Eating to maintain

So I'm 4 pounds from goal and starting to experiment with maintenance eating. It's not a successful experiment, kids. I know how to eat to lose weight. I sure as **** know how to eat to gain weight. Eating to do neither of those things? Yeah, I'm baffled. I need structure!

Do you all still track? Do you just increase calories? Carbs? Help!

You and me both. I am close to my goal and lately have been naturally taking in more calories (around 1100 to 1300) on some days. Amazingly, on those amount of calories, I am still losing weight. So instead of panicking that I was ingesting too many calories all of a sudden (I am near 14 months out), now I am worrying I may keep losing. All I can tell from my tracking is that I still lose because my carbs are under 20, and sometimes are under 10, and I sure lose on those days, no matter what amount of calories I take in or how guilty I feel.  Weird. It may be that we'll have to add in some carb grams when we want to lose no more. It is a real mind game at this point, and I agree with you that it is not easy. The old-timers tell us to add in 100 cals per day till you stop losing. I have been doing that this last month, whether I wanted to or not (my capacity just plain increased somewhat), and I am still losing. I think for me, it may be adding in carbs---carefully, so carefully--that will be the determining factor. Good luck. Tell me what you are mulling around in your head too if any answers come to you.

Here is what I do, having been at goal for over a year:

i started out increasing calories by 100 per day and doing that each week or so until I got to where I stopped losing.

I still track all my food, carbs and calories and protein. Still get 70 protein a day. Calories stay under 1200 as that is just all i can do and not gain. I don't have a fixed limit on carbs but I avoid bread, potatoes , rice and pasta and such. most carbs are in fruit, dairy or veggies. Usually about 60 a day.

Maintenance is a lot like weight loss. still weigh everyday and still am very conscious of  this stuff. I think i am going to have to do this forever to stay at this weight. I am comfortable with that as I like being thin and don't want to go back and am highly motivated to maintain.

I am not a good exerciser but use a FitBit and try to do some extra walking each day to not be a total slug.

I do eat small servings of sweets at parties or celebrations but keep it really small and don't let it drag me into more sweet eating. so far i am able to do this and hope i can continue. have tried to not make food such a big focus of my life.

thats about it. keep reading this group for good ideas.

Diane

Thanx Diane!!  I think my maintenance plan is going to look alot like your maintenance plan. I will prob add back in fruits, as I have had none since I started.  I had to start some Vit C supplementation as I started getting some Scurvy symptoms, if you can believe that.  (fissures that don't heal in mucosa, non-healing minor wounds, etc.)   crazy, but no fruit for 14 months and I was down on my Vit C.  So yeah, will add back in some fruit soon, esp berries, oranges.  Thanx for your input.  I think 1200 cal will be about my max too. 

I went nuts trying different things and eventually went back to what I did to lose weight. Only with more calories,  more carbs and more endulgences.

THats what I'm experimenting with too. I am now in 138 and had originally thought my goal would be 135 then made it 142. I am happy where I am,a d am doing what I had been doing as far as tracking, etc and rating a lot of protein (and protein drinks).

I have added in fruit, more vegetables and whole grains. That seems to be working so far. If I have a treat, I make sure I have tracked it and try to make sure I exercise that day..I do exercise most days for at least 30 minutes.

It is too soon to tell but I feel great! I also weigh daily, go to weigh****chers weekly and track in my fitnesspal and WW site.

Lynn

I am in the same boat you are. I've been increasing my calories gradually and each time I plateau a few weeks then start losing again. Since I can't eat more I've been using 1% or 2% milk in my shakes, eating nuts and nut butters and more fruits (I ate a lot of veggies during loss but not much fruit).

Don't underestimate the power of healthy fats. They are calorie dense and help you add calories without eating more food.

I also have a serving of frozen yogurt now and then (a serving is 1/2 cup, I measure and eat it out of the measuring cup).

I plan to continue weighing/measuring and tracking indefinitely. On my iPhone it's so easy (I use myfitnesspal) and I hope once I find my maintenance range it'll help me avoid "calorie creep"

Far from an expert, but that's what I'm trying.