To find your maintenance calories, start with a “maintain weight” number from a calorie calculator, eat that amount every day for 2 weeks while you weigh daily, then adjust by 50 to 100 calories until your weight holds steady. If you just reached your goal, there’s an easier way: add about 100 calories a day to what you ate to lose weight, and check again in 2 weeks.
WW members can do this too (more on points below). Finding this number is the first skill of keeping weight off, and it’s how I’ve kept 100+ pounds off for 20 years.
How to Find Your Maintenance Calories
Here’s the process to find your calorie range to maintain your body weight. This is the number of calories to eat daily where you will neither lose nor gain weight.
- Use a calorie calculator in My Fitness Pal or at this daily calorie calculator link to find a daily calorie target for you. Be sure to use the target for keeping the weight the same or “maintain weight”.
- Do your best to eat at this calorie target every day for at least 2 weeks. (Four – six weeks is better, but we know many people are not that patient!)
- Weigh yourself daily.
- You may initially see a gain of a few pounds as your body adjusts. This doesn’t mean the calorie goal is incorrect.
- If your weight begins to track up, subtract 50-100 calories per day.
- If your weight begins to track down, add 50-100 calories per day.
- Continue to make small adjustments until you’ve found the calorie target that is right for you. With eating close to this target daily, you will neither lose nor gain weight.
Keep in mind that your daily calorie target will change as your weight goes up and down, so be sure to recalculate for every 10 pounds you lose or gain.
The Easier Method If You Just Reached Your Goal
If you’ve been losing weight and just hit your goal, you don’t need a calculator. Start from the calories you ate to lose weight:
- Add about 100 calories a day. Use this range for two weeks.
- If you keep losing, add another 100 calories, for 200 more per day.
- If you gain weight, go back to your weight loss range.
- Keep making small adjustments every 2 weeks until you find a comfortable range.
For example, if you lost weight eating about 1,500 calories a day, try 1,600 for two weeks. Still losing? Try 1,700. For most women, maintenance ends up about 100 to 200 calories a day above their weight loss range.
For the rest of the plan, read How to Maintain Weight Loss: 7 Ways I’ve Kept 100+ Lbs Off.
How to Find Maintenance for WW Members
Generally speaking, I recommend you follow the guidelines as Weight Watchers indicates. They have developed a good points system that works for most people.
If you don’t want to veer away from the specific Weight Watchers system, you can start by using all your daily points and weekly points if you don’t already. With this amount of points, most people continue to lose weight but more slowly.
Keep in mind the following recommendation is not supported by WW and is my own recommendation, having used the WW system for many years. I’ve recognized there are benefits to finding out your maintenance range of calories or points in order to take a mental breather but also not lose ground with weight loss.
If you are using the WW system and counting points, you have two options for finding your maintenance calorie range.
- In the WW app, go to Personalize Your Program, open Modes, and switch to Maintain mode. WW will adjust your plan for maintenance.
- Double track. Continue to count points in the WW app while also tracking calories in an app such as My Fitness Pal, Carb Master, or Lose It. Be sure the calorie goal is set to maintain weight.
Most of the time, I don’t recommend double tracking because it’s too time-consuming and cumbersome. WW has developed a complex points system that will work for you for weight loss when you stick with it.
However, there are benefits to double tracking for a few weeks here and there to see how many calories you are eating with the WW points system. Because of the wide range of zero point foods available, it’s helpful to see how many calories you are actually eating.
You could be overeating zero point foods, or it’s also possible to under-eat with WW because they have built into the program a certain amount of calories for zero point foods and you might not be using them.
Why Find Your Maintenance Calorie Amount?
While this isn’t an exact science and will require some trial and error, there are benefits to finding your daily calorie range, even during the weight loss process.
- Weight loss is hard work, both mentally and physically, and taking a diet break can give your body and mind a chance to recover.
- If you will be traveling, celebrating a special occasion, or are going through a time of stress, you might consider taking a diet break and eating at your maintenance calorie level.
- Many of us are either on or off, hot or cold. We are losing weight or we are gaining weight. Learn to maintain your weight because this is the skill you will need to keep your weight stable for a lifetime.
Now that you know how to find your maintenance calorie range, you can use this information to move you toward your healthy living goals.
Have you tried to maintain your weight? Share about it in the comments below.
Maintenance Calories FAQ
It depends on your size, age, and activity. Start with a “maintain weight” number from a calorie calculator, eat that for 2 weeks, and adjust by 50 to 100 calories until your weight holds steady.
Plan on at least 2 weeks per adjustment. Most people find a steady range within 4 to 6 weeks.
Keep eating the way you did to lose weight, plus about 100 to 200 calories a day for most women. Keep your protein up and plan your treats.
More Posts about Weight Loss You Will Love
Free Weight Loss Calculator: How Long Will It Take to Get to Your Goal Weight?
30 Powerful Ways to Pray for Weight Loss
Updated Weight Watchers 7 Day Meal Plan with FREE Printable
5 Things I Am Embarrassed to Tell You About My Weight Loss Journey
3 Steps to Conquer Your Food Cravings Forever {Lasting Weight Loss Strategy}
How to Deal with Food Pushers and Food Police During Weight Loss
Leave a Reply