Plan when reaching ultimate goal
OAS5
Posts: 376 Member
Ok so I'm finally very close to my ultimate goal of 180 pounds. Started at 272.4 and I'm at 193.8 with a goal as I said if 180. I'm assuming this last 14 pounds will take a bit of time, 5 months? Anyway my plan once I reach this goal is to add a few hundred calories a week for a few weeks to get to maintenance rather than go right up to maintenance. Maintenance is 2,000/2,100. Right around there. I'm at 1,500 to 1,600 now. Good plan in your book or is there another suggestion? Thanks.
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Replies
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That makes sense to me, although you could probably start with adding 100 calories a day and be just fine. Maintenance takes a while to figure out, and for the most part it is eating the same way as you did when you were losing with a few hundred extra calories a day. I am finally starting to feel like I really understand how many calories I need to maintain/lose/gain, but I have only been on maintenance about 6 months. I was so afraid to add calories in the beginning that I kept losing for a while. And then you learn to kind of constantly course correct - it’s really interesting but a whole different challenge.
Also, I’d give yourself a 5 pound range to try and stay in, and consider yourself maintaining if you are anywhere in that range. Some people even have 10 pound ranges. You will not weight the same thing every day, so you have to be ok with the constant fluctuations.9 -
And congrats! It’s very exciting to be so close!3
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I'm assuming this last 14 pounds will take a bit of time, 5 months?
That's a personal and a situational choice, at your weight you could safely lose 1lb/week. Someone lighter and/or getting very lean could have different circumstances and needs/wants.
If you are more comfortable losing slower that's also not a problem and will make the transition to maintenance less of a jump in calories. There's a lot of twaddle talked about the last few pounds being different to the previous pounds - that some people find the final bit of weight harder or slower to lose is just a personal experience and not universal or a physiological truth.
Anyway my plan once I reach this goal is to add a few hundred calories a week for a few weeks to get to maintenance rather than go right up to maintenance.
Again a personal choice. Some people fear a big jump in calories might cause a blip on the scale, some people don't get a blip on the scales and/or not bothered if they do get a temporary fluctuation out of line with their calorie balance. Personally I jumped my cals up by 3,500/week and simply stopped losing weight without any blip.
Maintenance is 2,000/2,100.
That sounds remarkably low for your size. You might find that your initial thoughts about maintenance calories turns out to be too low after a while (adaptive thermogenesis could be a culprit).
Right around there. I'm at 1,500 to 1,600 now. Good plan in your book or is there another suggestion? Thanks.
Yes it's a good plan, yes there are other options available such as losing weight quicker (or even slower...) and jumping straight to estimated maintenance levels in one go. To a degree the transition period has limited significance as it's temporary - the plan for long-term maintenance is what really matters.
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ChickenKillerPuppy wrote: »And congrats! It’s very exciting to be so close!
Thank you, I appreciate that. It really is some crazy journey I will say that. I actually like shopping for clothes now. 🤣 It's nice to fit into nice clothes and not have it look like crap. Let's just say everything is better now.2 -
Congrats on the loss! Amazing!
I thought I was going to do what you are planning as I got to maintenance earlier this year, but what I ended up doing is kind of slowly transitioning from losing to maintenance as I approached my goal weight. Kind of like putting the breaks on a car and slowing down. So I slowly added a few calories and raised up my intake and slowly transitioned before hitting my goal weight. I kept tracking and logging so I could sort of see what my intake did to my weight and then adjusted from there. So I kept losing for about a month as I transitioned. MFP gives me a maintenance figure but it turns out my real maintenance level is slightly lower by a few hundred calories, but without tracking, logging, and experimenting with it I wouldn't have known that.
There's no right or wrong way, and most of us are just making this stuff up as we go along anyway! I will tell you that switching to maintenance is more mental than anything and its taken months for me to flip the switch.
Good luck!4 -
Ok so I'm finally very close to my ultimate goal of 180 pounds. Started at 272.4 and I'm at 193.8 with a goal as I said if 180. I'm assuming this last 14 pounds will take a bit of time, 5 months? Anyway my plan once I reach this goal is to add a few hundred calories a week for a few weeks to get to maintenance rather than go right up to maintenance. Maintenance is 2,000/2,100. Right around there. I'm at 1,500 to 1,600 now. Good plan in your book or is there another suggestion? Thanks.
That's a reasonable plan. I also agree with the advice above (including the idea that 2000-2100 sounds pretty low as a TDEE - or even pre-exercise calorie goal - for a male at your goal weight). How fast are you losing, averaged over a few weeks, at 1500-1600?
The only other thing I'd add is something you didn't mention wanting advice about (one of the risks of posting in the forums, eh? 😉).
If you're not eating and exercising in the same general pattern you plan to continue in maintenance (other than the calorie level), then I'd strongly, strongly recommend figuring that out and dialing in those habits now. That will make eventual maintenance much easier, IMO.
Best wishes!3 -
Ok so I'm finally very close to my ultimate goal of 180 pounds. Started at 272.4 and I'm at 193.8 with a goal as I said if 180. I'm assuming this last 14 pounds will take a bit of time, 5 months? Anyway my plan once I reach this goal is to add a few hundred calories a week for a few weeks to get to maintenance rather than go right up to maintenance. Maintenance is 2,000/2,100. Right around there. I'm at 1,500 to 1,600 now. Good plan in your book or is there another suggestion? Thanks.
How tall are you?
How active are you?0 -
Ok so I'm finally very close to my ultimate goal of 180 pounds. Started at 272.4 and I'm at 193.8 with a goal as I said if 180. I'm assuming this last 14 pounds will take a bit of time, 5 months? Anyway my plan once I reach this goal is to add a few hundred calories a week for a few weeks to get to maintenance rather than go right up to maintenance. Maintenance is 2,000/2,100. Right around there. I'm at 1,500 to 1,600 now. Good plan in your book or is there another suggestion? Thanks.
How tall are you?
How active are you?
I'm only 5' 7" but I have an extremely physical job. I take anywhere from 10,000 steps a day to 20,000 steps a day.
The reason I know where my maintenance calories are is because for over a year I was at. I was consuming 2,000-2,200 calories a day and fluctuated between 199 and 205 from June last year to August this year when I cut calories again to 1,600. I'm pretty sure I know my maintenance calories despite what my TDEE says.
Thank you all for the help and suggestions.1 -
Ok so I'm finally very close to my ultimate goal of 180 pounds. Started at 272.4 and I'm at 193.8 with a goal as I said if 180. I'm assuming this last 14 pounds will take a bit of time, 5 months? Anyway my plan once I reach this goal is to add a few hundred calories a week for a few weeks to get to maintenance rather than go right up to maintenance. Maintenance is 2,000/2,100. Right around there. I'm at 1,500 to 1,600 now. Good plan in your book or is there another suggestion? Thanks.
How tall are you?
How active are you?
I'm only 5' 7" but I have an extremely physical job. I take anywhere from 10,000 steps a day to 20,000 steps a day.
The reason I know where my maintenance calories are is because for over a year I was at. I was consuming 2,000-2,200 calories a day and fluctuated between 199 and 205 from June last year to August this year when I cut calories again to 1,600. I'm pretty sure I know my maintenance calories despite what my TDEE says.
Thank you all for the help and suggestions.
Aside from the walking, what does your training look like?0 -
Ok so I'm finally very close to my ultimate goal of 180 pounds. Started at 272.4 and I'm at 193.8 with a goal as I said if 180. I'm assuming this last 14 pounds will take a bit of time, 5 months? Anyway my plan once I reach this goal is to add a few hundred calories a week for a few weeks to get to maintenance rather than go right up to maintenance. Maintenance is 2,000/2,100. Right around there. I'm at 1,500 to 1,600 now. Good plan in your book or is there another suggestion? Thanks.
How tall are you?
How active are you?
I'm only 5' 7" but I have an extremely physical job. I take anywhere from 10,000 steps a day to 20,000 steps a day.
The reason I know where my maintenance calories are is because for over a year I was at. I was consuming 2,000-2,200 calories a day and fluctuated between 199 and 205 from June last year to August this year when I cut calories again to 1,600. I'm pretty sure I know my maintenance calories despite what my TDEE says.
Thank you all for the help and suggestions.
Aside from the walking, what does your training look like?
At work we walk a ton, life heavy equipment, swing hammers, all kinds of physical labor.2 -
Ok so I'm finally very close to my ultimate goal of 180 pounds. Started at 272.4 and I'm at 193.8 with a goal as I said if 180. I'm assuming this last 14 pounds will take a bit of time, 5 months? Anyway my plan once I reach this goal is to add a few hundred calories a week for a few weeks to get to maintenance rather than go right up to maintenance. Maintenance is 2,000/2,100. Right around there. I'm at 1,500 to 1,600 now. Good plan in your book or is there another suggestion? Thanks.
How tall are you?
How active are you?
I'm only 5' 7" but I have an extremely physical job. I take anywhere from 10,000 steps a day to 20,000 steps a day.
The reason I know where my maintenance calories are is because for over a year I was at. I was consuming 2,000-2,200 calories a day and fluctuated between 199 and 205 from June last year to August this year when I cut calories again to 1,600. I'm pretty sure I know my maintenance calories despite what my TDEE says.
Thank you all for the help and suggestions.
Aside from the walking, what does your training look like?
At work we walk a ton, life heavy equipment, swing hammers, all kinds of physical labor.
At your height and activity level I am just concerned that 2000/2100 maintenance is too low. I would think more like 2400 - 2700...
1 -
Ok so I'm finally very close to my ultimate goal of 180 pounds. Started at 272.4 and I'm at 193.8 with a goal as I said if 180. I'm assuming this last 14 pounds will take a bit of time, 5 months? Anyway my plan once I reach this goal is to add a few hundred calories a week for a few weeks to get to maintenance rather than go right up to maintenance. Maintenance is 2,000/2,100. Right around there. I'm at 1,500 to 1,600 now. Good plan in your book or is there another suggestion? Thanks.
How tall are you?
How active are you?
I'm only 5' 7" but I have an extremely physical job. I take anywhere from 10,000 steps a day to 20,000 steps a day.
The reason I know where my maintenance calories are is because for over a year I was at. I was consuming 2,000-2,200 calories a day and fluctuated between 199 and 205 from June last year to August this year when I cut calories again to 1,600. I'm pretty sure I know my maintenance calories despite what my TDEE says.
Thank you all for the help and suggestions.
Aside from the walking, what does your training look like?
At work we walk a ton, life heavy equipment, swing hammers, all kinds of physical labor.
At your height and activity level I am just concerned that 2000/2100 maintenance is too low. I would think more like 2400 - 2700...
But I was at 2,000 to 2,200 for a year and stayed the same, 199-205 fluctuations. That had to be maintenance no?1 -
Ok so I'm finally very close to my ultimate goal of 180 pounds. Started at 272.4 and I'm at 193.8 with a goal as I said if 180. I'm assuming this last 14 pounds will take a bit of time, 5 months? Anyway my plan once I reach this goal is to add a few hundred calories a week for a few weeks to get to maintenance rather than go right up to maintenance. Maintenance is 2,000/2,100. Right around there. I'm at 1,500 to 1,600 now. Good plan in your book or is there another suggestion? Thanks.
How tall are you?
How active are you?
I'm only 5' 7" but I have an extremely physical job. I take anywhere from 10,000 steps a day to 20,000 steps a day.
The reason I know where my maintenance calories are is because for over a year I was at. I was consuming 2,000-2,200 calories a day and fluctuated between 199 and 205 from June last year to August this year when I cut calories again to 1,600. I'm pretty sure I know my maintenance calories despite what my TDEE says.
Thank you all for the help and suggestions.
Aside from the walking, what does your training look like?
At work we walk a ton, life heavy equipment, swing hammers, all kinds of physical labor.
At your height and activity level I am just concerned that 2000/2100 maintenance is too low. I would think more like 2400 - 2700...
But I was at 2,000 to 2,200 for a year and stayed the same, 199-205 fluctuations. That had to be maintenance no?
We’re you as active?1 -
I think the dirty secret that nobody mentioned to me is that maintenance calories is the activity necessary to maintain the new muscle mass. For me, there is no dramatic moment where once you hit your goal, you're done and it's the easy life. For me, every time I cut to less than 2200 calories, my body would be accustomed to that and would lead to steady fat gains.
Holidays, recovery weeks, & cheat meals would creep over that number and eventually add to long term steady fat gain and I succumbed to failure.
What worked for me is keeping my maintenance at 2500-2700 calories, but always implementing 1) morning active rest activity such as a bike ride, walk or mobility training. Then I include 2) a strength/hypertrophy regimen after work.3 -
Ok so I'm finally very close to my ultimate goal of 180 pounds. Started at 272.4 and I'm at 193.8 with a goal as I said if 180. I'm assuming this last 14 pounds will take a bit of time, 5 months? Anyway my plan once I reach this goal is to add a few hundred calories a week for a few weeks to get to maintenance rather than go right up to maintenance. Maintenance is 2,000/2,100. Right around there. I'm at 1,500 to 1,600 now. Good plan in your book or is there another suggestion? Thanks.
How tall are you?
How active are you?
I'm only 5' 7" but I have an extremely physical job. I take anywhere from 10,000 steps a day to 20,000 steps a day.
The reason I know where my maintenance calories are is because for over a year I was at. I was consuming 2,000-2,200 calories a day and fluctuated between 199 and 205 from June last year to August this year when I cut calories again to 1,600. I'm pretty sure I know my maintenance calories despite what my TDEE says.
Thank you all for the help and suggestions.
Aside from the walking, what does your training look like?
At work we walk a ton, life heavy equipment, swing hammers, all kinds of physical labor.
At your height and activity level I am just concerned that 2000/2100 maintenance is too low. I would think more like 2400 - 2700...
But I was at 2,000 to 2,200 for a year and stayed the same, 199-205 fluctuations. That had to be maintenance no?
We’re you as active?
Yes, just as active, same job.0 -
Ok so I'm finally very close to my ultimate goal of 180 pounds. Started at 272.4 and I'm at 193.8 with a goal as I said if 180. I'm assuming this last 14 pounds will take a bit of time, 5 months? Anyway my plan once I reach this goal is to add a few hundred calories a week for a few weeks to get to maintenance rather than go right up to maintenance. Maintenance is 2,000/2,100. Right around there. I'm at 1,500 to 1,600 now. Good plan in your book or is there another suggestion? Thanks.
How tall are you?
How active are you?
I'm only 5' 7" but I have an extremely physical job. I take anywhere from 10,000 steps a day to 20,000 steps a day.
The reason I know where my maintenance calories are is because for over a year I was at. I was consuming 2,000-2,200 calories a day and fluctuated between 199 and 205 from June last year to August this year when I cut calories again to 1,600. I'm pretty sure I know my maintenance calories despite what my TDEE says.
Thank you all for the help and suggestions.
Aside from the walking, what does your training look like?
At work we walk a ton, life heavy equipment, swing hammers, all kinds of physical labor.
At your height and activity level I am just concerned that 2000/2100 maintenance is too low. I would think more like 2400 - 2700...
But I was at 2,000 to 2,200 for a year and stayed the same, 199-205 fluctuations. That had to be maintenance no?
Weird. I am 5'10" and active, not much more or less then you and I maintain 175lbs with a range of 2500-2800 cals per day. I can't imagine 3" of height would make that much difference. Figures don't lie though, your numbers are what they are I guess.
What's your physique like? Well muscled? Lean?
Bye the way, 272 down to 193 is awesome! Congrats!0 -
Ok so I'm finally very close to my ultimate goal of 180 pounds. Started at 272.4 and I'm at 193.8 with a goal as I said if 180. I'm assuming this last 14 pounds will take a bit of time, 5 months? Anyway my plan once I reach this goal is to add a few hundred calories a week for a few weeks to get to maintenance rather than go right up to maintenance. Maintenance is 2,000/2,100. Right around there. I'm at 1,500 to 1,600 now. Good plan in your book or is there another suggestion? Thanks.
How tall are you?
How active are you?
I'm only 5' 7" but I have an extremely physical job. I take anywhere from 10,000 steps a day to 20,000 steps a day.
The reason I know where my maintenance calories are is because for over a year I was at. I was consuming 2,000-2,200 calories a day and fluctuated between 199 and 205 from June last year to August this year when I cut calories again to 1,600. I'm pretty sure I know my maintenance calories despite what my TDEE says.
Thank you all for the help and suggestions.
Aside from the walking, what does your training look like?
At work we walk a ton, life heavy equipment, swing hammers, all kinds of physical labor.
At your height and activity level I am just concerned that 2000/2100 maintenance is too low. I would think more like 2400 - 2700...
But I was at 2,000 to 2,200 for a year and stayed the same, 199-205 fluctuations. That had to be maintenance no?
Weird. I am 5'10" and active, not much more or less then you and I maintain 175lbs with a range of 2500-2800 cals per day. I can't imagine 3" of height would make that much difference. Figures don't lie though, your numbers are what they are I guess.
What's your physique like? Well muscled? Lean?
Bye the way, 272 down to 193 is awesome! Congrats!
I still have a little bit of belly I want to get rid of which is why I want to be 180. Just this little bit of belly. Thanks for the post, the numbers really don't lie like you said.0
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