Maintaining easily vs maintaining a low weight
Addictead
Posts: 66 Member
I feel myself getting frustrated, I've been eating at a slight deficit and I've lost roughly 2 pounds from some regain but lately it's been a kind of two step forward, one back situation. I eat at my deficit level, but then I have one-two days over maintenance and then I've netted maintenance for the week again. Which hey, I've stopped gaining so that's at least a win. But that is kind of what happens when I try to go below 130 or so, I can maintain 130-133 very easily. I maintained that level for MONTHS even between holidays. Though in my mind I'm so stuck on having to be +- 125, But every time I get that low I end up self sabotaging and regaining back up to 130-133. Would my quality of life or able to function be hindered by being 130-133? No. It's still within a healthy weight for my height(BMI 24) and my clothes fit fine, I feel good and think I look alright. It's just somehow I feel like being 130 is failure because of accidentally maintaining it for so long when 125 is "just" 5-7 pounds lighter why can't I stick it out?
I guess this is kind of my question to answer but I needed a rant.
I guess this is kind of my question to answer but I needed a rant.
7
Replies
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It may have nothing to do with additional fat. Once you're in the "normal" range it's more helpful to look at body fat levels than absolute weight as a better guide.5
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I feel myself getting frustrated, I've been eating at a slight deficit and I've lost roughly 2 pounds from some regain but lately it's been a kind of two step forward, one back situation. I eat at my deficit level, but then I have one-two days over maintenance and then I've netted maintenance for the week again. Which hey, I've stopped gaining so that's at least a win. But that is kind of what happens when I try to go below 130 or so, I can maintain 130-133 very easily. I maintained that level for MONTHS even between holidays. Though in my mind I'm so stuck on having to be +- 125, But every time I get that low I end up self sabotaging and regaining back up to 130-133. Would my quality of life or able to function be hindered by being 130-133? No. It's still within a healthy weight for my height(BMI 24) and my clothes fit fine, I feel good and think I look alright. It's just somehow I feel like being 130 is failure because of accidentally maintaining it for so long when 125 is "just" 5-7 pounds lighter why can't I stick it out?
I guess this is kind of my question to answer but I needed a rant.
It is your question to answer, but I totally get it. There's nothing wrong with making a conscious decision to maintain for a few months, and then think about it again. Is it worth the effort? Do you want to be 125 just because it's the goal you picked back when you started, or do you feel like losing another 5-10 lbs would make you look/feel better? Is the stuff that keeps throwing you off sticking to the deficit solvable?
You might also want to consider recomp instead of just straight up losing weight. It is a super slow process, but if you're spinning your wheels anyway it might be preferable.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat/p1
Hang in there
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CipherZero wrote: »It may have nothing to do with additional fat. Once you're in the "normal" range it's more helpful to look at body fat levels than absolute weight as a better guide.
Yeah I was curious about that so I found out at 132 I have 23% BF which is within fitness, I have a hard time believing it but I guess that's a good place to be?0 -
You sound like me! I have to fight hard to stay 125-6 yet it's easier to sit at 130-131. But I feel too squidgy with those extra pounds so always make the effort to lose them.
While recomp is probably a good idea I spent a few years doing that and the scale number still bothered me so now I stick with my preference of being in a certain weight range and do enough strength training to keep the muscle I've already achieved.
Do what makes you happy. If you feel good at your current weight then allow yourself to be happy there. It's a personal choice.
All the best.
Ruth3 -
I read this differently. I think the issue is you can’t stay in deficit long enough to lose 5 more pounds. It might not be more difficult to maintain there once you actually get there. That’s the trick tho. You have to get there first. The actual cals to maintain at 5 pounds less are probably not that different.6
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SummerSkier wrote: »I read this differently. I think the issue is you can’t stay in deficit long enough to lose 5 more pounds. It might not be more difficult to maintain there once you actually get there. That’s the trick tho. You have to get there first. The actual cals to maintain at 5 pounds less are probably not that different.
I've been 125 2 separate times, I know I can get there it just takes a lot of effort and I feel burnt out at the end of it and then It ends up not be sustainable4 -
I think you need to decide if it’s really all that important to weigh a certain number on the scale. You say you feel and look good, so how much of a difference is 5 pounds going to make in your life? If you feel as though it will really make a difference for the better, then fight tooth and nail to get and stay there. If not, I’d stay where you are and live life to the fullest! In my opinion, life is just too short to agonize over 5 pounds!9
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What is the calorie difference maintaining at 125 v 130?
What deficit do you/have you used to lose those last 5-7lbs?
If you feel burnt out by the time you reach 125, you may well just slightly over eat, and slightly underperform with your workout routine and daily activity once you get there.
Try taking a different route to your goal.
Keep your workouts the same, providing the amount you do now is also what you plan on doing in maintenance. (If you plan on cutting back your workouts once you reach maintenance (125), make sure you know your workout calories and can easily adjust them.)
Set your cals at your goal weight (125lbs) maintenance, or 50-100 cals less, as a cushion.
Work on increasing your NEAT in sustainable ways. (I’ll link the NEAT thread)
The above may make it a bit slower reaching 125 but, by the time you get there, you shouldn’t be as burnt out, you should just slide into maintenance with little effort.
It is worth considering easing back just to relieve the stress.
I do agree, a recomp may give you the body results you are looking for without further weight loss.
Cheers, h.
The NEAT thread
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10610953/neat-improvement-strategies-to-improve-weight-loss/p1
Personally, I found it more successful to increase my neat by 200 cals a day than to try and workout an extra ~hour a day or do a purposeful 5-7km walk. Doing ether of the latter 2 would have left me too tired and my NEAT would have dropped, cancelling out part or all of the workout/walk calories. h.12 -
How tall are you?
It sounds like 130-135 is an ideal maintenance range for you!1 -
I'm 5'2.5 and weigh 130 as well. I'll just second everything @middlehaitch said, especially increasing NEAT. I'm losing at a rate of 1 pound a month, sometimes maintaining for weeks at a time. I am the proverbial turtle 🐢
Slow and steady is easier and ultimately more successful than the constant up and down. BONUS - it's great practice for maintenance!12 -
I'm 5'2.5 and weigh 130 as well. I'll just second everything @middlehaitch said, especially increasing NEAT. I'm losing at a rate of 1 pound a month, sometimes maintaining for weeks at a time. I am the proverbial turtle 🐢
Slow and steady is easier and ultimately more successful than the constant up and down. BONUS - it's great practice for maintenance!
You know from January to March I managed to get from 136 to 133 by eating basically maintaince calories(I think 1600 or 1700 on average, I was so surprised that I lost any thing) and just staying active. So maybe I do need to try that again, at worst I'll just maintain which would be perfect.3 -
There are plenty who are happy being at a higher weight range than that - that's down to muscle mass and body composition.
I'm one of them, anything below 125 I look ill and old! The wrinkles get more noticeable. My happy weight is 126-128 (5ft 2 / 50yrs). Everyone has their own ideal weight range.5 -
You know from January to March I managed to get from 136 to 133 by eating basically maintaince calories(I think 1600 or 1700 on average, I was so surprised that I lost any thing) and just staying active. So maybe I do need to try that again, at worst I'll just maintain which would be perfect.
I find the above a very interesting statement!
My second year on MFP I lost 11.2lbs on a 204 Cal a day "paper" deficit, which based on the trending weight loss of 11.2lbs was closer to 106 Cal a day effective.
So... unless you're willing to call my 11.2lbs lost "maintenance", you too were not maintaining between January and March.
Do you know what I changed between the year I lost 11.2lbs and the year I lost 0.5lb--which I think I *will* call maintenance?
I ate on average 7 more calories a day (from 2913 up to 2920) and reduced my general activity as proxied by a 4% reduction in average steps a day (from 19597 to 18813)
Small but consistent changes over a long enough time have a fairly substantial impact.6 -
What @middlehaitch pointed out is that really the difference in calories to maintain 125 v, 130 is tiny.
I’m taller 5-7 and hit 125 last year and maintained for 6 months or so, then slowly crept up. The story I told myself was that it’s easier to maintain at 130-135. In hindsight, not really true. Now I’m over 140 and kicking myself.7 -
I'm 5'2.5 and weigh 130 as well. I'll just second everything @middlehaitch said, especially increasing NEAT. I'm losing at a rate of 1 pound a month, sometimes maintaining for weeks at a time. I am the proverbial turtle 🐢
Slow and steady is easier and ultimately more successful than the constant up and down. BONUS - it's great practice for maintenance!
You know from January to March I managed to get from 136 to 133 by eating basically maintaince calories(I think 1600 or 1700 on average, I was so surprised that I lost any thing) and just staying active. So maybe I do need to try that again, at worst I'll just maintain which would be perfect.
I think you'll find once you take the stress and immediacy out of the equation, you'll be much more relaxed about how long it might or might not take to lose those last few pounds Plus, it's just NICE to have a few more calories to play with! 2 -
SummerSkier wrote: »I read this differently. I think the issue is you can’t stay in deficit long enough to lose 5 more pounds. It might not be more difficult to maintain there once you actually get there. That’s the trick tho. You have to get there first. The actual cals to maintain at 5 pounds less are probably not that different.
I've been 125 2 separate times, I know I can get there it just takes a lot of effort and I feel burnt out at the end of it and then It ends up not be sustainable
Then why don't you dedicate to lift weights and get smaller that way. It works for so many on here who end up weighing the same or a bit more but are so much more fit and smaller. Then with the lean muscle mass you get to eat more calories. a win win.2 -
Absolutely this. I'm 5' 2-1/2" but my lean mass is 101 pounds. If I weighed 110 I'd have just under 8% body fat! At 120 I'd still only be 16%. At 61 years old, that'd be terribly unhealthy.
A weight of 135 puts me at 25%, and I'm plenty okay with that.
We're all different. The number on the scale is only part of the puzzle.
[/quote] There are plenty who are happy being at a higher weight range than that - that's down to muscle mass and body composition.
I'm one of them, anything below 125 I look ill and old! The wrinkles get more noticeable. My happy weight is 126-128 (5ft 2 / 50yrs). Everyone has their own ideal weight range. [/quote]
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middlehaitch wrote: »What is the calorie difference maintaining at 125 v 130?
What deficit do you/have you used to lose those last 5-7lbs?
If you feel burnt out by the time you reach 125, you may well just slightly over eat, and slightly underperform with your workout routine and daily activity once you get there.
Try taking a different route to your goal.
Keep your workouts the same, providing the amount you do now is also what you plan on doing in maintenance. (If you plan on cutting back your workouts once you reach maintenance (125), make sure you know your workout calories and can easily adjust them.)
Set your cals at your goal weight (125lbs) maintenance, or 50-100 cals less, as a cushion.
Work on increasing your NEAT in sustainable ways. (I’ll link the NEAT thread)
The above may make it a bit slower reaching 125 but, by the time you get there, you shouldn’t be as burnt out, you should just slide into maintenance with little effort.
It is worth considering easing back just to relieve the stress.
I do agree, a recomp may give you the body results you are looking for without further weight loss.
Cheers, h.
The NEAT thread
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10610953/neat-improvement-strategies-to-improve-weight-loss/p1
Personally, I found it more successful to increase my neat by 200 cals a day than to try and workout an extra ~hour a day or do a purposeful 5-7km walk. Doing ether of the latter 2 would have left me too tired and my NEAT would have dropped, cancelling out part or all of the workout/walk calories. h.
I just looked to see what the difference is between maintenance calories for my current weight (8 # above the top end of "healthy") vs. 17# lighter, which would be right in the middle of "healthy range" for me, and at the same level of activity (I always use sedentary for a starting point) it was 90 measly calories a day. I've been maintaining for the past couple of months because I burned out on deficit eating and have been adjusting to a fairly large change in my sleep schedule (getting less) and daily routine (more NEAT but no intentional exercise). But it now occurs to me that cutting 100 calories a day or burning 100 extra calories a day seems pretty straightforward and I might just start edging down to that mid-range goal without much effort.10 -
I think you need to decide if it’s really all that important to weigh a certain number on the scale. You say you feel and look good, so how much of a difference is 5 pounds going to make in your life? If you feel as though it will really make a difference for the better, then fight tooth and nail to get and stay there. If not, I’d stay where you are and live life to the fullest! In my opinion, life is just too short to agonize over 5 pounds!
This is spot-on!
I find that just eating more carbs for a few days while still controlling daily intake of calories can raise my scale 3 to 5 pounds. Dratted glycogen storage? Or if I miss steel cut oats two or three mornings....well you know..... Or something more salty than usual. Or not sleeping well for a few nights. That’s all it take to raise the scale in my case.
I’m still trying to come to terms with that ideal weight as well. That thought of what about another 5 pounds- will it make me feel better. Perhaps it will but if it’s a struggle to reach and to stay, might want to rethink the magic number.
Whatever you decide, you’ve done well and likely look quite amazing!
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