Maintaining Your New Weight


By WLR Dietitian
Juliette Kellow BSc RD


Q: When you get to your healthy target weight, what’s the best way to maintain it? Should you increase your calorie intake all at once or by so many calories each day?
A: This is a really good question – and congratulations on hitting target, or at least almost being there. After weeks, months or even years of controlling your calorie intake, knowing what to do when you hit target can be scary but you can’t stick with your dieting calorie allowance forever.

While some successful slimmers prefer to immediately increase their calorie intake, others prefer to do it in steps. In many ways, this is a good idea as it helps you to concentrate on getting your extra calories by gradually increasing the portion sizes of the foods you’re already eating rather than suddenly adding in chocolate, crisps, booze and takeaways. I recommend this five-step plan to maintain your new healthier weight.

Five Step Plan


Step 1 Once you reach target, add 250 calories a day to your existing daily calorie intake. This means if you’ve been having 1,250 calories each day, you should now have 1,500 calories a day.

Step 2 After a week, weigh yourself on your usual scales. You’ll probably have lost a little more weight. If so, add another 250 calories to last week’s daily allowance. So, if you were having 1,500 calories a day, now have 1,750 calories daily.

Step 3 After a week, weigh yourself again. If you’ve lost more weight, add an extra 250 calories to your daily intake, for example from 1,750 calories to 2,000 calories each day.

Step 4 After a week, if your weight has stabilised that’s the amount of calories you need each day to keep your new slim shape. If you’ve gained a tiny amount, drop your daily calorie intake by 100 calories, for example, from 2,000 calories to 1,900 calories daily. After a week, weigh yourself again. If your weight has stayed the same, that’s the amount of calories you need each day for weight maintenance. If your weight has gone up or down, juggle your daily calorie intake by 50 calories a day until your weight eventually stabilises.



Step 5 Weigh yourself once a week on your usual scales until you are confident that you’re maintaining your healthy weight.

Source: http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/diet/...tain_weight.htm

Ironia, and everyone else when you reach maintenance, you may find this article helpful. I also posted an article on April 17, 2007 a few threads down that may also be helpful. :)

For myself, it was 100 calories per week for 3 weeks.

That sounds good to me, Dear Editor, especially if you are one to take things slowly. That’s important, because it’s not a race, but something you’ll need to know in order to maintain for a lifetime. :) Increasing your daily intake by 100 calories increments gives you and your body time to adjust. I think I used 100-200 calorie increments. It took me a couple of months, initially to find out what worked for me. Initially I found that I maintained on 1600 calories a day. I wasn’t exercising while I was losing weight. But, after adjusting up and down with my food intake and exercise over the years I’ve found that now I maintain on 1700-1800 calories a day. :)

:grace: What a wonderful article! Annette and editor -- thank you for providing information to help us succeed!

I am so very excited for you, Ironia :) , and I want you and everyone else that plans to reach their weight loss goal and stay there to succeed. :)

That is great, Annette, and we sure do appreciate your recall of making the transition! :hug: