When is it time for maintenance?

Happymelz · September 2014

I am edging closer to maintenance and am only about 3 lbs about the top end of the weight range that I want to be in.
I have my goal set to still try to lose 1 lb a week, but I've been on maintenance calories the last 3 weeks due to vacation and other things.

My plan all year has been to drop to 147 and then maintain between 151 and 154 because I've always heard that you gain a few lbs back when you go to maintenance. Since I went on vacation and set my goals to maintenance I've only really gained about 1.5 lbs.

So, now I'm wondering if I actually need to try to lose the last 10 lbs only to gain 3 or 4, or is it possible to go to 1/2 lb a week and lose slowly until I hit my goal and maybe not gain as much back?

Because, right now I'm at a 500 calorie deficit but if I set it to 1/2 lb a week I would only be at a 250 calorie deficit so It seems like going from 250 calorie deficit to maintenance may not cause as huge of an initial gain as 500 calorie deficit?

Only asking because I'm my thought process is correct I could move to maintenance sooner, which means I could FINALLY be done trying to lose...which would be AWESOME!

Any insight would be greatly appreciated!

ETA: My goal range is at the top end of a healthy BMI for my height because I am happiest with my body as that range and the struggle to get below that weight just to look EXACTLY THE SAME is excruciatingly hard on me.

stuffinmuffin · September 2014

Hello! I've been maintaining for about 3 years. I have NEVER heard the gain a few pounds on maintenance thing and it certainly wasn't true for me. I thought most people on here ended up losing a couple more pounds whilst they worked out what their maintenance calories were.

I think to start with, you have to be happy with the weight you stop losing at. Remember it's not final and it can change as your future diet or fitness goals may change.

Maintenance is a whole different thing to weight loss and is a whole new process to learn. It took me a little while.

Most people recommend gradually adding calories onto to your maintenance calorie allowance - usually around 200 calories a week until you strike the right balance. This process takes time so be patient and remember that weight can fluctuate for all manner of reasons.

5stringjeff · September 2014

So, now I'm wondering if I actually need to try to lose the last 10 lbs only to gain 3 or 4, or is it possible to go to 1/2 lb a week and lose slowly until I hit my goal and maybe not gain as much back?

Because, right now I'm at a 500 calorie deficit but if I set it to 1/2 lb a week I would only be at a 250 calorie deficit so It seems like going from 250 calorie deficit to maintenance may not cause as huge of an initial gain as 500 calorie deficit?

I hit my goal weight (180) a couple of weeks ago. Prior to that, I was at about a 350 cal/day deficit - something like 2/3 pound per week. That worked well for me to lose the last few pounds. So you may want to lower your calorie deficit to 250 (i.e. 1/2 pound per week) to get down to your goal weight.

Maintenance is a whole different thing to weight loss and is a whole new process to learn. It took me a little while.

QFT. We train ourselves to eat one way to lose weight, and now I'm learning a new way to eat to maintain the weight I've lost. I'm adding 100 daily calories each week until I'm at maintenance calories to avoid any sudden weight gain during the transition.

sijomial · September 2014

I lost my last few pounds slowly and didn't have any weight bounce. The bounce is much more likely if you keep a large deficit all the way to goal or low carb.

dawnmcneil10 · September 2014

My suggestion is that if you're pretty content where you are then drop to the .5 per week goal, stay there and see what happens for about a month then you can drop into maintenance.
It takes a little while for your mind to catch up with your body and you'll see some changes to yourself after you "stop trying" to lose weight too so you might find no additional weight loss is really needed.

I keep a 5 pound range for maintenance and find it's pretty easy to stay there and leaves room for life's moments. For me having a couple drinks with friends causes a 2-3 pound gain for a few days then drops off, if I worried about keeping an exact weight I'd go nuts at times like that. I didn't have an initial gain when I switched to maintenance, I did it gradually adding back 50-100 calories a week. My biggest change was I never ate back exercise calories and now I eat back about half of them. If I'm hungry I eat back all the exercise calories and sometimes eat more the day after a good workout because my body requires the extra fuel, that's how I think of food now, it's fuel that keeps me going and sometimes a piece of cheesecake or plate of nachos that provides a boost and there are no regrets.

Glad you reached out to others and I hope our experiences make your choices a bit easier. Good job reaching this point!

cwolfman13 · September 2014

You can go to maintenance whenever you feel comfortable doing so. Whether you are losing at 1 Lb or 1/2 Lb per week doesn't really matter for the weight you gain back when going to maintenance...that weight you gain back isn't fat...it's fluids and glycogen and I personally I don't see why everyone gets so flustered about that...to boot, not everyone has such an issue with this...it tends to be a bigger issue with people who cut carbs when dieting and then start eating carbs again in maintenance.

I've been maintaining for about 18 months...I put on a couple of Lbs of fluid when I went into maintenance and that was it. I cut to around 180 and on average I weigh around 182 - 183. That said, I fluctuate easily a couple pounds either way of those figures.

Francl27 · September 2014

I'll never switch to maintenance exactly. I admire people who never go over, but apparently, it's not me... So my plan is to keep eating at a deficit to make up for the days I inevitably do go over.

alpine1994 · September 2014

I'll never switch to maintenance exactly. I admire people who never go over, but apparently, it's not me... So my plan is to keep eating at a deficit to make up for the days I inevitably do go over.

This is me, too. I never eat the same number of calories every day because I'm always adjusting up or down for workouts or an event coming up where I want to indulge or that ice cream that I NEEDED that day.

I keep a +/- 3lb range for myself and weigh once a week or so to check in. I don't log all the time but if I find myself at the top of my range, I start logging religiously again.

Evotchka · September 2014

My suggestion is that if you're pretty content where you are then drop to the .5 per week goal, stay there and see what happens for about a month then you can drop into maintenance.
It takes a little while for your mind to catch up with your body and you'll see some changes to yourself after you "stop trying" to lose weight too so you might find no additional weight loss is really needed.

I keep a 5 pound range for maintenance and find it's pretty easy to stay there and leaves room for life's moments. For me having a couple drinks with friends causes a 2-3 pound gain for a few days then drops off, if I worried about keeping an exact weight I'd go nuts at times like that. I didn't have an initial gain when I switched to maintenance, I did it gradually adding back 50-100 calories a week. My biggest change was I never ate back exercise calories and now I eat back about half of them. If I'm hungry I eat back all the exercise calories and sometimes eat more the day after a good workout because my body requires the extra fuel, that's how I think of food now, it's fuel that keeps me going and sometimes a piece of cheesecake or plate of nachos that provides a boost and there are no regrets.

Glad you reached out to others and I hope our experiences make your choices a bit easier. Good job reaching this point!

^I think you put it perfectly into words, thank you so much! I might have to print that out and hang it above my desk ha.

Happymelz · September 2014

Thanks everyone for the advice!

I think I'm going to try for 1/2 - 1 lb loss for a few weeks until I get to the middle of my 5 lb goal range and see what happens.

But I DO think once on maintenance I may try the "250 deficit for week days to save calories for the weekend or save exercise calories for the weekend" approach.

I currently do eat all of my exercise calories back and plan to keep doing that. (Exercise = donuts! lol.)

Happymelz · September 2014

I'll never switch to maintenance exactly. I admire people who never go over, but apparently, it's not me... So my plan is to keep eating at a deficit to make up for the days I inevitably do go over.

This is me, too. I never eat the same number of calories every day because I'm always adjusting up or down for workouts or an event coming up where I want to indulge or that ice cream that I NEEDED that day. I keep a +/- 3lb range for myself and weigh once a week or so to check in. I don't log all the time but if I find myself at the top of my range, I start logging religiously again.

Thanks!

Happymelz · September 2014

My suggestion is that if you're pretty content where you are then drop to the .5 per week goal, stay there and see what happens for about a month then you can drop into maintenance.
It takes a little while for your mind to catch up with your body and you'll see some changes to yourself after you "stop trying" to lose weight too so you might find no additional weight loss is really needed.

I keep a 5 pound range for maintenance and find it's pretty easy to stay there and leaves room for life's moments. For me having a couple drinks with friends causes a 2-3 pound gain for a few days then drops off, if I worried about keeping an exact weight I'd go nuts at times like that. I didn't have an initial gain when I switched to maintenance, I did it gradually adding back 50-100 calories a week. My biggest change was I never ate back exercise calories and now I eat back about half of them. If I'm hungry I eat back all the exercise calories and sometimes eat more the day after a good workout because my body requires the extra fuel, that's how I think of food now, it's fuel that keeps me going and sometimes a piece of cheesecake or plate of nachos that provides a boost and there are no regrets.

Glad you reached out to others and I hope our experiences make your choices a bit easier. Good job reaching this point!

^I think you put it perfectly into words, thank you so much! I might have to print that out and hang it above my desk ha.

I like this!

georgiaTRIs · September 2014

I went into maintenance 2 years ago and didn't gain any weight back from my 70 pound loss. You sound happy with where you are at. I would go with the .5 weight goal each week. If you add too many carbs back to soon yes you could possible gain a pound. I figured I worked to hard to get it off and had learned a lot about how to eat better. You will do great. Congratulations on the hugh loss.:bigsmile:

WinoGelato · September 2014

I hit my target weight about 6 months ago. I had my deficit set at about 250 cals/day, but I didn't up my calorie goal because I knew I had an extended holiday and other events that would likely be difficult for me to maintain the deficit anyway. So I kept my goal the same, but didn't sweat it if I went over. I did gain some, not right away, but due to the extended vacation and the lax attitude over the summer. Since about mid-July I have been buckling down again, kept the goal the same, but tried to be more rigorous about staying under that goal, and I've lost the few pounds again to get me right at the original goal weight so I'm trying to decide if I should keep going for a few more weeks. I'm planning for a 5 lb range for maintenance, I just haven't spent much time on the lower end of that range, and I'd like to!

When I do decide to switch completely to maintenance, I don't think I will actually add the full 250 cals back in, mainly because I don't weigh/measure my food and I feel like that will give me a buffer for my estimation.

The best advice I can give is to make small changes, stick with them for at least a few weeks, see what happens to your weight, and adjust from there. If you raise your calories and are still losing, wait a bit and raise them a little more. When things level off, then you will know where your maintenance calories are, and you can decide at that point if you are happy at that weight or if you want to go back on a deficit to get to a lower weight for your maintenance range.

Domineer · September 2014

I think you should maintain when you have lost a considerable amount of weight in a short time that is reasonable to your lifestyle. For myself, according to BMI, I am 55 lbs overweight. However, I wear large or xl shirts, 37" waist, low 230s but feel the best I ever have in my adult life. I am not settling with this weight, as I know the older I get I need to get closer to the BMI standard. I am practicing maintenance because my current weight is not detrimental to me. My blood work and pressure is solid and the quality of life I experience is also very good. Most importantly, I'm emotionally sound and maintaining my weight for a while will only help me for when I'm ready to cut and maintain on autopilot life long.

When is it time for maintenance?

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