This is what worries me about maintainance...

Congratulations on reaching your goal! I would say you might want to set a minimum & maximum weight range for maintenance to allow for normal fluctuations like this. Also, maybe weigh yourself less often (once or twice per week) if fluctuations stress you out. I give myself a 2-3 kg weight range to work with & know that different times of the month, exercise habits, types of food/drink will impact my weight and I am OK with that. If I see a consistent creep over 2 weeks & clothes feel slightly snug I know it is likely to be fat, and I need to eat less/move more!

jbean1990 wrote: »

On Saturday I posted about how I had finally met my target of 12 stone, by cutting to 1660kcal p/d and not eating back exercise calories. I'm now starting the road towards maintainance and plan to gradullay increase my intake. Sunday morning I was bang on 12 stone, I consumed 1800kcal (+140 on old target) but also went running and burnt 400kcal. Today I get weighed and I'm 12 stone, 3 and a half lbs! How is that even possible?! Being at that 12 barrier was a big deal for me, and this is what worries me going into maintainance as that's quite a jump! I just don't get it, I didn't even eat enough to put that on! Any advice?

It sounds like it could be either water weight or constipation (maybe even both). I regained three pounds over the weekend despite running a massive weekly deficit. Got up this morning and lost the 3 lbs just going to the bathroom. Make sure you're drinking plenty of water and keeping your sodium intake limited to reduce water retention, and gmake sure you're getting fiber and fats to prevent or limit constipation.

Also, as mentioned above weight will fluctuate day to day and even hour to hour. Don't let it get to you.

water weight - my weight can be anywhere from 146 to 151lbs in a given week - but when averaged out is relatively stable (I think it has varied like .5lb over the last month)

pick a range that you are comfortable with - I'd say probably 12stone +/-4lbs

When I run, I tend to retain water afterwards. Certain foods will make me retain water, even if they don't have high sodium. I've learned to restrict my weighing to days that follow rest days and that aren't after a restaurant meal or high fiber meal. That means I only weigh myself about every 7 - 14 days. Alternately, weigh yourself every day and only worry if your weight stays above your acceptable maximum for more than a few days.

Get yourself a trending weight app (Libra or Happy Scale for example) and try entering your weight daily for a couple of weeks - it'll be eye-opening - you'll get to see your daily fluctuations in weight, realise that it's never completely stable, and get to know what affects your weight up and down on a day-to-day basis. I always fluctuate up by a few lbs on a Monday after the excesses of the weekend, but by Friday I'm back down to usual again. Don't panic!

Weight fluctuates. Whether you are trying to lose, maintain or even gain: your weight fluctuates. You do not have a single, solitary weight. It will vary from day to day and during the day. Rather than trying to set a 'goal weight' perhaps envision a goal range of about 5 pounds. Otherwise you'll always be chasing a unicorn that lives behind a rainbow.

Since eating at a deficit results in weight loss, and you've been eating at a deficit: logic would dictate that eating more (than you have been) is what it will take to maintain. Trial and error will help you figure that out. About how quickly, on average have you been losing? If 1 pound per week, you'll probably need to increase by about 500 per day. If going up that much at once freaks you out, try 200-300 more for a few weeks then adjust again.

I can't imagine that you reached your goal without ever realizing that a person's weight (water) fluctuates considerably. Most people have to learn that "weight loss is not linear" somewhere in the process. If your journey involved measurable weight loss every single day, I'm inclined to think you were eating at an overly aggressive deficit. Relax, keep increasing your calories slowly, and only be concerned with trends, not day-to-day numbers.

jbean1990 wrote: »

I've lost about 46lbs since March. I wasn't massively overweight but was unhappy with how clothes fit etc, and the idea that if I go up I'll stop fitting into 32 inch trousers freaks me about because of all the hard work to get there. It's the summer break for 6 weeks now so I'm aiming to run 6 days a week, at least 7KM a day, possibly 10 on some and want to move up the rankings at the running club, so I'm sure that would counteract any bad choices or mistakes?

The bad choice you are making right now is not eating enough to fuel your activity! Not sure how you are functioning!

jbean1990 wrote: »

On Saturday I posted about how I had finally met my target of 12 stone, by cutting to 1660kcal p/d and not eating back exercise calories. I'm now starting the road towards maintainance and plan to gradullay increase my intake. Sunday morning I was bang on 12 stone, I consumed 1800kcal (+140 on old target) but also went running and burnt 400kcal. Today I get weighed and I'm 12 stone, 3 and a half lbs! How is that even possible?! Being at that 12 barrier was a big deal for me, and this is what worries me going into maintainance as that's quite a jump! I just don't get it, I didn't even eat enough to put that on! Any advice?

Recast static "12" as a fixed range you will live with, to accommodate the inevitable fluctuations - water, food volume in your body as you digest, etc.

I had a similar inflexible "number" - and I wanted to maintain that number (not a range). Doesn't work that way.

Really, my # was an "upper limit" number that I wanted to stay beneath. I should have therefore continued my journey, dieted a few more pounds below that number (e.g. in your case, maybe 11 stone 9 or 10?) and then gradually transitioned to maintenance. That way, I would fluctuate between 11 stone-whatever and the magic, mental "12".

Also... congrats!