Don't worry, it doesn't sound silly or immature at all! If nothing else, the weight loss journey is one of self-discovery and learning about ourselves. Funny the things we find out, eh? But the more we know about ourselves, the better our changes of putting together a lifetime plan to keep the weight off. So it's good that you recognize that in yourself!

Did you know that the average recommended daily intake for a woman is around 1800 calories? Your goal of 2200 would be above that and yeah, it may be unrealistic. Maybe not. Only time will tell.

True, 2200 calories might not seem like a lot of food if you're eating the SAD (standard American diet) of sweets and fast food, but it can be a TON of healthy, nutritious food and a few planned treats. Since you've been losing on 1200 - 1600, you should be able to eat several hundred more calories to maintain and that really is a lot of food! Since you really like to eat, you can eat a lot with a little planning. True, it's not a Blooming Onion or a pound bag of M&Ms but you can really stretch your extra calories into a lot of delicious meals and snacks.

In a nutshell, the way to maintain is to create a "new normal". If you want to keep all the weight off that you've worked so hard to lose, you're never going to be able to go back to pigging out on junk food or whatever your "old normal" was. That part of our lives is over and never coming back. Done, finito, dead, buried. Normal now has to be healthy, balanced meals with a few planned treats. Planning. Thoughtful eating. Deliberate movement. That's our new normal.

Since you say that you're a good dieter, then you'll be a terrific maintainer because all the skills and tools you learned to lose weight are going to be exactly the ones you use to keep the weight off. There's almost no difference between weight loss and maintenance. You'll use the same behaviors, knowledge, skills, and habits that you learned for weight loss every day for the rest of your life. And I hope that's reassuring to you because it means you already know how to maintain!

For the record, here are my stats.
- 27 years old
- 5'4"
- 138lbs at the moment, maintenance range is 135-140
- maintain on 1600-1900 cals M-F, cheat meal Saturday usually bumps me up around 2200, Sunday usually around 1800-2000
- current workout schedule is run 2x/week (15-40 mins, sometimes HIIT), bike 2x/week (40-75 mins), swim 1x/week (25-40 mins), strength train 2x/week (40 mins), plus I walk my dog for 15-30 mins on the days I don't run with him. I usually end up missing at least 1, but no more than 2 of my planned workouts. This is my summer schedule, I do less in winter when the weather is crappy.
- I sit at a desk all day for work, so other than intentional exercise I am sedentary.
- I have hypothyroidism but it is under control on my current medication.

To lose weight, I eat 1400 cals M-F, keep Saturday's "cheat" at about 2000-2200, and about 1600 Sunday. Same exercise either way.

My average to maintain 140(ish) (138-143) is around 1900/day/average. I'm 44, 5'7" and my excercise this time of year is in the form of gardening/chores/cleaning house and lots of push mowing. So probably around 3-4 hours daily/average of constant movement and lifting etc. but nothing "formal".

My weeks probably look pretty bad to some people, I've been accused (nicely of course) of yo-yo dieting on a very short string. BUT it is working very well for me, and I have maintained longer than I have ever maintained an entire weight loss.
Monday- 1200 calories - weight is usually 143
Tuesday - 1200 - 142
Wednesday - 1400 - 141
Thursday - 1500 - 140
Friday - 1800 - 139
Saturday - 1800 - 139
Sunday - 3000(sometimes + depending on my weight) - 138

Monday back to 1200 calories and my weight is usually 143. I don't really PLAN on this. I always THINK I'm going to just eat 1800-1900 every single day and never have any big calorie days, but I don't. I guess secretly I LIKE the strictness I HAVE to follow some days to maintain and the big day of eating too. Of course this is all subject to change, and if for some reason I jump off the wagon mid week, then I rearrange as necessary.

Everybody is different as to what we are able to maintain calorie wise.
Here's my weekly recap for ya. I have been maintaining my weightloss for 3 + years now...

I'm almost 43, 5 ft 8.5" tall and my weight today is 145. I weigh in once a month MAX (the scale obsession has ended long ago, I go by how I look and feel instead of getting fixated on a scale reading, because if I have something with sodium in it, or too much sugar it can make the scale rise 3-8 lbs overnight and I know it is not possible to gain that much weight overnight, so I refuse to let that damn scale mess with my mind, talk about freeing weighing in only once a month, it so works for me!

I have been maintaining on I would guess anywhere's between
1600-2100 calories daily during the weekdays (depending on how hungry I am) and my weekends are probably 2500-3000 for a guesstimate.

I work out religiously every day cardio/weights mix it up and I always incorporate a few pieces of dove dark chocolate or a luna bar everyday being I like my sweet fix even while maintaining.

I'm 5'5", today I weigh 128.8, but I had an exceptionally high calorie and salt week with several days of 2400+ calories. I typically maintain between 125-127 at 1800-2100 calories. I exercise pretty much every day - 3 days weights/cardio & yoga, 3 days running & yoga, 1 day just light yoga.

I wish I could weigh once per month like Wendalyn, and maybe one day I will be able to. Right now I am a daily weigher with an obsessive chart.

We are definitely all different.

ETA - I will be 38 tomorrow, by the way.

Thanks everyone! This all looks very encouraging. I'm kinda thinking I might try to keep my weekdays on the lower side to allow for more flexiblity on the weekends...or maybe just continue to zig zag, not sure though, we'll see soon enough - I can't wait!

This a great post.. Thanks to ncuneo for posting it and to all the maintainers for anwesering.. Like the poster who calls herself a good dieter and good-regainer (that has been the story of the last 9 years of my life) But this time like Meg said I focusing in my new normal and not what I consider normal before.

Wow- we are all so different! But look at the common theme: exercise and conscious eating

I'm 55, am 5'3", maintain at around 125-130 ( I have a fear and loathing of scales- clothes and the mirror are my gauge) eat around 1300-1400 calories on week days and 1600-2000 on weekends. I workout 6 days/week like a maniac: cardio and weights, lots of heavy duty HIIT and landscaping on the weekends.

I have a sedentary job, but do as much conscious moving as possible in addition to formal exercise.



Mel

This is all fascinating, thank you for contributing this information, ladies! It's really amazing what a spectrum of 'normal' for maintainers is, even at the same weight and height!

I'll offer hope to those worried about low calories to maintain. it's not true for everyone, although I am sure my requirements will go down as I get older.

I'm 42 and today I weighed in at 119 at 5'4. I've lost 5 pounds in the last two months (unintentional, just happened) and I AVERAGE about 1800 cals a day with a day or two closer to 2500 and some days around 1400-1500. I do about an hour of cardio each day and weights three times a week.

I think it's those low days (1400) while I am working that caused the loss, as when I'm home I do at least 1800. I weigh in almost every morning and keep an eye on the trend line.

I maintained 124-125 on an average of 2200, but the average went down when I got too busy at work to nosh. :P

If I had to eat 1K a day I'm not sure, but I think I'd trade in a little weight gain to be able to eat more - I'd be starving all the time! :P

Forgot to say, I've been a maintainer now for almost 6 years! YAY!