How do you know if you've got it right?

kaylatee0
kaylatee0 Posts: 65 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Hi Everyone!

I’m curious to know what you guys feel is a reasonable amount to gain/fluctuate once in maintenance and lifting.

I’m 5’2, I went from 143 to 117 between August and January by eating at a deficit and doing 1-2 hrs of cardio per day, at 117 I went on a cruise and after coming back shedding the bloat was maintaining at about 123 lbs (assume glycogen + some fat because I ate my face off).

I incorporated lifting into my routine the week of Jan 26 (6 weeks ago) and have been trying to eat around maintenance

While I would like to lose more BF, I’m also training for a half marathon and decided that I want to eat to fuel my body to train for my race, and focus on reducing fat after the race.

I’m a little concerned because I feel like I’m struggling to find my maintenance calories and am worried I’m putting on fat (I don’t have a way to measure BF% at the moment). I’m bad with the mirror, I can trick myself into thinking my pants are tighter, looser etc..

Right now I’m eating around 1800-2300 calories per day, with a extra on my long run days (Sundays) running 10-15km leaves me just ravenous.

This is what I’ve clocked in at since I started lifting and maintaining:

Feb 7 123.0
Feb 13 123.0
Feb 20 122.6
Feb 27 125.2
March 11 124.2

I run 4x per week, lift 3x per week and attend 1-3 group exercise classes (BodyPUMP or BodyATTACK)

I’d like to hear how your weight fluctuates, and if you feel like I should reduce my intake? Although a pound or two is negligible, but seeing an upwards trend is disheartening, and curious to see what advice some of you expert maintainers have!!

Replies

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    an upward trend of 1lb in a month, so take off 50 cals a day if you're really bothered, and see where you are in another month.

    given the training you're doing, i wouldnt worry too much, it looks like normal fluctuations to me.
  • kaylatee0
    kaylatee0 Posts: 65 Member
    Haha.. I guess sometimes you just need to hear it from someone else to put it into perspective.. 1 pound in a month really isn't so much I suppose!

    It's difficult to not obsess! I worked so hard to land where I am, my fear of failure is causing me failure!
  • roosevelt
    roosevelt Posts: 10
    This is me as well almost exactly. I spent last summer at 117 pounds at 5'6" consistently. I spent all of the summer cycling and putting in long rides, so that helped a lot. I then changed my routine as the weather got colder and started more strength training (5 times per week for an hour) and also use my cycle trainer 4 days a week for an hour in an effort to be in great shape to start the cycling season. I also changed my macros/diet somewhat and now am staying between 120 and 123 pounds consistently. I've decided that it's better for me to just ditch the scale for the most part and go by measurements, body fat, and overall fitness instead. It definitely keeps things in better perspective for me. Guess it's working too, as I did my first ride of the season on Sunday and completed 35 miles with an elevation gain of 1500 feet!!
  • WestCoastJo82
    WestCoastJo82 Posts: 2,304 Member
    I have a 5 pound window that I'm comfortable in maintaining. I weigh everyday because I like data - and I can move about quite a bit within a week. For example, here's last week:
    M: 135.0
    T: 136.0
    W: 133.8
    Th: 132.4
    F: 133.0
    Sa: 133.9
    Su: 132.4

    I wouldn't sweat it...
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    You do have a way to measure body fat: a tape measure.

    Don't fret. You will be able to tell muscle from fat.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    You might want to weigh a bit more often to help find your range. IMO, it's pretty hard to tell if you've actually gained 2 Lbs in a month with such limited data. It's pretty minimal and could very easily fall into water and/or waste in your system.

    I've been maintaining for around 10 months now and I pretty much range from 180ish to 185ish day to day with my 10 month average being 183ish.

    I'd also recommend regular measurements and/or use of calipers rather than just the scale.
  • eimaj5575
    eimaj5575 Posts: 278 Member
    Hi Everyone!

    I’m curious to know what you guys feel is a reasonable amount to gain/fluctuate once in maintenance and lifting.

    I’m 5’2, I went from 143 to 117 between August and January by eating at a deficit and doing 1-2 hrs of cardio per day, at 117 I went on a cruise and after coming back shedding the bloat was maintaining at about 123 lbs (assume glycogen + some fat because I ate my face off).

    I incorporated lifting into my routine the week of Jan 26 (6 weeks ago) and have been trying to eat around maintenance

    While I would like to lose more BF, I’m also training for a half marathon and decided that I want to eat to fuel my body to train for my race, and focus on reducing fat after the race.

    I’m a little concerned because I feel like I’m struggling to find my maintenance calories and am worried I’m putting on fat (I don’t have a way to measure BF% at the moment). I’m bad with the mirror, I can trick myself into thinking my pants are tighter, looser etc..

    Right now I’m eating around 1800-2300 calories per day, with a extra on my long run days (Sundays) running 10-15km leaves me just ravenous.

    This is what I’ve clocked in at since I started lifting and maintaining:

    Feb 7 123.0
    Feb 13 123.0
    Feb 20 122.6
    Feb 27 125.2
    March 11 124.2

    I run 4x per week, lift 3x per week and attend 1-3 group exercise classes (BodyPUMP or BodyATTACK)

    I’d like to hear how your weight fluctuates, and if you feel like I should reduce my intake? Although a pound or two is negligible, but seeing an upwards trend is disheartening, and curious to see what advice some of you expert maintainers have!!



    Hey Im 5'3 I started at 170.2 and dropped to 117. I am a runner and I maintained between 117-119 for months. I dont know how I did it bc I didnt log anything I ate. But now my weight is fluctuating between 121-125. I uped my workouts the past 2 weeks trying to get it back down. I feel good while I am working out but I feel fat just sitting around and I can def tell a difference in my tummy its not as tight as it used to be. Im trying to figure out how the fluctuate between 117-119 again but not sure how I did it to start with. Its alittle frustrating. But still happy with my results.
  • xmichaelyx
    xmichaelyx Posts: 883 Member
    I have a 5 pound window that I'm comfortable in maintaining ...

    Having a goal window is a good way to go about it. Fluctuations happen for lots of reasons, and should be expected.

    Once I get to my goal weight (175 lbs.) I'll expect my weight to remain anywhere between 170 and 180. If I hit 185, I'll know it's time to back off on my eating (or reevaluate my goal).

    Also, the mirror lies -- take pictures to really see what you look like.
  • kaylatee0
    kaylatee0 Posts: 65 Member
    I have a 5 pound window that I'm comfortable in maintaining. I weigh everyday because I like data - and I can move about quite a bit within a week. For example, here's last week:
    M: 135.0
    T: 136.0
    W: 133.8
    Th: 132.4
    F: 133.0
    Sa: 133.9
    Su: 132.4

    I wouldn't sweat it...

    This was very reassuring, makes me think I should weigh more often to get a better understanding of where I'm at.

    Thank you for all of the suggestions, keep em coming :)

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