this might be a stupid question but...

It's entirely up to what works for you. I just picked a comfortable calorie intake amount and let the rate decline rather than adjusting for different calorie goals.

I've found that as I lose weight, and I get closer to goal, I have to adjust my calorie goal UP if I want to keep losing. Sounds backwards, but it was suggested to me a while ago when I hit a plateau ... and it works for me.

Oh... should have mentioned, I started with a 1200 calorie a day goal, I set it myself.

poisonesse wrote: »

I've found that as I lose weight, and I get closer to goal, I have to adjust my calorie goal UP if I want to keep losing. Sounds backwards, but it was suggested to me a while ago when I hit a plateau ... and it works for me.

Oh... should have mentioned, I started with a 1200 calorie a day goal, I set it myself.

What people often find is that when they bump calories up a bit, non-exercise activity (calories out) increases as well for a net loss. And if they're also engaging in planned exercise, they feel energized to work out harder.

Never even thought about it, i like what im doing now, its a long term goal so im in no rush and slowly but surely the weight is dropping.
Try dumping all alcohol , its has changed the shape of me in 10 weeks

stephieleee wrote: »

Leannep2201 wrote: »

I guess it depends on how you want to lose weight.
I’ve stayed on 1600cal for the last 10 months, and have lost consistently throughout this time. It has slowed down as I’ve lost, but I’ve also got more active, so that has helped balance things out.
I decided that I’d rather lose weight slower and be happier with my calorie intake because it felt sustainable, than lose weight faster and have to keep adjusting to fewer calories. Have lost nearly 70lb now.

Yeah that's kind of why I'm asking. I like my calorie goal at the moment. It's comfortable and I don't feel like I'm starving or missing out on anything. I'm currently eating 1600-1700 net, and I feel like eating less will make me want to binge eat. There will definitely be room for me to add some more activity so that should hopefully help! Thanks

If it's broke, don't fix it. But really, if you're comfortable with the eating within your calorie limit and your losing at a healthy rate (generally the limit is no more than 1% of current body weight), then your doing just right for you. When it does start to take you can either adjust the calories you eat down or increase your exercise, aka increase the calories you burn.

You'll reach points where you'll want the deficit to decrease regardless because as you get closer to goal, you want to start losing at a slower rate. This not only helps you by keeping within the 1% range, but also helps you about huge calorie jumps when you get to goal. If you have to go from a 750-1000 calorie deficit to eating at maintenance, some people experience anxiety about putting the weight back on. This is worsened by the fact that increasing your calories causes a, usually temporary, jump in the scale. This is usually because of water weight because increased calories generally means increased salt and carbs. If the gap between where you're eating and maintenance is smaller, the jump in the scale is usually smaller. Plus, it's mentally easier to say to yourself, "I get to eat an extra 250 calories!" As opposed to saying, "I need to eat an extra 1000 calories" which, for women, can increase your daily calories by 1/2 to almost doubling.

With diet breaks, these are a great idea for mental health. You can stop being quite as strict on yourself and allows you to fit in some foods you wouldn't normally eat. Usually people will take a few days to a week of eating at maintenance and normally it's not a free for all but still trying for eating a nutrient dense diet overall while allowing for treats. Great for the week of Thanksgiving if you're in the US! I know there are recommended time frames for when you should take diet breaks (I can't remember off the top of my head) but personally, part of it is being self aware. If you've been in a calorie deficit for 6 months and you've spent the last two weeks feeling pissy about it, maybe it's time to take a week off, breathe a little, and reevaluate your motives to make sure they still hold true and that your going to continue for the right reasons. Heck, I'm even toying with the idea of being in maintenance from Thanksgiving through Christmas so I can practice maintenance during the holidays for the future and to allow myself to enjoy the holidays with the added pressure.

Sorry this is long!! It seems like you're very self aware about what is working for you and doing it in a healthy manner. Good luck!