NET. It is trial and error, because no two bodies are alike. Give yourself time to figure it out.
  • phillinnz
    phillinnz Posts: 82 Member
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    I think it best to choose the calories for an inactive person, and to eat up to an extra 300 cals so long as I do at least 600 cals of exercise a day. If I eat back all my calories (especially the fitbit just walking around ones) I do gain weight. The fitbit is great as it encourages me to walk more and get up the league table of my friends. Good luck.
  • Rocki_
    Rocki_ Posts: 166 Member
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    It's trial and error for everyone. The number the site spits out is just and estimate based on population averages, but each person is a little different.

    Myself, I had to up my calories slightly because I slowly lost.

    Also, your weight may swing up a bit as you enter maintenance, so keep track of the long term trend. Don't try to chase short term swings.

    ^^^THIS^^^
  • Rocki_
    Rocki_ Posts: 166 Member
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    I lost weight maintaining on MFP initially. I think the thing is switching from calorie restriction to suddenly being given so many more to play with that it initially seems quite baffling!

    I currently use a Fitbit to maintain with and it's spot on, I have maintained almost perfectly for about a year now.
    ^^LOVE my Fitbit^^

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