Finally had to drop back to deficit - My Aha! moment

nxd10
nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
edited November 23 in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I've been on MFP four years. Lost my weight in 6 months and have maintained since. I've had a 5 pound range - 150 to 155 pounds. I dropped under that last summer and had to up my calories. Last January I traveled for 3 weeks and, although I swear I logged everything and stayed under my calories, I moved up to the top of my range.

All summer I've been in the middle to just over. Every day I had some excuse for being 'just over' (156). Most were valid - I was dressed and that is a few pounds. But still. It's not moving down. And even though I've always hit my goals, I'm not 'in' the range, I'm sitting at the top of it.

Finally faced reality when I realized I'm 10 pounds more than I was last year this time, when I was under my range. Back to a 250 calorie deficit! I'm hoping I'll be back down at the bottom shortly.

Replies

  • Trishfitz78
    Trishfitz78 Posts: 69 Member
    Well done on your initial loss and even more well done for maintaining for so long! Just shows how important it is to keep logging. I haven't hit goal yet but know I'll have to keep up the good habits! You'll be back in range in no time!!
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    Good catch!
    Starting back before it gets out of hand is great. So much easier to do.
    I have a 5 lb range that I have maintained for over 6 years. Once under by 2 lb, once over by 1 lb.
    As soon as I saw both, a quick trip back to calorie counting had the flaws highlighted and me back in my range.

    Ups and downs are usually travel or exercise routine based, for me anyway.

    Cheers, h.
  • North44
    North44 Posts: 359 Member
    Good job. You got this.
  • RaspberryTickleChicken
    RaspberryTickleChicken Posts: 629 Member
    nxd10 wrote: »
    I've been on MFP four years. Lost my weight in 6 months and have maintained since. I've had a 5 pound range - 150 to 155 pounds. I dropped under that last summer and had to up my calories. Last January I traveled for 3 weeks and, although I swear I logged everything and stayed under my calories, I moved up to the top of my range.

    All summer I've been in the middle to just over. Every day I had some excuse for being 'just over' (156). Most were valid - I was dressed and that is a few pounds. But still. It's not moving down. And even though I've always hit my goals, I'm not 'in' the range, I'm sitting at the top of it.

    Finally faced reality when I realized I'm 10 pounds more than I was last year this time, when I was under my range. Back to a 250 calorie deficit! I'm hoping I'll be back down at the bottom shortly.

    Thanks so very much for sharing this because I can totally see this happen to me the longer I maintain. I think the further away we get from when we were losing weight we kinda forget & it just gets easier it is to rationalize stuff.

    It's great that you're nibbing it in the butt before it gets out of hand.

    Bravo @nxd10 Bravo!
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    It just shows how easy it is to get complacent.

    Go melt those pounds :smile: you've got this! :smiley:
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    Four days at a deficit and I'm back at 153. Well, that wasn't hard! I'll stay here another week, hope to got to 150, and go back to maintenance.

    I know a 250 calorie deficit shouldn't make me drop that fast, but I think I dropped a few things that my body reacts to with bloat.
  • Azurite27
    Azurite27 Posts: 554 Member
    With only 1 lb over range you probably could have done a smaller deficit, say 100-150. Either way good job.
  • HAS415
    HAS415 Posts: 48 Member
    nxd10 wrote: »
    I've been on MFP four years. Lost my weight in 6 months and have maintained since. I've had a 5 pound range - 150 to 155 pounds. I dropped under that last summer and had to up my calories. Last January I traveled for 3 weeks and, although I swear I logged everything and stayed under my calories, I moved up to the top of my range.

    All summer I've been in the middle to just over. Every day I had some excuse for being 'just over' (156). Most were valid - I was dressed and that is a few pounds. But still. It's not moving down. And even though I've always hit my goals, I'm not 'in' the range, I'm sitting at the top of it.

    Finally faced reality when I realized I'm 10 pounds more than I was last year this time, when I was under my range. Back to a 250 calorie deficit! I'm hoping I'll be back down at the bottom shortly.

    I'm just curious as to how tall you are.

  • HAS415
    HAS415 Posts: 48 Member
    nxd10 wrote: »
    I've been on MFP four years. Lost my weight in 6 months and have maintained since. I've had a 5 pound range - 150 to 155 pounds. I dropped under that last summer and had to up my calories. Last January I traveled for 3 weeks and, although I swear I logged everything and stayed under my calories, I moved up to the top of my range.

    All summer I've been in the middle to just over. Every day I had some excuse for being 'just over' (156). Most were valid - I was dressed and that is a few pounds. But still. It's not moving down. And even though I've always hit my goals, I'm not 'in' the range, I'm sitting at the top of it.

    Finally faced reality when I realized I'm 10 pounds more than I was last year this time, when I was under my range. Back to a 250 calorie deficit! I'm hoping I'll be back down at the bottom shortly.

    OMG I just reread this and this could be me. Except my trainer wants me to gain but something deep inside me doesn't want to. I lost 130 lbs, went to far and now am trying to find that balance. Keep up the good work - you got this!
  • MissJay75
    MissJay75 Posts: 768 Member
    It's likely that the calories MFP has given you is very close to your maintenance number but not quite. (Maybe your metabolism or daily activity has changed from 3 & 1/2 years ago when you first hit maintenance) So over the course of a year, you saw a few pounds ever so slowly creep back on. Well done for keeping an eye on it, and doing something about it before it got out of control.

    You could always adjust your daily calories down by 20-40 calories per day, or just drop down to a deficit for a week or 2 whenever you need to.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    nxd10 wrote: »
    I've been on MFP four years. Lost my weight in 6 months and have maintained since. I've had a 5 pound range - 150 to 155 pounds. I dropped under that last summer and had to up my calories. Last January I traveled for 3 weeks and, although I swear I logged everything and stayed under my calories, I moved up to the top of my range.

    All summer I've been in the middle to just over. Every day I had some excuse for being 'just over' (156). Most were valid - I was dressed and that is a few pounds. But still. It's not moving down. And even though I've always hit my goals, I'm not 'in' the range, I'm sitting at the top of it.

    Finally faced reality when I realized I'm 10 pounds more than I was last year this time, when I was under my range. Back to a 250 calorie deficit! I'm hoping I'll be back down at the bottom shortly.

    Thanks for sharing this. good luck on reaching your goal. :)
  • Yi5hedr3
    Yi5hedr3 Posts: 2,696 Member
    Yep, I hear you.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    nxd10 wrote: »
    Four days at a deficit and I'm back at 153. Well, that wasn't hard! I'll stay here another week, hope to got to 150, and go back to maintenance.

    I know a 250 calorie deficit shouldn't make me drop that fast, but I think I dropped a few things that my body reacts to with bloat.

    ^^ woohoo and what a great feeling :smile:
    The thing is a small deficit isn't hard to stick to and it gets results. :smile:
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    edited September 2015
    I'm 5'10" tall and quite curvy. 152 is what I weighed as a slim college graduate and it's what I came back to when I was breastfeeding my eldest. It's my 'natural' healthy weight and where a number of sites put me for 'ideal'. I've been thinner without trying (146, like I was last summer for a while), but I feel grumpy and hungry under 150 and I always come back to this range. I'm 56, so it's a good weight for me.

    And I'm still back in my target range, despite the fact that my father-in-law died Thursday and this hasn't been a good week for making changes to my eating.
  • itsbasschick
    itsbasschick Posts: 1,584 Member
    congrats on being in maintenance for so long :)

    to take away any confusion, why not weigh yourself without clothes at the same time of day? maybe when you wake up?

    my jeans weigh a pound, my husband's - who's much taller - weighs over a pound and a half. my shoes anywhere from under a pound to over 2 pounds. dressed in cool weather when going to the doctor, my clothes all told weighed 9 pounds.
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