Reached my goal and now it's time to maintain..I'm a little nervous about it!

breakyoface
breakyoface Posts: 160 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Today I decided it was time to start maintaining. I went from 223 to 137 and I am 5'8 and 31 years old.
I was eating at 1240 and my calorie burn 5 days a week is 700-800. I saw my nutritionist today thinking that she was going to give me a number to maintain at, and instead she told me to just focus on my eating and seeing how I feel with my hunger and eat when I want to and all this other mumbo jumbo and I left feeling lost and confused. I am wanting to maintain at 135-140 and I have no idea what a good calorie goal is. I was thinking 1500 and eating back 500 of my workout cals and then leaving 200 off just incase my calorie burn isn't accurate.
Anybody have advice for me of a good calorie goal for my stats? I'm super nervous about it!
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Replies

  • kamber13
    kamber13 Posts: 249 Member
    Perhaps re-enter your stats in the MFP calculator and see what it recommends to eat to maintain your current weight, maybe that will give you a starting point?
  • breakyoface
    breakyoface Posts: 160 Member
    I did, but for the past 2 months I've been seeming to maintain at the 1240 so I don't know if 1740 like it says is way too high or why in 2 months I have stayed at the same weight.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
    edited May 2015
    Have you used a calculator to give you an idea of your TDEE?
  • breakyoface
    breakyoface Posts: 160 Member
    Yea, it's all really high. I'm wondering if I haven't been losing weight because I'm eating too little.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
    vancurenmama wrote: »
    Yea, it's all really high. I'm wondering if I haven't been losing weight because I'm eating too little.

    I thought you were trying to maintain? Most likely you had been eating more than you thought. What did you get for a TDEE? How many times a week do you work out and what's your routine like?
  • wherezsue
    wherezsue Posts: 2 Member
    Why did you go to a professional nutritionist and not listen to her advice. Why don't you listen to your hunger signals and your body, and trust you have learnt about healthy eating. This is for the rest of your life. Trust your body and if your pants get tighter.. back off the eating a little.
  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
    edited May 2015
    You might want to ease into it by increasing your calories 100 or so and seeing how you do with that before you bump up another 100. That way you can see how your body reacts to the increased calories.

    I've read that shifting to maintenance may cause some temporary water weight gain so be aware that a slight initial gain may just be water.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
    seska422 wrote: »
    You might want to ease into it by increasing your calories 100 or so and seeing how you do with that before you bump up another 100. That way you can see how your body reacts to the increased calories.

    I've read that shifting to maintenance may cause some temporary water weight gain so be aware that a slight initial gain may just be water.

    This is what I did. I was at a 250 calorie deficit and it took me almost 3 weeks to get into maintenance. No gain. In fact I lost the last few pounds I was waiting on.
  • sarafischbach9
    sarafischbach9 Posts: 466 Member
    You are better off transitioning into maintenance. It took me maybe a month to finally transition into maintaining my weight. I got to my goal in May of last year and decided I was going to up my calories. It wasn't till late June I finally got to the calories I should have been at ( in my case, I was aiming for 2100-2300 calories a day ). I finally got up to that calorie amount and maintained, but I started slowly. First I was eating like 1500 calories and through May and June I was slowly upping my calories.

    I say it is better to transition because it is easier on your mind and for your body. It gives your body time to adjust. If you go from 1200 to 1800 calories, you could get rebound weight gain, mostly in the form of water weight since your body isn't used to it.

    I think an increase of 100 to 200 calories per week should be fine until you get to your calorie goal.
  • breakyoface
    breakyoface Posts: 160 Member
    My TDEE says about 1900 something..I can't remember exactly.
    I run on the treadmill at 5.5-7.0 speed for 80 minutes 3 days a week and then 2 days I do a workout video that is 60 minutes a day and is cardio with some weights and then I run up and down my stairs for 25 minutes after that.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
    vancurenmama wrote: »
    My TDEE says about 1900 something..I can't remember exactly.
    I run on the treadmill at 5.5-7.0 speed for 80 minutes 3 days a week and then 2 days I do a workout video that is 60 minutes a day and is cardio with some weights and then I run up and down my stairs for 25 minutes after that.

    1900 doesn't sound high. I'm shorter, 130, and don't do cardio and will maintain around 1800. I'm hoping for 1900 but it's not likely.
  • breakyoface
    breakyoface Posts: 160 Member
    I just checked...it says 2027 for my TDEE
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
    vancurenmama wrote: »
    I just checked...it says 2027 for my TDEE

    Which calculator do you use. I tend to think IIFYM is a little low, and scooby's might be a little high.
  • breakyoface
    breakyoface Posts: 160 Member
    2027 was IIFYM, scooby is 2151. What one do you use?
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
    vancurenmama wrote: »
    2027 was IIFYM, scooby is 2151. What one do you use?

    I just assume it's somewhere in between.

    Honestly, I use my own data from losing and tracking here on MFP. I don't do cardio, so my weight training actually fits into the "lightly active" setting I have on MFP. After watching my data over months and months, I was losing about a half pound a week with a 250 calorie deficit from what MFP gave me as maintenance-not TDEE.

    So, technically I use MFP calculations, and have no exercise calories to eat back ha. I'm hoping I'll be lucky though and might be able to get it up a little higher, somewhere between what IIFYM and scooby gives me.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
    You were eating a low calorie goal at the end of your weight loss, which is not really suggested. Now, if you weren't losing as much as you thought-it's possible you weren't logging/weighing food perfectly. I would just make sure you are completely accurate, and start adding 100 calories per week.
  • airdale8263
    airdale8263 Posts: 2,155 Member
    ^^^^ agree with Arditrose. I reached my goal weight but than adjusted each week by 100 calories so that I was not losing anymore but actually putting weight back on...so now it adjustment time again to lose. Maintaining is tougher than losing but it can be done. You can do it!!
  • lavrn03
    lavrn03 Posts: 235 Member
    First of all good for you! Amazing accomplishment!!!!!
    I am 5'7.5, 39yrs old went from 230 to 182 so far. My goal 160 for now.
    I work out 6 days a week, both cardio and strength training, burn around 2000cals. I eat 1700-1900 cals a day.
    I lose on average 3 pounds a month. The process is slow but I wanted to see how much I could get away with eating and still lose.
    I am very comfortable eating 1900 cals.
    I also focused on what foods I eat. High protein, nutrient filled foods. If something doesn't fill me up when i need it too, I may not eat it again.
    Just increase amount slowly like suggested.
    Again amazing job! I can't even imagine being in the 130. Or just eating 1200 for a long period of time.
  • airdale8263
    airdale8263 Posts: 2,155 Member
    ^^^^^^ you are doing great!!! I grew up in Mass. My sis still lives in Waltham Mass.
    As you lose you adjust the calories you eat...eventually you find that "magic"number to maintain...but it is not easy...lol
  • kayhyautry
    kayhyautry Posts: 1 Member
    vancurenmama wrote: »
    Today I decided it was time to start maintaining. I went from 223 to 137 and I am 5'8 and 31 years old.
    I was eating at 1240 and my calorie burn 5 days a week is 700-800. I saw my nutritionist today thinking that she was going to give me a number to maintain at, and instead she told me to just focus on my eating and seeing how I feel with my hunger and eat when I want to and all this other mumbo jumbo and I left feeling lost and confused. I am wanting to maintain at 135-140 and I have no idea what a good calorie goal is. I was thinking 1500 and eating back 500 of my workout cals and then leaving 200 off just incase my calorie burn isn't accurate.
    Anybody have advice for me of a good calorie goal for my stats? I'm super nervous about it!

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