How much leeway do you give yourself?

Options
ProudAirforceWife
ProudAirforceWife Posts: 38 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Hi everyone. I have 2 lbs to go and I will have reached my goal and then I will start into the maintenance phase, which I am actually scared about but I know I can do it and this forum is great for advice and tips. I am 5'5" and will be 125 lbs when I reach my goal. My question to everyone is how many pounds leeway do you give yourself before eating at a deficit again. I do weigh everyday and record weekly and I don't let fluctuations get me down as I know the scale is not everything and our bodies are not still :) Thank you in advance for your responses. Cheers!
«1

Replies

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Options
    It depends how much you fluctuate normally, but a range of around 5-7lbs is acceptable. 122 - 129 would be reasonable?
  • Linnaea27
    Linnaea27 Posts: 639 Member
    Options
    I'm going to preface this by saying that I'm 5'1" and so every pound gained or lost is unfortunately really noticeable on my short, small-boned frame. Because you are taller than me, your range will be larger (as TavistockToad said, 5ish lbs is a good range). My personal range is about 3 pounds. In my first few weeks of trying to maintain I dropped to what I discovered is the lowest weight I can be at healthily, 102-- thus I discovered that my range is 3 lbs since the tummy pudge comes back noticeably at over 105. If I were to be over 105 consistently for 2 or more weeks, I would go back to eating at a small deficit again.

    I think there are 2 very important things to remember for maintaining: #1 is to keep accurate exercise, food, and weight records for at least the first few months, so you can find your true maintenance number (MFP's estimate is a little low for me, for example); I find it very helpful to be able to look at the record of net calories and weight gained or lost in the last 2 weeks or so as that's the only way to find the calories that will allow you to maintain well long-term. #2 is to not stress out over small gains or losses. I have a lot of trouble with this, but I am working on it!
  • Chrisparadise579
    Chrisparadise579 Posts: 411 Member
    Options
    I kept my range 3 pound over or under for example i maintained at 160 so I gave myself 157-163 any more than that and it is most likely fat not water weight.
  • Lorichr
    Lorichr Posts: 54
    Options
    I have been in maintaining my goal weight of 125 for several years now. Sometimes I drop to 123, sometimes (more often) I got up to 127 or 128. Once I got up to 130 and when back into strict weight loss mode until I was back down to 125.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    Options
    I think having a weight 'range' instead of goal is a really healthy idea. My range when I was losing was 150-155, and I celebrated when I got to 155 and went to maintenance when I hit 150.

    After a year of experience, I would now say my range is 150-153 - that's where I've been for all but maybe 8 days last year.
  • rosnz
    rosnz Posts: 91 Member
    Options
    I go for 2 kg (4.4lbs) range. It seems for my body to be a good indicator - any less and natural day fluctuations effect it. I hop on scales daily, same time, same (lack of ) clothes. If I find I'm over I'm just a bit more vigilant with my portion sizes. Works for me
  • msbunnie68
    msbunnie68 Posts: 1,894 Member
    Options
    I also try to keep a 2kg range (53kg -55kg).

    If I hit the 55kg mark then I log and eat just under maintenance and I find I drift down again quite easily. If I go under 53kg I log and eat just over maintenance and I usually get myself back up there after a few weeks.

    Maintenance has become a lot easier since I took a more relaxed attitude to it.
  • aedreana
    aedreana Posts: 979 Member
    Options
    None. My ideal weight was higher when I was young and had an hourglass shape. I used to have a two-pound range. Now, it is narrowed down to just the one pound.
  • Supertact
    Supertact Posts: 466 Member
    Options
    I have been in maintaining my goal weight of 125 for several years now. Sometimes I drop to 123, sometimes (more often) I got up to 127 or 128. Once I got up to 130 and when back into strict weight loss mode until I was back down to 125.

    Do something like this, give yourself 5 or so lbs + or - and adjust accordingly when your weight changes
  • bravid98
    bravid98 Posts: 80 Member
    Options
    My range is between 170 and 175. Normally I'm right in the middle of it and don't fluctuate all that much unless I've loaded up on sodium because of a dinner date, etc.
  • amblight
    amblight Posts: 350 Member
    Options
    I'm far from my goal still (my ticker is set for when I hit 33% of body weight lost, I'm aiming to lose 50%), but when I reach it, I plan to use weightgrapher.com to watch my maintance. I use it now to track my progress too, and it calculates 'trending weight' based on x amount of days (I've set mine to 7, it's default is 10), aka. what your weight is without the fluctuations. At maintance, I'll keep an eye on that one, if the trending weight goes up, I'll cut back a bit on my eating.

    That way, it's not like I'll "have" to go dieting everytime I have a salty meal, lol :b
  • anastasiadietitian
    anastasiadietitian Posts: 19 Member
    Options
    A good rule of thumb is to stay within + or - 10% of your ideal body weight. There are normal fluctuations but its definitely important to stop yourself from derailing all your hard work.
  • Birder155
    Birder155 Posts: 223 Member
    Options
    A good rule of thumb is to stay within + or - 10% of your ideal body weight. There are normal fluctuations but its definitely important to stop yourself from derailing all your hard work.

    My ideal body weight is 150ish pounds. If I gave myself a 10% window, that'd be 15 lbs. For me, that would be much too large of a range and I'd have to have 2 sets of sizes in clothes.
  • amblight
    amblight Posts: 350 Member
    Options
    A good rule of thumb is to stay within + or - 10% of your ideal body weight. There are normal fluctuations but its definitely important to stop yourself from derailing all your hard work.

    My ideal body weight is 150ish pounds. If I gave myself a 10% window, that'd be 15 lbs. For me, that would be much too large of a range and I'd have to have 2 sets of sizes in clothes.

    Yeah, I'm thinking maybe she meant 1% - so that would be a 3lbs wide window for 150lbs
  • aarar
    aarar Posts: 684 Member
    Options
    For me, this is where weighing myself daily has been useful. I've seen how my weight fluctuates when I'm doing everything 'right' and therefore don't panic and automatically start eating at a deficit again when it's higher. My average is between 140-143lbs but sometimes can get up to 145. Anything over 145 usually means I have to be a little more careful with what I'm eating. About 2 weeks ago I weighed in at 147 out of no where and within 48 hours (of doing nothing differently) was back down to 142. Now if it stayed at 147 for a few days or longer then I'd start eating at a small deficit again to get it back down
  • dawnmcneil10
    dawnmcneil10 Posts: 638 Member
    Options
    Personally I have a 3 pound range which seems to work quite well, I also keep a clothing size range, I hate having multiple sizes in the closet for skinny or fat days so I found where I was most comfortable and use those items as an indicator.
  • martinel2099
    martinel2099 Posts: 899 Member
    Options
    great advice from everyone and congrats on almost reaching your goal. Enjoy the extra calories you'll receive when eating at maintenance and just remember to be reasonable and keep tracking everything you eat. If you notice your weight is starting to slowly rise go back into a deficit to adjust.

    Biggest mistake people tend to make is to go back to eating whatever they want without tracking which is how we got obese in the first place. I plan to calorie count for life.

    Congrats again.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    Options
    A good rule of thumb is to stay within + or - 10% of your ideal body weight. There are normal fluctuations but its definitely important to stop yourself from derailing all your hard work.

    I actually don't think that's a good idea. My ideal weight is 152 pounds (according to the NIH), which would mean I could go up to 167 without worrying. Well, in truth, I was at my ideal weight when I graduated from college and gained that 15% - for 25 years. It was after menopause that my metabolism changed and I shot up other 10% that I started here. That was dumb.

    I should have started watching my food intake at 2-3% - for me that would be 3-5 pounds. That's a natural variation from day-to-day, but it's not a weight gain. You start going more than that and, unless it's muscle (and you'd know if it was), that's fat. If you're at your ideal weight, I think it's worth staying there.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    Options
    I guess it's -1 and +3lbs but I'm very accepting of fluctuations.

    Probably a bit unusual but going under worries me more than going over. I lost my weight in a series of steps after I hit my initial goal for the same reason. I'd happily be 10lbs heavier if it was all extra muscle!

    My +3 is pretty relaxed too, If I know I've gained temporary weight for a particular reason then I know it will adjust without having to do anything special. I eat in a fairly uneven pattern anyway which make my fluctuations more extreme (partly as I eat in a IF style, partly because I want to enjoy social events involving food, partly because I have occasional very high calorie burns).
  • sheltrk
    sheltrk Posts: 111 Member
    Options
    I've been essentially in maintenance mode at ~147 lbs for about a year now. (With a a few ups and downs for holidays and vacations...) I weigh myself every day, and my observed maintenance range is about 9 lbs: 143 - 152 lbs. This is consistent with my expected glycogen + water storage capacity, so I'm pretty happy about this range.

    Edited:
    I should note I've been experimenting with weekly calorie goals over the last few months. (Eating less on weekdays and more on weekends...) This certainly causes larger daily fluctuations than if you're just trying to hit the same calorie goal every day of the week.

Categories