Losing weight in maintenance

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MOS3
MOS3 Posts: 134 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been in maintenance for a months, but recently I have noticed my jeans looser (had to buy a smaller size), thought it was to do with my excercise and toning routine. But today I notice I have lost two pounds this week. So I have hiked up the cals to put on a pound a week (I feel I should gain about 7 lbs). Has this happened to any one esle? (Btw - been eating well and eating all my excercise cals back).

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  • stuffinmuffin
    stuffinmuffin Posts: 985 Member
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    It's really common in maintenance and there'll be a rise/fall in weight until you find the right balance of cals.
  • MOS3
    MOS3 Posts: 134 Member
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    Thanks - Good to know its common. Was wondering what was going on. Have went up to to 2100 this week (was 1620) so we will see how that goes.
  • ♥Amy♥
    ♥Amy♥ Posts: 714 Member
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    I'm confused too. I hit my goal weight on March 9th (109 lbs.) and weighed in today at 106 lbs. I've been eating at maintenance (1500 calories), so I'm guessing I should up my calories a bit???

    Does anyone know how to figure out the maintenance calories I should be eating, as I was going by what MFP suggested.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    I'm still trying to find the right balance in maintenance, too. I had to bump up my activity level from lightly active to active, plus my exercise calories, and I'm really kind of sedentary.
  • qtiekiki
    qtiekiki Posts: 1,490 Member
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    I think you just have to play around with calories intake. My maintenance per MFP is 1460 net, and I go over that almost everyday and average around 1700-1800 net usually. It hasn't affected my weight. Maybe increase your calories intake by 1-200 and see how it goes.
  • lambertj
    lambertj Posts: 675 Member
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    I think the calculator on MFP is so off, maybe try the one at fat2fit http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    Any estimate of non-exercise daily maintenance like MFP does, or TDEE like other calc's, is very much an estimate.

    The only true way to know is increase calories until you maintain.
    If you are doing the method of eating about the same everyday instead of eating back specific exercise, you can also accomplish a nice thing.

    If you have a couple weeks of normal daily routine and workouts, and eat about the same daily, and gain/lose no weight, you found TDEE, and can figure out your own multiplier from BMR.

    At that point, get BMR estimate from MFP, and TDEE / BMR is your personal multiplier.

    So you can see where you rate in the activity levels normally given by MPF or other sites. This table may of course help in nailing a better estimated TDEE.

    MFP activity levels and multiplier and description (doesn't include exercise)
    Sedentary_____ 1.25 __ Spend most of the day sitting (e.g. bank teller, desk job)
    Lightly Active___ 1.35 __ Spend a good part of the day on your feet (e.g. nurse, salesman)
    Active________ 1.45 __ Spend a good part of the day doing some physical activity (e.g. waitress, mailman)
    Very Active_____ 1.55 __ Spend most of the day doing heavy physical activity (e.g. bike messenger, carpenter)

    TDEE activity levels and multiplier and description (does include exercise)
    Sedentary_____ 1.2 ___ little or no exercise, desk job
    Lightly active___ 1.375 _ light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk
    Mod. active____ 1.55 __ moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk
    Very active_____ 1.725 _ hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk
    Extra Active____ 1.9 ___ hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training, i.e marathon, contest etc.

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