How do i maintain my weight?

annonm
annonm Posts: 13 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Ok say there is someone who is eating 800 calories a day to loose weight. They finally get to their goal weight and the calories to maintain their weight is say ummm....1600. The day they get to their goal weight they start eating 1600 calories but instead of maintaining weight, they are gaining weight. Why is this person gaining weight when the calories to maintain their weight is 1600 and that is what they are eating? Should they introduce the extra calories slowly? I dont get it. ( FYI IT'S NOT ME)

Replies

  • omatga
    omatga Posts: 56 Member
    800 calories is way too low for anyone to safely lose weight and expect to be able to maintain that. You should really not go any lower than 1200 calories, combined with daily exercise to lose weight at a healthy, sustainable rate. Of course you are going to gain weight when you double your calorie intake from what your body is used to. It may take a little longer to lose the weight at a 1200 calorie diet, but it will be much easier to maintain once their goal is reached. It's about eating and living a healthy lifestyle. This sounds more like a crash diet - those never work for long.
  • ExRelaySprinter
    ExRelaySprinter Posts: 874 Member
    Why are they only eating 800 cals a day?
    Their body will just go into starvation mode and hold onto fat reserves!
    It's inevitable that they will gain weight once they up the cals to 1600.
    They should be eating at least 1200 cals,... minimum.
    I couldn't even go as low as 1200 to be honest,....i had to do exercise so i could at least eat another 200 cals more! (i.e 1400 cals)
  • tslinker1
    tslinker1 Posts: 7 Member
    Please tell me that you have not been eating only 800 calories a day.

    Your body has been in starvation mod if you have. And yes while you may have lost the weight you wanted to. Now that you have reached your goal. And your entroducing more calories back into your diet.
    Your body became used to the 800 per day. And now, of course your going to gain the weight back. You have lost muscle mass along with the fat.
    You will gain the fat back, but not the muscle. this is so not good.............
    Do you work out? And if so what kind of exercise, cardio? weights? or both.
    You need to very slowly add the calories back into your diet. And.... you need to do both cardio and weights to one lose the fat. And two start building lean muscle mass back.
    Please check out the book: Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle by: Tom Venuto. You should be able to check it out at your library. Read it, (if you want to buy it - get it on Amazon it's way cheaper) and no I'm not trying to sell you anything. I was already losing weight and gaining strength b4 I found this book. This book has helped me increased my weight loss and strength.
    Let me know what you think, and I'll be happy to help you in any way I can.
  • tigerblue
    tigerblue Posts: 1,526 Member
    I'm going to attempt to put a link to a thread that may help below. It is a good read, and I wish I had read it before going into maintenance myself. It would have saved much grief!

    "Why you gain weight if you eat more than you cut"

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/993865-why-you-gain-weight-if-you-eat-more-than-your-cut
  • CristineAdams
    CristineAdams Posts: 3 Member
    Excellent explanation! Thank you!
  • healthytipsforu
    healthytipsforu Posts: 12 Member
    Hello,

    I maintain my weight by walking as much as I can, also eating Apples helps as they contain 15 percent of the recommended daily allowance for vitamin C. In addition to contributing to overall health, fruits rich in vitamin C, an antioxidant, have recently been linked to a decreased risk of coronary heart disease and cancer. Fit two to three servings (or more) of fruit into your daily diet.
    Going easy on the booze. This means an average of one to two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women. (A drink equals 12 ounces of beer, 4 ounces of wine, 1.5 ounces of 80-proof spirits or 1 ounce of 100-proof spirits.)
    Get a doggie bag. Portion sizes in restaurants and fast-food chains have exploded in recent years, and many of us just can't help but clear our plates. Ask for a to-go container when you order. That way you can pack up half your entrée to enjoy the next day.
    Eat yoghurt. It's no secret that calcium helps keep bones strong, but there's more reason than ever to eat yogurt for bone health. Some yogurt brands now contain inulin, a naturally occurring, fiber-like carbohydrate that's found in fruits and vegetables. Inulin has been found to increase the activity of live cultures and prevent the growth of harmful bacteria in the digestive tract. Best of all, it aids in the absorption of calcium and also i do take my vitamins daily.
    Switch to whole grains and go easy with salt. Most importantly drink a lot of water.
    Good Luck!

    http://healthytipsforu.ifoxsolutions.com

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