Leigh: Question About Maintenance

[caitedid4]

I finished OPT Remix about 2wks ago and began eating at maintenance. I figured out my calories using the formula in FLTS and also used the Harris-Benedict Formula as a comparison, which landed me an activity multiplier level between 1.5-1.55.

I am 25, 5'7"ish. I weighed 133 last Monday and calculated my daily Caloric Intake at 2221/day for maintenance level calories. Figured this was the healthy weight I wanted to maintain. I also added a starve day 1x week (1300cal) as recommended in the Maintenance Manual.

Here is the Problem: At my weigh in last Thursday I weighed 132. Today (This Thursday) I weigh 131. I am losing a lb a week at maintenance. Is this normal? Should I only worry if this continues into a few more weeks?

I am not at a deficit as I am recording everything right now to get a feel of what Maintenance calorie menus look like.

[Anna21]

Are you more active than you realize? I ask because my multiplier that I picked had me at 2000 calories or so for maintaining; yet, I have a Gowear Fit and it has me burning 2400 to 2900 some days and I only walk for exercise. I just get in 12000 steps a day and move a lot. I guess when I took that quiz, I shorted myself on activity. To reach what the Gowear says (unless it is way off) I would need to use the 1.85 multiplier!
Just a thought that maybe you underestimated your movement (or calories)!
Just eat more

[TBDX00]

I lost some in the transition using Leigh guidelines but then leveled outaround week 4 on a little higher calories. As Leigh says watch the trend.

[caitedid4]

Originally Posted by TBDX00

I lost some in the transition using Leigh guidelines but then leveled outaround week 4 on a little higher calories. As Leigh says watch the trend.

I thought she meant week 4 at a deficit. Thats when you level out. Correct me if I am wrong.

Leigh, If I am losing at maintenance with a "Starve Day" Should I nix the starve day and just eat maintenance cals everyday and start to encorporate a Starve Day if I gain again? I am soooo confused.

[nejma]

of course I am not leigh, but if you calculated your calories for maintenance, and then added a starve day, you would be in a deficit.

the formula for maintenance does not take into account the addition of the starve day. the starve day, as I understand it, is to make up for small indiscretions and surpluses on other days.

so, your starve day puts you at about a 1000 kcal deficit/week, but you are losing a lb a week. this means you probably also under-calculated maintenance needs.

of course wait to see what leigh says, but if I were you, I would nix the starve day first. if you continue to lose (which is likely), start adding in a couple hundred kcal/day slowly.

if it is true that 3500 kcal= 1lb, then you will probably need to add about 350 extra kcal/day. Maybe more because of TEF, and if eating more makes you move more, etc.

I hope this has made you less confused.

[scribess]

nejma, of course I'm not Leigh either, but I just wanted to say that seems like a very sane and intelligent response, all the more refreshing to see since that's your first post. Seems like there's been a plethora of spammers on Leigh's board of late, so I'm happy to see us get a new "real" person. Welcome!

[caitedid4]

Originally Posted by nejma

of course I am not leigh, but if you calculated your calories for maintenance, and then added a starve day, you would be in a deficit.

the formula for maintenance does not take into account the addition of the starve day. the starve day, as I understand it, is to make up for small indiscretions and surpluses on other days.

so, your starve day puts you at about a 1000 kcal deficit/week, but you are losing a lb a week. this means you probably also under-calculated maintenance needs.

of course wait to see what leigh says, but if I were you, I would nix the starve day first. if you continue to lose (which is likely), start adding in a couple hundred kcal/day slowly.

if it is true that 3500 kcal= 1lb, then you will probably need to add about 350 extra kcal/day. Maybe more because of TEF, and if eating more makes you move more, etc.

I hope this has made you less confused.

Sounds reasonable to me. Let's give it a stab.

[Leigh P.]

Hey catie (everyone)

the starve day is to help you adjust if on all the other days of the week you feel you might be over in calories some. It is to allow more freedom or eating out and not being so caloric anal. However, for someone eating mostly the same things all the time it isn't really needed once a week. Maybe just once every 2 weeks, etc.

So if you are losing you obviously don't need it so screw it. It is just a strategy for those who want a little more eating freedom but to have a structure set in place that can help them from slowly creeping up. Not needed though if slowly creeping down

[caitedid4]

Sounds good. I nixed the starve day, will only use in emergencies. Might do the remix again when I cut again in the future. Leigh, the program is amazing.