New to here..looking for tips to maintain now

Hi! My name is Linda (  ) and have reached my personal goal.  I am SO confused about how to maintain now.  I have never maintained a weight in my life and Im finding this overwhelming. The last two days I have tried to add an extra snack ( nuts, jerky, etc )  but as happens on occasion I have zero appetite.  So..can anyone help me abit on learning how to find the proper caloric intake to maintain.  I realize everyone is different but any help would be super appreciated. Have a wonderful evening!

Congratulations on reaching goal~that's awesome!!!! Maintenance is a VERY scary thing! It looks like you're at about 1yr 1mth post op, right??? You will gain back more of an appetite over time so you don't need to pu**** if you're really not hungry at this point. It sounds like you've done very well, so just keep doing all the good things you've been doing and you should be fine! Here's a few sites that you might find interesting~ http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/ You can figure out your bmr and then take it one step further using the Harris Benedict Equation. (just follow the directions) http://www.thinnerself.com/files/calculator.htm Hope this helps!

Congratulations on reaching goal!! That is FABULOUS. I understand about maintenance being scary. I'd never maintained either!!   But, I'm findind that it is actually not as difficult as it sounds! I did go and calculate the number of calories I would need to maintain my desired weight and "try" to stay in that area. Some days (OK, MOST days) it's a little more, but some days a little less!  I am one of the ones who weighs EVERY day and that helps me keep up with how I'm doing. If the scale says a little more than I'd like, I don't eat as much that day!! Pretty simple really. I also agree that your appetite will probably eventually return. Just don't get into the "grazing" mode now, because it will be a difficult habit to break if your appetite does return!!  Stay tuned in here and you will got lots of support and some GREAT ideas!!     Hugs,   Piggybabe

You're three weeks ahead of me, and my appetite came back full-blast some time ago. It's a real shame. So far, I've been eating three meals and three snacks every day (I eat every 3 hours). I could eat every 30 minutes. I think most days I end up with about 1,200 calories, but I can put away a lot more than that. I've found myself getting addicted to things. It started with peanut butter crackers. I was eating 2 packs a day at work (nearly 400 calories with not much nutrition). I started gaining a little weight and cut them out. Then I turned to peanuts, and ate more and more peanuts, and calculated I was putting away about 750 calories a day worth of peanuts. So I stopped that, and then found granola. It was supposed to be healthy, but dang it, if I wasn't taking in more calories with granola than I was with the crackers and peanuts. I swear. It's hard to know exactly what to do. We will need to be pillars of strength. I think you're smart to come to the board and ask for help. I've done it a lot myself.

HI Wanda nice to meet you and thanks for responding! My appetite has not returned... but perhaps we could help eachother.  I snack between meals ( two or three a day) and eat small meals three times.   My saving grace is my one snack size low fat popcorn bag in the PM.  I also do nuts too. When Im really really in the mood to munch I eat SF popsicles, liquids and ten calories a pop. I hope you have a wonderful day and hang in there..... Thanks again!