Exercise

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miratps
miratps Posts: 141 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Hi all,

So I've hit my goal weight (perhaps gone a bit lower just in case) but now want to maintain. I exercised like an animal, to me at least, as well as calorie counting. I was cycling for hours and even started doing the odd but of running every day without fail -pain or no pain. I am a male, mid to late twenties, currently weigh 61kg and am 5 ft 7.

But now I am thinking this is not all that sustainable especially as the weather turns and the fear of not exercising so much is all consuming.

My question is, is it possible to maintain easily without having to exercise as much. Can I go a few days of no exercise and eat under whatever MFP/Fitbit say I have burnt or am allowed?

May sound daft, but I just need to know from people who went aggressive with their weight loss and now managed to take their foot off the peddle and still maintain.
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Replies

  • JoeCWV
    JoeCWV Posts: 213 Member
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    I set my MPF to sedentary then log my exercise. The days I work out I get more calories. The days I sit on the couch and watch TV I get less calories. No problems maintaining for me.

  • miratps
    miratps Posts: 141 Member
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    Thanks both. But does the idea of not working out/hitting a certain 'calorie lost' figure through exercise not feel weird on a daily basis?

    I've accepted now (for now) that I don't need to hit 3000 calories a day - according to fitbit at least - 2500 is more than enough. But now if I am not projected to hit that I panic but that theoretically is still more than enough as I am not eating over 1600 calories a day yet. Any tips on getting over that mental hurdle or is it a good one to have?
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
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    I build daily exercise into my routine. So I try to walk 5 miles a day (this takes regular activity and at least 30 minutes of effortful walking) and use a pedometer to measure it (first mechanical, then fitbit, now apple watch). I set my exercise to couch potato and eat the calories I earn (averaged over the week). There are days in the winter when it's tough to do all that walking and I have to be more effortful. I can hit my calorie goals, but if I don't exercise I seem to slowly gain, even though I log everything. That seems to fit the research. I've maintained more than four years without working too hard at it.
  • maxit
    maxit Posts: 880 Member
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    miratps wrote: »
    Thanks both. But does the idea of not working out/hitting a certain 'calorie lost' figure through exercise not feel weird on a daily basis?

    Hitting a "calorie lost" figure is still in the equation for me, 2 years in to maintenance. If I don't move beyond "sedentary" levels, I will gain weight if I eat out a couple of time a month even if my usual daily regimen is at or slightly under my maintenance goal. It's sad, but just a fact of life.

  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,195 Member
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    miratps wrote: »
    My question is, is it possible to maintain easily without having to exercise as much. Can I go a few days of no exercise and eat under whatever MFP/Fitbit say I have burnt or am allowed?

    May sound daft, but I just need to know from people who went aggressive with their weight loss and now managed to take their foot off the peddle and still maintain.

    I base it on my weight. I weigh myself every day and have a maximum weight that I don't want to go over. If I approach that weight, I step up the exercise and/or reduce the calories.

  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    Yeah in theory, it's just about eating less if you don't exercise. In practice, it's not that easy because it means having to restrict more... which kinda sucks... although I suppose that if you stop exercising as much, you will be less hungry (but in my own experience, exercise doesn't seem to impact my appetite that much).

    If you're only eating 1600 calories with your stats and activity though, there's something really wrong... either that or you're seriously underestimating your food.
  • Kati9408
    Kati9408 Posts: 67 Member
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    miratps wrote: »
    Hi all,

    So I've hit my goal weight (perhaps gone a bit lower just in case) but now want to maintain. I exercised like an animal, to me at least, as well as calorie counting. I was cycling for hours and even started doing the odd but of running every day without fail -pain or no pain. I am a male, mid to late twenties, currently weigh 61kg and am 5 ft 7.

    But now I am thinking this is not all that sustainable especially as the weather turns and the fear of not exercising so much is all consuming.

    My question is, is it possible to maintain easily without having to exercise as much. Can I go a few days of no exercise and eat under whatever MFP/Fitbit say I have burnt or am allowed?

    May sound daft, but I just need to know from people who went aggressive with their weight loss and now managed to take their foot off the peddle and still maintain.

    What is the reason to not exercise ?
  • miratps
    miratps Posts: 141 Member
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    Kati9408 wrote: »
    miratps wrote: »
    Hi all,

    So I've hit my goal weight (perhaps gone a bit lower just in case) but now want to maintain. I exercised like an animal, to me at least, as well as calorie counting. I was cycling for hours and even started doing the odd but of running every day without fail -pain or no pain. I am a male, mid to late twenties, currently weigh 61kg and am 5 ft 7.

    But now I am thinking this is not all that sustainable especially as the weather turns and the fear of not exercising so much is all consuming.

    My question is, is it possible to maintain easily without having to exercise as much. Can I go a few days of no exercise and eat under whatever MFP/Fitbit say I have burnt or am allowed?

    May sound daft, but I just need to know from people who went aggressive with their weight loss and now managed to take their foot off the peddle and still maintain.

    What is the reason to not exercise ?

    I was/am obsessed. Not that I love exercise but that if I stop I will be back to my old self in a matter of weeks. The fear of not exercising is a big factor rather than actually enjoying it. I don't want to completely stop but I'd like to get into a healthy mindset that 2 or 3 days missed a week of just relaxing won't hurt - but then again, I don't know if that's correct
  • miratps
    miratps Posts: 141 Member
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    Francl27 wrote: »
    Yeah in theory, it's just about eating less if you don't exercise. In practice, it's not that easy because it means having to restrict more... which kinda sucks... although I suppose that if you stop exercising as much, you will be less hungry (but in my own experience, exercise doesn't seem to impact my appetite that much).

    If you're only eating 1600 calories with your stats and activity though, there's something really wrong... either that or you're seriously underestimating your food.

    Everything I eat is scanned/weighed so I can't imagine I am. There are times I'll pick up a strawberry or something randomly and forget to log at the time but then quick add 50 or so if not more.

    I want to slowly build up but I am finding the mindset in eating more quite difficult and am constantly checking the mirror and thinking 'my chreks are chubby again' even if I ate little the day before
  • Spliner1969
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
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    I felt the same way when I hit maintenance. I figured I'd reduce my exercise load as well as slowly increase calories. I found I like the exercise so I kept it up, increased to maintenance levels, and even struggle some days to eat enough to even out at maintenance. I'm having no problems maintaining my weight, but I'm also still doing a 900-1000 calorie a day burn six days a week on average. For me, at 6'2" tall, it means I can eat 2500-2700 calories a day 7 days a week no sweat and not gain weight. In the winter I bought a Bowflex M5 to use in place of running/walking. It was expensive but worth it. I prefer to walk outside so if it's warm enough (above 45F) I'll generally wear layers and do it anyway if there is no snow/ice on the ground. If I'm stuck inside I use the Bowflex. I then do body weight training, some regular weight training, and some cross training inside so I can still get it done without going outside. I doubt I'll sustain 6 days a week forever but still going strong at the moment, and I'm 47 years old. Just keep logging, and stay within your goals and you'll be fine. Expect weight swings of +/- 5 lbs quite often, just don't let them freak you out. That is why I went 10 lbs below my original goal weight before I started going up to maintenance.
  • misscamp26
    misscamp26 Posts: 18 Member
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    [quote="Spliner1969;37843797" In the winter I bought a Bowflex M5 to use in place of running/walking. It was expensive but worth it.

  • misscamp26
    misscamp26 Posts: 18 Member
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    I've seen the infomercials for the Bowflex M5 and am intrigued. Did you have an opportunity to try it out in person before purchasing it? It looks like a combination of elliptical and stair climber- would you say that's accurate?
  • Spliner1969
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
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    misscamp26 wrote: »
    I've seen the infomercials for the Bowflex M5 and am intrigued. Did you have an opportunity to try it out in person before purchasing it? It looks like a combination of elliptical and stair climber- would you say that's accurate?

    I did not. I took a chance and ordered it. They gave me 0% financing so it wasn't so bad. However, when I got the thing I immediately thought I had wasted my money. Even on level 1 I could not stay on it for more than a couple of minutes before my heart rate got out of control and I had to step off it. It took me weeks to work up to just doing 14-15 minutes on the thing. I'd do 2-3 minutes then get off (it auto-pauses) and walked around to catch my breath. Over the last year I have worked up to the point where I can do 30-45 minutes on it at the highest level (16) but it took a lot of work. It's probably one of the hardest workouts I've ever done, it doesn't even compare to most ellipticals in difficulty. I will say that most of the difficulty is with the legs, it does work the arms but not as much as the legs.

    I swear, if the Devil, a stair stepper, and an elliptical had sex, not loving sex mind you, but hurtful evil sex (haha.. loved Deadpool.. what a fun movie), the spawn would be the Max trainer. ;)

    I like mine, and not sure what I would do without it (probably buy another). Just don't fall for the '14 minutes a day 3 days a week' crap. It takes more than that. For almost the first 6-8 months I was afraid to try the "MAX" button on the thing which does the 14 minute HIIT workout. It took so much work to get up to just doing 30 minutes on the thing at level 10-12 that I figured it would straight out kill me. When I finally tried it though, it was easy in comparison. I now find myself adjusting the difficulty of the MAX workout to make it harder.

    As with anything you are going to still need a calorie deficit, and that 14 minute workout they advertise is only going to burn between 180-250 calories max. It's a good workout but keep that in mind. I work out for over an hour six days a week for somewhere near a 1000 calorie burn. Only part of that is done with the M5.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    Exercise less = eat less...exercise more = eat more...maintenance is just energy balance.
  • misscamp26
    misscamp26 Posts: 18 Member
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    Spliner1969 wrote: »
    misscamp26 wrote: »
    I've seen the infomercials for the Bowflex M5 and am intrigued. Did you have an opportunity to try it out in person before purchasing it? It looks like a combination of elliptical and stair climber- would you say that's accurate?

    I did not. I took a chance and ordered it. They gave me 0% financing so it wasn't so bad. However, when I got the thing I immediately thought I had wasted my money. Even on level 1 I could not stay on it for more than a couple of minutes before my heart rate got out of control and I had to step off it. It took me weeks to work up to just doing 14-15 minutes on the thing. I'd do 2-3 minutes then get off (it auto-pauses) and walked around to catch my breath. Over the last year I have worked up to the point where I can do 30-45 minutes on it at the highest level (16) but it took a lot of work. It's probably one of the hardest workouts I've ever done, it doesn't even compare to most ellipticals in difficulty. I will say that most of the difficulty is with the legs, it does work the arms but not as much as the legs.

    I swear, if the Devil, a stair stepper, and an elliptical had sex, not loving sex mind you, but hurtful evil sex (haha.. loved Deadpool.. what a fun movie), the spawn would be the Max trainer. ;)

    I like mine, and not sure what I would do without it (probably buy another). Just don't fall for the '14 minutes a day 3 days a week' crap. It takes more than that. For almost the first 6-8 months I was afraid to try the "MAX" button on the thing which does the 14 minute HIIT workout. It took so much work to get up to just doing 30 minutes on the thing at level 10-12 that I figured it would straight out kill me. When I finally tried it though, it was easy in comparison. I now find myself adjusting the difficulty of the MAX workout to make it harder.

    As with anything you are going to still need a calorie deficit, and that 14 minute workout they advertise is only going to burn between 180-250 calories max. It's a good workout but keep that in mind. I work out for over an hour six days a week for somewhere near a 1000 calorie burn. Only part of that is done with the M5.

    Thanks so much for the detailed information. I really appreciate it. It looks like an amazing workout and if I did decide to purchase home equipment, it sounds like this would be the best bang for the buck. It's really helpful to hear from a real person who's actually tried it out.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
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    You've got your Fitbit so those numbers will keep you right.

    Personally for about 2 years I was exercising like a mad woman! 2-3 hours a day which isn't healthy long term imo, my joints started to protest in recent weeks (I'm 47). I had to dial back my workouts by more than half because I don't want to over do things and end up needing a knee or hip replacement. There was a worry that I'd gain (although I've been at maintenance for 4 years), but I've since found when I do less, my appetite follows suit so I don't need to eat as much. In the few weeks since cutting back on activities I've lost a few more pounds and am now 5lbs below my goal.

    It makes sense to do activities that we can keep on doing consistently.
  • Spliner1969
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
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    misscamp26 wrote: »
    Thanks so much for the detailed information. I really appreciate it. It looks like an amazing workout and if I did decide to purchase home equipment, it sounds like this would be the best bang for the buck. It's really helpful to hear from a real person who's actually tried it out.

    You're welcome. There are times I wish I had a Treadclimber instead, or as a 2nd machine so I could walk inside on days I just don't want to have the M5 to kick my butt. However, the Tread climbers are much more expensive and I hear they break down quicker (just from reviews I've read). If you do buy one, don't go for the M3, it only has a 1 year warranty. Mine has some issues already at 1.5 years, so it's covered for 2 years. They will send you parts but you have to put them on after the first 90 days, and it's unlikely anything will go wrong in the first 90 days when labor is covered as well. Mine hasn't broken down completely yet, but bearings are just about shot on the legs, so they will likely need to send me new ones. Going to call them tomorrow.

  • clh72569
    clh72569 Posts: 280 Member
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    I used to do 3 hour workouts on the weekend and 2 hour workouts M-F. I year into maintenance I have dialed back to 2 hours weekends, 1 hour M-F; but it took me a while to get my mindset right. I can now not exercise and not freak that I would go back to my old sedentary obese ways.

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