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Disappointing Realization of Maintenance Calories
1martinimomma
Posts: 11 Member
To start here are my stats:
Female
Age: 64
Height: 5’ 6”
Started MFP 3/21/19 at 182
Today: 144
GW: 140 (ideal goal weight for me is 135)
BMI: 23.3
(I used SAILRABBIT to calculate)
So, here is why I am disappointed. At 140 my BMR is going to be 1202 kcals a day and my TDEE set at sedentary will be 1442. When I get to goal weight I am still going to be eating the same 1200 calories (+/- 200 kcals) that I have been eating for the past 8 months. Meaning I will be on a diet for the rest of my life. To me that is disappointing. I am sure there are many other older folks on here in the same predicament. How did you mentally get on board with the fact that you are now restricted to such a small amount of calories a day in order to maintain your weight?
Female
Age: 64
Height: 5’ 6”
Started MFP 3/21/19 at 182
Today: 144
GW: 140 (ideal goal weight for me is 135)
BMI: 23.3
(I used SAILRABBIT to calculate)
So, here is why I am disappointed. At 140 my BMR is going to be 1202 kcals a day and my TDEE set at sedentary will be 1442. When I get to goal weight I am still going to be eating the same 1200 calories (+/- 200 kcals) that I have been eating for the past 8 months. Meaning I will be on a diet for the rest of my life. To me that is disappointing. I am sure there are many other older folks on here in the same predicament. How did you mentally get on board with the fact that you are now restricted to such a small amount of calories a day in order to maintain your weight?
12
Replies
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By not being sedentary. Being sedentary is bad for you anyway, and getting a reasonable amount of activity makes the difference between a diet amount of food and a normal amount of food.57
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rheddmobile wrote: »By not being sedentary. Being sedentary is bad for you anyway, and getting a reasonable amount of activity makes the difference between a diet amount of food and a normal amount of food.
^^ This. I'm 5'4 and my goal weight is 145ish, I think. My maintenance calories will be somewhere between 2100 and 2300 calories because I walk a lot and work out 3x per week.
I decided early on that I prefer a lifestyle of moving more over a lifestyle of eating less, thus I have built most of my "healthy lifestyle habits" around increased movement.21 -
If you can add walking to your routine, that will allow you a bit of a bump. Are you truly sedentary though? If you work, can you walk around your building once or twice a day? If you are retired, do you do other daily activities like housework, gardening, etc? You might burn a bit more than you think.6
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If you can add walking to your routine, that will allow you a bit of a bump. Are you truly sedentary though? If you work, can you walk around your building once or twice a day? If you are retired, do you do other daily activities like housework, gardening, etc? You might burn a bit more than you think.
This! I’m 5’3, age 64. Adding a two mile walk in a day (or split it up), walk the dog, sweep leaves off the deck, vacuum or mop...I’m learning to increase neat plus just trying to get a good walk in each day. It will all give you more calories.8 -
That's why I keep active in general to up my NEAT and therefore have a more satisfying TDEE, being 5ft 2/ 50 yrs/ goal range 125-130lbs my TDEE is 1800-1900.
If I was more sedentary I'd only be able to eat around 1400 cals too, so I prefer to just move more, because to me eating 1400 would be depressing
. 7 -
Confused--if your TDEE will be 1442 calories at sedentary rate, why will you have to eat at 1200? & like others have said, are you really sedentary? I figured my goal maintenance calories on MFP for sedentary & lightly active & there is a difference of 170 net calories.7
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I also am trying to get 10,000 steps a day. Usually not hard to do with a 30 minutes walk (& I follow American Heart Assn pulse guidelines for my age(almost 70), so not very fast) and normal daily movement, unless I am having a very lazy day, then it is closer to 5,000.
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I am an IT Manager, so I sit a lot of the day. I do try to walk between our 2 buildings which is about 3 blocks when the weather permits. I live in Houston, so it's not always possible to walk because it's just too hot. I do walk my dog in the evenings, but she is old and can't really walk that far or fast. I thought about joining a gym, but honestly after a 10 hour day and a 45 minute commute, by the time I get home I am just not in the mood to leave the house.
I was just disappointed in the fact that you don't get many calories when you get old. I do plan to retire next year and then plan to join a gym when I have more time. I guess until then I will just grin and bear it. At least I got a whole new wardrobe this year after losing the weight.10 -
1martinimomma wrote: »I am an IT Manager, so I sit a lot of the day. I do try to walk between our 2 buildings which is about 3 blocks when the weather permits. I live in Houston, so it's not always possible to walk because it's just too hot. I do walk my dog in the evenings, but she is old and can't really walk that far or fast. I thought about joining a gym, but honestly after a 10 hour day and a 45 minute commute, by the time I get home I am just not in the mood to leave the house.
I was just disappointed in the fact that you don't get many calories when you get old. I do plan to retire next year and then plan to join a gym when I have more time. I guess until then I will just grin and bear it. At least I got a whole new wardrobe this year after losing the weight.
If you want to be able to eat more, it might be worth figuring out what you can do at home to add exercise in -- that doesn't involve leaving the house, or having to walk the dog.
Movement is good for us. Being completely sedentary generally isn't, unless you have medical reasons that prohibit you from moving. And even then, finding a way to do *something* is still beneficial.9 -
I figured that my maintenance calories would be about 1450 a day (59 years old, sedentary except for intentional exercise, 5’ 4.5” tall, 120-125 maintenance range). But when I hit my goal weight of 122 and upped my cals to 1450 and then 1550, I lost two more pounds. I haven’t figured out my maintenance calories yet, but you may get more than you think, especially if you incorporate walking, asnothers have said.12
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1martinimomma wrote: »I am an IT Manager, so I sit a lot of the day. I do try to walk between our 2 buildings which is about 3 blocks when the weather permits. I live in Houston, so it's not always possible to walk because it's just too hot. I do walk my dog in the evenings, but she is old and can't really walk that far or fast. I thought about joining a gym, but honestly after a 10 hour day and a 45 minute commute, by the time I get home I am just not in the mood to leave the house.
I was just disappointed in the fact that you don't get many calories when you get old. I do plan to retire next year and then plan to join a gym when I have more time. I guess until then I will just grin and bear it. At least I got a whole new wardrobe this year after losing the weight.
I'm also in IT, and I still manage to get in about 12k-14k steps per day on average. I walk my dogs in the morning and evening and for inclement weather days I got myself a treadmill desk for home. I have my laptop set up there, and walk slowly while I check emails and read the news. Now, I live in the frozen north, so *my* inclement weather is -55 degrees F and not 104F, but I think a treadmill desk might be something you could easily work into your lifestyle regardless.15 -
I don't believe that any realization could be disappointing. I would double check my facts, talk to a professional in the dietary field with the past MFP records, consider a blood test and go from there. Realization today is better than back to the same old weight in a year's time. By the way, I have no idea how I will tackle my maintenance calories - I am still on the long road of weight loss: 600 days gone, 44 kg down but lots more to go.4
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You might think about getting a treadmill. It gets really hot here in the summer, and I use one then. I had a standing desk the last year, I taught, and I loved it, too. ( Teachers usually are up, not sitting, so it was very convenient to put my laptop on and move as I wanted. ). Lots of good ideas from others here. I know you will figure this out!4
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1martinimomma wrote: »To start here are my stats:
Female
Age: 64
Height: 5’ 6”
Started MFP 3/21/19 at 182
Today: 144
GW: 140 (ideal goal weight for me is 135)
BMI: 23.3
(I used SAILRABBIT to calculate)
So, here is why I am disappointed. At 140 my BMR is going to be 1202 kcals a day and my TDEE set at sedentary will be 1442. When I get to goal weight I am still going to be eating the same 1200 calories (+/- 200 kcals) that I have been eating for the past 8 months. Meaning I will be on a diet for the rest of my life. To me that is disappointing. I am sure there are many other older folks on here in the same predicament. How did you mentally get on board with the fact that you are now restricted to such a small amount of calories a day in order to maintain your weight?
This doesn't quite make sense -- assuming I understand what you're writing. What I ~think~ you are saying is that you were eating at about 1200 calories, and I am assuming this is NET calories, for the last eight months. In that time, you've lost 40 pounds. That means you've been eating at a deficit. If you don't increase your intake when you get to your goal, you are likely to keep losing.
I just plugged your stats into Sailrabbit. Assuming you blow past your goal of 140 pounds and get to 135 pounds, your calorie expenditure goes up to 1400-1500. That's assuming sedentary, but before any exercise. It's at least an extra 200 calories over what you're allowing yourself today. Add just a little more activity (slightly active), and you get another couple hundred calories.
When I went from losing 0.5 pounds a week to maintaining, my calorie goal increased only about 110 or 120 calories. I changed my goal from 1661 to 1771. That increases significantly if I do any activities. ANY activities! I'm about the same mass and height as you are. I do get an additional 60-200 calories from sailrabbit's results because I'm male. But you should still be able to eat more than during your weight loss phase.
Rather than be disappointed, celebrate what you've done. Start thinking about the kinds of foods that make you feel full and happy, and incorporate them into your plan. Stick with the program, and SLOWLY add calories to your day. Observe what happens over a few weeks or months, and make slow adjustments.7 -
I would look at it differently. Don't look at the numbers, visualize them. By losing 40 pounds your goal weight maintenance will be roughly 200 calories less than your maintenance at your highest weight at the same activity level. This is only a little bit less per meal than you were used to, and can even be no difference at all if you introduce just one walk or exercise session a day.12
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You all are the best. Lots of encouragement and great ideas. I do have a Schwinn recumbent bike and I have it parked it the living room to motivate me to ride it and I do occasionally when I want to eat over my calorie allotment. But, honestly some days I am just spent when I get home and don't have the energy to get on it. I did in the beginning trying to hurry up my weight loss, but it went slowly to the wayside. Did I say I hate to sweat? Or even worse I might be lazy..... I know there is no excuse for not getting on it and riding away a couple of hundred calories a day.
I am going to retire next June, so I should have much more time to ride the bike and even join a gym. Thanks everyone for your thoughts and taking the time to respond. I don't know what I was expecting at the end of my weight loss journey, but was hoping I would be able to eat more than what the charts say my daily calories will be in maintenance. We will see what happens in maintenance.11 -
1martinimomma wrote: »You all are the best. Lots of encouragement and great ideas. I do have a Schwinn recumbent bike and I have it parked it the living room to motivate me to ride it and I do occasionally when I want to eat over my calorie allotment. But, honestly some days I am just spent when I get home and don't have the energy to get on it. I did in the beginning trying to hurry up my weight loss, but it went slowly to the wayside. Did I say I hate to sweat? Or even worse I might be lazy..... I know there is no excuse for not getting on it and riding away a couple of hundred calories a day.
I am going to retire next June, so I should have much more time to ride the bike and even join a gym. Thanks everyone for your thoughts and taking the time to respond. I don't know what I was expecting at the end of my weight loss journey, but was hoping I would be able to eat more than what the charts say my daily calories will be in maintenance. We will see what happens in maintenance.
You can do a lot with fifteen minutes and a bike, if you are willing to get sweaty. If you don’t like getting sweaty it takes longer! I figure I can stand to do anything for fifteen minutes, and if you do it in the morning you take a shower after and are ready to go.10 -
rheddmobile wrote: »By not being sedentary. Being sedentary is bad for you anyway, and getting a reasonable amount of activity makes the difference between a diet amount of food and a normal amount of food.
I use a wheelchair full time, so have little choice in the sedentary setting. Might want to watch the responses of easy 'don't be sedentary'. Each person here has their own situation and own set of issues...
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That does make it tougher! I have lupus and during a flare sometimes I’m flat on my back and can’t exercise at all. So I do understand. But if someone asking for advice has special circumstances, they usually mention it.bosque1234 wrote: »rheddmobile wrote: »By not being sedentary. Being sedentary is bad for you anyway, and getting a reasonable amount of activity makes the difference between a diet amount of food and a normal amount of food.
I use a wheelchair full time, so have little choice in the sedentary setting. Might want to watch the responses of easy 'don't be sedentary'. Each person here has their own situation and own set of issues...
15 -
Before you panic: Have you added your average weight loss per week in pounds, times 3500, then divided by 7, to your current average daily calorie intake, to see what that number is? To put it a different way, do you lose at the rate MFP/Sailrabbit estimates? That will give you a better insight into your actual current TDEE, and a better way of estimating your future calorie needs.
The calculators (Sailrabbit, MFP, whatever) are pretty close for most people, but still an estimate . . . and that can be further off for some.
Also, it's worth thinking about ways you can increase your daily life activity (NEAT, a.k.a. non-exercise activity thermogenesis).
There's a thread here with ideas about that:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10610953/neat-improvement-strategies-to-improve-weight-loss/p1
I'm your age, 64 (as of yesterday ), around your goal weight (133.8 before the birthday-celebration water weight piled on in the last couple of days 
), actually retired and sedentary outside of intentional exercise (<5000 steps most days), and I maintain well above 1200, even before adding exercise (which tacks on another 250-300 most days). I admit I'm a mysteriously good li'l ol' calorie burner, beyond the norm at our age, but the point is that age is not necessarily a guarantor of low intake. Use your own data to make a better estimate.
Beyond that, exercise helps (when you have time for it, eventually), and daily life tweaks can make a surprising contribution.
Best wishes!13 -
Happy Birthday!!2 -
Yes, I went through this too. But then I remind myself of my increased energy, excellent labs, happy Dr. appointments instead of feeling embarrassed. I take a walk daily & have come to love it! It just takes a little while to adjust! You will do it!6
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Happy Birthday @AnnPT77 !
Further to what Ann wrote, the expectation would actually be, when you start maintaining, that you will be able to eat a little bit MORE than what your last few spans of weight loss would predict!
This is because your body weight actually changes dynamically, as opposed to statically, in response to energy imbalances.
The static viewpoint of -3500 Cal = 1lb of change is more than good enough for government work and will mostly get us to where we want to go if we keep adjusting our expectations based on our own data and results.
But it is not immutable and the numbers change depending on how long we have been applying the energy imbalance (i.e. losing or gaining weight) and on our body composition and relative fat level when we started up.
References to all this can be found by exploring the research around the NIH body weight planner: https://www.niddk.nih.gov/research-funding/at-niddk/labs-branches/laboratory-biological-modeling/integrative-physiology-section/research/body-weight-planner
And don't be shocked if you discover that you may be able to eat 10% or even 20% more than what your weight loss would predict.8 -
1martinimomma wrote: »I am going to retire next June, so I should have much more time to ride the bike and even join a gym. Thanks everyone for your thoughts and taking the time to respond. I don't know what I was expecting at the end of my weight loss journey, but was hoping I would be able to eat more than what the charts say my daily calories will be in maintenance. We will see what happens in maintenance.
Retirement really is a lifestyle change.
I had to bump my activity level up a notch when I retired as I wasn't tied to a desk for a large chunk of the day any more. I simply spent far more time moving. The boost in exercise volume (more time and opportunity) wasn't a factor as I didn't use that for weight loss.
Also agree with @pav888 about coming off a deficit can surreptitiously boost your general activity enough to make a noticable difference to your calorie needs (it did for me). I'd regard the maintenenace calculation from your recent weight loss as far better data than using calculators and also regard it as the minimum you can reasonably expect.5 -
So, to offer the alternative answer. Yes, I've accepted it. I'm 5'3", turning 55 in a month, currently about 129 lbs with a goal in the lower 120s (or until all my size 4s fit again). I get about 10,000 steps a day between regular activity and intentional exercise. I have *kitten* joints and connective tissue, plus other health issues, so my exercise is limited. I lose .5/ week on an average of 1350 calories (that's including extra for exercise). I figure once I reach goal weight, I'll be eating around 1500-1600 or so for maintenance, again that's including exercise calories.
Not accepting it is why I have to keep losing! I want to end that cycle.8 -
I know! What do you mean I can't have cheeseburgers and fries and ice cream (in the big bowl) every day??!?!?!?!!
I had to make a lot of changes. Well, just about everything since I came into this at 220 pounds and my current Goal weight/Maintenance weight is 140-145. I changed everything, it's a radically different life for me than my old ways of eating what I wanted when I wanted it.
I had to make a choice. Do I want to have food with few or no restrictions or do I want to be this weight?
The answer to that is a no-brainer, but implementing it is another story.
Just for a comforting end to this post, all the calculators say I should be maintaining at 1500 calories (female, older, retired, 5'7"ish, 140) but in fact I eat 2000-2500 every day and I'm satisfied with that...mostly. Some days I just say, "NO!" and eat 3500, but it all works out and I don't feel a need to do that very often. It may not be as difficult as you think. Wait till you're there.11 -
1martinimomma wrote: »At 140 my BMR is going to be 1202 kcals a day and my TDEE set at sedentary will be 1442.
Don't be sedentary. Find a way to exercise. You should be exercising daily for health reasons anyway.
Exercise = more food to eat.
Problem solved...0 -
I have often said how depressing it is to discover just how few calories are needed to keep body and soul together. Others have said that keeping active helps. If you are able to work on increasing your muscle to body fat ratio (when retired, if not now) that will give you a little extra wiggle room in the calorie department. It's also worth really thinking about your eating habits and finding a way to enjoy your allotted calories and make them satisfying. The biggest reason people gain weight back is because they stop the "diet" and start eating "normally" again. What you need to embrace is a lifestyle change. Feeling irked about being stuck on a diet forever could backfire if you get sick of it. The big trick is finding a way to stop yourself getting sick of it. Good luck, and very well done on the weight loss so far.8
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1martinimomma wrote: »I am an IT Manager, so I sit a lot of the day. I do try to walk between our 2 buildings which is about 3 blocks when the weather permits. I live in Houston, so it's not always possible to walk because it's just too hot. I do walk my dog in the evenings, but she is old and can't really walk that far or fast. I thought about joining a gym, but honestly after a 10 hour day and a 45 minute commute, by the time I get home I am just not in the mood to leave the house.
Do you have a fitness tracker with a heart rate monitor? If not, you should invest in one. (Fitbit is a great option, very user-friendly.) I bet you're burning more calories than you realize. You'll be surprised.
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My stats:
Female
Age: 61
Height: 5’
Started MFP 7/1/19 at 180
Today: 142.4
GW: 110
And you know, I was sharing the same thoughts as you, and for me, I told myself, I ate and drank everything I wanted the last 20 years and that is how I got myself in the shape I was in. At this point in my life, I'm ready to spend the next 20 years taking care of me even if it means weighing everything I eat and counting gum calories!9
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