Trying to Maintain but still losing weight

I am 5"5 f 112lbs as of 2 days ago and i am in maintence mode . I have been staying at 114.8 or 115 and for about 3 weeks now i have be in a downward sprial on the scale. I work out 5 days per wk cardio for 50-55 min and 30min weights 4x per week , Sat I do 30 min HITT with Sun off usuallly my cheat day .I usually eat 1400-1600 cals per day with a cheat meal on the weekend probably in excess of 1300 cals or more. i am wondering why i keep losing weight ?, i have figured my maintence to be a 1800 cals or so i think anyway . so i eat like i do to save room for a cheat meal . is this okay? cause i have to satisfy my craving for junk at least one day a week (plus my husband goes insane with all the healthy food i cram in him ) or should i eat maintenence and still cheat? 112 is not a bad look for me and i feel great , my husband says i look healthy, my bmi is still within healthy weight range but on the low end (18.7) I just wonder if this weight is healthy cause i dont want to lose anymore for sure. i track my cals pretty well and i know i may go under 1400 1-2days a week for lack of time to eat but never below 1200. Should i just have a cheat week and see what happens, has anyone ever done this before? will it help me make up for what i have lost maybe ? i dont know, but i know i dont want to screw up my sucess. Please Help!!!

Mon. Jan 14, 10:50pm

Congrats on your successes!

As far as how much and what you should be eating, have you thought about seeing a registered dietician or a certified nutritionist? You'll get your best and healthiest answers there.

Monday, January 14, 2008, 11:12 PM

You're guessing at that 1800 "maintenance" level...that's probably what you use without taking all that exercise into account. Your daily expenditure is more like 2300. I would recommend working your way up to 1800-1900 calories a day and two "cheat meals" a week.

Please be careful - are on the cusp of being officially underweight. Like literally 1-2 lbs away from it.

Monday, January 14, 2008, 11:19 PM

This is interesting--I've been wondering about the studies that suggest that a higher-calorie day keeps your metabolism from falling into a very efficient self-preservation mode and can help you lose weight.

This post suggests the same thing, although I also agree that the maintenance-calories figure probably doesn't take so much exercise into account.

BTW, the idea that as long as one is eating healthy food, it's impossible to lose too much weight is also interesting. Not so many years ago a young hiker from the East Coast starved to death in Alaska. His diet was healthy--very lean meat and lots of greens (he'd run out of food and was eating squirrel and plants). There just, you know, wasn't enough of it. He wasn't taking in enough calories keep his body going given the activity it took to gather the food.

112 pounds is probably good for 5' 5", but OP, I understand your concern. You are working out like an athlete! You might need to eat a bit more like one. 1200 calories is a starvation level--try never to hit that, it shocks your system. I'd maybe eat an extra piece of wholegrain bread and certainly a bit more produce, build the calories up slightly with healthy food so you can stay where you want to be without cutting your workouts.

A banana a day would add 100 calories or so, and still be a very healthful element in your diet--bananas keep your potassium levels up (important for athletes-also keeps soreness down).

Tuesday, January 15, 2008, 10:37 AM

I would suggest just upping your calories slowly (maybe an extra 100 cals each day this week, another extra 100 cals each day next week) until your body stays at the weight you are or a few lbs heavier - whatever you feel healthy at. If you are working out as much as you say you are, you definitely need to fuel that body. I think you can increase your overall calories and still have your cheat meal once in a while. If you find you're gaining, just cut back again.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008, 10:49 AM

I'd advise against doing a "cheat week," because it'll probably be hard to get back on the bandwagon in the end.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008, 11:14 AM

Thanks for all your advice i have really been having anxiety over this, i think i am going to try upping my cals slowly with a couple of cheat meals and see if it helps, i guess i didn't realize how much working out ;i was doing it just seemed like enjoyment to me, I didnt think i was burning that much. I am by far no athlete but i guess i do workout like one !! My concern is being underweight because my whole goal is to stay healthy not unhealthy. I am not going to do a cheat week because i agree it would probab do more harm than good considering every time i cheat the next day i really have to telll myself um that was sooo good lastnight, but healthy food is good too:) I dont want to stop exercising so i am just going to eat more!!! I'll keep you posted. THANKS

Tuesday, January 15, 2008, 11:48 AM

That sounds like a good plan, op. I remember when I reached my goal weight I just kind of continued what I was doing and lost 5 more pounds without trying. The difference between weight loss calories and maintenance calories can seem huge at first, so taking it 100 at a time is a great idea!

Tuesday, January 15, 2008, 11:52 AM

All the muscle you have built has really kept your metabolism high and healthy, so you can add in a bit more for maintenance. I agree with others who say don't start "cheating" - instead just adjust your daily intake 100-400 calories and keep up the hard work. Don't stop the weights, because your metabolism will slow down in a few months, and by then you'll be used to eating more, and then the weight could start really coming back.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008, 2:50 PM

Congradulations on your success!

Wow. I too tend to think you need more calories and slowly bringing them up to find your maintenance level.

I would certainly like to know how you are eating. I am also 5'5" and I did get down to about 115 a few years ago eating a VERY low calorie diet. I didn't exercise and I wasn't healthy. I gained over the years to about 137 and stayed there w/ exercise (wished I could loose 15 pounds again) until 2006 and I had my baby. A sweet little boy in Dec 2006. I just started Jan 2 of exercising and eating 'better' again. I find myself eating below 1000 most days and it is such a hard habit to get out of...fear, maybe, but it isn't working. I've stayed in the 154's for the last six days. My husband is helping me by fixing me some good food but it's hard to eat it thinking...I won't loose and then I don't! I would love to know what you are eating and how you are exercising. Is there a team I could join? Thank you.

Is there a team I could join? Thank you.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008, 6:46 PM

Hi OP, I was in a similar situation over the summer. I too am 5'5 and while trying to maintain over the summer I kept losing too. I got down to about 116 and felt like I was starting to lose muscle, etc. I am very active and work out a lot like you. I just starting eating a little bit more each day, I added a healthy snack like a banana and my weight has pretty much gotten back to normal, about 118. We'll see how it goes again this summer, I tend to be so much more active!
Good luck and it sounds like you have a good plan in place.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008, 7:34 PM

I'm curious, OP. How much weight have you lost?

Tuesday, January 15, 2008, 8:11 PM

Man, am I the only one that wishes I had this problem?! Okay not really but I am somewhat envious of your body's willingness to shed pounds. You don't seem to be too unhealthy but you do work out a lot! There's a lot of talk about avoiding becoming obsessive about dieting and bordering on developing an eating disorder, but also be careful that your exercise balances with your lifestyle and you aren't overdoing it or doing it as a compulsion. Not saying you are at all but it seems like an appropriate warning to mention. I agree with others that at the athletic level of exercise you are at, you should be eating more. But like I said, your exercise should fit your lifestyle. If your lifestyle is lower calorie then you don't need to work out to burn so much. Have you thought about yoga, Pilates or Tai chi classes? There are ways to be active that aren't just burn-burn-burn and it might help your body find its "happy place". Good luck!

Wednesday, January 16, 2008, 3:55 AM

I enjoy working out, I do Tae Bo and Kickboxing, some jogging and recumbent bike. The tae bo makes me feel strong and I agree you can get over obsessed with working out but I have a very stressfull life and it helps me relive my anxiety. My husband and I run our own business and the ups and down really can get a person down. I have had many nervous breakdowns in the past and the exercise really helps me keep my sanity without horrible anxiety medications. I used to do yoga and pilates but then i discovered I had a herniated disc in my neck from a car wreck when I was 17 that had flared up and stopped working out all together for about a year , that is how I gained all of my weight back, I was 138lbs and climbing and super depressed , they told me to not work my normal physical labor job or workout. I followed doctors orders and have since recovered and I find that the exercise keeps my neck pain at bay. When I started feeling better I was determined to get back to my previous weight of 115-118. I started almost 6 mths ago with exercise at a slower level and no weights, my portion control was severly distorted and I really started to pay attention to how I was eating. I think that I was depression eating from the stress of being injured and it was helping me cope. I didn't really cut back on cals until I realized I was eating an excess of 2500+ per day (of junk )and the cutting back to about 1800 plus exercise 3-4 days 30-40 min a week really helped give me the results I wanted. It was a slow weight loss, I think I lost about 5 lbs the first week , probably water, and then a 1-1.5 lbs per week following the next 6mths as I increased my exercise working my way up until now as I got stronger. I think that adding the weight lifting really helped rocket my sucess as I did develop alot of muscle mass compared to even before I gained alot of weight, my scale (which is a $150 deluxe)tells me that I am 45% muscle with a 15-16% body fat depending on my water flux which is normally 60-64%. As far as what I eat , I try to eat clean 4-5 meals a day, Egg beaters , egg whites, lots of cottage cheese,whole grains, brown rice, lean meats and lots and lots of veggies which I have always loved anyway, Fruits and Protien bars, great recipes from websites helped me spice up my homecooked meals without all the butter and cals. I didn't really do any specific nutrient ratio, until probably the last 2 mths when i started reading up on it and it was sort of like the Zone 40/30/30 (c,f,p) but probably more protien as I felt it fueled my body and kept me full. I cut my cals back because i did hit a plateau about 3 mths in where I think I was at 125 and I seemed to be gaining and not losing so thats when iI switched to 1400-1600 cals a day and it worked for me. I think I had become more efficient at my workouts so I changed my routine and the lbs fell off after about 2 weeks. I agree with a prev post that my muscle mass is probably the culprit for losing more weight than I wanted to , but I am determined to turn it around by eating more and still keeping up the exercise cause I feel great and its fun for me. My advice to those trying to lose weight is to stick with your plan and tweak it as I have when things aren't going your way. You can do it and it is possible, and once you get to that goal it is such a great feeling of accomplishment. I think once you have lost weight and regained and lost weight again you start to figure out that it is probably eaiser paying more attention to your body that letting go again and having to start all over. But if your are injured like i was, don't depress about , do something about it , tell yourself that okay i can't workout but i am going to eat healthy and right untill I can so i don't lose what I have worked so hard for. YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!! sorry so long just felt like i need to share my story so people could know a little more about me. Thanks for all your advice!!:)

Wednesday, January 16, 2008, 11:26 AM

Good for you OP! I think you're on the right track - keep exercising and up your calories.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008, 11:49 AM

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