Hard getting calories in

krismacdee
krismacdee Posts: 5 Member
edited November 2024 in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I made the decision to switch to maintenance when I was within 2 lbs of my goal (feel good about weight loss and decided this was my new goal) BUT I'm having a hard time getting to calories per day.
I've only switched Sunday but I enjoy the fooods I was eating and felt satisfied. Is this a wait and see how it goes situation? If I lost a few more lbs not a big deal.

Thanks

Replies

  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    Peanut butter and ice cream!
  • krismacdee
    krismacdee Posts: 5 Member
    I definitely snack in the evenings.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    krismacdee wrote: »
    I made the decision to switch to maintenance when I was within 2 lbs of my goal (feel good about weight loss and decided this was my new goal) BUT I'm having a hard time getting to calories per day.
    I've only switched Sunday but I enjoy the fooods I was eating and felt satisfied. Is this a wait and see how it goes situation? If I lost a few more lbs not a big deal.

    Thanks

    How big was your deficit when you were losing?
    How much weight did you lose, and over what period of time?
    Was your loss fairly consistent from week to week?

    What maintenance calories are you trying to achieve - and did you add them in all at once? A lot of people find good success with reverse dieting into maintenance, adding 100-200 cals/day to their goal over several weeks until they stop losing and find their true maintenance number.
  • KaleidoscopeEyes8
    KaleidoscopeEyes8 Posts: 30 Member
    edited October 2017
    You don't need to change what you're eating, so much as just eat more of it. If you were having an apple and 1 TBSP. of nut butter for a snack, make it 1.5–2 TBSP. instead. A little extra each time you eat won't seem like much at the time, but will up your calorie intake to where you need it to be to maintain. Personally, I added another snack into my day, which timed right gives me more energy for my workouts. It's really hard to go from eating to lose weight to eating to maintain, so know you're not alone in this struggle.
  • krismacdee
    krismacdee Posts: 5 Member
    I've lost 16 lbs and was losing pretty consistently 1lb a week (average) since July/August I was eating 1200 calories a day and maintenance is 1600. I will try adding larger amounts of the foods I like and slowly add 100-200 calories and find my happy spot.
    Thanks for the suggestions
  • kristen8000
    kristen8000 Posts: 747 Member
    If you had a larger deficit when you were losing, this will be a slow go situation. I mean you can't go from 1200 one day to 1600 the next and not feel like crap.

    My suggestion is to add 100 calories to your day. So if you were 1200, eat at 1300 for 1 week daily, the next week, 1400, the next 1500. Weigh when you want and see what your trend is (I advice using a trending app like Libra or Happy Scale).

    I've been "at maintainance" for 3 weeks and I'm still having a hard time getting to even 1600 (my maintainance is 1800). Slow and steady. But I am still slowly losing, which I'm ok with since I gave myself some "wiggle room".
  • peaceout_aly
    peaceout_aly Posts: 2,018 Member
    krismacdee wrote: »
    I made the decision to switch to maintenance when I was within 2 lbs of my goal (feel good about weight loss and decided this was my new goal) BUT I'm having a hard time getting to calories per day.
    I've only switched Sunday but I enjoy the fooods I was eating and felt satisfied. Is this a wait and see how it goes situation? If I lost a few more lbs not a big deal.

    Thanks

    I am the same way. I ate at a deficit for so long that maintenance and bulking seem near impossible some days. My advice is to add in a protein shake, yogurt, or protein bar to help bump up the calories and protein intake.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Full fat dairy, nuts and seeds, avocado, hummus... peanut butter has already been mentioned and the odd doughnut or chocolate bar won't hurt if you have hit your protein goal and got some fruit & veg in.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10142490/a-list-of-calorie-dense-foods#latest

    ^I made this list while I was losing as a response to people who were having a hard time eating more than 1000 calories, but I found that when I switched to maintenance it became even more useful to me. A little bit more cheese, some extra condiments, slightly larger portion sizes, higher calorie bread, whole milk instead of lowfat, it all adds up over the course of a day. It doesn't take much to get your calories up to maintenance levels, but it can take some time to get out of the diet mindset. You just work on it day by day and see what you need.
  • krismacdee
    krismacdee Posts: 5 Member
    Thanks everyone. Awesome advice
  • tonyjnav
    tonyjnav Posts: 16 Member
    Almonds.
  • riffraff2112
    riffraff2112 Posts: 1,756 Member
    maintenance is tough. The extra calories are a welcome addition (you would think!) but finding equilibrium is difficult. Most people tend to gain weight back, as they lose their focus of losing and eat more than they should. Ease yourself back into the consuming of the additional calories, maybe mess around with meal timing, and adding dense foods. Good luck
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