How do I maintain my weight?

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kalliewelter
kalliewelter Posts: 8
in Health and Weight Loss
I feel as though I don't want to lose any more weight. I started out at 152 and am now down to 133 (on a good day!). Originally, my calorie goal started out at 1200, but now that I changed my goal to maintain my weight, its at 1760. That seems like a HUGE increase! It's almost like I don't have to work out at all becuase I can't eat that much unless I force myself. I'm also afraid that if I don't workout as much, I will gain some of the weight back, which I DO NOT WANT! I love working out, but when I do, MFP says I need to eat more! I can barely get up to 1760 calories before working out! Can anyone give me some insight?

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  • jojopel
    jojopel Posts: 348 Member
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    Bump
  • getsveltEagain
    getsveltEagain Posts: 1,063 Member
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    Well that seems right at a glance... you are suppose to cut 500 a day to lose a pound. I am not an expert but without any math that makes sense to me :wink:
  • Iam918
    Iam918 Posts: 118 Member
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    How quickly are you losing weight now (per week) between what you are eating and expending thru exercising?

    If it's not a lot (<2lb) then just try upping your calories by 100/day for ~2wks, keeping your exercise the same, and re-evaluate at that time. If still losing then up by 100/day again for a few weeks until you come to level out.

    I would advise against a drastic caloric increase as you don't want to overdo it and start gaining fat back.
  • CarlaAnn15
    CarlaAnn15 Posts: 55 Member
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    Maybe try a week at the higher calories, even like 1700 a day along with exercising 3 or 4 days a week and see how it goes. I haven't reached my goal weight yet but I think, just like everything else, it's a learning experience. If you see yourself losing more weight, up your calories by 100 each day. But if you see yourself gaining, lower the calories by 100 each day while still exercising.

    Sorry I can't be of much help but I think you'll just need to 'play' with the calories & exercise for a few weeks to see what works!

    Good Luck to you! And Congrats at reaching your goal weight!!
  • kalliewelter
    kalliewelter Posts: 8
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    How quickly are you losing weight now (per week) between what you are eating and expending thru exercising?

    If it's not a lot (<2lb) then just try upping your calories by 100/day for ~2wks, keeping your exercise the same, and re-evaluate at that time. If still losing then up by 100/day again for a few weeks until you come to level out.

    I would advise against a drastic caloric increase as you don't want to overdo it and start gaining fat back.

    I would say its a pound per week, but I'm not keeping exact track. I just weigh myself when I feel like it or think about it. I'm afraid of upping my calories based on what MFP says (up to 1760 calories) because it seems like a big jump! I eat pretty dang healthy now, but if I'm supposed to add 500 extra calories to that, I think I will eat whatever is in sight and I don't want to go back there!

    I had been doing a lot of cardio, but now I want to firm up everything, so strengh training will be my main focus!
  • Iam918
    Iam918 Posts: 118 Member
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    I would say its a pound per week, but I'm not keeping exact track. I just weigh myself when I feel like it or think about it. I'm afraid of upping my calories based on what MFP says (up to 1760 calories) because it seems like a big jump! I eat pretty dang healthy now, but if I'm supposed to add 500 extra calories to that, I think I will eat whatever is in sight and I don't want to go back there!

    I had been doing a lot of cardio, but now I want to firm up everything, so strengh training will be my main focus!

    Being ~1lb a week I'd start w/ upping by only 100/cal per day for two weeks and then look at your weight at the end. If still dropping up it a little again. It's all about slow incremental increases (IE: dialing your calories in) as everyone is different and MFP can only give general guidelines. You'll have to find out what is correct for you thru experimentation.

    If strength training is going to be your focus then I'd suggest the extra calories you will be needing be from more protein. Your body will need need it to repair your muscles after lifting. I'd suggest starting with a full body routine (1 compound lift per major part) done 3 days a week. On the days you lift, if you do cardio do it after lifting, reason being is you don't want to be wasted/out of energy when trying to lift.

    Lift as heavy as you can w/ low reps (6-10) & increase the weight slightly every few weeks to keep your muscles growing. Do not fret about becoming "muscle-bound" or "arnold" looking; as a female you will not have the testosterone to do so unless taking steroids. It also takes many years of lifting to gain that much muscle as well.

    You may want to check out the forums on Bodybuilding .com for some good information. They have female specific forums and the ladies in there are very helpful.

    Good luck.
  • kalliewelter
    kalliewelter Posts: 8
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    I would say its a pound per week, but I'm not keeping exact track. I just weigh myself when I feel like it or think about it. I'm afraid of upping my calories based on what MFP says (up to 1760 calories) because it seems like a big jump! I eat pretty dang healthy now, but if I'm supposed to add 500 extra calories to that, I think I will eat whatever is in sight and I don't want to go back there!

    I had been doing a lot of cardio, but now I want to firm up everything, so strengh training will be my main focus!

    Being ~1lb a week I'd start w/ upping by only 100/cal per day for two weeks and then look at your weight at the end. If still dropping up it a little again. It's all about slow incremental increases (IE: dialing your calories in) as everyone is different and MFP can only give general guidelines. You'll have to find out what is correct for you thru experimentation.

    If strength training is going to be your focus then I'd suggest the extra calories you will be needing be from more protein. Your body will need need it to repair your muscles after lifting. I'd suggest starting with a full body routine (1 compound lift per major part) done 3 days a week. On the days you lift, if you do cardio do it after lifting, reason being is you don't want to be wasted/out of energy when trying to lift.

    Lift as heavy as you can w/ low reps (6-10) & increase the weight slightly every few weeks to keep your muscles growing. Do not fret about becoming "muscle-bound" or "arnold" looking; as a female you will not have the testosterone to do so unless taking steroids. It also takes many years of lifting to gain that much muscle as well.

    You may want to check out the forums on Bodybuilding .com for some good information. They have female specific forums and the ladies in there are very helpful.

    Good luck.

    Thanks, I will check that out!

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