I know this is normal for maintenance but I'm worried...

Melm2h
Melm2h Posts: 5 Member
edited November 27 in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I just reached my goal weight. The most recent calorie allowance amount I had was 1440. Once I changed my goal on MFP to maintain it puts my calorie allowance to 1920. That's a MASSIVE difference. How will I not gain weight essentially going back to a 2000 calorie diet? Do I add the calories back into my diet slowly? There must be some tips for this process. Please advise!

Replies

  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    If you have been losing at about a pound a week recently then that's about right.
    Were you eating 2000 cals before you lost weight? That's often stated as an average amount for a female but only you know if you are average in terms of size, activity and exercise.

    You can add calories slowly or quickly or all at once - personal choice.

    Have a read through many of the threads in this forum for tips about weight ranges (not one fixed weight), water weight bounces and fluctuations, goal setting.....
  • Melm2h
    Melm2h Posts: 5 Member
    Right, the thing is I don't exactly know what I was eating before but if it wasn't 2000 it was definitely close. I had MFP set to lose 1 lb. a week and it was definitely a good pace and steady for the most part (despite occasional fluctuation but I guess we all bounce a bit at times). I suppose I'll just ease in slowly and see what the scale says next week. I'll have to sift through the forums here to see if there is anything relevant to my question. Thanks!
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    Did you read the stickies at the top of this forum?
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Melm2h wrote: »
    I just reached my goal weight. The most recent calorie allowance amount I had was 1440. Once I changed my goal on MFP to maintain it puts my calorie allowance to 1920. That's a MASSIVE difference. How will I not gain weight essentially going back to a 2000 calorie diet? Do I add the calories back into my diet slowly? There must be some tips for this process. Please advise!

    Were you eating 2,000 before? I'd bet not. 2,000 is the ball park average right amount for a woman, not the upper limit.
    1920 isn't really all that much.
    And yes, choose a maintenance range (+-5Lbs for example) rather than one fixed weight.
  • xcalygrl
    xcalygrl Posts: 1,897 Member
    Also, be aware that increasing your calories can cause a bump on the scales because of extra food in your system and replenishing your glycogen stores. It's best to increase your calories and stay at that level for 2-3 weeks to see if the water weight bump falls off before assuming you've gained true weight.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    You lost by dropping 500 calories a day. Now you've put it back and should maintain.

    But I do understand. I went up by 250 and maintained there, so stuck at that for a year after maintenance. Then I started losing and added more in.
  • Melm2h
    Melm2h Posts: 5 Member
    Thanks, guys!
  • faramelee
    faramelee Posts: 163 Member
    I know what you mean - I freaked out when I went from 1200 per day to 1984 calories, I just couldn't get my head around it, how would I NOT put weight on? That was 15 months ago now and I am still maintaining at the same weight so please don't worry. You can always adjust as you go along. Many people on here use the 5lb rule - if you reach a 5lb weight gain get back in control then and there.

    Good luck :)
  • Melm2h
    Melm2h Posts: 5 Member
    faramelee wrote: »
    I know what you mean - I freaked out when I went from 1200 per day to 1984 calories, I just couldn't get my head around it, how would I NOT put weight on? That was 15 months ago now and I am still maintaining at the same weight so please don't worry. You can always adjust as you go along. Many people on here use the 5lb rule - if you reach a 5lb weight gain get back in control then and there.

    Good luck :)

    That's what I plan to do. I've built in an extra 5 pounds to my weight loss so I have a small buffer which makes it less scary :-)
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    just add 100 calories a week until you hit 1920...
  • Kimo159
    Kimo159 Posts: 508 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    just add 100 calories a week until you hit 1920...

    I second this.
  • banannerbelle
    banannerbelle Posts: 17 Member
    edited December 2015
    Thank you for this! I have been maintaining, but it's clear my body isn't very happy about the amount I'm eating and I've also increased my physical activity, so I've upped the calories by 100 again (I'm also thinking that the only reason I've been maintaining at these calories is because my clever body is slowing down my metabolism to adjust- NOT what I want). I am so scared of gaining weight back that I forget I know how to lose it, too! I didn't realize that maintenance calories can be so much higher than the loss number.

    OP, it may also be worth checking a few different calculators in addition to MFP and working with a number based on all them, if you think your calorie goal may be off.
  • Yi5hedr3
    Yi5hedr3 Posts: 2,696 Member
    Add no more than 75 cals/day, if weight is still decreasing after a week add another 75 cals/ day. Otherwise you re going to start packing fat!
  • Dreysander
    Dreysander Posts: 294 Member
    One of my friends said something that really stuck with me - the good thing is that if I do gain weight I now know how to lose it.
  • jeepinshawn
    jeepinshawn Posts: 642 Member
    Melm2h wrote: »
    I just reached my goal weight. The most recent calorie allowance amount I had was 1440. Once I changed my goal on MFP to maintain it puts my calorie allowance to 1920. That's a MASSIVE difference. How will I not gain weight essentially going back to a 2000 calorie diet? Do I add the calories back into my diet slowly? There must be some tips for this process. Please advise!

    I went from 1600 to about 2600 in maintenance. I should probably be reading about 2900, but trying to do a recomp so eating at a real small deficit. I saw a bump of about 4lbs the first week then it fell off and I go from 173 to 176 on avg. Just enjoy your success and know you have the tools to maintain and even loose more if you need to.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    I went from 1550 to 1900 and can actually maintain eating around 2100.
  • ladybosie
    ladybosie Posts: 41 Member
    I'm 5'10" and female. During my weight loss period (which I'm at again, because I stopped tracking my calories and fell into convenience eating), I ate anywhere from 1500-1800 calories a day--maintaining, I could safely eat anywhere from 1800-2200 (sometimes 2500) as long as I kept up my healthy habits. It's really not a stretch for your calorie intake required to maintain to jump so much.

    You have to consider this: we eat at a calorie DEFICIT when we want to lose weight. We consume fewer calories than our body needs to function, so instead it'll draw energy off of fat stores. When you no longer have weight you want to lose, you don't need to take from those fat stores anymore, so you get the needed calories from food again instead. Makes sense.
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