this feels like a lot of food...
foxruddellc1
Posts: 65 Member
I just switched from weight loss to maintenance. 1670 calories a day if I am sedimentary, and logging activity separately for lifting and walking and sports, which is anywhere from nothing to 500 more calories a day, but this feels like a lot of volume. I'm a little scarred of this, not gonna lie. Anyone else feel freaked out when they up their calories?
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Replies
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1670 does not feel like a lot of food to me. My maintenance is almost 2,000 calories/day and I would/could gladly eat more. :-)
Don't be surprised if you see a minor gain (few pounds) after upping your calories/eating back exercise calories. But don't freak out about it. Give yourself a nice range and let your body adjust.0 -
what's your fat intake like? It doesn't have to be a lot of volume...saute your veggies in olive oil...brown your rice in coconut oil and then steam it...eat full fat dressings, dairy, etc...eat nuts and nut butters. eat cheese and other dairy, etc. have some ice cream for desert or some nice dark chocolate or something.
basically more fat.
It is weird when you're at a deficit for so long to go to maintenance...I spent about 9 months or so eating around 2100 - 2200 calories per day to lose weight...my maintenance is around 2700 - 2800 and at the time it seemed like a lot...now I'm like WTF, only 2800 calories...I'm ecstatic on Saturdays because I have my long ride and I get to eat around 3000 - 3200 calories.
I would recommend upping your calorie incrementally...don't just go from massive deficit to some random maintenance number...up your calories slowly over the coming weeks. You will find that during this process your leptin levels will return to normal...this is the hormone that regulates hunger ques...while you are dieting leptin is suppressed so that you don't have so much hunger pangs...when you up intake, leptin increases and I can tell you, in a matter of days and in the coming weeks you will be starving.
Keep in mind that it is also par for the course to put on a few pounds due to your glycogen stores being replenished. When you diet, these are chronically depleted...it is basically fluid...your immediately available energy. Most people put on 3-5 Lbs of just fluid when they return to a maintenance calorie intake.
As far as maintenance goes, you will never weigh exactly XXX Lbs...you will have a range of acceptable fluctuation due to water retention/release, waste in the system, timing of food in/out, etc. I've been maintaining for about 10 months and I tend to fluctuate between about 182 - 185 but I've had lows around 178 and highs around 187...If I average it out over 10 months I weigh 183.0 -
Thanks! This is all helpful and great info. Hope my weight doesn't fluctuate that much... only lost like 10lbs...0
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If you lost your weight at about a pound a week then 500 cals more a day sounds about right.0
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Yep, I was totally freaked out. I took it slowly upping my calories gradually, but then I ended up losing too much weight. Anyway it all balanced out in the end and I totally enjoy eating up to 2000 calories of food a day!
Congrats on reaching maintenance.0 -
Yes I am a little. I went on maintenance this week and my net goal went from 1,400 to 2,000, but on exercise days I have to eat an extra 400. I didn't eat back all exercise during weight loss and am finding it difficult to eat 2,400 now. My first week weigh in is tomorrow and won't be surprised if I lost some instead of maintaining.
My plan is to have a free day each week on Sunday, so am thinking that will mitigate the calorie short fall on the other days. Fingers are crossed......0 -
Well so much for worrying about not eating enough calories. I finished my first week of maintenance eating under my calorie goal for the week and the scale says I still gained 2 lbs. I don't think it was a case of underestimating what I was eating either. I'm hoping its just a scale/weight anomoly day and not a real indicator that I gain weight at 1,900 calorie in take.0
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It takes a whole lot of trial & error to find the number of calories at which your weight stabilizes. And your weight will fluctuate day to day & throughout the day.
Choose a weight range (for example, 125–130 lb.). When your weight goes above that, reduce your calories. If you go below, increase your calories. Don't jump 500 calories all at once—try 100 calories each week.0 -
Still trial-and-erroring... I am doing 1350~2000 a day, depending whether I like the food. I work out 5 or 6 times a week and do long walks during my rest days.
I'm out on a biz trip for 2 weeks, which means no scale, no food scale, and restaurant/premade food 3 meals a day...
It's been a week. I am curious to see how I have been doing without being super obsessive and weighing every bite I put in my mouth.... And if I gained I would try my best not to beat myself up
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Well so much for worrying about not eating enough calories. I finished my first week of maintenance eating under my calorie goal for the week and the scale says I still gained 2 lbs. I don't think it was a case of underestimating what I was eating either. I'm hoping its just a scale/weight anomoly day and not a real indicator that I gain weight at 1,900 calorie in take.
its not fat ..more than likely water retention and glycogen replenishing itself…
You may gain another three points, but that will also by glycogen/water weight...0 -
Well so much for worrying about not eating enough calories. I finished my first week of maintenance eating under my calorie goal for the week and the scale says I still gained 2 lbs. I don't think it was a case of underestimating what I was eating either. I'm hoping its just a scale/weight anomoly day and not a real indicator that I gain weight at 1,900 calorie in take.
no worries - very unlikely it's a true gain. True gain = FAT gain. We all have water and glycogen stores and when they are " topped off" which is normal & happens when we up cals from a deficit - our weight can and will be about 2-5 lbs higher. I average 3 lbs fluctuation.
BTW: 190O cals for a man isn't much. Your TDEE is bound to be more than that. 'd check my data : ).
I'm 5'4 , age 50 and active. My TDEE averages 2200 . Ranges 2100-2800 depending on activity ( higher on lifting and day after lifting days ) my primary fitness is lifting 3x week and walking.0 -
Still trial-and-erroring... I am doing 1350~2000 a day, depending whether I like the food. I work out 5 or 6 times a week and do long walks during my rest days.
I'm out on a biz trip for 2 weeks, which means no scale, no food scale, and restaurant/premade food 3 meals a day...
It's been a week. I am curious to see how I have been doing without being super obsessive and weighing every bite I put in my mouth.... And if I gained I would try my best not to beat myself up
You could get this to help you while you're on your trip!! http://www.cooking.com/travel-size-electronic-food-scale-by-salter_205260_11/0 -
Instead of just tacking on 500 calories/day instantly, slowly eat 100 calories/day more per week to allow your body to adjust to the new caloric intake. This has been shown to be the best way to determine TDEE while still keeping fat gain at a minimum or having no gain at all.0
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I jumped from 1400 to 2100 when I switched and yeah it did feel like "a lot of food!", but was enjoying it, I no longer felt so deprived of food, it just our bodies had got so use to eating the little food you eat everyday, you find your own ways to fill it up, I've taken up eating peanuts at the end of the day to meet my goal, you find your own way too, but after a week or two it will no longer feel like a lot of food.0
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what's your fat intake like? It doesn't have to be a lot of volume...saute your veggies in olive oil...brown your rice in coconut oil and then steam it...eat full fat dressings, dairy, etc...eat nuts and nut butters. eat cheese and other dairy, etc. have some ice cream for desert or some nice dark chocolate or something.
basically more fat.
It is weird when you're at a deficit for so long to go to maintenance...I spent about 9 months or so eating around 2100 - 2200 calories per day to lose weight...my maintenance is around 2700 - 2800 and at the time it seemed like a lot...now I'm like WTF, only 2800 calories...I'm ecstatic on Saturdays because I have my long ride and I get to eat around 3000 - 3200 calories.
I would recommend upping your calorie incrementally...don't just go from massive deficit to some random maintenance number...up your calories slowly over the coming weeks. You will find that during this process your leptin levels will return to normal...this is the hormone that regulates hunger ques...while you are dieting leptin is suppressed so that you don't have so much hunger pangs...when you up intake, leptin increases and I can tell you, in a matter of days and in the coming weeks you will be starving.
Keep in mind that it is also par for the course to put on a few pounds due to your glycogen stores being replenished. When you diet, these are chronically depleted...it is basically fluid...your immediately available energy. Most people put on 3-5 Lbs of just fluid when they return to a maintenance calorie intake.
As far as maintenance goes, you will never weigh exactly XXX Lbs...you will have a range of acceptable fluctuation due to water retention/release, waste in the system, timing of food in/out, etc. I've been maintaining for about 10 months and I tend to fluctuate between about 182 - 185 but I've had lows around 178 and highs around 187...If I average it out over 10 months I weigh 183.
Best advice, true science, I've seen on these kinds of posts for a while. If I were you I'd friend this guy and get more support from him.
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I just had my calories dropped to that after passing the 10lb weight loss mark. I am freaking out a bit, but it doesn't sound like much to me and that's to lose. So that seems low to me. lolI just switched from weight loss to maintenance. 1670 calories a day if I am sedimentary, and logging activity separately for lifting and walking and sports, which is anywhere from nothing to 500 more calories a day, but this feels like a lot of volume. I'm a little scarred of this, not gonna lie. Anyone else feel freaked out when they up their calories?0 -
Lots of things are pretty calorie dense. Have some almonds.0
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It as a little weird to switch over to maintenance. Thing was, the weight kept dropping. Another 8 pounds before flattening out.
When I started running (and walking less) my weigh came back up a little and stabilized to where it has been sitting for more than a year.0 -
I just switched from weight loss to maintenance. 1670 calories a day if I am sedimentary, and logging activity separately for lifting and walking and sports, which is anywhere from nothing to 500 more calories a day, but this feels like a lot of volume. I'm a little scarred of this, not gonna lie. Anyone else feel freaked out when they up their calories?
I would consider over 3000 'a lot', but then I eat 1800-2000 to lose...0 -
It is weird when you're at a deficit for so long to go to maintenance...I spent about 9 months or so eating around 2100 - 2200 calories per day to lose weight...my maintenance is around 2700 - 2800 and at the time it seemed like a lot...now I'm like WTF, only 2800 calories...I'm ecstatic on Saturdays because I have my long ride and I get to eat around 3000 - 3200 calories.
This!
I am now going back to some of my old "low calorie" meals so I don't keep going over my calories every day!!0 -
Still trial-and-erroring... I am doing 1350~2000 a day, depending whether I like the food. I work out 5 or 6 times a week and do long walks during my rest days.
I'm out on a biz trip for 2 weeks, which means no scale, no food scale, and restaurant/premade food 3 meals a day...
It's been a week. I am curious to see how I have been doing without being super obsessive and weighing every bite I put in my mouth.... And if I gained I would try my best not to beat myself up
You could get this to help you while you're on your trip!! http://www.cooking.com/travel-size-electronic-food-scale-by-salter_205260_11/
lol if I pull out a food scale at a restaurant when eating with colleagues will that freak people out and make them not want to work with me the next day?0 -
If you only lost 10 lbs, your deficit should have been set to 0.5 lbs per week - or 250 calories below maintenance. It seems like you chose a much larger deficit, though.Thanks! This is all helpful and great info. Hope my weight doesn't fluctuate that much... only lost like 10lbs...0 -
You do recover the lost water weight you experienced back when you first reduced calories. I usually replenish about 4-6 lbs of water and glycogen within the first week.Well so much for worrying about not eating enough calories. I finished my first week of maintenance eating under my calorie goal for the week and the scale says I still gained 2 lbs. I don't think it was a case of underestimating what I was eating either. I'm hoping its just a scale/weight anomoly day and not a real indicator that I gain weight at 1,900 calorie in take.0 -
Thanks for this! Hadn't read it before and now I'm glad I did!0
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