Frustrated with Maintenance

I think the majority of us in maintenance have accepted that we're not maintaining one firm weight, but keeping our weight within a certain range. For me, it's a 4 pound range, and I adjust my calorie goal if I go above or beneath that weight range.

If you were constantly going up and down 15 pounds, that would be yo-yoing, but if you're fluctuating in a range of 5lbs or so, it's totally normal.

Did you eat 10,500 (3500 x 3) calories over maintenance? If not, then you did not gain 3lbs. You are still at a deficit at 1400-1500 calories.

You've been very lucky to have had really linear weight loss. It's ok. It will come off in a few days. Just drink lots of water.

I think the majority of us in maintenance have accepted that we're not maintaining one firm weight, but keeping our weight within a certain range. For me, it's a 4 pound range, and I adjust my calorie goal if I go above or beneath that weight range.

If you were constantly going up and down 15 pounds, that would be yo-yoing, but if you're fluctuating in a range of 5lbs or so, it's totally normal.

Yeah, when maintaining there will always be small fluctuations like this. Maybe you just didn't notice it when you were losing because the scale was always going down, and never stayed at one place. If your weight was dropping, then it's not possible your weight was always staying steady.

Why would weekly weighing be more consistent? That makes no sense, you won't have a clue if your weekly weigh in is on a high day or a low day (or even one of each!).

You need to think longer term rather than over-reacting to each number on your scale.
If you know what calories you ate to lose weight and how fast you lost that weight then you will be able to work out a very close estimate of what your eventual maintenance numbers will be.

Iv'e been in "maintenance mode" for nearly 10 years. I got fed up after Year 5 or so, stopped logging completely, and started gaining back about 5 lb a year for the next 5 years. (Had a lot of other stuff going on, but I hate excuses so I won't lean on them here!) So now I'm working on losing that regain, luckily it's falling off because we are now all pros at this, amiright? Trust me, it doesn't pile back on that quickly (assuming you don't completely abandon the program).

So that's the trick. Don't completely abandon the program. You can ease up, but you still have to be accountable. Weighing weekly is OK. I'd also recommend measuring yourself. A body fat impedance device will also help you track where your body fat is heading (up or down). If your exercise levels change (even week to week) that will alter your maintenance calorie level, so you will need to be honest with yourself about how active you are and tailor your diet accordingly, week to week. << I think this is a big gotcha for most maintainers. We know how to eat, but sometimes we aren't as active... but keep eating like we are.

I know that's not a "do this, don't do this, here's the magic number" type post, but it's the sanest advice I have for you. Good luck. You got this, so don't let minor fluctuations get you turned upside down.

It's possible your metabolism is low because you were eating low calories for a while. So, it may be a slow process of building your metabolism back up again. Maybe other people have advice about that. When you increase your calories, you will experience weight fluctuations and then settle in at the right weight for you. It's normal to have a few steps back and forwards until you settle in at the best weight for your body.

The three pounds could really just be from glycogen even though you only lost 14 overall. Basically when we go into a deficit, our body uses the available glycogen as fuel until it runs out. Then it turns to fat. This doesn't matter if someone ultimately loses 100 pounds or 10 pounds--of course with a caveat that there are exceptions to everything.

So maybe just keep being reasonable with the calories and see if things level out. (You've probably also seen posts about people losing a bit more than they need/want to so that when this glycogen bounce happens, they're still happy with their maintenance number. If a particular number is important to you--lower than you are now--you might to lose a bit more still.)

Exact-a-mundo. What BinaryPulsar said. Your metabolism has slowed down because your calories are low/in a deficit. You said in the beginning of your post that you increased your calories from 1,300 to 1,400 kcal, and then to 1,500. You're definitely on the right track with what your trying to do (adding calories back in slowly), but I think it would be better to increase your calories even slower. Start with your carbs... add in between 5-10 grams and gradually increase the same amount over a slow transition. The slower you go, the better it will be in the long run. However long you've been dieting, keep in mind it may take the same amount of time, if not longer to get your metabolism back up to speed. This part of the diet is where a lot of people make the mistake of stopping their diet cold-turkey and go back to their old eating habits while their metabolism is low. Like I mentioned before, you're doing the right thing and not making that mistake, maybe just adjust the amount you increase and take your time with it.

It's important not to be so fixed on the scale. Everybody posting is right in the sense that there are numerous contributing factors to weight fluctuation. Maybe you just weighed yourself on a day when were more hydrated? Etc... As long as you're continuing to be mindful of your eating habits and body composition, you're gonna do great. Remember to be kind to yourself. Seriously, it may sound corny but I discovered it was important after I made the mistake of being almost neurotic with my weight and progress. The more fun and relaxed you are with this transition, the more your body with thank you.

Much luck and keep up the great work!

Don't know if this will make you feel any better, but take a look at my profile. I have my weekly weigh ins recorded since I've been in maintenance. My weight initially shot up a few pounds, I just kept on keepin' on, and it finally settled down after the first 10 weeks and I've stayed under goal ever since. Since my weight has come back down, I've been eating ALL of my exercise calories and have even been considering upping my calorie goal (currently 1700) because I'm still losing.

When my weight was back above goal, it was REALLY hard mentally to stay the course. I wanted to immediately kick things back into weight loss mode, but I decided to stick it out and it worked out in my favor.