How long does water weight cling to you when going into maintenance?

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pumpkinpocalypse
pumpkinpocalypse Posts: 104 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I've started the process of trying to find my new maintenance calories range, and I spent the last week on 1400-1500 daily. (I've been adding back 100 a week or so sicne recently). This morning I weighed in, and I was the exact same weight, 103.5, as I did a week/a week and a half ago...I exercice 4 days per week and walk a ton so I can't believe 1500 would be my actual maintenance needs! Way too low right? I obviously know that it's common to pack on pounds when first starting to eat normally again, but I was wondering how long does the effects of extra weight/no loss last so i can also proceed to NOT freak out when I up my calories to 1650 this week, with perhaps the possibility of seeing the number on the scale not change or go up...
(I know i can use a calculator or MFP to determine my daily calorie needs but it varies so much on each individual, i don't really trust it til i've actually been there )

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  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    edited June 2015
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    <- - - - - - - - - - - - -> This long!

    If it's glycogen/water weight replenishment it doesn't go away - it's just returning you to normal levels after a period of deficit. It's a good thing!

    You may have balanced your no doubt continuing calorie deficit with water and a tiny bit extra of food weight. Your calories out part of the equation may also change when coming out of deficit (feeling more energetic, having more energy leads to greater activity).

    Stick to the process - it's going to take weeks, if not months, to really find your ultimate maintenance level.

  • pumpkinpocalypse
    pumpkinpocalypse Posts: 104 Member
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    sijomial wrote: »
    <- - - - - - - - - - - - -> This long!

    If it's glycogen/water weight replenishment it doesn't go away - it's just returning you to normal levels after a period of deficit. It's a good thing!

    You may have balanced your no doubt continuing calorie deficit with water and a tiny bit extra of food weight. Your calories out part of the equation may also change when coming out of deficit (feeling more energetic, having more energy leads to greater activity).
    shell1005 wrote: »
    I am actually starting this process again right now. Today is day one of the transition and I am adding 200 more calories this week to my usual plan. I'll do the same next week and the week after that. I usually still lose another 5 lbs or so and then by the end of the 6 to 8 weeks, it tends to stabilize out.

    The long of the short of it...I lose a few more lbs during the beginning schedule of my transition period that make up for the glycogen weight. Once it replenishes, it doesn't go away unless you go back into a deficit.

    Yeah, in the first 2 weeks I lost around 2 lbs (my goal was actually 105, but I found that 103.5 actually looks a lot better) since I was still very low, like 1400 and even 1300 so I thought, well that's pretty good, if i continue losing slightly I'll be able to return to 103 once I start reaching maintenance and the whole water replenishment deal makes the scale go up. But now I'm worried that, since i'm not losing...It means i'm just gonna gain weight again (and you both seem to say that this gain doesn't just ''go away''. I've often heard that it does but i mean you all make sense as well so...), and to lose it I have to create a deficit, but I want to be over with that! I just wanna be on maintenance from now on and be over with it!

    I,m not so sure I get it...anyway, I'll gie it more thought when i'm further into the process, see how it actually goes at that point and if it'S stabilizing. I guess it's a bit early to say anything, or freak out, about that matter.
  • Bizurke51
    Bizurke51 Posts: 190 Member
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    since i started adding calories back it seems to cling to me about 4-7 days. For example, last Thursday i weighted 179.2, added 200 calories to my budget on sunday, Wednesday weighted 182.3, but this morning weighted 179.7

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