If I eat 100 cals under maintenance...

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angelicprettyy
angelicprettyy Posts: 143
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
So say if my maintenance is 1600 on average (I used several calculators and they were all in the 1600 range) and I eat 1500, would I lose weight.. albeit extremely slowly? Or would I sort of maintain? I'm a little afraid of maintenance, I'll admit.

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  • jhellwig828
    jhellwig828 Posts: 109 Member
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    I eat below where I am supposed to maintain. But for me it's more because I don't weigh my food and it gives me a margin of error. And I don't do it every day. I usually try to leave about 300 at the end of the week. And yes I have continued to lose but nothing drastic. I think I'm down 1 pound from where I started maintaining a month or so ago. Don't be afraid of it. Once you get it all figured out you'll be fine. Good luck!
  • DeeDeeMee
    DeeDeeMee Posts: 133 Member
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    It's probably a balance thing. If you were constantly eating less than you need then yes, you'd continue to lose but like jhellwig says it does give you a margin of error or the leeway to have an extra drink or something when you're out with friends without worrying about the cals.

    I'm afraid of having to go on maintenance too.
  • angelicprettyy
    angelicprettyy Posts: 143
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    Thing is, I don't want to go to maintenance, but I think I'm getting too thin now.
  • DeeDeeMee
    DeeDeeMee Posts: 133 Member
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    I'm afraid you're gonna have to hun. If you get too thin your body will start to eat your muscles, and that includes your heart. Not good.
  • Michal833
    Michal833 Posts: 90 Member
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    I was also scared of maintenance but now I'm liking it. When I got down to 125 I said that's it. Now it's really time for maintenance. Three months later I was down another 3 lbs and now I am fluctuating between 122 & 125. I have my cals set too low but I don't worry if I go over. I can indulge on the weekends or other special occasions as long as I watch the scale. Good Luck.
  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
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    Maintenance is never an exact number, and your TDEE is going to fluctuate from day to day. So you'll probably just maintain.
  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
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    Be careful as it is not a good thing if you feel you are getting too thin, but want to continue losing.
  • rm33064
    rm33064 Posts: 270 Member
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    Well if your numbers were 100% accurate you would lose 1 pound every 35 days and about 11 pounds over the course of 1 year.
  • missjuliaamyemms
    missjuliaamyemms Posts: 54 Member
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    As long as your eating healthy foods, not over eating ridiculous amounts and still continuing your exercise routine (even step it up a notch the healthier you get) you should be fine, if your being healthy and not starving yourself you wont get ridiculously underweight.

    also if your workout is a lot of cardio try adding weights in, it stills burns calories but also builds muscle which will prevent you looking skinny skinny and it will naturally burn more so you will be able to eat abit more (healthy ofcourse)
  • Springfield1970
    Springfield1970 Posts: 1,945 Member
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    Hi

    I think you look lovely the way you are now, but you're bordering on a little thin and maybe a bit anaemic.

    Perhaps you should try maintenance just for your health. You often go 1100 or 1200 per day, which can't feel great.

    You will maybe add a couple of pounds of glycogen water and food in your belly, but you'll have to face it one day.

    Restricting all the time changes your brain and makes one a very unhappy puppy. You're young, live a little!
  • luca15306
    luca15306 Posts: 108 Member
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    I'm worried about maintenance too, I think it will be harder than losing! That seems easy/normal now!
    I don't want to get thinner tho, hate getting rid of my clothes when they are too big its annoying!
    Maintenance is soon for me, plan to just gradually increase my calories by a few a day, weigh every other day and hope to stay the same overall.
  • kdeaux1959
    kdeaux1959 Posts: 2,675 Member
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    If you were very accurate in your calculations and your body actually burned at an average metabolism, yes, you would lose about a pound every 35 weeks. However, if you missed the mark, you may lose at a faster rate OR maintain or even gain depending on the inaccuracy level. In actuality, 100 calories below maintenance may not be a bad place to start and if you find you are still losing weight (albeit slowly), you can tweak it up again just a little bit to get to maintenance.

    Now, for the real issue. You have succeeded because you set a goal and worked to achieve it. Why not set another goal.. Maybe run faster, run further, lift heavier... Find new fitness goals so that you never quite get to exactly where you want to be... You always have something to work on... In doing that, you create a continuous quest for perfection.

    Best wishes on continuing your journey.
  • kdeaux1959
    kdeaux1959 Posts: 2,675 Member
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    If you were very accurate in your calculations and your body actually burned at an average metabolism, yes, you would lose about a pound every 35 days. However, if you missed the mark, you may lose at a faster rate OR maintain or even gain depending on the inaccuracy level. In actuality, 100 calories below maintenance may not be a bad place to start and if you find you are still losing weight (albeit slowly), you can tweak it up again just a little bit to get to maintenance.

    Now, for the real issue. You have succeeded because you set a goal and worked to achieve it. Why not set another goal.. Maybe run faster, run further, lift heavier... Find new fitness goals so that you never quite get to exactly where you want to be... You always have something to work on... In doing that, you create a continuous quest for perfection.

    Best wishes on continuing your journey.
  • kempt_ken
    kempt_ken Posts: 96 Member
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    If your worried just increase your calories slowly. increase from wight loss by 50 -100 calories at time then wait 2-3 weeks to see if your gaining, loosing or stable and adjust again if required.

    Since everyone is different it my take a bit of trial and error to find your own personal sweet spot.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
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    Fortunately, it takes a long time to gain weight and you already know how to lose it. Try upping your calories to maintain and see how it goes. If you're worried, go up half way. Stay there for a month and adjust.

    If you're eating at a 250 calorie deficit and are already at a good weight, you won't gain or lose very much in 30 days.

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