Maintenance calories not enough

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Beckilovespizza
Beckilovespizza Posts: 334 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Hi Everyone,

I am hoping for some help, i managed to lose the weight i desired and went on holiday to Italy with an attitude that i will relax about food and eat/drink what i want. When i came home i had put a good few pounds on (to be expected) but i just couldn't find the mindset to eat in moderation again, i have become really greedy and the gain is all my fault. After a couple of months i have gained nearly all my weight back. The thing is, i am happy to eat healthily and workout again but due to being so short my maintenance calories just are not enough to satisfy me. My height is 154cm, previous goal weight was 100lbs, (range 100 - 105) age: 32 and at this size and weight my TDEE was 1314 (at sedentary as my workouts were too sporadic to count but i would eat exercise cals back) my BMR was 1091. The thought of the TDEE figure being my daily allowance for the rest of my days is horrid and has lead me to overeating every day.

Today i am getting back on it (as my new clothes are too tight now) and need advice... I have some time to go before hitting my goal weight again but as i lose weight again this time round i want to know if there is anything i can do differently to be able to have a better maintenance calorie range? It will give me a bit of hope and hopefully maintenance will be easier the next time round. I am so envious of those who get to eat so much more when they hit the magic goal weight. For me it almost feels like a punishment, not reward.

Ps. i know 100lbs seems low but being such a short-*kitten* much more makes me look heavy, at goal i was a UK size 8 so it wasn't too slim.

Thank you in advance, sorry my post was a bit rambling!!
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Replies

  • DR2501
    DR2501 Posts: 661 Member
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    If you follow MFP's advice then you can eat back your exercise calories also, so you don't have to eat just your 1300+ cals?
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
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    To increase your maintenance calories there are 3 main options I can think of:

    1. Do more exercise (and therefore have exercise calories to eat back).

    2. Gain weight - a higher body weight will give you a higher calorie goal.

    3. Gain more muscle - muscle is metabolically active and burns more calories at rest.
  • IHateThinkingOfAUsername
    IHateThinkingOfAUsername Posts: 568 Member
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    What is your day job? Because TDEE's activity ratings aren't just formal exercise, it also includes your day to day activity (think it's abbreviation is NEAT.) For example are you an office worker sat at a desk all day, then yes sedentary is probably right, or are you a nurse, running around and on your feet for most of the day, well that's hardly a sedentary lifestyle.
  • moautry
    moautry Posts: 12 Member
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    I recently saw a depressing Ted Talk about how after we lose weight, our brain's "thermostat" is reset, and it reacts to being in a famine situation. Basically it makes us put the weight back on by making us feel hungrier, and decreases our metabolism so that we don't need as many calories (ever again), all in attempt to survive the next famine. It really bummed me out. I just started the Atkins diet, and it promises not to do that, since it's not a calorie restrictive diet. I hope that is true, because I keep gaining my weight back too, and it gets harder every time to lose it.

    I don't know it that's any help, except as a reality check.
  • Beckilovespizza
    Beckilovespizza Posts: 334 Member
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    What is your day job? Because TDEE's activity ratings aren't just formal exercise, it also includes your day to day activity (think it's abbreviation is NEAT.) For example are you an office worker sat at a desk all day, then yes sedentary is probably right, or are you a nurse, running around and on your feet for most of the day, well that's hardly a sedentary lifestyle.

    Thank you for your reply, i am a care home manager but very office based so i chose sedentary. Any additional exercise i will add such as walking, riding my bike or working out at the gym. I literally do this so i can add calories to eat. In my weight loss plight i eat 1200 cals and if i workout will eat them back but if i don't have time to exercise will just stick to 1200. I can handle this for weight loss but my gripe is when i was at maintenance i found the 1314 just didn't cut the mustard and therefore i would eat, go over and then think sod it, i'm over may as well eat what i want, the vicious cycle then begins...
  • Kathyenfrance
    Kathyenfrance Posts: 21 Member
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    Only the Scooby workshop calculator your TDEE is 1462, a bit better. Why not lose the weight, then add 50 or 100 cals a day until you maintain. Everybody's different
  • TrenAbe
    TrenAbe Posts: 26
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    I would lose the weight again and then do a careful reverse diet until I'm at a comfortable maintenance level
  • 47Jacqueline
    47Jacqueline Posts: 6,993 Member
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    A 1350 maintenance level seems awfully low, even with a sedentary lifestyle. Are you sure you entered it correctly when you switched to maintenance? Ideally, also, you should be doing some sort of exercise every day, even walking, for optimal health. That will add to your daily allowance.

    I started tracking my steps and found I fit into the active range rather than sedentary. maybe you are lightly active. You should find out. I use an app on my phone that doesn't register on MFP, just to count the steps and note how many miles I go. The phone is in my purse. It gives me a rough estimate and also reminds me to be a bit more active during the day. It's sort of fun to compete with myself every day.
  • battybecks
    battybecks Posts: 147 Member
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    I'd say reverse diet too. Lose the weight, then add 50 to 100 calories per week, until you're at something you can cope with. Or maybe even slower. Just work your way up, watch the scale, and watch your body. It may be that your metabolism is shot, and this does really help get those numbers up :)
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    You have one of two choices:
    1. Settle for a higher weight
    2. Try to exercise every day

    The exercise doesn't have to be continuous. Due to my back issues I'm in pain when I go long so I break down my 60 minutes of incline walking (burns as many calories as jogging) into four 15 minute chunks (right when I wake up and before every main meal)

    Even at 100 lb, an hour of walking at slow speed (3.2 km/h or 2 mph) and 15% incline will give you about 270 extra calories putting you at near 1600 maintenance. Now if you are able to speed up to 3 mph you would be able to eat at 1700.
  • Beckilovespizza
    Beckilovespizza Posts: 334 Member
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    Thanks for your support and suggestions guys, i will defo try the reverse cal thing and see where that lands me. Also walking more for sure, maybe i'll get a pedometer or something. I appreciate the responses, cant settle for a higher weight though as my clothes dont fit well any more lol.
  • Beckilovespizza
    Beckilovespizza Posts: 334 Member
    Options
    To increase your maintenance calories there are 3 main options I can think of:

    1. Do more exercise (and therefore have exercise calories to eat back).

    2. Gain weight - a higher body weight will give you a higher calorie goal.

    3. Gain more muscle - muscle is metabolically active and burns more calories at rest.

    Thank you very much. I like option 3, I have asked my PT to help me out with a lifting regime.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    Options
    To increase your maintenance calories there are 3 main options I can think of:

    1. Do more exercise (and therefore have exercise calories to eat back).

    2. Gain weight - a higher body weight will give you a higher calorie goal.

    3. Gain more muscle - muscle is metabolically active and burns more calories at rest.

    Thank you very much. I like option 3, I have asked my PT to help me out with a lifting regime.

    Just a note so you don't get disappointed later, while strength training WILL make you look better at a higher weight and you will be very pleased with the way you look, putting on muscle is not easy. You would need a very long time to put on 10 pounds which would only increase your maintenance calories by 80 or so calories. Plus side though, if you will be doing bulking cycles you will get to eat above your maintenance by 300 or so calories for some time before going into weight loss mode again.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
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    I recently saw a depressing Ted Talk about how after we lose weight, our brain's "thermostat" is reset, and it reacts to being in a famine situation. Basically it makes us put the weight back on by making us feel hungrier, and decreases our metabolism so that we don't need as many calories (ever again), all in attempt to survive the next famine. It really bummed me out. I just started the Atkins diet, and it promises not to do that, since it's not a calorie restrictive diet. I hope that is true, because I keep gaining my weight back too, and it gets harder every time to lose it.

    I don't know it that's any help, except as a reality check.
    I hate to break some bad news to you, but Atkins is a calorie restricted diet because restricting calories is the only way to lose weight. :smile: They just tell people this as a selling point.

    It's true that our calories lessen as we get smaller, but the weight can stay off if we practice moderation and learn how to eat within our maintenance calories. Moderation is the key to everything.

    Your brain reacting to being in a famine situation sounds a bit like they Ted Talk is trying to promote starvation mode, which is a myth to the common dieter.
  • paulandrachelk
    paulandrachelk Posts: 280 Member
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    Same issue-diet calories was 1200 but maintenance is 1353. Sedentary lifestyle but have gotten in routine of exercising or doing something active almost every day and that helps a lot. Summertime I do more yard work so use that in activity (exercise) calculations and leave lifestyle sedentary. Winter will get tough-probably have to clean house.
  • aedreana
    aedreana Posts: 979 Member
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    I will be @ goal soon (I have not weighed myself during this diet, so my ticker does not reflect my progress!) and it will be difficult for me to determine what my maintenance calories should be. I have tried 1680 twice (standard 15 calories per pound per day formula) but I lost several pounds each time I tried to maintain on 1680. All I know is this: I personally would choose to be hungry every day, all day, for the rest of my life, rather than resort to EXERCISE!
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
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    I will be @ goal soon (I have not weighed myself during this diet, so my ticker does not reflect my progress!) and it will be difficult for me to determine what my maintenance calories should be. I have tried 1680 twice (standard 15 calories per pound per day formula) but I lost several pounds each time I tried to maintain on 1680. All I know is this: I personally would choose to be hungry every day, all day, for the rest of my life, rather than resort to EXERCISE!
    Oh no! I LOVE exercise! :bigsmile:
  • astartig
    astartig Posts: 549 Member
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    I will be @ goal soon (I have not weighed myself during this diet, so my ticker does not reflect my progress!) and it will be difficult for me to determine what my maintenance calories should be. I have tried 1680 twice (standard 15 calories per pound per day formula) but I lost several pounds each time I tried to maintain on 1680. All I know is this: I personally would choose to be hungry every day, all day, for the rest of my life, rather than resort to EXERCISE!
    Oh no! I LOVE exercise! :bigsmile:

    It's a matter of finding the exercise you can do regularly and enjoy. little things do add up and make a difference. take the stairs instead of the elevator that sort of thing. park at the back of hte parking lot where ever you go instead of hovering for one of the upclose spots.
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
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    ...All I know is this: I personally would choose to be hungry every day, all day, for the rest of my life, rather than resort to EXERCISE!

    :noway:
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    Options
    I will be @ goal soon (I have not weighed myself during this diet, so my ticker does not reflect my progress!) and it will be difficult for me to determine what my maintenance calories should be. I have tried 1680 twice (standard 15 calories per pound per day formula) but I lost several pounds each time I tried to maintain on 1680. All I know is this: I personally would choose to be hungry every day, all day, for the rest of my life, rather than resort to EXERCISE!
    Oh no! I LOVE exercise! :bigsmile:

    It's a matter of finding the exercise you can do regularly and enjoy. little things do add up and make a difference. take the stairs instead of the elevator that sort of thing. park at the back of hte parking lot where ever you go instead of hovering for one of the upclose spots.
    But taking the stairs or parking further away is not the same as exercise for me (notice I said "for me" :smile:). When i say exercise for me, I mean heavy weight lifting three times a week, running two to three times a week, and filling in with spinning, elliptical, or other machines the other days of the week. It's important for me to seriously move every singe day because it helps me not ache and it gives me an extra boost. Even if I learned I was not allowed to eat those calories back I'd still exercise because it benefits me that much.

    That said, everybody is different.

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