Transitioning to maintenance

Just do it slowly add a 150 calorie snack for a week, then another 100.. Maintaining is about finding a balance.. I guess you probably have a number on the scale on which you don't want to go higher than if you go higher than that number just rein it back in for a week you can add me if you like I am actually at my lowest I ate terribly yesterday and still lost a pound Wtf!!

Oops I meant that to say 100 extra cals per day. Gradually adjusting it up each fortnight till I'm maintaining.

I lost another kilo while eating more food, just gradually up your daily intake like people have said.

I have a nightime snack of pistachio nuts, 300kcals worth..

Oops I meant that to say 100 extra cals per day. Gradually adjusting it up each fortnight till I'm maintaining.

I personally would not got 100 per day. You really don't allow your body the time to adjust to the new intake. I go 75 or at most 100 per week.

I agree, but I thought she was saying 100 calories per day (as in 1200 to 1300) but then only increasing every week. Rather than saying 8400 per week and going to 8500 per week, which is how 100 calories per week could be interpreted.

But I could be completely off base.

This content has been removed.

I'm not at maintenance yet, and also have a few pounds to lose also, but I am slowly reversing out of my diet. Doing some calculations, I figured adding about 50 calories to my intake, each week, would let me hit maintenance by the time I wish to (mid-December), and also lose the majority of the remaining weight by that time also (I will then re-evaluate my goals after staying at maintenance until the new year, enjoying christmas at the same time).

Anyway, instead of adding 50 calories to my intake every week, I've instead simply decided to add 7 calories to my calorie target each day, and must say I like it. I'm not overly precious about hitting my calories to the exact calorie every day, but am content knowing the trend will be an upward one until I hit maintenance. The whole process is called reverse dieting in case you hadn't come across it, and by doing it this way, it allows you to find your maintenance calories, while also allowing your metabolism to slowly catch its breath after a protracted deficit, and possibly even crank it up a little higher than it was before, allowing you to eat more in maintenance or make the next round of weight cutting even easier.

So, 7 calories a day for the next 10/ 12 weeks for me, that's how I'm planning to transition to maintenance, although I will retain to option to bump things a little faster than the 7 a day should I need to do so, although I shall try to resist making changes unless necessary.

Re: maintenance itself, I plan to transition away from calorie counting, but know I still have some work to do and good habits and rules to establish so I can forego calorie counting. My intermediate plan as such is to continue counting calories in the new year, but while also focussing on building good habits so I can let go of calorie counting and logging at some point next year. I will say my weight goal is simply to remain slim, so no targetted body composition goals, like others may have, as if I had such specific/ targetted body goals, I would probably track while pursuing those goals.

Hope some of these meandering thoughts may help, and as I say, I'm not at maintenance yet but rather have simply been giving it some thought, so I'm prepared for the next step before I reach it. Forewarned & forearmed and all that :-)

And keep on exercising! Maybe increase. It never hurts.

Increasing calories and increasing calories gets you back to where you started. Makes no sense.

It must be early for you haha! I'm sure you meant increasing calories and increasing training (or calories burned) gets you back to where you started

I'm right there with you. I hit my goal weight today and when my goals updated, I found I am allowed over 400 calories per day more. I have the same concern, so I will be paying even closer attention to determine how following the plan will work. I hope they're right!!

This content has been removed.

Maybe set your goal weight a couple of pounds under your idle maintenance weight.

I've heard this mentioned a few times and it makes sense, if you are maintaining you won't lose the slight extra you put on at the transition.

I hit within .5 pounds of my goal weight mid August. As a point of reference, my GW is 130 and goal weight range 128-132...

At first, I just changed my settings from lose 1 pound/week to lose .5 pounds/week (this added 90 cals/day). I wanted to be sure it wasn't just a weekly weight fluctuation, so waited till next weekly weigh-in to be sure. After I weighed in at goal the following week and confirmed I was indeed at GW, then I started making changes.

In early Sept, I switched goal settings to maintenance (yay!) which added on 220 cals/day. I decided that for first month I would eat to the new caloric daily goal of 1530, but would not eat back exercise calories. I actually lost an additional 2 pounds over this period of a month.

This past week, I've started eating back exercise calories, because quite frankly, I'm hungry and am on low end of GW range (actually a little below)... :-). So far I am maintaining at the low end of my GW range :-) Will keep making adjustments as needed as I learn how best to manage and enjoy maintenance. Praying for success!!

Hugs,

Jean

Hi

I started transitioning to maintenance by increasing my daily cals by 100, then reviewing at the end of the week and adding a further 100 cals. I also increasing the exercise intensity.Yes the weight loss slowed down abit but not much due to the increased exercise. Also it set up nicely for maintenance with a stronger exercise routine. You might also wish to think carefully about how you use the extra cals - I was already happy with the foods on my weight loss plan so added in a couple of snacks with more protein and the odd tub of ice cream. The 100 cals a week takes patience as I was tempted many times to jump from 1400 cals to 1600 but managed to stick it out with the help of MFP and my trusted kitchen scales.

Enjoy your journey thru maintenance.

I guess I'm the exception here. I just jumped right into all my maintenance calories. I lost a little at first then gained it back, I'm talking not even 2 pounds, and have been just a teensy bit under goal ever since.

Trust the tape measure and skinfold calipers more than just the weight scale.

Trust the tape measure and skinfold calipers more than just the weight scale.

I wouldn't trust a skinfold caliper at all...to many chances of errors in those.

Instead of just trusting one or two measurments take them all into consideration

Tape measure, weight, clothing, BF% (from a reliable source), Even BMI to a degree but mostly how you feel and what you see in the mirror and if you are good to go that's all that matters.