Need some advise on maintaining weight

[whatayr]

Hi Guys,

I just lost 25kg in around 6 months but now I dont know how to maintain this weight. I'm new to all this and I understood that to lose weight I needed a calorie deficit which I created and then sure enough lost weight however now I need to stop losing weight as I am at the target weight.

I checked out some apps and according to the fatsecret app I need 2400 calories per day to maintain my weight. I am finding this extremely difficult to achieve this many calories in a day.

I'm still hoping to stick to healthy principles such as keeping below 19g saturated fat and 30g sugar per day and would like some advise with an example day meal plan below:

Breakfast - 320 cal

1 Slice bread ( with Philadelphia extra light cream) + Tea (milk + sugar) + 1/2 Cinnamon bagel (with Meridian crunchy peanut butter).

Mid Morning Snack - 251 cal

whole milk + Scottish porridge oats

Lunch - 465 cal

100g Penne Pasta

1 Banana

Dinner - 518 cal

170g Chicken Karahi

1 + 1/2 chapatti

After Dinner Snack - 153 cal

Satsuma

1/2 Cinnamon Raisin Bagel

Total / Goal

Calories : 1707 / 2400

Protein : 73g / 120g

Carbs : 247g / 300g

Sugar 50g / 30g ( 20g from Fruit sugar so other sugar is probably 30g)

Sat Fat 16g / 19g

Ending notes

As you can see, I am unable to meet my required calorie intake and the protein in my diet is lacking, I can replace the pasta on some days with like a skinless chicken breast to get a bit more protein.

Any help would be appreciated , some ideas on what I can eat - store bought items over prepared items are preferred.

The only variables in my meals is at lunch and dinner where the main dish changes although the calorie values remain similar.

[SofaJockey]

Maintenance is tricky. I'm finding that the best solution is to tinker very gradually each week (initially adding protein back in) until weight-loss slows then stops.

Personally I don't worry about saturated fats (which I think has an ill-deserved reputation).

[whatayr Maintainer in reply to SofaJockey]

Hi SofaJockey , thanks for your response I will definitely use your tip and gradually introduce anything new into my meal plan.

[moreless Administrator 7 stone]

Hi and welcome, whatayr

SofaJockey has given you some good ideas and I would reiterate that avoiding fat is not the way to go. By reintroducing natural fat back into your diet, you'll easily increase your calorie intake and use dietary fat, rather than body fat to maintain your weight loss. Here's a good guide for the healthiest choices healthunlocked.com/api/redi...

All of the information you need about the forum can be found in Pinned Posts healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh... and I hope you'll be joining all the Events, Challenges and Clubs that we run, especially our Maintainers' Club.

If you haven't already taken it, here's a tour of the forum healthunlocked.com/?tour=true

We've found active participation to be key to successful weight loss and, of course, it's a good way to get to know people, find inspiration and share support and encouragement.

Wishing you all the best

[bikegrrrl 1lb in reply to moreless]

moreless , thank you for posting that (first) link.

I am a bit embarrassed to ask, but can you help me work out what one of its pictures is? The middle "lunch" picture - what is that red thing meant to be??? I am at a loss.

[moreless Administrator 7 stone in reply to bikegrrrl]

Liver, bikegrrrl

[bikegrrrl 1lb in reply to moreless]

Ahhhh! Thanks for that. 💐

[moreless Administrator 7 stone in reply to bikegrrrl]

My pleasure

[whatayr Maintainer in reply to moreless]

Thanks for the information Moreless, I will definitely look into it. I just feel a bit guilty about eating foods with high saturated fat content since I was told this was bad and considering the diet has been going well.

[Hidden]

I wish I was in your shoes . I don’t even eat half that much and I can’t lose weight let alone maintain it .

[SofaJockey in reply to Hidden]

Ha. I agree, the OP's menu is a little carby for my personal needs, but you can't argue with success and a steady kilo per week is excellent progress, so the balance clearly works. 😄

[RaggedClown]

One thing I would emphasise is to continue weighing yourself. I find that if I stop weighing myself for a while, my weight has crept up. Every time.

slimmingwithstrangers.com/s...

[whatayr Maintainer in reply to RaggedClown]

Yep, I make sure to weigh myself at least once a week.