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Is "maintaining" gaining and losing the same 3-5 lbs?

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Replies

  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,572 Member
    I have a 5 pound range that I consider my 'zone'. If I'm in there I'm maintaining.
  • _piaffe
    _piaffe Posts: 163 Member
    I hate fluctuating. Hate it. Some people think 3-5 is maintaining, but if you lost 20 pounds total (like me), that's up to 25% creep. It doesn't make me happy.

    I've determined that I permanently have to be in "lose 1/2 pound" mode and track in order to maintain.

    I'm not good with budgets intuitively.
  • krazy1sbk
    krazy1sbk Posts: 128 Member
    _piaffe wrote: »
    I hate fluctuating. Hate it. Some people think 3-5 is maintaining, but if you lost 20 pounds total (like me), that's up to 25% creep. It doesn't make me happy.

    I've determined that I permanently have to be in "lose 1/2 pound" mode and track in order to maintain.

    I'm not good with budgets intuitively.

    Same for me! I'm down 19 total, and I'm keeping myself in the "lose 1/2 lb" also so that if I go over by a little I don't have to worry. For me I think it's a mind over matter problem... I do fluctuate up to 4 lbs depending on the day, though. I haven't found the exact reason, but I weigh every day to make sure that's all it is!
  • DebSozo
    DebSozo Posts: 2,578 Member
    edited December 2016
    _piaffe wrote: »
    I hate fluctuating. Hate it. Some people think 3-5 is maintaining, but if you lost 20 pounds total (like me), that's up to 25% creep. It doesn't make me happy.

    I've determined that I permanently have to be in "lose 1/2 pound" mode and track in order to maintain.

    I'm not good with budgets intuitively.

    I try to keep the fluctuations 4 pounds below maintenance. Then when weight creeps up more than 2 pounds I get busy on active weight loss to whack it back down.
  • DebSozo
    DebSozo Posts: 2,578 Member
    edited December 2016
    krazy1sbk wrote: »
    _piaffe wrote: »
    I hate fluctuating. Hate it. Some people think 3-5 is maintaining, but if you lost 20 pounds total (like me), that's up to 25% creep. It doesn't make me happy.

    I've determined that I permanently have to be in "lose 1/2 pound" mode and track in order to maintain.

    I'm not good with budgets intuitively.

    Same for me! I'm down 19 total, and I'm keeping myself in the "lose 1/2 lb" also so that if I go over by a little I don't have to worry. For me I think it's a mind over matter problem... I do fluctuate up to 4 lbs depending on the day, though. I haven't found the exact reason, but I weigh every day to make sure that's all it is!

    The reason is that glycogen gets filled into & depleted from the liver in order to have ready fuel for the body. Then when you eat carbs/sugar the glycogen stores fill back up. Water binds to glycogen 3:1 which is why there can be several pounds water woosh up or down suddenly. The body likes to have the glycogen on hand and ready to go.

  • kzooyogi
    kzooyogi Posts: 121 Member
    Yep! At first I was discouraged by the fluctuations, but now I actually love seeing them, because I know that, for me, that's the sign that I'm maintaining! Congrats :)
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