Help with calories!

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jme260
jme260 Posts: 44 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
How can I figure out my maintenance allowance? I had to eat 1100 calories to lose my last 5 lbs (around .5lb - 1lb a week). Occasional Days I was extra hungry, I would eat around 1300.

I am female, 4’11 - 115lbs. I lift weights 4 days a week but am going to start doing cardio a few days as well.

My weight fluctuates a lot. I ate 1278 calories yesterday (all clean) and was up .6 lbs this morning. Should I just try to up my calories a few hundred, get off the scale and see weekly how much I weigh? And do you eat your cardio calories back when you are maintenance?

Thanks for the help- any advice appreciated! Lost 35lbs since June and a past yo-yo dieter. I have never been able to maintence before.

Replies

  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
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    your weight will fluctate on a daily basis - because of food eaten, exercise, stress, sleep - .6 is within the realm of a normal variation

    maintenance should be a range - so if you are 115lbs, then maintenance could be like 112-118lbs - so i would set your goal on MFP to maintain and see what it gives you (be honest about your activity level) - then monitor it for a month and make adjustments as needed
  • csplatt
    csplatt Posts: 1,023 Member
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    That .6 pounds has nothing to do with fat. You could have foot sitting in your intestines. Water in your body that goes up and down. If I eat a small plate of spaghetti tonight, I will absolutely weigh 1 lb more tomorrow at least. It can't be fat if I was within my calorie goals... that's just how the body works. It will disappear within a few days.
  • noodlesno
    noodlesno Posts: 113 Member
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    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10638211/how-to-find-your-maintenance-calorie-level

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