I'm maintaining-- How should I up my cals??

I'm just 2 pounds off my goal weight, and I think it's time for me to slow things down a bit. I've been eating 1200cals a day for the past 3 months, and now I've decided to maintain(I've heard many still lose a bit of weight when they first start maintaining- so I guess I can stop for now) My maintenance calories is 1900cals, now that i'm maintaining, I'm wondering how should I up my calorific intake. Should I up gradually (like, taking 1300 for a week, then 1400 for another, eventually until I reach 1900), or can I just leapfrog to 1900cals? Somehow I keep on thinking my body's already used to having 1200cals a day, and upping it that abruptly would mess up my efforts.

Would anyone be kind enough to enlighten me on that?

I just read in the Biggest Loser Calorie Counting book that for weight loss you should have 7 cals/pound of body weight and for mainting you should have 12 cals/pound of body weight.

hope that helps

You might find more information and relevent information on maintenance in the Maintenance forum

http://www.calorie-count.com/forums/8.html

Good luck

I'm in the same boat as you.  I'm 3lbs from goal and it's being recommended that I start maintaining.  I'm going to ask more about it on Wednesday and see how it's recommended to bring up my calories and how to make the adjustment (I'm on the LA Weight Loss program). 

If I learn anything earth shaking, I'll be sure to share.

Styso~
So here's what I learned as I officially enter the "Stabilization" phase at LA Weight Loss.  Basically this is 6 weeks before officially "Maintaining".   For the next 6 weeks you get something new/extra that you add to your already exsisting menu plan. 

• Week 1 Vegetables are now unlimited.  ok, not so fun but it's something.
• Week 2 add an extra dairy portion. 
  
• Week 3 you can add 1 fat serving and you can  add half a protein serving.  We say "can"  as long as you're staying within 3 lbs of your target goal.  If your weight is fluxuating more than that, you might not want to add these in right away or quite as much.
• Week 4 you can add an extra fruit serving
• Week 5 you can add an additional starch.  If you didn't add the previous weeks serving, add it here, but not both.  so if you went out of your 3lb fluxiation, wiggle room weight and did not add fruit last week, try adding it this week and not the starch.
• Week 6 You can add another serving of fat. If you didn't add the starch last week, or the fruit in week 4, add either the starch, fruit, OR fat.  Choose only 1.
  

You've made it! Once you're thru the 6th week you'll have an idea of what foods work for you depending on how your weight fluxuates while adding the additional servings.  You don't have to get all the servings, it may be too much but this is how they determine what your daily allowance should be like while maintaining the new you.

Hey thanks a lot nymo! The thing is, i don't count my portions, i plan my daily menu by counting calories only. How much is one portion actually? and I've started adding more food into my diet, and the first thing I added was fruits!!! (i'm a serious fruits junkie) Yesterday I had a huge pear, a kiwi, and half of a small papaya afterdinner in one go... Should I reduce and add vegetables instead?

psalm27 said something about 7 cals/pound of body weight for weight loss from the Biggest loser, but that would put me at 875 cals a day.  That doesn't sound healthy, plus it would barely be 1200 when I started my diet at 175 pounds.  I think I would rather stick to what CC recommends.  You're not supposed to go under 1200 a day if you are a woman.

Here's a quick rundown in portions (at least what I use)

Protein:
4oz of red meat
5oz of fish
6oz of poultry

Vegetarian Proteins:
1cup of beans
2 eggs
.5 cup tofu

Vegetables:
half cup cooked or 1 cup raw
6 baby carrots

Fruits:
1 piece of fruit
15 grapes
.75 cups berries
half banana
4oz of juice

Starches:
.75cup cereal
1slice bread
1/3 cup rice
half cup pasta (cooked)
half cup corn or peas
half a small potato

Fats:
1tsp butter
1Tbsp margarine
10 nuts

Dairy:
2oz cheese
8oz milk
8oz yogurt.

Condiments (up to 3 a day)
1 Tbsp salad dressing
1 tsp coffee creamer
1 Tbsp jam
1 tsp mustard
1 Tbsp ketchup

Currently, my plan I have 2.5 servings of Protein, unlimited veggies, 3 servings of fruit, 2 starches, 1 dairy, and 1 fat.  This will change as I progress thru stabilization as I try adding new servings as described in my previous post. 

To answer specifically you said "Should I up gradually (like, taking 1300 for a week, then 1400 for another, eventually until I reach 1900), or can I just leapfrog"

Don't leapfrog but you can go up 200 per week till you stabilize, These books that say 7cals for this or 12 cals for that don't take into consideration age or activity or muscle mass which are most important. They give just ballpark figures. Besides being on a low cal diet slowed down your metabolism some so if you jump up to quick you will gain fat quickly.

How do you lose fat without also losing muscle?

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/drsquat6.htm