Hey all:
Having met my goal weight, I suppose this is the area in which I need to be.
Perhaps those of you who have been maintaining for a while can help me out with a few issues that have cropped up due to my meeting my goal:
Issue 1: I am afraid to normalize my caloric intake to maintenance level. (1900-2200 calories per day figured as an average by using several caloric needs calculators on the net.) My fears arise from being uncertain that these numbers are accurate. The calorie calculator that was most accurate for my situation actually asked how long and how often I work out along with the normal weight, height and age questions. Others are more vague and the terms they use are kind of open to interpretation. ( lightly active, moderately active, very active) What do these terms mean? The calorie calculator on this site is also vague in that it defines activity in terms of normal daily tasks or job duties. I get my exercise on exercise machines and my routine is very strenuous, so where does that leave me??
Issue 2: I am tempted to continue losing weight. In terms of my height (I am only 5'3") I could lose another 10lbs and still be considered at a healthy weight. Some weight calculators state that not only could I be fine at a lower weight, but insist that I am still overweight at 130, and that I ought to weigh something like 115lbs. I feel good at 130lbs and my BMI is only something like 23, which is healthy, and I know from the past that 130lbs is a weight my body is very happy with. However, the compliments I constantly receive from people urge me to be slimmer yet. After all, if I look this good at 130lbs, how much better will I look at 120lbs or 125lbs?
How do I deal with these issues? Have any of you maintainers experienced anything similar and how have you handled it?
Thanks in advance for your support.
~Silvervixen