What do all of you do ...?

koalathebear · October 2019

When I was in the weight loss phase, on the very rare occasions I exceeded my daily calorie budget, I would draw a line in the sand for that day and "make up for it" in the next day or next two days that followed i.e. increasing my deficit on that day whether by way of exercise or eating a bit less.

Now that I'm in maintenance, I'm wondering whether I should follow the same approach or whether I just move on and pretend the day didn't exist and start the new day as a new day and eat my full daily budget of calories.

What does everyone else do? In the scheme of things I know it doesn't matter - my weight fluctuates like everyone else's and ultimately, a day or two here and there really don't seem to affect my weight overall, it's more just trying to figure out what my approach should be.

sijomial · October 2019

I basically ignore anything accept an extended driftt in my weight trend.

The rest is just a combination of the irrelevant noise of weight fluctuations and living my life where I totally expect days and weeks and even seasons to be different.

The only exception is when I have a fixed event date cycling event coming up when being at my best weight gives me a performance advantage, even then I don't have to go back to food logging - just being more mindful about my approximate calorie balance.

rainbow198 · October 2019

I look at my calories on a weekly basis, so I have higher days and lower days. At the end of the week everything averages out and I maintain my weight.

My weight definitely fluctuates, but I don't stress out since I'm aware of my calorie intake everyday.

For example every Friday night I go out for yummy pizza. I'm always up 2 pounds or so on Saturday...but it's okay. It's just water weight. I'm back to normal on Monday or Tuesday.

Also for me, keeping a larger 10 pound maintenance range definitely helps mentally (plus I'm tall).

riffraff2112 · October 2019

I've been at this so long now (5 yrs) I just kind of have the routine down pat now. I have goals that I am chasing(mostly fitness goals now not weight), so things don't get boring but for the most part, I know what to eat and what exercises to do and how often to do them. Maintenance for me (and from what I read and hear I am in the minority) was pretty much a smooth transition. I guess I formed some good habits during my losing phase and just ingrained them into my rituals.
I haven't really accurately logged my calories for a long time because I am kind of a creature of habit anyway and seem to have a good grip on when I am overdoing it! I certainly let things slip from time to time but knowing how my clothes are fitting is the best metric for me, and usually dictates for me when it is time to tighten up the eating a bit and add some cardio.

SummerSkier · October 2019

koalathebear wrote: »

When I was in the weight loss phase, on the very rare occasions I exceeded my daily calorie budget, I would draw a line in the sand for that day and "make up for it" in the next day or next two days that followed i.e. increasing my deficit on that day whether by way of exercise or eating a bit less.

Now that I'm in maintenance, I'm wondering whether I should follow the same approach or whether I just move on and pretend the day didn't exist and start the new day as a new day and eat my full daily budget of calories.

What does everyone else do? In the scheme of things I know it doesn't matter - my weight fluctuates like everyone else's and ultimately, a day or two here and there really don't seem to affect my weight overall, it's more just trying to figure out what my approach should be.

Koala, when I first started maintenance my mantra was "just move on" after a day of over indulging. And sure it is important to not try to start some restrction/overdoing it cycle. However since my days of going over are more than say once a month, I have come to realize that I do have to make my check book balance. I don't try to do it all at once with a huge withdrawal but I do over the next week work to hit my avg cal goal for the week. So my answer is that if it is going to happen more than once in a blue moon, you probably need to account for it (and when you log it typically I find it wasn't as MUCH as I thought it was anyway) if it is just a one off and you are pretty stead eddy for months at a time I would just not worry and continue on the next day.

Hopefully this makes sense. We are all so different that you have to find what works for you!

best of luck

EliseTK1 · October 2019

I have my calorie goal set slightly below my true maintenance. This gives me a general guideline to follow on most days, and it allows me to have a day or two each week where I indulge a bit without actively counterbalancing the overage. If I haven't had a reason to indulge and I get extra hungry, I know it's ok to have more. At this point I can feel intuitively when I need more or less calories. My weight fluctuates within about 3 lbs and has been for about six months now.

koalathebear · October 2019

Thanks everyone for sharing what you do - really helpful. My weight's been pretty stable for the last few months with around 1kg fluctuations up/down in the last few months of my weight loss phase.

To be honest, I very rarely eat the full calorie budget I'm allocated simply because I've always been a bit sceptical about my exercise calories so have tended to leave about 200 calories over each day even when I was heading towards maintenance - some of the Garmine-calculated calories for my very, very leisurely walks were a little on the high side etc

Unfortunately while I have a very good idea of what's in my regular/favourite foods - I am not one of those people that can simply eyeball new food and guess its calorie content. I still get shocked by how calorie expensive some foods are - for instance I ate a white chocolate coated freeze dried strawberry the other day and realised after the fact that it was quite expensive - notwithstanding how small it was

I had a funny blow-out the other day over yum cha because I was eating with family so couldn't log each item as I ate it and so did it after I got home - thought I had plenty left so ate three chocolate chunk biscuits. But then realised I hadn't remembered everything I'd eaten - so kept having to supplement and by the time I'd added up all the dumplings, prawn rolls, BBQ puffs, BBQ pork buns and custard puffs, I'd had a very calorie-expensive lunch

Those instances are very rare as I usually plan out my meals in advance and log as I go, but it's reinforced to me that I definitely want to continue logging so that I don't fall off the wagon.

I think the idea of doing the weekly reconciliation works for me because when I added up my totals for last week, what looked like a blow out on Saturday was actually not even a blow-out because I still remained well within budget for the week as a whole. Thanks again all

seltzermint555 · October 2019

pyrusangeles wrote: »

I have my calorie goal set slightly below my true maintenance. This gives me a general guideline to follow on most days, and it allows me to have a day or two each week where I indulge a bit without actively counterbalancing the overage. If I haven't had a reason to indulge and I get extra hungry, I know it's ok to have more. At this point I can feel intuitively when I need more or less calories. My weight fluctuates within about 3 lbs and has been for about six months now.

This is how I handle it too, and have been doing that for about 5 years now. Works well for me too. I have fluctuated up/down by roughly 10 lb but usually on the lower end of my range.

elisa123gal · October 2019

Your approach of balancing things out sounds like a winner to me.

walktalkdog · October 2019

koalathebear wrote: »

When I was in the weight loss phase, on the very rare occasions I exceeded my daily calorie budget, I would draw a line in the sand for that day and "make up for it" in the next day or next two days that followed i.e. increasing my deficit on that day whether by way of exercise or eating a bit less.

Now that I'm in maintenance, I'm wondering whether I should follow the same approach or whether I just move on and pretend the day didn't exist and start the new day as a new day and eat my full daily budget of calories.

What does everyone else do? In the scheme of things I know it doesn't matter - my weight fluctuates like everyone else's and ultimately, a day or two here and there really don't seem to affect my weight overall, it's more just trying to figure out what my approach should be.

I do exactly as you did while losing. "Maintenance" is something my body hasn't grasped. I do need to balance out a night with a cocktail or two with a day of lower calorie intake. And I still weigh myself every day.

cwolfman13 · October 2019

koalathebear wrote: »

When I was in the weight loss phase, on the very rare occasions I exceeded my daily calorie budget, I would draw a line in the sand for that day and "make up for it" in the next day or next two days that followed i.e. increasing my deficit on that day whether by way of exercise or eating a bit less.

Now that I'm in maintenance, I'm wondering whether I should follow the same approach or whether I just move on and pretend the day didn't exist and start the new day as a new day and eat my full daily budget of calories.

What does everyone else do? In the scheme of things I know it doesn't matter - my weight fluctuates like everyone else's and ultimately, a day or two here and there really don't seem to affect my weight overall, it's more just trying to figure out what my approach should be.

I don't log and haven't logged in 6.5 years of maintenance. I would wager that I have days where I'm over and days when I'm under. I monitor my weight regularly weighing in a few times per week. My usual maintenance weight averages about 182 with fluctuations either way. I'm currently about 188 which is pretty near the top of my maintenance range and intervention point. I usually hit that later in the winter, but pool parties and such this summer got the best of me so I'll be intervening sooner rather than my usual Feb/March time frame.

5-6 pounds is pretty easy for me to drop and I can do it in about a month if put my mind to it.

Roza42 · October 2019

koalathebear wrote: »

so couldn't log each item as I ate it and so did it after I got home - thought I had plenty left so ate three chocolate chunk biscuits. But then realised I hadn't remembered everything I'd eaten - so kept having to supplement and by the time I'd added up all the dumplings, prawn rolls, BBQ puffs, BBQ pork buns and custard puffs, I'd had a very calorie-expensive lunch Those instances are very rare as I usually plan out my meals in advance and log as I go, but it's reinforced to me that I definitely want to continue logging so that I don't fall off the wagon.

Thanks again all

When I eat out I take photographs of all my food before I eat, so I don't forget what I ate.

Skrib69 · October 2019

I have become more relaxed about logging and rarely complete my diary.

My breakfast and lunches are pretty consistent, so it is only my evening meal which I need to watch. However this has recently become easier now they I have to keep an eye on my cholesterol.

I have largely given up snacking between meals and I weigh probably every 3-4 weeks and the the weight fluctuates by up to around 5lbs if I am unlucky.

psychod787 · October 2019

cwolfman13 wrote: »

koalathebear wrote: »

When I was in the weight loss phase, on the very rare occasions I exceeded my daily calorie budget, I would draw a line in the sand for that day and "make up for it" in the next day or next two days that followed i.e. increasing my deficit on that day whether by way of exercise or eating a bit less.

Now that I'm in maintenance, I'm wondering whether I should follow the same approach or whether I just move on and pretend the day didn't exist and start the new day as a new day and eat my full daily budget of calories.

What does everyone else do? In the scheme of things I know it doesn't matter - my weight fluctuates like everyone else's and ultimately, a day or two here and there really don't seem to affect my weight overall, it's more just trying to figure out what my approach should be.

I don't log and haven't logged in 6.5 years of maintenance. I would wager that I have days where I'm over and days when I'm under. I monitor my weight regularly weighing in a few times per week. My usual maintenance weight averages about 182 with fluctuations either way. I'm currently about 188 which is pretty near the top of my maintenance range and intervention point. I usually hit that later in the winter, but pool parties and such this summer got the best of me so I'll be intervening sooner rather than my usual Feb/March time frame.

5-6 pounds is pretty easy for me to drop and I can do it in about a month if put my mind to it.

You have been a study for me @cwolfman13. I think you are a great example of a body weight settling range. You eat more calorically dense and then just switch up diet and add in a little more activity... bammmm weight just drops back. You are what I am striving for long term. How tall are you btw?

cwolfman13 · October 2019

psychod787 wrote: »

cwolfman13 wrote: »

koalathebear wrote: »

When I was in the weight loss phase, on the very rare occasions I exceeded my daily calorie budget, I would draw a line in the sand for that day and "make up for it" in the next day or next two days that followed i.e. increasing my deficit on that day whether by way of exercise or eating a bit less.

Now that I'm in maintenance, I'm wondering whether I should follow the same approach or whether I just move on and pretend the day didn't exist and start the new day as a new day and eat my full daily budget of calories.

What does everyone else do? In the scheme of things I know it doesn't matter - my weight fluctuates like everyone else's and ultimately, a day or two here and there really don't seem to affect my weight overall, it's more just trying to figure out what my approach should be.

I don't log and haven't logged in 6.5 years of maintenance. I would wager that I have days where I'm over and days when I'm under. I monitor my weight regularly weighing in a few times per week. My usual maintenance weight averages about 182 with fluctuations either way. I'm currently about 188 which is pretty near the top of my maintenance range and intervention point. I usually hit that later in the winter, but pool parties and such this summer got the best of me so I'll be intervening sooner rather than my usual Feb/March time frame.

5-6 pounds is pretty easy for me to drop and I can do it in about a month if put my mind to it.

You have been a study for me @cwolfman13. I think you are a great example of a body weight settling range. You eat more calorically dense and then just switch up diet and add in a little more activity... bammmm weight just drops back. You are what I am striving for long term. How tall are you btw?

@psychod787

I round up to 5'10", but I'm like 5'9.5"

hesn92 · October 2019

cwolfman13 wrote: »

koalathebear wrote: »

When I was in the weight loss phase, on the very rare occasions I exceeded my daily calorie budget, I would draw a line in the sand for that day and "make up for it" in the next day or next two days that followed i.e. increasing my deficit on that day whether by way of exercise or eating a bit less.

Now that I'm in maintenance, I'm wondering whether I should follow the same approach or whether I just move on and pretend the day didn't exist and start the new day as a new day and eat my full daily budget of calories.

What does everyone else do? In the scheme of things I know it doesn't matter - my weight fluctuates like everyone else's and ultimately, a day or two here and there really don't seem to affect my weight overall, it's more just trying to figure out what my approach should be.

I don't log and haven't logged in 6.5 years of maintenance. I would wager that I have days where I'm over and days when I'm under. I monitor my weight regularly weighing in a few times per week. My usual maintenance weight averages about 182 with fluctuations either way. I'm currently about 188 which is pretty near the top of my maintenance range and intervention point. I usually hit that later in the winter, but pool parties and such this summer got the best of me so I'll be intervening sooner rather than my usual Feb/March time frame.

5-6 pounds is pretty easy for me to drop and I can do it in about a month if put my mind to it.

What does "intervening" entail? Cut out a snack or two? I'd like to say I can manage my weight without counting calories and a lot of times I can but eventually I get lazy and start grabbing snacks more than I should etc and I end up coming back to the ol' myfitnesspal.

nxd10 · October 2019

I try to hit daily goals but always hit weekly goals. I know that I'll be high on Friday and go over. But I'll be less hungry the next day. Typically I go over maybe two weeks a year (Christmas to New Years and a random week I'm traveling). But most weeks I'm way under.

You can't just 'get over it' because it's easy to get into that habit. But if you listen to your body I find it naturally evens out over the week.

koalathebear · October 2019

Roza42 wrote: »

When I eat out I take photographs of all my food before I eat, so I don't forget what I ate.

Good idea. I was losing track when eating from shared plates of food/dumplings/buns etc. I'll have to get better at it haha.

As to the people who don't need to log, very pleased for them. For my part though, I know I need to keep doing it to stay on track - small price to pay in the scheme of things

cwolfman13 · October 2019

hesn92 wrote: »

cwolfman13 wrote: »

koalathebear wrote: »

When I was in the weight loss phase, on the very rare occasions I exceeded my daily calorie budget, I would draw a line in the sand for that day and "make up for it" in the next day or next two days that followed i.e. increasing my deficit on that day whether by way of exercise or eating a bit less.

Now that I'm in maintenance, I'm wondering whether I should follow the same approach or whether I just move on and pretend the day didn't exist and start the new day as a new day and eat my full daily budget of calories.

What does everyone else do? In the scheme of things I know it doesn't matter - my weight fluctuates like everyone else's and ultimately, a day or two here and there really don't seem to affect my weight overall, it's more just trying to figure out what my approach should be.

I don't log and haven't logged in 6.5 years of maintenance. I would wager that I have days where I'm over and days when I'm under. I monitor my weight regularly weighing in a few times per week. My usual maintenance weight averages about 182 with fluctuations either way. I'm currently about 188 which is pretty near the top of my maintenance range and intervention point. I usually hit that later in the winter, but pool parties and such this summer got the best of me so I'll be intervening sooner rather than my usual Feb/March time frame.

5-6 pounds is pretty easy for me to drop and I can do it in about a month if put my mind to it.

What does "intervening" entail? Cut out a snack or two? I'd like to say I can manage my weight without counting calories and a lot of times I can but eventually I get lazy and start grabbing snacks more than I should etc and I end up coming back to the ol' myfitnesspal.

Yeah, usually means just cutting out a couple of snacks...or most nights I'll just have a protein and veg and remove the starch or grain...cut back on alcohol...skip desert, etc....some days I just skip breakfast...those kind of things.

Last year I didn't make any diet changes really and just upped my activity a bit...that was a pretty slow route...took me from February to the end of May to lose 6 Lbs.

koalathebear · November 2019

It's been an interesting activity. Weight has been maintained but as I've been keeping track of what I'm calling my 'weekly' deficit, because I don't tend to eat all my daily calories (because of my scepticism of the accuracy of calories burned), I am finding i have a fairly significant weekly deficit by Saturday. This doesn't really make sense to me because I'm maintaining my current weight, not losing weight.

So either this means:
1. I'm eating more than I think I am
2. Even though I'm already not eating all of my calories earned through exercise - perhaps the figure's even more inaccurate than I thought and my Garmin's giving me credit for more calories burned than I have actually earned.

What it means is that I'm still very reluctant about letting myself ever exceed my daily calorie budget... In the last four weeks, I've done it twice - Wed 23 Oct, I went over by 141 calories and Thu 7 Oct I went over by 35 calories. I'm guessing it might take me a few weeks to figure out what my "true" weekly deficit can/should be without porking up.

Not complaining - very happy I am managing to maintain weight while eating 'normally' and not feeling deprived - just perplexed about the numbers not really balancing.

AnnPT77 · November 2019

koalathebear wrote: »

It's been an interesting activity. Weight has been maintained but as I've been keeping track of what I'm calling my 'weekly' deficit, because I don't tend to eat all my daily calories (because of my scepticism of the accuracy of calories burned), I am finding i have a fairly significant weekly deficit by Saturday. This doesn't really make sense to me because I'm maintaining my current weight, not losing weight.

So either this means:
1. I'm eating more than I think I am
2. Even though I'm already not eating all of my calories earned through exercise - perhaps the figure's even more inaccurate than I thought and my Garmin's giving me credit for more calories burned than I have actually earned.

What it means is that I'm still very reluctant about letting myself ever exceed my daily calorie budget... In the last four weeks, I've done it twice - Wed 23 Oct, I went over by 141 calories and Thu 7 Oct I went over by 35 calories. I'm guessing it might take me a few weeks to figure out what my "true" weekly deficit can/should be without porking up.

Not complaining - very happy I am managing to maintain weight while eating 'normally' and not feeling deprived - just perplexed about the numbers not really balancing.

It's also possible that (#3) you simply burn slightly fewer calories than the number that "calculators" spit out, too, unfortunately, though I wouldn't leap to that assumption too quickly. Keep in mind that they give you an estimate of the population average for your demographics, more or less, but that in reality not everyone is exactly average. Same thing can happen with "fitness tracker" calorie estimates (mine is way wrong, as is MFP).

Anecdotally (which is a big word for "I can't prove it"

), some people seem more inclined to subtle activity down-regulation at reduced calories, so that maintenance calories can gradually be increased to find the beneficial level, i.e., increase will trigger up-regulation. Also, keep in mind that daily life activity matters (and is where some of the controllable side of activity up/down-regulation happens), so that there can be maintenance-calorie benefits by consciously trying to be more active in routine daily life.

None of the above should be taken to be disputing the part I bolded in your post. I think that's 100% the right strategy.

BTW, I'm a very uneven eater, consistent most days but quite indulge-y occasionally. I do calorie bank, but experience suggests that going way over my maintenance calories occasionally has less scale-weight impact (after the water/digestive-contents scale jump drops off) than I would've expected from the calorie intake. Perhaps there are absorption limits in a body that's not used to it? Dunno. This is not an approach I'd recommend, but you did ask what others do!

If I start getting a little heavier than I'd like, regardless of how, I need to stick to my slight-deficit routine daily goal more often, and rein in the indulge-y days a bit, and weight will start creeping slowly down again. (I'm just about to start into year 5 of maintenance, BTW, BMI 22-point-something this morning).

What do all of you do ...?

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