Nearing maintenance, still losing 2#/week

sarah2954
sarah2954 Posts: 291 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I know, what a horrible problem :) But seriously...I need some advice. I'm getting close to my goal. I have it set at 118, but I'm not sure if I want to be that low. I'll know I'm at a good weight when I get there and am happy with my body. I still have a bit of fat under my arms, on my thighs, and on my belly.

I'm at the point where I eat pretty much the same foods for snacks, breakfast, and lunch every day, and the same dinners week after week. And that works for me. I don't like change :) But now that I'm in such a routine, how do I switch to maintenance? And when do I start? I figure I need to lose about 20 more pounds, and at 2 pounds a week, I'll be there very soon. But then what? It's not like I'll just flip a switch that day and start eating at maintenance.

Thanks for reading my hopefully coherent rambling. Any advice/thoughts appreciated :)

Replies

  • kdiamond
    kdiamond Posts: 3,329 Member
    I'd just keep doing what you're doing, if its working. You'll slow down at this pace, especially as you get lower and lower.

    Once you want to stop losing weight all together, you'll have to slowly start adding calories back in until you stop losing. There is no magic process to that, its a lot of trial and error.
  • sarah2954
    sarah2954 Posts: 291 Member
    I don't like trial and error. I'm a give me the formula and I'll follow it kind of girl. But I know, every body is different. I've spent these last months focusing on my goal and being excited for it and now I'm nervous about having to make changes and mistakes.
  • kdiamond
    kdiamond Posts: 3,329 Member
    You'll find it isn't that much more difficult than figuring out how many calories you need to lose! Take the basic formula and work around it. :) Good job by the way!
  • Myobi
    Myobi Posts: 129 Member
    When you're ready to maintain, you can change your settings on the website from "Lose x/per week" to "Maintain my current weight". Just go to My Home > Goals > Change Goals > and select "Maintain my current weight" from the drop-down. If the amount it is giving you is giving you an accurate weight loss per week, it should be a good guesstimate. If you're nervous about suddenly gaining, make a note of your current calories per day and then slowly increase to the calories it gives you to maintain, noting if you gain or not.

    If you're at a comfortable routine, maybe switch low-cal snacks with something that is more dense in calories and nutrients.

    Good options: avocados, nuts, real butter instead of margarine, 2% milk instead of skim/whole milk instead of 2%, etc.

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