I'm five months into losing weight and about 10 lbs. away from goal, and I'm SO READY TO BE AT MAINTENANCE! Soooo, I'm having more and more trouble staying around 1600 calories, which has been my goal. For the past three weeks, I've been averaging 1700 calories, and I've lost about 6 lbs. which is right on target for me. However, I'm terrified that I'm going to stop losing at this calorie count--and I'm feeling SO MUCH guilt about being in this range instead of 100-150 calories lower which is where I have been. My exercise is still spot on--I work out 5 days a week for 45-60 min, jogging, spin class, weight training, etc., and I really push myself. I also move a LOT at work (retail sales manager), although it's not consistent movement (walk fast here, pause 5 minutes, walk fast there, pause, etc.). Is it possible for me to still continue to lose at 1700 instead of 1600? I feel like that is SO high, but it does make sense on calorie calculators. I guess I just need to know if anyone else around my size or smaller is losing at this range, so I won't feel so horribly guilty! And if not, maybe that will give me the kick in the pants to cut back down and power through the last 11 lbs.

Thank you!!!

You are close to moving into maintenance mode. I think you are so used to eating lower counts to lose weight, that the higher numbers are scary. But as you maintain you have to increase your calories in order to slow down the weight loss. I totally understand where you're coming from. I still freak out over eating between 1800-2000 calories every day, which is where I maintain pretty well. But I know that if I eat in that range I will be ok. It's just a psychological adjustment.

you are lucky you can lose there. Ive messed up my metabolism to the point where that is where i MAINTAIN.....sux.... im working on it though. Good luck to you...i say the higher you can keep your cals and still lose, the better!

I'm sorry, are you living in my head? We weigh the exact same right now and have the exact same goal and are also losing at about the same rate on about the same cals!!!! I too am so done with this game and want to be at maintenance so badly. I would kill for just a couple more 100 cals a day, I think I would be so happy there. 1600-1700 is awesome too and and I could easily stay there forever, but just a few more would be really great. I think you will absolutly still lose at 1700, especially if you've been losing thus far. I sure hope so anyway because I REFUSE to go any lower on my cals at this point.

What I've done though that is helping me to lower my cals on occassion is just really ask myself if I'm hungry when I sit down to eat. Often I am and I eat all 1600-1700 cals, but sometimes I'm not and I'll skip a snack or two and end up at 1400, but by choice not by because that's all I'm allowed. Taking away the restriction seems to have helped a little and help me to feel like I'm in maintenance mode already. I plan to continue this way until I get to 150 lbs and at that point I'm going to start SLOWLY increasing my cals by maybe 100 cals ever 4 weeks or so to allow my body to naturally decide where it wants to stop. But waiting to get to 150 is taking forever!!!! I'll also continue to play the hungry game so that some lower cal days get in there so I'll conintue to lose (I secretly want to weight in the 130s, but only if that is where my body wants to go, I refuse to have to maintain on anything less than 1800-1900 cals). So anyway that's just my thoughts. But yes, you will still lose at 1700.

If you are more satisfied at 1700 and you are still losing then go with it!! If you stop losing you can change something then. Dont fret it NOW.

It's not like you are going to wake up one morning and the calorie fairy is going to say "you've been over for 3 weeks, here is 30 lbs back" now is she? Kick the guilt. Guilt is not your friend

I can not function on less than 1800 calories. I cant. If I try I inevitably binge.

Your so lucky, i could never have that many calories and lose weight. If I need to lose quick, i have to eat between 900 and 1100cal. If I even go to 1200 or 1300 for a couple days straight I gain. I do weigh less, but I do brisk walking mixed in with jogging everyday for 45min. I know I don't need that many calories and am usually very satisfied at 1100 cal. But, there are those days I would really like to splurge, but I just can't or I will gain right away. 1600 cal. would feel like overeating to me.

I knooowwww!!! Every time I see a thread you've posted, I think that you could totally be me I hesitate to say that though because you've come so much farther than I have that I kinda feel like I'm stealing some of your glory comparing myself. That probably sounds silly but there ya go LOL. Anyways, it's soooooo good to hear that you're so similar to me and hanging in there, and also right around the same loss rate/calorie count/etc. etc. as me. How are you powering through? I just keep telling myself, "six(ish) more weeks . . ."

OMG this is EXACTLY what I was feeling like!!! Thank you so much for the straight talk

fruitlady-- the weight you seem to gain back right away is most likely just glycogen and the associated water that comes back with it..... it seems like youve been living in a caloric deficit for quite a while...if you eat higher or at maintenence, youll gain back anywhere from 2-5 pounds in water weight...

I just keep telling myself that I'm not done, I know I won't be happy if I stop now (I refuse to say give up even though my BMI is not quite normal yet, because we ALL worked so hard) so just keep going. I also tell myself that no matter what I'm going to make it and if I lose those last 10 lbs a little slower because I need a few more cals to stay sane the end result will be the same. I kind of took a break this week. I usually zig zag my cals and I've been feeling really restricted on the "low" cal days so I just capped my cals at 1650 and told myself I could eat what I wanted within reason and only if I was hungry. Oddly enough just by paying attention to when I was hungry I ended up skipping a few snacks and going under most days. I didn't lose this week because of TOM and I was pretty tired, probably also because of TOM but also because I wasn't getting as many cals, but it was a nice little break. This weekend I'm going to take it a little further and not count, just for the weekend, not to allow myself to go crazy but just a little mental break and kind of a reset for OK 10 more lbs let's do this! Congrats on your success!