How to maintain weight

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caz_sadler
caz_sadler Posts: 1 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I just need some advise please. I'm 5ft 7 and weigh 9 stone 2lbs. I've lost about 1/2 stone in the last few months which doesn't seem a lot and I probably didn't need to buy I did it to make myself better as I was dealing with depression. Anyway now I don't want to loose anymore and wish to maintain but I have no idea how many calories to consume. I do hula hooping as exercise at home and try to do it everyday for an average 40 minutes. People are now commenting I'm too skinny which is making me feel really self conchous. I eat 1300 at the moment. Any advise would be greatly relieved. TIA

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  • yesimpson
    yesimpson Posts: 1,372 Member
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    You can, almost 100% definitely, eat more than 1300 calories. At that level you will keep losing. I'm about the same size and I eat 1850 as well as any exercise calories. The only way to be sure is to up your intake to a point where your weight stays stable. It will take a few weeks at any calorie intake level to be sure you're maintaining, once you average out normal weight fluctuations. It will be different for every person, but you could try 2000 per day, assuming your activity stays the same, and see how your body responds? You may initially appear to gain a few pounds within the first week, but don't worry about that - it's the weight of more food + your glycogen stores replenishing now you're now longer operating in a deficit.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
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    The easiest way to start to maintain is to enter your height and weight in the MFP calculator, tell it you want to gain 0 and lose 0 weight/week and see how many calories it says you should eat. Then follow that advice. Easy peasy. Other people's guesses aren't worth much - people vary a lot in age and activity level and that makes a huge difference.

    Make sure you add in that hoola hooping - that is a LOT of exercise! Or just set your activity level to 'active'.

    If you do that a few more weeks and you lose weight, add 200 or so in a day. Then see how that works.
  • fab_fierce_fit
    fab_fierce_fit Posts: 26 Member
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    Are you tracking macros or calories? If you are still losing I would up your carbs if your goal is to maintain
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
    edited May 2015
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    It's time to reverse diet. You add 50-100 calories a day each week until you reach the point you stop losing and are not gaining. If I were you it would be 100 calories a day but be prepared you may refill gylcogen/water stores in muscles which will appear to be weight gain but just let happen and it will settle and you will find maintenance.

    I am your height and in the winter with heavy lifting eat 2000 calories a day to maintain my weight just to give you an idea of where you may end up.
  • Malaak20
    Malaak20 Posts: 54 Member
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    caz_sadler wrote: »
    I just need some advise please. I'm 5ft 7 and weigh 9 stone 2lbs. I've lost about 1/2 stone in the last few months which doesn't seem a lot and I probably didn't need to buy I did it to make myself better as I was dealing with depression. Anyway now I don't want to loose anymore and wish to maintain but I have no idea how many calories to consume. I do hula hooping as exercise at home and try to do it everyday for an average 40 minutes. People are now commenting I'm too skinny which is making me feel really self conchous. I eat 1300 at the moment. Any advise would be greatly relieved. TIA
    What I do to maintain my weight is to eat sweets and fast food once a week and to work a little bit. By the way, I don't like to do exercise. I hope that will help you.
  • pinkteapot3
    pinkteapot3 Posts: 157 Member
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    I just changed my MFP goal from lose 1lb a week to maintain weight, and used the cals it told me to use. That's as good a starting point as any.

    For me, the cals for weight loss worked for me and the maintenance cals seem to be correct too. You may need to tweak up or down slightly if you gain or lose any weight, but try it for starters.

    When I switched from weight loss to maintenance I increased from 1,240 a day (plus exercise earnings) to 1,710 (plus exercise earnings).
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
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    fab_fierce_fit wrote: »
    Are you tracking macros or calories? If you are still losing I would up your carbs if your goal is to maintain

    I completely disagree. If I up my carbs more than 40% I start to gain even if I am under my calories. That's not low carb, it's higher protein.

  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
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    What I do to maintain my weight is to eat sweets and fast food once a week and to work a little bit. By the way, I don't like to do exercise. I hope that will help you.

    I'm glad it works for you, but that has got to be the worst advice for maintaining ever.

    OP exercises a lot on a daily basis. She needs healthy foods - as do we all. Definitely enjoy foods you like - I have ice cream and a small piece of chocolate almost every day. But why fast foods? Why not some good cheese or a delicious dessert or just some really good bread?
  • 47Jacqueline
    47Jacqueline Posts: 6,993 Member
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    Let MFP set your levels. Be honest about how active you are. It's the easiest approach that actually works. I've been maintaining that way for over two years. Also set a range rather than a singe number.

    And more than this, start having other goals in life than weight management.

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