Did you just "know" when to begin maintenance?

Options
2»

Replies

  • ntinkham88
    ntinkham88 Posts: 130 Member
    Options
    I started maintaining when I realized I was exactly where I wanted to be. I liked the way my clothes fit, I was confident, and I was at a healthy weight. You'll know when you get there :)
  • MildredBarhopper
    MildredBarhopper Posts: 99 Member
    Options
    I liked how I looked, and was finding it harder and harder to eat at a deficit as my intake requirements went down with my weight, and I felt ready to start eating a bit more.
  • bunnypy
    bunnypy Posts: 109 Member
    Options
    My goal was to get into size 8 jeans, ones they fitted properly i jumped for joy and increased my calories per week to maintenance :D
  • dopeysmelly
    dopeysmelly Posts: 1,390 Member
    Options
    I stopped when I got to the upper range of where I initially set my goal. I figured I would have a break to let my body settle down a bit first, since I had some loose skin. 6 months later, practically all the loose skin has tightened up and I'm now tackling the last 10lbs.

    I've not found "how I look" to be particularly helpful in my case. I spent most of my adult life either overweight or obese, so I'm looking at a completely new body anyway and I was never motivated by appearance only health. I have bony bits, but I'm in the middle of the healthy range and with a few flabby bits left to go, so I figure that's just my build. I quite like my leaner torso and shoulders and my flat chest. I think it looks neat.

    I've been working out and my strength has improved significantly, but I don't know if it'll make a big difference to my appearance. I guess time will tell!
  • TitaniaEcks
    TitaniaEcks Posts: 351 Member
    Options
    Not really. I've always known what weight range looks best on me, and I started maintenance when I got back to it.

    I guess it's different for the people who spent their adult life with extra weight and didn't know what a certain weight would look like until they reached it. My body naturally tends toward the size I am now, but I put on some extra weight because of stupid lifestyle choices, so losing weight for me was a matter of getting back to a previous state that I was already familiar with.
  • Sarasmaintaining
    Sarasmaintaining Posts: 1,027 Member
    edited April 2015
    Options
    The day I hit my original goal weight I realized I wasn't there yet. I decided to start transitioning into maintenance and up my calories, but to still eat at a deficit. Ended up losing 15 more pounds before I knew I had arrived (I actually lost a few more than this and didn't like how I looked so I gained a few pounds back).
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    Options
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics wrote: »
    Not really. I started to realize that my upper body was getting too thin-- my ribs were sticking out and my sternum was starting to show. But I still had quite a bit of fat to lose on my thighs/butt. I was getting pretty down about it because it didn't seem possible to get the body I wanted. Then I discovered recomp and started lifting weights while eating at maintenance. 2 years later I wouldn't say my body is perfect by any stretch but it's 1000% better, and more importantly I've stopped caring as much. Lifting put me in touch with what my body can do, not just what it looks like.

    This is kind of where I am. I keep trying to take it farther, but I'm tired and my lifts are suffering...and the butt/leg fat isn't going away. Considering starting maintenance/recomp this week or next.
  • kristenveganvixen
    kristenveganvixen Posts: 87 Member
    Options
    I'm at a healthy BMI of 23 atm but want rid of some more wobbly bits, ideally I'd like at least another 7-10lbs shifted, I keep slowing down or switching to maintenence for a while every so often to save myself from burning out and giving up altogether.
  • sunnydays851
    sunnydays851 Posts: 116 Member
    Options
    I haven't switched yet, but when I do I know it will be because I won't be able to go back. I'll probably gain it all back :D
  • Kenda2427
    Kenda2427 Posts: 1,592 Member
    Options
    I had hit my goal weight and then decided to go for 5 more "vanity" pounds. I really struggled and lost most of it but husband said I had gone too far and looked gaunt, face and collarbones all hollowed out. Like a poster above said looking at myself naked and realized I looked better at the slightly heavier weight. We went on vacation and I gained 7 lbs so I'm just couple of pounds over my best weight. I am waiting for my book New Rules of Lifting for Women to start that program which should help firm up the flubber.
  • wick3tgirl
    wick3tgirl Posts: 47 Member
    Options
    I'm cca a kilogram away from my first goal weight and 3 kg more from my ultimate goal. but I have decided to start upping my cals by 100 and eating back all of the exercise calories since I'm pretty happy with the way my body looks and feels. I will be going into recomp when I get back from a 2 week vacation which is in a month. until then I feel I don't have the mind set of beggining a new stage. even though one could consider maintenance a new stage, hmm.

Categories