Question about transitioning to maintenance...

I've been visiting this group for a while now, since I'm so darned close to goal (2.8 pounds as of this morning!).  I've looked at other posts where people have offered their advice on how to switch over into maintenance, and I've gotten some great ideas for when it's time.  I think I have a pretty good idea that what I'll need to do is add in more calories primarily from protein and fat... I'll probably also try to take advantage of the opportunity to work on adding in more veggies, as I'm doing a poor job of getting those in at the moment.

Having said that, here's my question:

At what point should I start trying to maintain?  I'm 2.8 pounds away from my personal goal now, and five pounds into a normal BMI range... so even if I don't lose another ounce, I have my five pound weight range that would keep me at a healthy BMI.  I really don't think I want to lose much more, if any, because I'm happy where I'm at now.  I'm okay with losing the 2.8 pounds I have left, but really don't see myself wanting to dip below that 130.  I'm pretty active... I strength train three times a week, run at least three miles three to five times a week, and do some other form of intense cardio for 45 minutes to an hour on the days I don't strength train, usually with one complete rest day a week (and that's only because I'm in grad school and cannot work out on the day that I have evening classes- once I graduate in May, I'll probably do light cardio on my rest day too).  When I was a teenager, I got below 130 and had many people tell me I was too skinny... and I didn't have all the loose skin then either... I'm actually about the same size now that I was then.  Body fat is at a healthy range right now too... right around 24%.

So, if I really want to avoid dipping below 130, should I go ahead and start trying to up the calories by 200 or so for a week at a time now?  Or should I wait until I get to that magic number first?

I say, wait until you get to goal.  Remember, you can always bounce back up if you need to do so.  This is not some permanent number (oh how I wish this was not so) that once you hit you can't change.  This is always going to be a work in progress.  I few pounds up a few pounds down more or less at will.  People seem to look at goal weight as if it is something they will keep forever.  You get to choose every single day where you want to be and work toward getting or staying there.  It is all in flux.  Get to where you want to be and then add in calories, if you drop too low, add in some more calories and fat.  It works out in the end, you will just need to keep playing with it like a science experiment, for the rest of your life. 

That makes perfect sense!  In my mind, I'm just paranoid that I'm going to drop down lower than I want and then have a hard time cutting more back out once I decide to maintain, if that makes sense.  I need to remember that this is just the beginning of the next phase of the journey, not the end.  Thanks!

Just remember that nothing in this is ever stationary, you have full control over where you want to be and you can simply change your mind and be somewhere else in a short time.  You are running this ship, you have control.  Nothing to worry about at all if you look at it from this perspective.

That really does help :)  thanks so much!

I waited until i was a bit below my goal before adding many calories.  I'm glad I did - it didn't take much to stall out my weight loss. I'm currently hitting 1200-1400/day and pretty much stable at between 2-5 lbs below my goal  - I've always been one to bounce 1-3 lbs from day to day, so having a 5lb cushion is good.  

What's surprising is that Pre-VSG, i did a 2 month pre-surgery-diet at 1200c a day and lost massively - 24 lbs in one month - now i'm stable around the same calorie count... that seems pretty low to me and lower than I would have thought, but I am glad I was already below my goal before I got up to 1200 or it would have been a real struggle to go back down.  

What I will say is that since entering a stable phase I stopped losing weight, but I did drop another pant size- from 32 to 30- so my increased workout load is having an effect - just not on weight. Bet your workout schedule is doing something similar.

You raise a few interesting points... when we weigh less, we need fewer calories to sustain our weight.  Also, I need to rethink my logic here; it's not so much that I have a problem with weighing less than x-number, it's that I don't want to be much smaller than I am now, if at all.  I'm currently wearing a size 2 or 4 depending on the brand, and my size small motorcycle jacket is loose.  Because I have a curvy shape I can get away with being a little smaller before I look sickly, but I just don't feel a need to go there.  I honestly can't picture myself much smaller than I am now. 

If I'm being honest, though, I think part of what brought me to posting this is that I'm a little nervous about maintenance, since I've never been able to maintain weight loss before... and I'm working on facing the things that make me anxious, so part of me was instinctively trying to face a new fear, if that makes sense.  Time to rethink that strategy; facing it by having a plan in place for when I do hit goal is probably my best option at this point.

Thanks for the input :)

There's certainly no rule that says you can't rethink your goal.  I set my original goal (175) because it got me to a normal bmi range.  

Here's my full logic...

I hit my goal of 175 and felt it made sense to lose a bit more to create a safety margin so I set a new goal of 165, but now I'm reevaluating it as I"m hovering around 170.

Factors that are going into my "final" goal setting:

1. I figure that my current 170-ish is really the equivalent of 165-ish as I have some excess skin that could be removed and drop me further - it's certainly not fat I can lose.  (side note... when I use the full body scanner at the airport they have to pat my arms near the pits - I presume that the loose skin there doesn't match their profile of a normal body :) )

2. My body fat consistently estimates below 14%, so i'm not sure I could maintain much lower... it's time for a second bod-pod test to see where I'm at...

3. I can now see most of my ribs and sternum... 

4. my PCP suggests its time to stop...

5. Pants size is 30, far below any expectation I had.

6. Wife shakes her head when I say I want to get to 165... 

I think the preponderance of evidence suggests I'm "there" - but I'm certainly open to other opinions.  I'm pretty happy, and increasing my calories a bit has allowed me to train harder for some athletic things I'd like to try.  I don't think I could do 3.5 hours on my bike at 600c/day - 1200c is tough enough.

I think you have to think through where you want to be and more importantly why.  I wanted to be in a normal BMI range - why? Insurance gets cheaper, for one.  There's some research behind it... etc.  And most importantly it was a "preliminary" goal - I felt it was too hard to set a hard-target when you have no idea what you'll look or feel like 120 pounds lighter.  When I got to goal i felt another 10 lbs would do the trick, but 5 lbs seems enough (plus the other body recomposition that's gone along with increased exercise).  Weight isn't the only variable... clothing size, body shape, all factor in.

But don't get into a position where you'll be disappointed that you didn't "make your goal" either - since you're so close!  

Good luck!

You and I have a lot of the same thoughts... I figure I have about five pounds of loose skin as well, so even though I weigh 132 right now, it's more like 127... I can't do anything about the skin (since I'm going to be trying to start my family in the next year or two, paying for plastics right now seems counterproductive), so a part of me mentally doesn't count those five pounds lol. 

My body fat is right around 23%, but I figure by the time my losses stop completely it'll be more like 22%, which was my original goal for body fat.

I too can see most of my ribs.  I  have a very visible collar bone, as well as shoulder blades... I think I would look too bony if I lost much more.

My PCP is also happy with my current weight... she hasn't exactly said to stop, but she did make a comment about not needing to go any further.

Like I said before, my sizing is also far below what I was expecting lol

My husband and I just had a discussion today about my weight... his exact words were that I am "skinny." He has never said that to me before... he didn't even give me his usual speech about it being a good idea to lose a few extra pounds so that you have room for regain.  He just stopped it with the word "skinny."

I totally get what you're saying about not being able to do hard core exercise on 600 calories a day!  I actually had to up my calories to more like 800-900 to have the energy to do my job effectively and still be able to train for running races. 

Thanks for your honest and open input... it gave me a lot to think about :)

Thank you Courtney for raising this issue. As you know recently reached my personal goal which was to be a normal BMI. I've since lost a few more pounds and am struggling to find the balance. Such outstanding advice on this board!