Almost 'maintenance' time..questions!

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rosequoll
rosequoll Posts: 27
in Health and Weight Loss
As of today I bought a pair of size 8 jeans! (5'2" and currently 54.8kg/121lbs at last weigh in) This puts me wearing the same size as I wore 8 years ago when I moved out to AU, even though they're tight. But they FIT DAMNIT, and my butt looks amazing in them. So proud! Anyways anyways...

My goal WAS 52kg, but since I'm so close to where I want to be at +2.8kg from there, I'm revamping my goal to 53. So close! And this means.....

maintenance time soon. So, a few questions:

1. Should I trust MFP's total for maintenance cals? I was thinking I'd up it to 1500 (from 1200) for two weeks, see how I go, and then go up to the 1640 that MFP suggests.

2. I plan on continuing exercise and weights, of course (I love how I feel after a gym sesh) but if I bring down my cardio a bit and start pushing the weights a bit more, how do I make sure I'm eating enough? I don't have a HRM and I don't want to 'guess' calories and end up undereating.

3. I'm very VERY goal oriented, so trying to work out what sort of goals I can give myself while maintaining, other than 'not gain fat'. I'm okay weighing more as long as my BF% doesn't go up. What goals do you have/have planned?

Thanks guys! =)

Replies

  • ambie35
    ambie35 Posts: 853 Member
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    bump.
  • fuzzymel
    fuzzymel Posts: 400 Member
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    I reached my original goal and instead of maintenance I decided to knock another 10lbs off.

    Your maintenance weight will be slightly higher than your goal weight if you stop at your goal. Your body will naturally gain a few pounds when you start eating your maintenance calories. From what I have read its up to 5lbs which sounds reasonable (and is why I am trying to lose another 10 so I can settle at 145).
  • ambie35
    ambie35 Posts: 853 Member
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    My "goal weight" is 110-113 so I am aiming for 109 to allow for maintenance fluctuations.
  • 1113cw
    1113cw Posts: 830 Member
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    *BUMP*
    Nearly there myself so I'm interested in the responses/advice.
  • SueGeer
    SueGeer Posts: 1,169 Member
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    I reached my original goal and instead of maintenance I decided to knock another 10lbs off.

    Your maintenance weight will be slightly higher than your goal weight if you stop at your goal. Your body will naturally gain a few pounds when you start eating your maintenance calories. From what I have read its up to 5lbs which sounds reasonable (and is why I am trying to lose another 10 so I can settle at 145).

    Didn't realise this. My goal is 130 - perhaps I should go a bit lower but don't want to look ill.....
  • beccarockslife
    beccarockslife Posts: 816 Member
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    Could you set your goals beyond maintenence as fitness goals? Run a 10k or something like that? Or work on body fat %.

    I have a long way to go to maintenance (like a mountainous amount) so I can give no advice on that.
  • rosequoll
    rosequoll Posts: 27
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    Makes sense. My initial goal was 52kg/115lbs. Depending on how fast I get to 53kg, I may continue 'low cal' for a few more weeks, then up cals to 1500 to see how I go. I'm happy with how I look now, honestly, but still could stand to lose a few kg of fat here and there.
  • fuzzymel
    fuzzymel Posts: 400 Member
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    Didn't realise this. My goal is 130 - perhaps I should go a bit lower but don't want to look ill.....

    I wouldn't worry too much then. Your maintenance weight might only be a 1lb or 2 anyway.
  • TaniaWalker
    TaniaWalker Posts: 1
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    Hullo sweet pea! I think maintenance is going to be a trial-and-error thing for you. I like your plan of raising to 1500 as a trial and going up from there, but weights are worth considering. MFP allows about 100 cals for 30 mins of weightlifting (who knows how accurate that is), so my suggestion is eat base cals of 1500 on days when you don't do weights, and base cals of 1640 on weightlifting days. On those days, try to consume protein - chicken, fish, whatever - because it'll help repair and build those muscles. :)

    That's my suggestion, but we're all feeling around in the dark a bit, aren't we? It's amazing how little we know about the metabolic process, even now.
  • mikeyrp
    mikeyrp Posts: 1,616 Member
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    I'm in a similar situation.... Almost at maintenance weight.

    I'll play with the calories for a few months and see what works. I intend to keep logging though.

    I also will miss being goal orientated - I'm thinking of re-focusing all that energy on my running - I'm at 10K now - want to get up to half marathon and get the whole thing faster (10K is currently 50 minutes) .

    Let me know how it goes
  • Bermudabarbie
    Bermudabarbie Posts: 568 Member
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    Congrats on reaching your goal!

    Check out the Maintenance Thread. It contains many great tips. Just do a search for it. There are 2. The first one is closed at 500 posts. Read them both.

    It's a lot of trial and error on maintenance. Most of us have a 5 pound maintenance "range.". This is now a "forever" thing. You should keep within your healthy "range" rather than focusing on 1 specific number.

    You will do fine!
  • rosequoll
    rosequoll Posts: 27
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    Hullo sweet pea! I think maintenance is going to be a trial-and-error thing for you. I like your plan of raising to 1500 as a trial and going up from there, but weights are worth considering. MFP allows about 100 cals for 30 mins of weightlifting (who knows how accurate that is), so my suggestion is eat base cals of 1500 on days when you don't do weights, and base cals of 1640 on weightlifting days. On those days, try to consume protein - chicken, fish, whatever - because it'll help repair and build those muscles. :)

    That's my suggestion, but we're all feeling around in the dark a bit, aren't we? It's amazing how little we know about the metabolic process, even now.

    Protein is NOT a problem for me, I'm a massive carnivore and prettymuch eat a decent amount of protein everyday. Standard meats are chicken, salmon, kangaroo, venison when I can get it, duck, turkey. I'm a huge fan of lean protein and not so much a fan of lamb, pork, and only occasionally steak.

    It's a good idea though! I'll do two weeks at the 1500 and see how I feel and if I feel the difference after weight lifting days then I'll start adding 100cal or so to cover it.

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