Approaching goal, when should I start reducing my deficit?

[spyke]

Hi All,

I started using my fitbit 19 weeks ago or so and I was at the low end of the obese BMI range (194 lbs @ 5' 5"). I set myself up with a 1000 calorie / day defecit and off I went. Now 4 months later I am at 168 lbs and counting, right in the middle of the overweight range. Pretty stoked about that!

Things are going well, still dropping at a good rate (-1.8 lbs this week) and while I am feeling hungty more often it's been fine.  Right now I have my sights set to get down to about 155, so right on the edge of the normal BMI range. So I'm got 26 lbs down and 13 lbs left to go.

My question is this however, I know that once I reach my goal I'll want to bring my calorie deficit back up to say something like 0 to -250. But wondering what the best way to do that is? Should I just stay the course at -1000 calories and change abrubptly once I reach my goal? Or should I start to gradually bump things up as I get closer, say -750, then -500 and stabilise at -250?

I realise that weight loss will slow down if I start to redice my deficit, but I'm fine with that. I'm not on a tight schedule or anything here, and if it takes another 6 - 8 months to get where I want to be then that's fine.

So I'm torn between "if it ain't broke don't fix it" and "slow and steady wins the race"... Suggestions / comments / opinions are welcome!

Sandy

[SunsetRunner]

@spyke

When listening to our hunger cues, satiety feelings (eating until satisfied not stuffed), our body stays in a natural weight range which can fluctuate by a few pounds (we can eat less on some days, being more hungry on other days if eaten to little, or not being so hungry at all, having enough with what have been previously eaten..).

Our bodies take care of it's natural weight range automatically when trying listening to (without needing counting calories), trying not eating out of boredom or loneliness but trust your bodies wisdom to be your guide when being hungry / having enough.. or when its asking for some more (can be asking for more vegetables at dinner, being satisfied with food left over on the plate, satisfied with the portion of choosing..).

Try trusting your body, following the new food habits as baseline.. see how it goes.

Find a clothing piece which fits perfectly with your new weight, if it becomes impossible to wear, knowing to watch your portion sizes for a while.. go by feeling.. it's also possible to measure weight once in a while if wanting, to keep weight in check.

When eating until satisfied not stuffed, over time your body knows eating no more than what it needs and unlikely wanting more when having enough (telling it's satisfied, not needing more by going to eat slower, the last bites may not taste as good anymore, getting a feeling by eating further having to force feed your body.. signals that your body has enough in the moment..

Enjoy

[spyke]

Thanks for the feedback Mystique,

I'm a number's guy and so I actually really enjoy counting the calories and comparing that to the burn numbers my HR gives me. So that's not an issue.

In the past I've tried what you are suggesting and this was fine for achieving maintenance. What worked for me was to make sure I felt hungry before my next meal. If I'm still satisfied by the time meal time rolls around then I know I over did it at the last meal. If I get hungry a long time before the next meal then it's time for a healthy snack. So I agree with you 100% for maintenance.

This method just hasn't worked for me to actually lose weight though, but that's where the HR and fitbit app have really helped me get that under control and helped with my understanding of my food intake and my energy burn. Jut want to make sure I'm not over doing it is all...

[Raviv · Accepted solution]

If you're that close, I would try moving it to maybe a 500 calorie deficit now, or 750 if it makes you nervous.  If you're still doing fine after a few weeks, then move it down to a 250 deficit and see how it goes.

When you do move it, give it a little bit of time before deciding it was either the perfect thing or a major mistake.  You probably won't really know right away.

But yeah, if you've only got 13 pounds to go, then I would definitely start moving from the 1,000 calorie deficit now.  You're not doing yourself any favors.  Just make sure the quality of the food you're adding is optimal.

[awood08]

Congrats on your intial weight loss!

I started out with a 60 pound weight loss goal and aimed for 1200 calories or 1000 a day deficit depending on my activity level. I'm only 34 away from my goal weight and my calories are now bumped up to 1500 per day or 750 deficit. I had a stall for a week roughly, but now i'm back to loosing 1-2 pounds still per week. I would say to gradually make changes 🙂

[spyke]

Thanks for the feedback Raviv!

I've bumped it down to 750 for now and I'll hold there until I get 10 lbs from goal, so that should be in about 2 - 3 weeks from now. I'll bump it down to 500 then, and once I get to my goal I'll drop it to 250 and hold there until I see a few lbs below goal and then drop to maintenance.

My "goal" is to get into the normal BMI range, so I'll try to get a few lbs past the treshold before I go into maintenance to account for the daily / normal ups and downs... 

Didn't want to go to 500 from 1000 right away... That's like a whole extra meal in one step! Just seemed like alot to me. 😉

[spyke]

Thanks awood08!

Congrats on your weight loss also!

I've stalled once for a few weeks, but stayed the course and like you eventually started to drop again. I've increased my activity level since I've started so I figured that was me putting on a little muscle or something, glad I stuck to it!

Oh and there was that one week where I took a vaction outside of cell coverage and could not input my food in the app... That was a +4 lbs week, but luckily it came off in 4 days once I started to watch my intake again. Whew! 😉

Sandy

[Gershon]

I'm in about the same situation. I've lost 22.2 pounds since June 28th. For about the first 1/4 of the time, I used a 500 calorie deficit. For the rest, I averaged about a 1,200 calorie deficit. I walk a lot, so I got the deficit without feeling hungry.

I have the premium package. When I reach my goal weight of 165 lb, I plan to set the training plan for maintenance and follow it to see what happens. If my weight changes from my goal weight, I'll adjust by 500 calories to get back to my goal weight if the training plan doesn't direct it.

Some say counting calories doesn't work. When I don't count calories it doesn't work worse, so I'll keep doing it.

[Mermaid3011]

Hi @spyke

Congratulations for your success!! It feels so good to see the accomplishment looking back, right?!

I believe Raviv has given you good advice and I like your approach of going up to 750 deficit and taking it "slow and steady".

Please dont be discouraged if your scale wiggles and waggles and goes up and down in the beginning or your weightloss slows down. That's something to expect. But in order to "transfer" your current healthy habits in a safe and smart way I think it's just something that needs to be done.

I have lost 58 lbs since January and I want to get down another 25 by the end of this year and another 20 lbs until next May.

After 8 months though my body is like "uhm... wait a minute here" and I felt I had to change things up a bit to keep my system "guessing" what's going on. My scale wasnt moving for a few weeks, so I started adding more exercise into my routine and looked again at my foods, revising them with the goal to eat "clean" and remind myself to only put things in my mouth that are in some way or the other beneficial for my body.

So, long story short, if you realize that going down to 750 cal is stopping your weight loss or you feel it was the worst thing ever to do, I would suggest to KEEP GOING with the 750 cal deficit, but looking at the quality of your diet. 

Yoni Freedhoff (he's a doctor for obesity medicine in Ottawa, CAN) wrote a pretty good book and I've heard it elsewhere too: 80% of your weight loss happens in the kitchen and my experience of the last 8 months is the same. Quality and quantity of food makes up a big part. Bigger than exercise in my opinion, but of course that's a topic that could be discussed (and is being discussed) endlessly. 🙂

Anyway - all the best! Let us know how things are going! The transition is a really important part of our journey and we can all learn from you!! 

Best

Birgit

[spyke]

Thanks Birgit! And congrats on your success as well, and all the best with your future plans!

Sandy

[Raviv]

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@spyke wrote:

I've bumped it down to 750 for now and I'll hold there until I get 10 lbs from goal, so that should be in about 2 - 3 weeks from now. I'll bump it down to 500 then, and once I get to my goal I'll drop it to 250 and hold there until I see a few lbs below goal and then drop to maintenance.

My "goal" is to get into the normal BMI range, so I'll try to get a few lbs past the treshold before I go into maintenance to account for the daily / normal ups and downs... 

Didn't want to go to 500 from 1000 right away... That's like a whole extra meal in one step! Just seemed like alot to me. 😉

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That seems like a really good plan.  You sound like you're taking a common sense approach, and that usually works out well.

And congratulations on how far you've already come!