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Should I up my intake?

catstratch
catstratch Posts: 18 Member
edited December 2024 in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I'm 5'5, lightly active. Since I hit 56kg, I decided to begin maintaining at 1800 kcal. Weight dropped to 55kg so I upped it to 2000-2200 kcal (usually at the lower end). It has been 2 weeks and this morning my weight drops again to 54kg.
Has this happened to anyone? I'm a little scared. Should I bump my intake up again or wait it out?

Replies

  • Kdp2015
    Kdp2015 Posts: 519 Member
    Sounds like you're more than lightly active, do you eat back exercise calories?
  • catstratch
    catstratch Posts: 18 Member
    Kdp2015 wrote: »
    Sounds like you're more than lightly active, do you eat back exercise calories?

    Unless it's more than 1hr cardio, I don't eat back since my intake is quite high as is.
  • Kdp2015
    Kdp2015 Posts: 519 Member
    But if you're still losing its not high enough to maintain...
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 35,441 Member
    One way or another, eat a little more. Eat back more exercise, or raise your daily calorie goal a bit, or (if it would make your lifestyle happier) eat a bit extra on the weekend to balance out to a higher weekly calorie total, or something like that.

    I gradually added daily calories when I got near goal weight, and dropped below the bottom of my goal range a couple of times en route to actual maintenance, and I know of others who had similar experiences. You're not alone. The calculators only give you maintenance estimates. They're pretty close for many people, but can be inaccurate (high or low) for some, even though the variation around the mean is fairly small.

    Try not to worry: If you make small changes gradually, you won't gain a huge amount overnight. If you hit the top of your goal weight range and stay there for a few days, you'll notice in plenty of time to bump your eating back down a bit. You've got this.
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