I'm just hovering between 138 and 140 and staying there and I've been reading about others who sort of 'gave in' and decided to accept that as their permanent weight and started eating maintenance calories. But then once they upped their calories, they lost even more.

This isn't a zig-zag thing, this is basically settling for this weight and upping my calories to maintenance level. If I lose more, great. However, I gotta keep a closer eye on my weight now to make sure I'm not going to start gaining again.

I currently eat between 1200-1300 calories a day. My maintenance level is 1700. I'm going to go just below that and start eating 1600. Since I don't eat very many calories, it doesn't leave me much room for in-between-meal snacks. So now I'm going to try and squeeze more healthy snacks in. Who knows, maybe that will get things moving again because there are many days I don't eat anything at all between lunch and a late dinner. See, I always eat late at night, so I save calorie room for that, which doesn't leave me much room for snacking throughout the day. Sacrifices sacrifices!

Anyway, that's my plan for now. We'll see what happens

Don't mind me, I'm just writing out my thoughts

are you hungry or weak feeling during the day? i think it is not a bad idea as long as you make sure those are healthy snacks.

congrats on your weightloss by the way!

another idea-- maybe try upping the intensity of your workouts as well. that may help bust you through your plateau.

also, your body may need to adjust to its lower weight before it allows you to lose anymore.

Not really. I get hungry now and then, sure, but it's nothing I'm not used to.

Thanks for the tips

Linda -- good luck! I think no matter what happens, getting your head around maintenance mode is a great idea!

I just think I need to relax on myself a little now. If it comes off, it comes off.

I think you are totally right about upping your calories to maintenance level for a while, and seeing what happens. If you are meant to lose more after a while, then you will...and if not, then so be it.
I for one, cannot maintain a weight of 133-your current goal weight. 135 I can only get to, and maintain if I don't "live"...as in doing nothing but working out and eating only 1100-1200 a day FOREVER.
That is why my goal was, and will be after this baby is born-about 140-145 and seeing how I feel.
You CAN stay at the same scale weight, and continue to see better changes in your body by continuing to work out, and by challenging yourself when you workout. Just because your weight stays the same, doesn't mean your body composition will.

i admire you for trying this- let me know how it goes, I may have to do that in a while.

Good luck LLV, let us know how you go on .

Thanks, everyone, I'll let you know what happens. Today is only my first day, however, because my weekend was sort of a blowout. Saturday night we went out with friends, so I not only had un-accounted-for drinks, but I ate chicken wings and then Taco Bell late that night

Then Sunday was my usual big meal of the week (I eat what I want and as much as I want at Sunday dinner, I always have). Then Sunday evening I was feeling particularly down and not only had a piece of ice cream cake, but later on I got the pint of chocolate ice cream out of the freezer and finished it off. Luckily there wasn't much in there, but wait! That's not all! After that I grabbed the pint of vanilla ice cream and ate some of THAT. And as if that wasn't enough, I added insult to injury by tossing a handful of M&M's into it.

lol!

So if I gain a pound of actual fat from this weekend, I won't be at all surprised. It's like I went bananas or something. What a piggie!

But... I've done that before in the past, it's no big deal and I'm not worried about it. But I'm thinking I probably shouldn't up my calories too far just yet since I ate so much over the weekend.

Linda - we must have had the same eating plan for the weekend. Friday I had candy for breakfast and lunch and movie theater popcorn for dinner. But I did stay within my daily calorie goal.

I didn't, lol. I couldn't have. In fact, I lost so much track at some point that I didn't even bother recording anything anymore. That's how bad it was. I had one of those "go for broke" attitudes this past weekend. You know... the, "well I've already blown it, may as well just go ahead and eat it ALL," type things.

Silly silly silly.