How do I maintain?

Hi Everyone,

I am hopeing someone can help me...the gist of it is that i lost wieght through a calorie reduced diet and now am at my acceptable weight BUT dont know what to do to maintain.  basically i was eating almost 1000 calories a day (yes i know i should have been eating 1200 minimum) and now have reaced my weight to 125ish lbs and dont want to loos anymore weight. i am scared i am am anorexic or becoming anorexic because i dont know what to eat to be "normal" again. i mean i dont want to gain weight but keep myself at this wieght...how do i do this? the analysing chart says i should eat 1700 calories a day to maintain, but if i eat that will i not gain weight because i have been eating 1000 calories max for the last 6 months? i am afraid, but glad i look nicer, but sad and frightened i will gain the weight back. please help or suggest what to do.

i appreciat everything :S

{{{bpm}}} that's not anorexic... don't fret!  I changed your title, because you are not fighting anorexia, but instead trying to figure out how to move from weight loss to mainteance.  That's a gr8 question and very important :)

you should be concerned about how you will maintain, because the sad truth is that up to 95% of people regain their weight.

it's important to realize that you are not dieting but you are building a way to eat and exercise that will be healthy and balanced.  that you can enjoy and that you can do for the rest of your life.

i'm sure some of our *maintainers* will be along to share their tips and tricks and thoughts on how they moved from weight loss mode to maintenance mode.

it's more than just increasing calories... you still need to choose to eat well and appropriately.  but you've lost the weight!  *yay*  Congrats!!!

now, it's time for the next step....  you can do this too :)

I honestly don't know if eating 700 more calories per day is going to put weight on you. I would suggest you ease up to that slowly and see how your body reacts. Start out with 1200. I know that when you are maintaining you can eat a little more. The whole thing of it is, if you were losing weight properly -- and you pretty much were, though you were slightly lower than the recommended intake -- you just continue with what you have been doing all along -- just go to "maintenance mode." There is no "going off of" a "diet." You didn't say how tall you are. It SOUNDS like you're just a little confused, not anorexic.

i am 5'6

i eat 800-1000 calories a day

do not excercise

eat very healthy:

breakfast-cereal with milk (400 calories)

lunch: an apple (100 calories)

dinner: 300-500 calories

so now i must keep eating this? but i dont want to loos anymore weight...i dont want to gain weight either.

:s

well, you are eating below recommended amounts; most reputable sources strongly recommend a minimum of 1,200 calories per day.  Anything less than that can cause physical problems and should only be done under a doctors supervision.

Not wanting to regain the weight is a normal fear and concern. 

You should bump your calories up to 1,200 right away.  Don't mis-interpret the added weight of food or additional water as weight gain.  Those are going to fluctuate daily.... and often when people increase food they will gain a lb or 2 in water weight temporarily.

the thing to do is to start adding in some more servings of calorie dense foods, like whole grains and cereals, whole grain pasta, the starchy veggies... some lean meat and a bit more of the healthy fats and oils like you find in nuts, olives and avocados...

don't be afraid to increase your food.  if you don't, you will starve yourself... and that is not what you want to do... right?

also, this is Fri night (late) and you will probably get a few replies over the weekend, but maybe not so many people will be around again until Monday... so don't fret.... you aren't being ignored :)

thank you for your support.

but does not wanting to gain weight and being freaked out about everything you eat not equal anorexic?  i think i am starving myself..durring the day at least. sigh.

maybe i should see a dietition or a nutritionist? do they charge money (i am from canada).

from what i have read from your replies is that i will not go back to being 155lbs if i eat about 1200 calories again? and what if i go to 1500?...then no either? so can you say that as long as you eat less than the 1700 that you naturally use a day i will not gain weight?

confused as ever.

hang on... i have some more info for you...

Your body is going to burn 1700 Calories a day to keep itself ALIVE... If you don't feed it that 1700 Calories, your body had to find energy from somewhere else or start shutting down organs... The two places your body will find energy will be stored body fat or muscle mass...

If your body has those 1700 Calories, however... It won't need to eat up your body fat or muscle... And you won't gain/lose anything...

If you eat more than 1700 Calories, you gain weight...

You've got to remember that your body needs energy to function... Don't be afraid to indulge in 1700 Cal/Day... Your body will thank you...

If you're really nervous about eating more, why not start exercising to account for the increased Calories? A little Cardio couldn't hurt... And weight lifting isn't all that bad either :)

ok... first, being afraid to regain your weight and being concerned about gaining weight especially after you have worked so hard to lose your weight = perfectly normal!!!

it is different than anorexia... where people see themselves as too fat and think they have to keep losing weight even though they have already lost enough.... or they become afraid to eat anything and try to eat like 200 cals a day... and they force themselves to eat that because they hate food, have a fear of food... and that is just the tip of the ice berg. 

here is a very good article about anorexia:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/anorexia/DS0 0606

from your post, i take it that you have been eating ~ yes not enough each day according to recommended guidelines and maybe you have lost a bit too fast, but you have taken the weight off.  congrats! 

it is normal to be afraid that you will regain the weight.  most people worry about that and unfortunately most people regain some or all of the weight.

why?  because they stop dieting and go back to the way they used to eat when they were gaining.

what is important now???  now it is important for you to stop losing weight.  you need to create a way to eat that will keep you healthy and and a good weight without gaining everything back, right???

so how do you do that?  by eating enough food but not too much. 

that is easier said than done... but you can figure this out... and the people here can help you make those adjustments as you move from weight loss to maintenance.

it's NOT something to be afraid of.  Instead, try looking at how and what you eat as an adventure... that you will be hunting for foods you like and learn how to eat so you will be satisfied but you won't regain everything... 

it's pretty exciting!  I just know you can do this :)

bpm ~ why don't you call your doctors office and see if they can schedule an appointment with a nutritionist and if there is a charge.

a nutritionist can help you work out a plan to spread your calories out through the day, and answer questions and help you figure out what kinds of servings of protein, healthy fats and carbohydrates (plant based foods) to eat...

but if they can't, you can do that yourself....

do you have any books on setting up a healthy eating plan?  I have one i love.  It's "Mayoclinic Healthy Weight for EveryBody" and is the official, real meal plans they use for people in their medical practice.  You can buy it online even used through someplace like Amazon.  It has a 12 week program to teach you how to eat and how to balance a meal plan. 

As scary as this sounds, you might want to stop counting calories.  Try following the American or Canadian food guide instead.  Don't worry - no matter what your metabolism a small increase of calories (like 1200-1400) is not going to make you gain all your weight back (unless you lost three pounds or something).

You don't want to count calories for the rest of your life.  Unless you really like math.  Then you might not mind counting.

I never count my calories and I've been maintaining my weight for five years (though sometimes I go up or down 5-7 pounds due to loss of appetite from sickness or lack of exercise).

It'll be okay, sweetie, go out to the mall or ski hill or pool and enjoy your new weight!

Hi Everyone,

I appreciate ALL of your help SO much! :) I feel good today, I went shopping yesterday and bought pants at a size 2 and ones at a size 26! I am floored..me who usually buys pants at a size 9/10 or 32...wow. I am really happy about those purchases and just going to the mall with a size small in mind..sigh.

But now back to reality...

I have realized that what everyone is saying is that unless I start eating over the amount of calories that I use up daily I will not gain weight. Is this tru?

What doesnt make sense to me is that I lost the weight from reducing my calories...but now if i increase them (even if i stay under...like dont eat over the amount i use a day) will i not gain weight? i mean should the same principle not apply?

thanks once again...life seems better now that i know i am not anorexic...confused though.

:)

Also, I am going to call Dial-a-Dietition (BC, Canada) tomorrow and see if they can help me in meal planning and any other maintenance questions.  I will post my answers here then..hopefuly they will help me and someone else.

:)

So I called dial-a-dietition today (with in BC, Canada ph # 1-800-667-3438) and they said that as long as the calories do not go over the amount i burn i should be okay. so that means i could start to up them from my usual 850-900 calories a day to something more. 

i thought it was interesting that the dietitian i spoke to did not know of the upping calories by 100 a week rule. none the less i will follow that rule.

she also said that in order to maintain i should be excersicing regularily like 30 min a day. i will try to do that as i get into eating more and maintaining and just becoming much more healthier to live a healthy life.

wow i am excited now. but i have to go get bak to my essay for school.

cheers all.

feel free to post anymore questions/comments

**also let me know if this is worng b/c i never want to go back to wearing a size 10 again...please god let that not happen again.

:)

Is there something like dial-a-diatition for teens in the US???

i am not sure.

have u tried to google dietition+health or dietition organization ?