Feeling Trapped at Maintenance
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I have also reached a goal weight and am aiming to maintain!
I suggest very strongly to you to eat more protein and start lifting heavy. Even just 20 min 3x a week. I have found that doing this strangely boosts how many calories I can eat. It may work for you!0 -
Have you ever considered to stop counting calories? That's what I did when I reached my goal weight. I had learned so much about food, that I just kept eating healthy, listened to my body and checked my weight regularly. I worked out whenever I felt like it and did what I enjoy. I maintained for over a year that way and just recently gained a few pounds due to stress. That's why I'm back here to lose it again. Since I know how to do it, losing weight isn't anything I fear.0
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Some great advice above for making sure your numbers are right.
Assuming they are, I look at my calories over a week's time. I'm able to be super-strict on weekdays when I'm at work without feeling deprived, and that frees up enough calories that I can enjoy my weekends with family and friends, and still be at maintenance over the course of the week.
Part of this journey is figuring out something that works that you can maintain for the rest of your life. I think that's harder than the losing part!0 -
P.S. I am 5'10" and I only get 1450 to maintain. Which is why I really want those easy calories.
That seems way too little.
???
I'm a little shorter than you (5'9"ish) and my maintenance is around 2,000 calories/day. And I am barely active.0 -
To those of you, I Weigh 1060
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I can't wait to be in maintenance
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I'm 21, 5'2 obviously female.
I sit at a desk all day everyday other than walking my dog 30 minutes a day.
Twice to three times a week I might hike or go to the gym for an hour.
It's never linear. Though. Some weeks I might not move an inch some weeks I might walk 50 mile total.
So that's why I have it set to sedentary.
Right now I'm at 1400 cals so not even at full maintenance yet and I've already stopped losing.
If you're walking your dog for 30 minutes a day/7 days a week, then you're exercising every day. That's not including the extra gym time you throw in 2-3 times a week. I entered your info in a TDEE calculator and based on moderate exercise (3-5 days), it gives you a calorie number of 2,019. If I bump down the exercise to light exercise (1-3 days), it still gives you a calorie number of 1,791. But, you're walking 7 days a week + the extra exercise, so I really think you could go with the moderate exercise number.
I'd up your calories-what's the worse that could happen? It's not like you're going to gain 20lbs in a week or two, trying a higher number
And for me, TDEE was spot on-and I'm now eating almost 500 more calories a day over what MFP gave me for maintenance and I'm loving it :bigsmile: 0 -
What about the days I dont do anything but sit like a lazy *kitten*?
I dont always walk her every day for 30 minutes, theres some weeks that I literally do nothing.
Since TDEE doesnt have you eat back exercise calories, Im not so sure if its right for me.
I might just try upping my calories slowly.0 -
That's interesting. I'm 5' maintaining at 1750 calories. I go to the gym 4 x per week for about an hour a pop. I'm not saying you're wrong, but you might want to try and re-calculate your TDEE.0
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Maintenance can be hard at first. It's a different mind set than losing.
Try to not fixate on the scales or think of your weight as a static number.....your maintenance weight is a range. In your case 106 lbs + or - maybe 2-3 lbs. If you go outside of the range, either eat more or eat less but as long as you stay within that range, you're fine.
Also, when you first go on maintenance, expect a small weight gain as your body readjusts and replenishes some needed glycogen levels. After the small weight gain, you will stabilize to what is your true weight.
MFP's maintenance amount was low for me, as it seems to be for many people. You are going to have to experiment a little to find what works for you. Give each "experiment" a month to see how it truly works for you. Don't weigh yourself every day; maybe weekly or monthly.
Perhaps don't worry about each day's individual calorie limit but on what your weekly daily average of calories is. In this way, you can eat more "normally", as in more on a hungry day and less on a less hungry day. We're not equally hungry every day.
Can you average your usual weekly exercise? Just count the minimum of what you do. Use this amount as your regular exercise base. Is it enough to boost you to "lightly active"? If so, do so.
You will have to experiment with which method works best for you. Remember that you want this to work for a healthy lifetime so it has to come naturally. so you want to weigh & measure food for a lifetime? Do you want to keep logging exercise and eating back the calories for a lifetime? How do you want to maintain your weight for a lifetime? You need these answers to find your way.
If you prefer to stay at "sedetary" and log each exercise event, MFP may be the way for you to go.
If you prefer to add your minimum exercise to your week and not log exercise, TDEE may be the way to go.
For what it's worth, I've tried both and find the TDEE method a more natural way to eat. It allows me to eat more on my hungry days and less when I'm not so hungry. I don't have to log my exercise for calories (I still log it to ensure that I am doing enough to warrant my TDEE level and because its fun to log), each day's calories is alike so I don't feel as if I'm overeating on some days (exercise days) and slightly peckish on others (non-exercise days). TDEE means that, as long as I keep aware of what I'm eating, I can eat each day as it unfolds (more when I'm hungry, not so much on other days). It's a more natural rhythm.
That said, it may not work for you. Only you can know that.
You've made it this far. Maintenance is tricky and your mind set will need to change away from "losing". Remember that maintenance weight is a range, not a number.0 -
What about the days I dont do anything but sit like a lazy *kitten*?
I dont always walk her every day for 30 minutes, theres some weeks that I literally do nothing.
Since TDEE doesnt have you eat back exercise calories, Im not so sure if its right for me.
I might just try upping my calories slowly.
TDEE factors in those down days-I don't do anything on Sundays, and that's already factored in You don't eat exercise calories back, because it's already factored in. That's why I love it-simple and effective. Also, you say you don't do anything some weeks-does your dog walk himself on those days? I don't think you're giving yourself enough credit, for the exercise you're doing 0 -
I think you might be spinning your wheels...i.e. doing cardio to be able to eat more, however, cardio makes you hungrier.
I also agree with the people above that under 1500 for maintenance does not sound right at all. I am 5'3" 110 pounds, older and have had kids and mine is 1900+. Yes I do lift weights and exercise 4-5 times a week but still. I think that's your BMR.
I don't think you are sedentary...I would at least change that to lightly active.0 -
When I hit maintenance, I bought a fitbit zip. It counts all my daily steps. If I make an effort to walk during the day, I earn a few hundred extra calories a day without going to the gym. It was worth the $39 I paid on ebay for that alone.
I would also look at good easy low cal breakfasts and lunches you enjoy so you make sure you can get snacks, dinners, and desserts you love. I do plain yoghurt, fruit, coffee, and granola for breakfast for 200 calories and a roast beef rollup with coffee for lunch. 500 calories total, so I have 900+ to play with for snacks, dinner, and dessert.
I happen to like both those meals, but you may find others that you like. Look for the calories you don't care about, drop those, and prioritize the ones that make you feel like you're living again.
Good luck.
something doesn't seem right. I am 5'10 and mfp gives me 1500 to lose a pound.
P.S. I am 5'10" and I only get 1450 to maintain. Which is why I really want those easy calories.0 -
P.S. I am 5'10" and I only get 1450 to maintain. Which is why I really want those easy calories.
That seems way too little.
???
I'm a little shorter than you (5'9"ish) and my maintenance is around 2,000 calories/day. And I am barely active.
I'm 55. Calorie allowances plunge with age. I weigh 150.
I don't know why MFP puts me at so little. I do know that when I was set to lose 1 pound a week and followed their recommendations, I did what I was told and lost - one pound a week (on average). When I hit maintenance I upped to 1/2 pound and have stayed stable since June. So I figure it must be right.
When I was younger I ate twice as much and never gained weight until I was in my 40's. If anything, I'm more active now. I hit 45 and was eating less and always eating well, and started gaining a pound or two a year. I hit 50 and it went to 5 pounds a year. Hence MFP.
I find it easy to stick to my calories and I log everything and weigh or measure most things. So I think this really is where I am in terms of calories. It's why a lot of women put on weight at mid-life.
It does surprise me other people are allowed so much more and irks me that my husband - who has 40 pounds to lose - gets over 1000 calories more than me. But that's life. He's a big guy.0 -
What about the days I dont do anything but sit like a lazy *kitten*?
I dont always walk her every day for 30 minutes, theres some weeks that I literally do nothing.
Even on days when you "literally do nothing" you are not actually sedentary. Almost no one should be using the sedentary setting, unless they are actually bedridden.
The physical activity factor that MFP uses for "sedentary" is 1.25, which is well below the activity level of a person such as yourself, who is young, able bodied, has a job (even if you are sitting at the job all day) and who walks a dog, even occasionally.
You should be using the "lightly active" setting at worst.0 -
What about the days I dont do anything but sit like a lazy *kitten*?
I dont always walk her every day for 30 minutes, theres some weeks that I literally do nothing.
Since TDEE doesnt have you eat back exercise calories, Im not so sure if its right for me.
I might just try upping my calories slowly.
TDEE factors in those down days-I don't do anything on Sundays, and that's already factored in You don't eat exercise calories back, because it's already factored in. That's why I love it-simple and effective. Also, you say you don't do anything some weeks-does your dog walk himself on those days? I don't think you're giving yourself enough credit, for the exercise you're doing
+1 - I double-checked her work and also got 2,017 for maintenance (factoring in the same 30 mins walking the dog each day + 1-3x of cardio a week).
If that's too scary, we could simply use the 1-3x a week of cardio in the formula (i.e., skip the dog) and we STILL get 1,789 a day for maintenance.
Sooooooooo..... my thought is, average out those two numbers for a total of 1,903 and HAVE AT IT, girlfriend!
Just keep up with walking the dog and your regular exercise (on more some weeks, off more others) and you'll be fine.
What do you think? 0 -
Keep upping your cals and see what happens. Maintenance is a range, and online calculators are often wrong. Besides, I'm 5'2, not overweight and 1400 is my BMR.
Exercising is good for your overall health and everything, but "earn your calories with cardio" is a slippery slope to madness, IMHO.0 -
What about the days I dont do anything but sit like a lazy *kitten*?
I dont always walk her every day for 30 minutes, theres some weeks that I literally do nothing.
Since TDEE doesnt have you eat back exercise calories, Im not so sure if its right for me.
I might just try upping my calories slowly.
TDEE factors in those down days-I don't do anything on Sundays, and that's already factored in You don't eat exercise calories back, because it's already factored in. That's why I love it-simple and effective. Also, you say you don't do anything some weeks-does your dog walk himself on those days? I don't think you're giving yourself enough credit, for the exercise you're doing
+1 - I double-checked her work and also got 2,017 for maintenance (factoring in the same 30 mins walking the dog each day + 1-3x of cardio a week).
If that's too scary, we could simply use the 1-3x a week of cardio in the formula (i.e., skip the dog) and we STILL get 1,789 a day for maintenance.
Sooooooooo..... my thought is, average out those two numbers for a total of 1,903 and HAVE AT IT, girlfriend!
Just keep up with walking the dog and your regular exercise (on more some weeks, off more others) and you'll be fine.
What do you think?
I think it sounds too good to be true!0 -
What about the days I dont do anything but sit like a lazy *kitten*?
I dont always walk her every day for 30 minutes, theres some weeks that I literally do nothing.
Since TDEE doesnt have you eat back exercise calories, Im not so sure if its right for me.
I might just try upping my calories slowly.
TDEE factors in those down days-I don't do anything on Sundays, and that's already factored in You don't eat exercise calories back, because it's already factored in. That's why I love it-simple and effective. Also, you say you don't do anything some weeks-does your dog walk himself on those days? I don't think you're giving yourself enough credit, for the exercise you're doing
+1 - I double-checked her work and also got 2,017 for maintenance (factoring in the same 30 mins walking the dog each day + 1-3x of cardio a week).
If that's too scary, we could simply use the 1-3x a week of cardio in the formula (i.e., skip the dog) and we STILL get 1,789 a day for maintenance.
Sooooooooo..... my thought is, average out those two numbers for a total of 1,903 and HAVE AT IT, girlfriend!
Just keep up with walking the dog and your regular exercise (on more some weeks, off more others) and you'll be fine.
What do you think?
I think it sounds too good to be true!
I had to get over the mental part too, when I started playing with the numbers. Start slow to get used to it, maybe do an extra 100 calories a day for a week, and then add another 100 the next week etc, until you get to there 0 -
I'm 5'2
And I was apprehensive about TDEE because my exercise is my always the same week by week.
So I just use sedentary and add them back.
This is the exact reason I use TDEE... Google Scooby's accurate calculator. If you know you're body fat % it's even more accurate. It gave me almost 600 more than MFP, and I'm doing just fine at 2400/day. (My BF is below 20%, though. Building lean body mass will allow you to eat more calories. Excessive cardio can have the opposite effect, as you can lose LBM along with fat.)0 -
This is my maintenance plan. Weigh yourself every day at same time ( naked or same weight clothes ). On days your below your goal weight, eat as much as you want. On days your above, calorie count and exercise, and stay below your 1450 number. It is sort of mini yo-yo dieting, but over time you'll figure out how much you can eat daily. I've been doing this for about 15 years. If I get lazy, I'll gain 5-10 lbs a year, but then use myfitness pal ( used to use sugar buster diet ) to get back to goal weight.0
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What do I do with my exercise calories.0
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What do I do with my exercise calories.
Re: too good to be true. LOL! I know!! I thought the exact same thing! I'd been told since I was TWELVE years old when I joined weight watchers for the first time, that 1,200 was the 'magic number' for losing weight. When I started my REAL weight loss journey in 2012 (66 lbs down and at goal now), I was floored to learn that I was supposed to eat 1,875 - to lose 1.25 lbs a week! I was like, "whaaaaat?!" And then....it worked!
Give it a try.
So here's what you do.
1.) Go into your MFP profile and manually adjust your calories to whatever you decide here to pick.
2.) Only eat that, as close as you can.
3.) Done.
For the exercise calories - do not eat them back. Feel free to record them in MFP for posterity, but pay NO attention to the calories it tells you that you're gonna get back. I wanted to see my exercise because it made me feel good about myself so I recorded it. But I'd do it at the very end of the day so that I didn't get confused nor tempted to eat back the cals. Then I'd hit "submit", and go to bed. Boom.
What do you think about *that*?0 -
I meant if I'm adding 100 calories a week, do I slowly wean down exercise logging or just get rid of it.
I'm still so nervous because I'm not losing at 1400-1446 calories I'm afraid of gaining at 17000 -
I'm 5'2
And I was apprehensive about TDEE because my exercise is my always the same week by week.
So I just use sedentary and add them back.
This is the exact reason I use TDEE... Google Scooby's accurate calculator. If you know you're body fat % it's even more accurate. It gave me almost 600 more than MFP, and I'm doing just fine at 2400/day. (My BF is below 20%, though. Building lean body mass will allow you to eat more calories. Excessive cardio can have the opposite effect, as you can lose LBM along with fat.)
I typod on that. I meant my exercise is NOT the same week to week0 -
Eat your exercise calories.
You want to be NETTING your maintenance (or deficit) calories. That means you eat what you eat, subtract exercise calories, and compare that number to your goal.0 -
I meant if I'm adding 100 calories a week, do I slowly wean down exercise logging or just get rid of it.
I'm still so nervous because I'm not losing at 1400-1446 calories I'm afraid of gaining at 1700
We know it takes approximately 3,500 calories over our true maintenance calorie allotment, to gain 1 actual pound. If you're adding a 100 calories a day, for a week and then adding another 100 calories in week two etc etc, when you're most likely UNDER your maintenance calories yet, it's pretty much impossible for you to gain actual poundage here The scale may fluctuate a bit at first, but that's normal. I actually lost a couple extra pounds as I transitioned into the higher calories, which is why I'm now below 120lbs and maintaining that-wasn't my goal weight, but yet here I am 
Transitioning into maintenance is all about experimenting and pushing the limits, to see how far you can actually go.0 -
Eat your exercise calories.
You want to be NETTING your maintenance (or deficit) calories. That means you eat what you eat, subtract exercise calories, and compare that number to your goal.
I thought if you use TDEE you don't though?
AHHHH.0 -
Eat your exercise calories.
You want to be NETTING your maintenance (or deficit) calories. That means you eat what you eat, subtract exercise calories, and compare that number to your goal.
I thought if you use TDEE you don't though?
AHHHH.
My bad. You're right.
This may also be why 'we' (the forums) get into silly discussions about what's too few or too many calories. I only worry about net, so say I 'eat' fewer calories than many other folks. But I eat a lot more than I net. That's why I love (and still recommend) the fitbit. No thought to it.0 -
I meant if I'm adding 100 calories a week, do I slowly wean down exercise logging or just get rid of it.
I'm still so nervous because I'm not losing at 1400-1446 calories I'm afraid of gaining at 1700
We know it takes approximately 3,500 calories over our true maintenance calorie allotment, to gain 1 actual pound. If you're adding a 100 calories a day, for a week and then adding another 100 calories in week two etc etc, when you're most likely UNDER your maintenance calories yet, it's pretty much impossible for you to gain actual poundage here The scale may fluctuate a bit at first, but that's normal. I actually lost a couple extra pounds as I transitioned into the higher calories, which is why I'm now below 120lbs and maintaining that-wasn't my goal weight, but yet here I am
Transitioning into maintenance is all about experimenting and pushing the limits, to see how far you can actually go.
How do I know what's a gain and what's a fluctuation?
I already am between 106-110lbs on any given day when I weigh myself every morning.0
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