Maintaining to lose

Ponkeen
Ponkeen Posts: 147 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Hey MFPers!
Question- I am planning on transitioning temporarily into maintenance to give my body a rest and jump-start my metabolism. A) will this work? B) if so, how long should I maintain before returning to losing? A week? A month? C) have you ever done this, and what other things do I need to consider?

Replies

  • briscogun
    briscogun Posts: 1,135 Member
    I don't think you can jump-start your metabolism by eating at maintenance. The only difference between eating at maintenance and eating at a deficit to lose weight is the number of calories you are ingesting. Your metabolic rate does not increase or decrease based upon the amount taken in. So what you are describing is really just taking a break from eating at a caloric deficit to lose weight and finding a daily calorie intake that will maintain your current weight. There would be no metabolic benefit.

    At least that's my understanding.
  • kristen6350
    kristen6350 Posts: 1,094 Member
    The only way to "jump start" your metabolism is to exercise (more). No dietary changes or decreasing/increasing calories will do that.

    How much more weight do you need to lose?

    How extreme is your current deficient? I sit worth decreasing it? Losing slower?

    It's perfectly logical to give yourself a break if you've been going for awhile, but I really don't think it's going to do what you think it's going to do.
  • 5stringjeff
    5stringjeff Posts: 790 Member
    kristen6350 wrote: »
    The only way to "jump start" your metabolism is to exercise (more). No dietary changes or decreasing/increasing calories will do that.

    How much more weight do you need to lose?

    How extreme is your current deficient? I sit worth decreasing it? Losing slower?

    It's perfectly logical to give yourself a break if you've been going for awhile, but I really don't think it's going to do what you think it's going to do.

    +1
  • jeepinshawn
    jeepinshawn Posts: 642 Member
    kristen6350 wrote: »
    The only way to "jump start" your metabolism is to exercise (more). No dietary changes or decreasing/increasing calories will do that.

    How much more weight do you need to lose?

    How extreme is your current deficient? I sit worth decreasing it? Losing slower?

    It's perfectly logical to give yourself a break if you've been going for awhile, but I really don't think it's going to do what you think it's going to do.

    +2
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited February 2016
    I beg to differ on the exercise. You do not jump start your metabolism by exercising MORE...

    You should change your exercise (intensity for example) and start working on strength training!

    The other is true that you do NOT JUMP START metabolism but building some muscle and exercising with intensity can boost the metabolism.

    If you want to change it up, reassess the deficit, start building muscle (or maintain the muscle you have while in a deficit) and make sure you are logging accurately (weigh your food) and make sure you are not over estimating exercise calories you may eat back.

    But if you just want to take a diet break and then drop back down, that is fine, this too gives your "brain" a break unless maintenance is going to be a hard transition, which is for a lot of people.

  • Ponkeen
    Ponkeen Posts: 147 Member
    So (to answer a few questions), I already exercise quite a bit. I do 2x weekly strength training, average about 13,000 walking steps a day, and am participating in a stair climbing competition at work. I also run 2x weekly and try to mix in other workout options (like yoga and pilates) as time allows.
    I plan on maintaining about the same level of exercise (the plan is to be healthy, not to be an elite athlete). My weight loss has slowed down quite a bit in the last two months, and I'm finding the deficit hard to maintain. This is as much a psychological thing as it is a physical thing. I'm just curious if anyone else out there who lost weight took a break in the middle, and was it helpful to you at all.
    I've lost 45 pounds since last May and plan on losing about 30 more before entering maintenance in the long term, and reassessing if that's where I want to be.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    Ponkeen wrote: »
    So (to answer a few questions), I already exercise quite a bit. I do 2x weekly strength training, average about 13,000 walking steps a day, and am participating in a stair climbing competition at work. I also run 2x weekly and try to mix in other workout options (like yoga and pilates) as time allows.
    I plan on maintaining about the same level of exercise (the plan is to be healthy, not to be an elite athlete). My weight loss has slowed down quite a bit in the last two months, and I'm finding the deficit hard to maintain. This is as much a psychological thing as it is a physical thing. I'm just curious if anyone else out there who lost weight took a break in the middle, and was it helpful to you at all.
    I've lost 45 pounds since last May and plan on losing about 30 more before entering maintenance in the long term, and reassessing if that's where I want to be.

    Yep I took a break. Did it do anything, not sure, but when I re-started the deficit (which I am on now) I am progressing. But my loss did not stall. I was just changing my exercise program both lifting and the amount of running I was doing and the type.
  • bri170lb
    bri170lb Posts: 1,375 Member
    I started in January of last year and took a planned month (of August) off to give myself an emotional break from logging and regular exercising while i went on vacation..

    I found that I pretty much ate the same things I normally do, maybe just a little bit more. I did not really exercise because it was too hot where I was and i didn't have access to a gym. I did still do a lot of walking at theme parks and the beach. I drank WAY more alcohol than I normally would.

    I gained 10 pounds but they came back off in just 2 weeks when I started up again, so I think it was mostly water weight.

    Mentally, I was ready to start kicking butt on the 1st of September. I'm glad I did it. I have an idea of what it will be like to try to maintain my weight when I get to my goal.

    Now, I plan to continue til the end of June and then if I have not reached my goal yet (hopefully I will, but I'm not sure) I will take another maintenance break.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
    edited February 2016
    gia07 wrote: »
    I beg to differ on the exercise. You do not jump start your metabolism by exercising MORE...

    You should change your exercise (intensity for example) and start working on strength training!

    The other is true that you do NOT JUMP START metabolism but building some muscle and exercising with intensity can boost the metabolism.

    If you want to change it up, reassess the deficit, start building muscle (or maintain the muscle you have while in a deficit)     and make sure you are logging accurately (weigh your food) and make sure you are not over estimating exercise calories you may eat back.

    But if you just want to take a diet break and then drop back down, that is fine, this too gives your "brain" a break unless maintenance is going to be a hard transition, which is for a lot of people.
    Most people here insist that you cannot build muscle while in a deficit, therefore with no muscle gain, there would be no effect on metabolism. You can gain strength & supposedly maintain muscle, but not increase muscle mass.
  • Ponkeen
    Ponkeen Posts: 147 Member
    bri170lb wrote: »
    I started in January of last year and took a planned month (of August) off to give myself an emotional break from logging and regular exercising while i went on vacation..

    I found that I pretty much ate the same things I normally do, maybe just a little bit more. I did not really exercise because it was too hot where I was and i didn't have access to a gym. I did still do a lot of walking at theme parks and the beach. I drank WAY more alcohol than I normally would.

    I gained 10 pounds but they came back off in just 2 weeks when I started up again, so I think it was mostly water weight.

    Mentally, I was ready to start kicking butt on the 1st of September. I'm glad I did it. I have an idea of what it will be like to try to maintain my weight when I get to my goal.

    Now, I plan to continue til the end of June and then if I have not reached my goal yet (hopefully I will, but I'm not sure) I will take another maintenance break.

    Very informative! Thank you!
  • Ponkeen
    Ponkeen Posts: 147 Member
    gia07 wrote: »
    Ponkeen wrote: »
    So (to answer a few questions), I already exercise quite a bit. I do 2x weekly strength training, average about 13,000 walking steps a day, and am participating in a stair climbing competition at work. I also run 2x weekly and try to mix in other workout options (like yoga and pilates) as time allows.
    I plan on maintaining about the same level of exercise (the plan is to be healthy, not to be an elite athlete). My weight loss has slowed down quite a bit in the last two months, and I'm finding the deficit hard to maintain. This is as much a psychological thing as it is a physical thing. I'm just curious if anyone else out there who lost weight took a break in the middle, and was it helpful to you at all.
    I've lost 45 pounds since last May and plan on losing about 30 more before entering maintenance in the long term, and reassessing if that's where I want to be.

    Yep I took a break. Did it do anything, not sure, but when I re-started the deficit (which I am on now) I am progressing. But my loss did not stall. I was just changing my exercise program both lifting and the amount of running I was doing and the type.

    That is good to know. Thanks!

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