Reached target weight, when should I go into maintenance?

blastbeat78
blastbeat78 Posts: 31 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I reached my target weight about a month ago but wondered how long I should wait before going into maintenance. I’ve been eating 1,500 calories a day and to maintain I should eat between 1,700 and 1,800. I guess like everyone I’m nervous to be eating more in case I put on weight. I was thinking of a gradual increase but wondered how everyone else approached the transition? It’s a totally different mid set!!

Replies

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    erm, now?
  • Happymelz
    Happymelz Posts: 536 Member
    In for the replies, because I'm almost there and I want to know too.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Why would you wait if you are at goal weight?
    If you increase weekly by 100/day you may well dip slightly under goal anyway while you are finding your true maintenance level.

    Remember to allow yourself a range of weight for maintenance and don't try to stick at a single fixed number, that way lies madness!
  • Beezil
    Beezil Posts: 1,677 Member
    From my own experience, when I reached goal weight, I gradually increased my calories every 2 weeks by 200 until I got up to 2000 calories and decided I shouldn't eat more than that. I was originally eating 1200 calories when losing. It worked really well for me for over 2 years until I left MFP and stopped working out for a very long time, gained 15lbs back. I was also eating my exercise calories back most of the time.
  • jrline
    jrline Posts: 2,353 Member
    Just keep tracking but don't have to be as worried about the calories. Just keep doing atleast a couple days a week of cardio and you should be fine.

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  • dopeysmelly
    dopeysmelly Posts: 1,390 Member
    I've started adding in 100 calories every month or so. My TOM kinda messes everything up, so I can't really see what's happening in just a couple of weeks. I'm about 8-10 lbs from my weight loss milestone.
  • ValGogo
    ValGogo Posts: 2,168 Member
    Aren't you already in maintenance? I don't understand.
  • bvifun
    bvifun Posts: 237 Member
    I started maintenance yesterday. Once I reached my goal, I choose to lose 3 more pounds slowly to create my "goal range". Then I recalculated my calories and will see how I am doing. I expect I will need to adjust up or down until I find the right numbers for me. I also intend to continue logging my food for at least one year although I expect I will need to do it, at least periodically, for the rest of my life.
  • thefiley
    thefiley Posts: 14
    Hi there,

    I think your best shot is to slowly increase your calories week by week, depending on how long you've been dieting instead of jumping to maintenance immediatly. Maybe try 1550/day next week, 1600/day the week after that and so on, until you hit 1700-1800 (if that's your maintenance).

    As far as I understand, the longer you diet, the more your body "adapts" to functioning with less food - and the more it prepares you to put weight back on as soon as more food is available again. That's the reason why people on extremely restrictive diets experience that "bounce" back to their original weight (or even above) a few days/weeks after they start eating normal again - even if they don't binge but eat at maintenance. Give your body some time to slowly readjust to more food again. You may regain a little in the process (although some people actually keep on losing a bit), but it's going to be less than if you'd bumped your calories up immediatly and it should even out over the course of a few weeks again as your body adapts. :)
  • JeanCricket
    JeanCricket Posts: 176 Member
    Just reached my goal weight of 130 about 2 weeks ago. At that point I immediately switched from 1 pound/week weight loss calories (1200) to .5pounds/week weight loss calories (1290) as technically I still had 4 ounces left to go (was 130.4) and wanted to be sure weight was stable.

    After 10 days, my weight dropped to a few ounces below goal weight (129.8) and I was feeling very low energy, so I made the switch to maintenance level calories (1530). For the first month or so, I will likely weigh in daily just to get a sense of how my new eating plan is affecting my weight. I gave myself a maintenance weight range of 128-132 to allow for body fluid fluctuations, etc...

    It's only been a few days now on maintenance, but I've chosen not to eat back exercise calories for first few weeks...again, just part of me figuring out how my new daily calorie goal affects my body, etc...

    Though I was anxious at first due to weight gain concerns, I must admit that I am very happy to be eating up to daily maintenance allowance :-)

    Come 'on and join us in maintenance :-). After all, it is part of how this princess works :-). Add me as friend if you'd like :-)

    Jean
  • gelar93
    gelar93 Posts: 160
    Add like 50 calories a week until you reach what you want.
  • oliphauntami
    oliphauntami Posts: 1 Member
    I'm not far off my target, so this is really interesting.

    A couple more questions:

    - Should I reduce my calorie deficit before I reach the target weight like braking steadily rather than skidding to a stop? or should I get there first and then worry about readjusting?

    - How much weight variation is typical while maintaining? My weight varies by up to three kilos a day anyway so how far off target do you need to be before I start adjusting my diet/exercise?
  • Go_Mizzou99
    Go_Mizzou99 Posts: 2,628 Member
    I have been in maintenance for almost 4 years now. I worry more about weekly calories now than daily. On big calorie burn days, I would eat at least half of them back...sometime during the week.

    I kept my calories at a small deficit (200/day or so) and would use the extra calories that I saved up to treat myself on occasion. Seriously - treat yourself and eat luxuriously. You have earned it.

    I still look at the calories when eating out because that is one area where if you don't watch it, it will pack on the pounds.

    ALSO - I find my maintenance weight to fluctuates in a 5 pound range. When I get to the top of the range, no more splurging, bottom - splurge away.
  • Dean_IsStayinLean
    Dean_IsStayinLean Posts: 75 Member
    Trust the app! It got you here and it's not done helping. I'm trying to move towards maintenance. I changed my goal from losing 1.5 lbs / week to losing .5 lbs per week. I'm enjoying 200 more calories per day and weight is fairly steady, normal 3 lb fluctuation within the week. I can tell I'm still at a slight deficit, as MFP suggests. I think I'll leave it set here for a couple of weeks (6-8?) and see how things go. (And lift as much as I can)

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