Do I need fewer calories once I've reached my goal weight?

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nanagetshealthier
nanagetshealthier Posts: 29 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi, I'm Nana, I'm a wheelchair user and I'm 22. I'm 60.7kg at the moment and I've lost 7/8 kgs mainly through diet. My goal weight is 46kg (I'm 4'11 hence the low weight) and I'm on 1,242 calories but I was wondering if I got to my ideal weight would I need to adjust my caloric intake? I'm worried I'm going to have to cut down on calories the lighter I get. I don't workout.

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  • richardgavel
    richardgavel Posts: 1,001 Member
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    Yes, you should be recalculating your calorie goals every 10 lbs or so of loss.
  • DaintyWhisper
    DaintyWhisper Posts: 221 Member
    edited April 2017
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    I don't think that you'll get less calories once you reach your goal weight. I put your stats in (4'11" and 46kg/99lbs) for when you reach your goal, and it said you'd need 1,370 calories to maintain your weight. : ) That was with a sedentary activity level.
    This website won't put you under 1,200 calories, so you don't have to worry about that!
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,752 Member
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    When you get to your goal weight, and you don't want to lose anymore, you can recalculate your maintenance calories. This should be more than you finished losing on, but it won't be as much as you would eat to maintain a heavier weight.
  • nanagetshealthier
    nanagetshealthier Posts: 29 Member
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    DaintyWhisper wrote: »
    I don't think that you'll get less calories once you reach your goal weight. I put your stats in (4'11" and 46kg/99lbs) for when you reach your goal, and it said you'd need 1,370 calories to maintain your weight. : ) That was with a sedentary activity level.
    This website won't put you under 1,200 calories, so you don't have to worry about that!

    That's great!
  • nanagetshealthier
    nanagetshealthier Posts: 29 Member
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    richardgavel wrote: »
    Yes, you should be recalculating your calorie goals every 10 lbs or so of loss.

    I'll bare that in mind!
  • nanagetshealthier
    nanagetshealthier Posts: 29 Member
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    livingleanlivingclean wrote: »
    When you get to your goal weight, and you don't want to lose anymore, you can recalculate your maintenance calories. This should be more than you finished losing on, but it won't be as much as you would eat to maintain a heavier weight.

    Pretty straight forward, thanks!
  • SmartAlec03211988
    SmartAlec03211988 Posts: 1,896 Member
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    Yes, about 14-15 calories per pound of body weight. Most people undereat in maintenance.
  • nanagetshealthier
    nanagetshealthier Posts: 29 Member
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    SmartAlec03211988 wrote: »
    Yes, about 14-15 calories per pound of body weight. Most people undereat in maintenance.

    I'm sorry, can you explain it more please?
  • kmcadam78
    kmcadam78 Posts: 21 Member
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    No you do not. By eating less calories you lose more weight. If you recalculate your weight, activity and put down that you want maintenance you will get more calories. Maybe a few hundred more. You may need to play around with this till you get the right balance for you tho
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,391 MFP Moderator
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    nanagetshealthier wrote: »
    SmartAlec03211988 wrote: »
    Yes, about 14-15 calories per pound of body weight. Most people undereat in maintenance.

    I'm sorry, can you explain it more please?

    Don't even bother with that calculation. Its overly generic and it still puts me in a deficit.



    Will you need less calories? Maybe? Technically, your body wouldn't burn as many calories at a lower weight; think of it like this, do you think you would burn more calories if you loaded 20 lbs in a back pack and walked around or without it? But some people, offset the loses from Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT - activities burned from daily activities outside of exercise) from weight less with moving more.

    I have actually maintained at 3k my entire weight loss journey (whether I was 220 or 170). The best thing you can do is track calories over time and adjust as you approach maintenance.

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