Weight Maintenance

Alysha892016
Alysha892016 Posts: 4 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Hi guys, I know this is going to sound so stupid to ask and I should know considering how long I’ve been dieting for but I just want to clarify something. I’m about to head into a maintenance period and take a diet break. I’ve calculated my maintenance calories at 2400 and I’m all good to go. During my fat loss period I tend to have big deficits (I’m very active) so for example say I’ve eaten 2400 but I have 1200 from the exercise I’ve done for that day. Do I need to eat back all Ive burned and be at net zero or would I be in surplus and just need to eat 2400 regardless of what’s left? I know I sound dumb in asking but I am terrified of going into this period and gaining weight back after working so hard. Thank you in advance 😊

Replies

  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,409 Member
    edited January 14
    Ideally you would have already collected the numbers during your weight loss?

    First, you won't gain back 30 pounds in a week, so try to not catastrophize about that.

    Second, if you've calculated your maintenance calories, how or where did you get that number? Our answers will depend on that for the most part. Myfitnesspal calculates differently than a lot of other calculators. Here's the explanation: https://support.myfitnesspal.com/hc/en-us/articles/360032625391-How-does-MyFitnessPal-calculate-my-initial-goals-

    So with the above in mind, give yourself a Goal Weight range of five pounds up or down, pick a calorie goal number, use it and adjust if necessary after a month. The first year of maintenance for me was a lot of gain/loss. It's a little tricky. Just keep adjusting in small amounts.

    2400 total calories per day including frequent moderate exercise sounds like a good place to start. Like I said you probably can figure this out from your past data if you have it. Trust your body. It will be okay. :flowerforyou:
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,409 Member
    Also, here are the threads in the Maintaining forum that have been deemed, "Most Helpful."

    Read through them for more insights. :)

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300324/most-helpful-posts-goal-maintaining-weight-must-reads#latest
  • Alysha892016
    Alysha892016 Posts: 4 Member
    Hi thank you for your help, it’s been really helpful 😊 and I had a look at those topics as well which were also really helpful.
  • csplatt
    csplatt Posts: 1,205 Member
    edited January 15
    1200 from exercise or from daily living / steps / function plus exercise? 1200 from exercise is astronomical! i’m not criticizing. i’m just surprised.
  • dennis3031
    dennis3031 Posts: 15 Member
    I’ve found I need to experiment I watch my macro intake rather than my calorie intake I have found this more beneficial. To assess where I’m at. I utilise a body composition scale which gives me a more balanced view of my overall position check out this post https://www.menshealth.com/health/a27242669/what-your-body-composition-metrics-say-about-your-health/ it may be helpful
  • waltezell
    waltezell Posts: 5 Member
    I use a body composition scale but don’t think it is accurate.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,148 Member
    waltezell wrote: »
    I use a body composition scale but don’t think it is accurate.

    That would be correct IMO. Looked at over a period of weeks, it may give a reasonable trend (as long as a person ignores outlier values), but the actual absolute value from a body composition scale is iffy.

    If the numbers from various iffy estimation methods converge, a person may have a reasonable ballpark number, which is probably close enough for many purposes.

    I don't think body fat percent is all that helpful for the OP here, though, since she's not deciding whether she's done losing, she's talking about taking a diet break in the midst of losing.
  • Unknown
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  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,409 Member
    kylemarakovits239 wrote: »
    Hey guys

    What's going on, kyle? You seem confused when you post in the forum.

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