Plateau and weight loss maintenance

[ClaraF7]

Hi everyone! I have two questions and I can’t find clear replies on the web.

First, I’ve lost 13kgs the past two years by decreasing slowly my calories intake. I’m now at 1600 calories/day and 1800 calories when I’ve trained the same day. I would like to loose 5 more kilos but I’m already low in calories and my weight is not really moving anymore.

Second, how can I do to keep my weight lost when I’ll have reached my weight goal? Should I increase slowly calories again? I’m a bit lost in this topic. Thanks a lot!

[IndigoBlue61]

Hello and welcome to the Weigh Loss Forum ClaraF7

First of all, very well done on your weight loss so far, you have obviously made sensible and sustainable changes that will help you maintain your weight loss. 😊

Regarding plateaus, they are part and parcel of weight loss, and to some extent unavoidable. Common causes are letting portions slip, inadvertently eating more than you realise, or else you need to readjust your calories as you now weigh less, see the NHS BMI checker for an accurate guide. Lastly, and perhaps the most important is what you eat, not all calories are equal, some actually hasten fat storage where others keep you full for longer, see here healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...

As regards maintenance, I lost weight the way I intended to eat for life, in a balanced way and with all my favourite foods included. My weight loss stopped and I took that as my body’s way of saying enough. We also have a regular monthly Maintainers Club where we all keep each other on track.

If you haven’t already then please read the Welcome Message in Pinned Posts here healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh... Please read it carefully so you can find all the information you need to find your way around the forum.

As a peer to peer support group we rely totally upon mutual encouragement. Nothing beats joining in, reading posts and replying to others. Our Group Weigh-in and the Daily Diary are probably the best places to start

Best wishes

Indigo 😊

[SofaJockey]

Things that shifted my weight during the last few kilos included:

* Watching the portion sizes.

* Being particularly vigilant on sugar, too much fruit being an example.

* Cutting back on fat generating foods: rice, potato, pasta and bread

* A little more exercise.

The difference between plateau and progress is only 100 grams or so, so it shouldn't take too much to do it. Even with 100gram improvements, you'll be at your goal in 6-8 weeks.

Then maintenance is just easing off back to your current diet where you are at a plateau (and keeping an eye on it). 😄

[N-o-r-d-i Maintainer 64kg]

I’ve been counting calories for about 14 months now and I’m still keeping the same daily limit since the very beginning. Originally my tentative plan was maybe to reduce the limit if the weight loss slows down, but then I researched it a bit more and now am really reluctant to reduce the daily limit. Over time I also started paying more and more attention to what I choose to eat within my calorie limit, not just the calories themselves. My weight loss really slowed downs a few months ago, then I introduced Time Restricted Eating: 8 hour eating window each day and it shifted again. All the best to you!

[Lytham 3 stone]

Hello, would you like to join us on the Daily Diary and post your menu for tomorrow? Here's the link, I hope to see you there! x

healthunlocked.com/nhsweigh...