Approaching maintenance...

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kirstens1984
kirstens1984 Posts: 96 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Hi, I'm now heading towards my maintenance goal of 112lbs (currently 115 - I'm 5'3.5", body fat currently 24%) and to be honest I'd say I'm happy for maintenance to be between 112-115 to allow for fluctuations from day to day anyway. MFP sets me at 1200 calories per day to lose weight, typically I eat around 1300 plus a little more on exercise days (4-5 times approx. per week) although I do find it hard to estimate my calorie burn on lifting days. I lost the weight following two pregnancies which have left me with the typical stubborn belly fat and loose skin (I know there's not a huge amount I can do about the skin), but other than that I don't feel I have any more weight to lose without looking too thin. So I guess my question is how I go about maintaining weight whilst reducing body fat and building more muscle? How much should I increase my daily calories by, or is it just a case of trial and error? Aiming for a BF of 21-22% which I think is achievable over the next 3-4 months. I already eat plenty of protein (around 100-110g most days) and I try to limit net carbs to under 100g so nothing too drastic. Is it just a case of keep going as I am but add a bit of extra food? Maintenance and recomp is new to me so sorry for all the questions! Thank you x

Replies

  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
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    Yes add extra food. Have you been averaging 0.5lb loss per week? if so then you can add 250 cals a day. If it was 1lb a week, then thats an extra 500.
    Some would say to up the calories slowly but any so called gain from increased calories is temporary and will level out in a few weeks.

    FYI I am 1" shorter than you and I maintain on 1950-2000 calories (I'm fairly active).

    Your protein intake is spot on for building muscle. You might need to eat at slight surplus to see muscle gains. But I'm sure others will chime in on this with their ten cents.

    Congrats on your weight loss :smile:
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    edited December 2017
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    yes, eat at maintenance for recomp
  • kirstens1984
    kirstens1984 Posts: 96 Member
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    RunRutheeRun wrote: »
    Yes add extra food. Have you been averaging 0.5lb loss per week? if so then you can add 250 cals a day. If it was 1lb a week, then thats an extra 500.
    Some would say to up the calories slowly but any so called gain from increased calories is temporary and will level out in a few weeks.

    FYI I am 1" shorter than you and I maintain on 1950-2000 calories (I'm fairly active).

    Your protein intake is spot on for building muscle. You might need to eat at slight surplus to see muscle gains. But I'm sure others will chime in on this with their ten cents.

    Congrats on your weight loss :smile:

    Thank you :) it's confusing what to put on MFP as my job is sedentary (office based) yet I have 2 young kids so run round ragged at home, plus I work out regularly - I put "lightly active" and log my exercise days - I'd say I lose 1lb per week at least... I've lost 15lbs in about 11 weeks overall. I'll see what it says if I adjust to maintenance... I love my food so I can't wait to increase my calories!! My BMR is 1215 calories (according to the boditrax machine at the gym) so I guess 1300 a day is too low anyway really as it barely accounts for any activity. It's hard adjusting my mindset to maintaining when I've been so focused on that scale dropping each week!
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    edited December 2017
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    When you go in to maintenance think of staying within +/-5lb range, so you still have to focus on keeping your numbers within that.
    Enjoy the extra calories :smile: nothing really changes when we reach maintenance, we still need to be aware of our calorie intake. I go by TDEE, I know as long as I don't exceed 2000 calories then I maintain.
    It looks like you'll be able to eat at least 1800, but probably more - you'll figure that out over time and then you can adjust your calories up if necessary.
  • ladyhusker39
    ladyhusker39 Posts: 1,406 Member
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    kirstens1984 wrote: »
    RunRutheeRun wrote: »
    Yes add extra food. Have you been averaging 0.5lb loss per week? if so then you can add 250 cals a day. If it was 1lb a week, then thats an extra 500.
    Some would say to up the calories slowly but any so called gain from increased calories is temporary and will level out in a few weeks.

    FYI I am 1" shorter than you and I maintain on 1950-2000 calories (I'm fairly active).

    Your protein intake is spot on for building muscle. You might need to eat at slight surplus to see muscle gains. But I'm sure others will chime in on this with their ten cents.

    Congrats on your weight loss :smile:

    Thank you :) it's confusing what to put on MFP as my job is sedentary (office based) yet I have 2 young kids so run round ragged at home, plus I work out regularly - I put "lightly active" and log my exercise days - I'd say I lose 1lb per week at least... I've lost 15lbs in about 11 weeks overall. I'll see what it says if I adjust to maintenance... I love my food so I can't wait to increase my calories!! My BMR is 1215 calories (according to the boditrax machine at the gym) so I guess 1300 a day is too low anyway really as it barely accounts for any activity. It's hard adjusting my mindset to maintaining when I've been so focused on that scale dropping each week!

    Yes, it is. I've been practicing maintenance for the last few months before I start back to lose the last 20 lbs and I've found it more challenging than losing. It's certainly something you have to practice and get used to. Give yourself some time to adjust and don't get too panicked if you spike a little at first. It's likely water weight if it happens quickly. You'll probably have to play around a bit with your maintenance calories before you get it just right.

    Congratulations and all the best going forward.
  • kirstens1984
    kirstens1984 Posts: 96 Member
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    Thank you everyone :) looks like more food for me this xmas, yippee! x
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    kirstens1984 wrote: »
    RunRutheeRun wrote: »
    Yes add extra food. Have you been averaging 0.5lb loss per week? if so then you can add 250 cals a day. If it was 1lb a week, then thats an extra 500.
    Some would say to up the calories slowly but any so called gain from increased calories is temporary and will level out in a few weeks.

    FYI I am 1" shorter than you and I maintain on 1950-2000 calories (I'm fairly active).

    Your protein intake is spot on for building muscle. You might need to eat at slight surplus to see muscle gains. But I'm sure others will chime in on this with their ten cents.

    Congrats on your weight loss :smile:

    Thank you :) it's confusing what to put on MFP as my job is sedentary (office based) yet I have 2 young kids so run round ragged at home, plus I work out regularly - I put "lightly active" and log my exercise days - I'd say I lose 1lb per week at least... I've lost 15lbs in about 11 weeks overall. I'll see what it says if I adjust to maintenance... I love my food so I can't wait to increase my calories!! My BMR is 1215 calories (according to the boditrax machine at the gym) so I guess 1300 a day is too low anyway really as it barely accounts for any activity. It's hard adjusting my mindset to maintaining when I've been so focused on that scale dropping each week!

    You don't have to start from fresh when you hit maintenance - simply adjust from where you are now or all your old data and trends becomes worthless.
    You can manually set your calorie goal, it's a far finer and more flexible adjustment. But try to let the effect of each adjustment settle or you could end up reacting to normal fluctuations rather than the real trend.
    There's no rush, maintenance is for life! :)
    Took me three months initially to find my sweet spot and ended up with a higher allowance than the simple maths indicated - yay more food!

    Try to adjust the mindset from success being when the scales show a loss to every day in your maintenance range being a victory. A daily smile.

    As for recomp....
    To build muscle / lose fat at maintenance you need to exercise at an intensity that will challenge / stress your muscles and existing capabilities. Obviously the best/fastest way is with weight/strength training, the most effective way is with a well designed program but for long term adherence you also have to enjoy your training. (Or at least be able endure the training for the results it gives you.)

    A calorie surplus isn't required, that may or may not affect the speed of progress but it's not a requirement.
  • DebLaBounty
    DebLaBounty Posts: 1,172 Member
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    I lost at 1200 calories per day, then switched to maintenance of 1500 to 1600 per day after reaching my goal weight. For two months now, my weight fluctuates between two pounds over goal weight to three pounds below. I'm comfortable with that. Congrats on your success!

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