Is the app smart about daily calorie targets when the plan is "maintain"?

[mattdm]

I finally reached my target weight (yay!), but I know from experience I need to keep tracking exercise and calories in to stay there. I set up a new plan that's "maintain" rather than "lose weight". But I'm not clear on exactly how this works. With the "lose weight" plan, I could choose a deficit amount based on how aggressive I wanted to be. There seem to be no options other than target weight for "maintain".

So, the question: how do daily calorie targets work in this mode? Does it reduce if I'm over the target weight and increase if I'm under? Is there a threshold amount so it's not bouncing around just because I'm a pound or two up or down in a given measurement?

I've seen several posts about this but none really make it super clear. Particularly, one post suggests that it's just calories to maintain your current weight, whatever it is. In that case, why have a target?

I can adjust this mentally — make sure to go below the target calories if I'm over the target weight, and eat a little extra if I'm below — but is the app already doing that? (That'd be ideal!)

Oh, and in case it matters, I use the "Sedentary" mode, because that works better for my brain.

[Heybales]

Targets work the exact same way they do in weight loss mode except for no deficit.

It tracked what you burned during the day.

It subtracted (or deficited) say 500 calories for 1 lb weekly loss.

It adjusted your eating goal to cause that.

You ate to goal.

Same thing now, except the subtract doesn't happen.

And for sure expect some pounds of movement - you should have seen that already in water weight fluctuations - don't have a goal weight or you'll drive yourself nuts.

Have a goal weight range, and measure probably your waist weekly when not feeling bloated. If both go up then probably need to tighten your food logging.

No it doesn't change anything based on your logged weight to goal weight.

Pretty sure the Target calories you reference are target burn calories.

If you know you do best being able to eat say 2000 calories a day at least - then you better set your target goal to 2000 and reach it.

That's why that is still a valid setting.

If you like to eat say 2000 and keep eating daily burn of 1500 - you know what's going to happen.

[mattdm]

It does seem like it could do the math for me, within, say, a 5 pound range. Like, if I'm a couple of pounds over the target weight, no big deal. If I'm 5 pounds over, automatically calculate with 250 calorie deficit, and if I'm 5 pounds under, add a 250 calorie excess. Or if I'm 10 pounds or more over or under, same with 500 calories.

I mean, I can do this in my head, but that's what leads to driving myself nuts in my mind. With losing weight, "trust the numbers and over the course of a month it's gonna work" works for me, and I'd like to keep doing that rather than now having to make active decisions about my target every day.

[Heybales · Accepted solution]

Very true, and with appropriate warnings that it's recommending that and you tapping to accept the adjustment, you would prevent double deficit being done by the app and mentally. Would be nice. Smarter still would be seeing if that was a fast water-weight only increase and say nothing, or a slow rise and warn @ 5lbs over.

But considering it's never recommended a reasonable loss rate to protect people from their own unhealthy desires, I doubt it.

I think it might be useful though on one hand to actively start each day with the reminder you have to take 250 cal off your eating goal - because you went overboard over a long weekend, or got sloppy with logging foods, or ate like you were working out for over a week when you didn't, or you kept going over your eating goal almost daily for a month. Might really pound into the old noggin the consequences of not following the method of weight management.

You do more you can eat more, you do less you better eat less.