When should I start a maintenance diet?

lulalacroix wrote: »

You say you have a lot to lose but then ask if you should be maintaining. I'm confused. Or are you talking about a short diet break?

quiksylver296 wrote: »

GloriaBJN wrote: »

Sorry, it was 27 days, not 22. I'm following the calorie limitations that were calculated for me based on my goal. I have a lot of weight to lose. But I had quickly gained 17 lbs within the last three months before I started the diet, so I think most of that loss was weight correction at the beginning. I still have three more lbs. to go to get back to where I was three months ago, so I'm not overly worried about the speed of the weight loss. I'm more concerned about maintenance.

You can take a maintenance break at any time during your weight loss. It's good to practice for when you are at goal weight. Set your goals here to maintenance and eat to that calorie goal for a week or so, and go back to a calorie deficit when you are ready.

AnnPT77 wrote: »

That's still very fast, if it was fat. Gaining 17 pounds in 3 months would imply only about 700 excess calories (above maintenance calories) eaten daily, on average, if the whole 17 pounds was body fat. That much extra eating - or less moving, or a combination - is IME surprisingly easy to do. But you may be right, that some was water retention that rebalanced, rather than fat.

Your average weight loss rate, after a multi-week period (whole menstrual cycles if that applies), is a better guide to calorie needs than the starting estimate MFP gives you. It's just telling you the population average for people similar to you. You may be statistically unusual, and the reasons might not be obvious. (I can eat 25-30% more calories than MFP predicts for weight loss or maintenance, for example, based on over 7 years of logging & weight management experience so far. If I rely on MFP's estimates, I lose weight dangerously fast.)

The generic answer about when to go to maintenance calories is "when you reach goal weight". However, there can be reasons to take breaks at maintenance calories periodically during a lengthy or extreme period of weight loss. For more information about the what/why of that, read this thread:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10604863/of-refeeds-and-diet-breaks/p1

But you're only at 22 days, though I admit the loss looks extreme at this point.

Losing weight too fast is generally not a good idea, counterproductive, can have bad health consequences, etc. Be careful.

That said, losing 60 pounds in a year is not crazy fast, for an otherwise healthy person (without boatloads of other stress in their lifestyle), if they have that much to lose. It would likely be done a little faster at first, slower toward the end. (I lost 50+ pounds in a bit under a year, for example, ending in a healthy weight range in the lower half of the normal BMI range for my height. I've been maintaining in that range for multiple years since.)

I feel like your question makes a number of assumptions that may not be realistic, though - that you should go to maintenance calories after 22 days (even 22 days of fast loss), that your body will necessarily somehow stop losing at some point mysteriously, that MFP's estimate of your calorie needs is gospel, etc.

As far as how to stop yo-yo cycles: Don't focus on how to lose weight fast. Instead, focus on finding sustainable, happy new habits that will gradually get you to a healthy weight range, then keep you there forever, almost on autopilot, because the habits are just that easy and natural to your preferences, strengths, and challenges. I'm talking about habits of eating and activity both, and not just exercise activity.

Treating weight loss as a quick project with an end date, after which things "go back to normal" - IMO that's a common on-ramp to yo-yo dieting.

AnnPT77 wrote: »

GloriaBJN wrote: »

AnnPT77 wrote: »

That's still very fast, if it was fat. Gaining 17 pounds in 3 months would imply only about 700 excess calories (above maintenance calories) eaten daily, on average, if the whole 17 pounds was body fat. That much extra eating - or less moving, or a combination - is IME surprisingly easy to do. But you may be right, that some was water retention that rebalanced, rather than fat.

Your average weight loss rate, after a multi-week period (whole menstrual cycles if that applies), is a better guide to calorie needs than the starting estimate MFP gives you. It's just telling you the population average for people similar to you. You may be statistically unusual, and the reasons might not be obvious. (I can eat 25-30% more calories than MFP predicts for weight loss or maintenance, for example, based on over 7 years of logging & weight management experience so far. If I rely on MFP's estimates, I lose weight dangerously fast.)

The generic answer about when to go to maintenance calories is "when you reach goal weight". However, there can be reasons to take breaks at maintenance calories periodically during a lengthy or extreme period of weight loss. For more information about the what/why of that, read this thread:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10604863/of-refeeds-and-diet-breaks/p1

But you're only at 22 days, though I admit the loss looks extreme at this point.

Losing weight too fast is generally not a good idea, counterproductive, can have bad health consequences, etc. Be careful.

That said, losing 60 pounds in a year is not crazy fast, for an otherwise healthy person (without boatloads of other stress in their lifestyle), if they have that much to lose. It would likely be done a little faster at first, slower toward the end. (I lost 50+ pounds in a bit under a year, for example, ending in a healthy weight range in the lower half of the normal BMI range for my height. I've been maintaining in that range for multiple years since.)

I feel like your question makes a number of assumptions that may not be realistic, though - that you should go to maintenance calories after 22 days (even 22 days of fast loss), that your body will necessarily somehow stop losing at some point mysteriously, that MFP's estimate of your calorie needs is gospel, etc.

As far as how to stop yo-yo cycles: Don't focus on how to lose weight fast. Instead, focus on finding sustainable, happy new habits that will gradually get you to a healthy weight range, then keep you there forever, almost on autopilot, because the habits are just that easy and natural to your preferences, strengths, and challenges. I'm talking about habits of eating and activity both, and not just exercise activity.

Treating weight loss as a quick project with an end date, after which things "go back to normal" - IMO that's a common on-ramp to yo-yo dieting.

I have not lost water. I've been replacing the calories with lots of water. I may not be the healthiest person for stress, but the nutrition assessments are doing an amazing job in helping me assess where I lack, and even when I've been taking too many supplements.

That's not necessarily how water retention works. A healthy body holds onto extra water for lot of different reasons. With some of those reasons - like retaining water because we ate more salty things than usual (even if still a perfectly healthy amount), drinking more water can potentially lead to less water retention. Eating fewer carbs than usual can lead to less retained water, irrespective of water intake. Bodies can be complicated. Dehydration - drinking too little, or less than ideal - is not the only way to lose retained water.

GloriaBJN wrote: »

lulalacroix wrote: »

You say you have a lot to lose but then ask if you should be maintaining. I'm confused. Or are you talking about a short diet break?

Yes, to adjust to healthy eating to maintain where I'm at before I go any further. I think that's how you avoid yo-yo dieting.

That's a fine thing to do if you want to do it, or if it helps you in some way to establish the habits/routines that will be easy to sustain as you go along through weight loss then maintenance at goal weight.

But at 22 days in - even 22 days of fast loss - it's not that you have to somehow game or trick or convince your body not to yo-yo. Unsustainable dieting - too low calories, or eating foods you don't like, or that leave you feeling unnecessarily hungry - that can potentially contribute to yo-yo. That's because if you can't stick to the routine for some reason, for long enough to lose a meaningful amount of weight, you might fall back into over-eating or other old but tempting habits.

GloriaBJN wrote: »

Retroguy2000 wrote: »

So you gained 17 pounds in 3 months, then you spent 1 month losing 14 pounds in 27 days, and now you want to go to maintenance despite needing to lose another 46 pounds to reach your goal? But you also want to avoid yo-yo. I'm really confused.

You say you're following the calorie limits MFP produced based on your goal, and you still have uneaten calories at the end of the day. What goal? Because >3.5 pounds per week is really fast.

As for when to go to maintenance, a few weeks in is far too early for your body to need a maintenance break. You may want a break, which is fine, but I think you'd be better off revising your goals to a more sustainable 1-2 pounds per week target instead.

"but I think you'd be better off revising your goals to a more sustainable 1-2 pounds per week target instead." Okay I didn't know I could do that. Maybe I don't know how to configure the settings for that. I'll check. The other thing is that I don't mind sitting at my current weight for awhile if it means I don't gain it all back again and more. It's not about wanting to take a break. It's about being realistic and not pushing myself into what is considered dangerous dieting. I tried several macros, from keto to high carb, to what the original settings were. I settled on a diabetic diet, but not stuck on meeting the macro calculations. My Dad developed diabetes in his late 70's.

You don't necessarily configure settings for that. Do you have monthly menstrual cycles? If so, continue your current routine for at least one whole cycle, then compare your body weight at the same relative point in the two cycles (like the first or last day of flow in each cycle, for example). If you don't have cycles, use at least 4 weeks. Calculate your average weight loss per week in that time period. (Number of pounds divided by number of weeks.)

If you want to lose slower, figure out how many pounds per week slower, and add 500 calories to your average calories eaten for each additional pound. For example, if you've been losing 3.5 pounds per week, but want to lose 1.25 pounds per week, that would be 3.5-1.25 = 2.25 pounds slower. Then multiply 2.25 x 500 = 1,125 calories more to eat each day, to get the slower 1.25 pounds per week. Add that 1,125 calories to what you've been eating on average daily. That's total is your new goal, to lose 1.25 pounds weekly. Try that new goal out for a month, and adjust again if necessary.

Those are just example numbers. I'm not saying 1.25 should be your new goal, just giving you an example of how to do the arithmetic to get a new goal.

AnnPT77 wrote: »

GloriaBJN wrote: »

AnnPT77 wrote: »

GloriaBJN wrote: »

AnnPT77 wrote: »

That's still very fast, if it was fat. Gaining 17 pounds in 3 months would imply only about 700 excess calories (above maintenance calories) eaten daily, on average, if the whole 17 pounds was body fat. That much extra eating - or less moving, or a combination - is IME surprisingly easy to do. But you may be right, that some was water retention that rebalanced, rather than fat.

Your average weight loss rate, after a multi-week period (whole menstrual cycles if that applies), is a better guide to calorie needs than the starting estimate MFP gives you. It's just telling you the population average for people similar to you. You may be statistically unusual, and the reasons might not be obvious. (I can eat 25-30% more calories than MFP predicts for weight loss or maintenance, for example, based on over 7 years of logging & weight management experience so far. If I rely on MFP's estimates, I lose weight dangerously fast.)

The generic answer about when to go to maintenance calories is "when you reach goal weight". However, there can be reasons to take breaks at maintenance calories periodically during a lengthy or extreme period of weight loss. For more information about the what/why of that, read this thread:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10604863/of-refeeds-and-diet-breaks/p1

But you're only at 22 days, though I admit the loss looks extreme at this point.

Losing weight too fast is generally not a good idea, counterproductive, can have bad health consequences, etc. Be careful.

That said, losing 60 pounds in a year is not crazy fast, for an otherwise healthy person (without boatloads of other stress in their lifestyle), if they have that much to lose. It would likely be done a little faster at first, slower toward the end. (I lost 50+ pounds in a bit under a year, for example, ending in a healthy weight range in the lower half of the normal BMI range for my height. I've been maintaining in that range for multiple years since.)

I feel like your question makes a number of assumptions that may not be realistic, though - that you should go to maintenance calories after 22 days (even 22 days of fast loss), that your body will necessarily somehow stop losing at some point mysteriously, that MFP's estimate of your calorie needs is gospel, etc.

As far as how to stop yo-yo cycles: Don't focus on how to lose weight fast. Instead, focus on finding sustainable, happy new habits that will gradually get you to a healthy weight range, then keep you there forever, almost on autopilot, because the habits are just that easy and natural to your preferences, strengths, and challenges. I'm talking about habits of eating and activity both, and not just exercise activity.

Treating weight loss as a quick project with an end date, after which things "go back to normal" - IMO that's a common on-ramp to yo-yo dieting.

I have not lost water. I've been replacing the calories with lots of water. I may not be the healthiest person for stress, but the nutrition assessments are doing an amazing job in helping me assess where I lack, and even when I've been taking too many supplements.

That's not necessarily how water retention works. A healthy body holds onto extra water for lot of different reasons. With some of those reasons - like retaining water because we ate more salty things than usual (even if still a perfectly healthy amount), drinking more water can potentially lead to less water retention. Eating fewer carbs than usual can lead to less retained water, irrespective of water intake. Bodies can be complicated. Dehydration - drinking too little, or less than ideal - is not the only way to lose retained water.

GloriaBJN wrote: »

lulalacroix wrote: »

You say you have a lot to lose but then ask if you should be maintaining. I'm confused. Or are you talking about a short diet break?

Yes, to adjust to healthy eating to maintain where I'm at before I go any further. I think that's how you avoid yo-yo dieting.

That's a fine thing to do if you want to do it, or if it helps you in some way to establish the habits/routines that will be easy to sustain as you go along through weight loss then maintenance at goal weight.

But at 22 days in - even 22 days of fast loss - it's not that you have to somehow game or trick or convince your body not to yo-yo. Unsustainable dieting - too low calories, or eating foods you don't like, or that leave you feeling unnecessarily hungry - that can potentially contribute to yo-yo. That's because if you can't stick to the routine for some reason, for long enough to lose a meaningful amount of weight, you might fall back into over-eating or other old but tempting habits.

GloriaBJN wrote: »

Retroguy2000 wrote: »

So you gained 17 pounds in 3 months, then you spent 1 month losing 14 pounds in 27 days, and now you want to go to maintenance despite needing to lose another 46 pounds to reach your goal? But you also want to avoid yo-yo. I'm really confused.

You say you're following the calorie limits MFP produced based on your goal, and you still have uneaten calories at the end of the day. What goal? Because >3.5 pounds per week is really fast.

As for when to go to maintenance, a few weeks in is far too early for your body to need a maintenance break. You may want a break, which is fine, but I think you'd be better off revising your goals to a more sustainable 1-2 pounds per week target instead.

"but I think you'd be better off revising your goals to a more sustainable 1-2 pounds per week target instead." Okay I didn't know I could do that. Maybe I don't know how to configure the settings for that. I'll check. The other thing is that I don't mind sitting at my current weight for awhile if it means I don't gain it all back again and more. It's not about wanting to take a break. It's about being realistic and not pushing myself into what is considered dangerous dieting. I tried several macros, from keto to high carb, to what the original settings were. I settled on a diabetic diet, but not stuck on meeting the macro calculations. My Dad developed diabetes in his late 70's.

You don't necessarily configure settings for that. Do you have monthly menstrual cycles? If so, continue your current routine for at least one whole cycle, then compare your body weight at the same relative point in the two cycles (like the first or last day of flow in each cycle, for example). If you don't have cycles, use at least 4 weeks. Calculate your average weight loss per week in that time period. (Number of pounds divided by number of weeks.)

If you want to lose slower, figure out how many pounds per week slower, and add 500 calories to your average calories eaten for each additional pound. For example, if you've been losing 3.5 pounds per week, but want to lose 1.25 pounds per week, that would be 3.5-1.25 = 2.25 pounds slower. Then multiply 2.25 x 500 = 1,125 calories more to eat each day, to get the slower 1.25 pounds per week. Add that 1,125 calories to what you've been eating on average daily. That's total is your new goal, to lose 1.25 pounds weekly. Try that new goal out for a month, and adjust again if necessary.

Those are just example numbers. I'm not saying 1.25 should be your new goal, just giving you an example of how to do the arithmetic to get a new goal.

Actually Ann I'm not trying to lose less weight per week if my body is comfortably losing what it's losing now. I miscalculated on a potato last night, ate an extra 90 calories, and actually went up ever so slightly just on 90 calories, so I would never venture your calculations of an extra 500-1,000 calories/day for a slower weight loss.

If you ate more carbs than usual - even perfectly healthy amount of carbs - you'll potentially retain more water until those carbs are metabolized. (There's a reason they're called carbohydrates.) That water adds weight on the bodyweight scale.

If you ate 90 extra calories above your calorie goal, but still below your maintenance calories for your current weight, you didn't gain net body fat from that potato.

As before stated, I have days when I'm actually leaving calories out of my day because I don't feel like eating. I just want to work with my body, so if I'm not hungry for the balance of the calorie count per day, I wouldn't try to push MORE calories unless my loss is unhealthy.

That's what people here are telling you (and not just me): That your current weight loss rate is unhealthy.

I'm not really trying to trick my body. I've read so often that if you lose weight too fast your body thinks it's starving, so it holds onto the weight you have.

If that were true, no one could ever starve to death, or they'd be fat when they died. Many thousands of people starve to death daily, worldwide, sadly. They're not fat when that happens.

I checked my goal again and the calculation for 60 lbs/year loss is actually 1 lb. per week. Not sure how I got so blessed, other than what I said earlier - it must be a weight correction, not an actual loss. Count me happy. I just don't want to ruin what got started.

There are 52 weeks in a year, not 60. Close enough, though.

I think you believe some things about weight loss that are not true, from a scientific perspective. Clearly, my advice is unwanted, so I'm out of this thread. I wish you success with your goals, and good health along the way, sincerely.