Maintaining weight?

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WhoKnew

New member
Hello professionals and other forum members :p

I have recently lost about four stone and currently weigh around 108lbs which I would like to maintain. However, I know my calorie intake is too low and I am not encouraging eating disorders but I feel my thoughts may be borderline anorexic.
On an average day, I will consume:
Breakfast - 40g Fruitful Shreaded Wheat 125ml semi-skimmed milk (210 kcals or so)
Around 11am - A small orange (40kcals or so)
Lunch - A sandwich: One slice of turkey (11kcals) two slices of wholegrain bread (180kcals) and cucumber.
Around 3pm - A medium apple (65kcals)
Dinner - Varies each day, usually one piece of meat/fish, potatoes of some kind (boiled/baked/mashed) and a portion of vegetables (carrots/peas/green beans/etc) ... However I never usually eat all of it, usually the meat/fish and the vegetables.
8pm - Sometimes a yoghurt or a small orange, but usually nothing.

I'm not too sure how much this adds up to but it's probably not a lot. However, reading some of your advice I realise under eating will only cause a lot of short-term and long-term problems. So I am trying to gradually increase my daily calorie intake but I am finding it quite difficult as I do not want to gain weight and usually feel guilty if I eat more than usual. Any help here would be greatly appreciated.

For excercise...
I go gym twice a week; usually, bicycle for ten minutes and cross-trainer for twenty minutes. Then three different types of leg muscle machines with 3 reps of 20 for each and also 3 reps of 20 for a tricep machine.
I go for a two mile run every Saturday morning.
I do 150 sit ups about 4 times a week (I used to do 300 daily but thanks to the wonderful advice on this forum, I realised I should probably lower it! Was this right?)

Additional information: I am 5"4 and only drink water, usually about 2 litres a day.
Any help and advice you can give me will be hugely appreciated, thanks.
 
You do need to increase you caloric intake, as well what you are taking in as a better balance. There are no good fats or protein in your diet really.Your workout routine isn't very good either, but that's okay everyone has to start somewhere.

I work often with repairing metabolism or more so upping caloric intake without gaining fat in the process. The key is slow integration, listening to your body and light resistance full body work coupled with light aerobic activity until you hit your caloric goal.

First you need to figure out what your caloric needs are for maintenance. I personally like to use this formula...


When you get your number work slowly in raising your calories. Start off with a 5-10% increase a week even every 2 weeks and work from there.
 
Leigh, are you saying, raise your cals back toward maintenance? If so, I agree.

Curious, what have you found works best. I understand it is individual, but on average. Are you bringing someone all the way back up to maintenance?

ETA: sorry, probably shouldn't hijack this thread.... if you'd prefer, feel free to PM me.
 
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Yes raise to maintenance.

It depends of course on person to person and situation but overall there is a raise to maintenance. Once maintenance is hit (including light resistance work and aerobic training in most stages) there is a complete rest period of exercise and caloric deficit for at least 2 weeks. If weight still needs to be lost then we kick back in with training and deficit pretty much on a normal plan that will include re-feeds. The fat loss after this has been excellent and has meet with no stalls until goal is reached. If they had a previous eating disorder and just want to maintain then after that they can return to exercise while eating at the maintenance needed for that included activity.
 
Thankyou Leigh, quick response time too! :)
According to the Harris Benedict Equation, my calorie intake should be around 1850 to maintain my weight. Perhaps it's where my diet has been quite low calorie but that seems like a lot! I hope I am able to eventually get it to that level. Is there anything that I am consuming too much of?
Very sorry but I didn't quite understand "light resistance full body work coupled with light aerobic activity" ... What do you suggest I do with my work out?
Thanks for your help.
 
Leigh P. said:
Yes raise to maintenance.

It depends of course on person to person and situation but overall there is a raise to maintenance. Once maintenance is hit (including light resistance work and aerobic training in most stages) there is a complete rest period of exercise and caloric deficit for at least 2 weeks. If weight still needs to be lost then we kick back in with training and deficit pretty much on a normal plan that will include re-feeds. The fat loss after this has been excellent and has meet with no stalls until goal is reached. If they had a previous eating disorder and just want to maintain then after that they can return to exercise while eating at the maintenance needed for that included activity.
Click to expand...


Much in line with what I have been doing. Still do a lot of corrective work during the down time at maintenance, which I am sure you are doing too.
 
WhoKnew said:
Thankyou Leigh, quick response time too! :)
According to the Harris Benedict Equation, my calorie intake should be around 1850 to maintain my weight. Perhaps it's where my diet has been quite low calorie but that seems like a lot! I hope I am able to eventually get it to that level. Is there anything that I am consuming too much of?
Very sorry but I didn't quite understand "light resistance full body work coupled with light aerobic activity" ... What do you suggest I do with my work out?
Thanks for your help.
Click to expand...

Not really, I am personally not a fan of processed bread ( I think oats, sweet potatoes and beans are better complex carb sources.) Other than that just really add in protein and good fats. Here is a great grocery list that lays out some excellent foods to get in your system.

As far as the training.
Light resistance full body work-Working the full body with light training (low weight/no weight squats, balance movements like one leg deadlifts with light dumbbells, things like that)
Light aerobic work- would be brisk walking or light interval training of walking and jogging.

The point being to still put in movement but not taxing or overloading your system.
 
Thanks again Leigh.
Did you mean 5-10% of the 1850 the site recommended me? Or 5-10% of how much I am currently eating?
Buying dumbbells is on my list to do! :)
 
5-10% is how you want to increase your calories now. For example lets say in a day you are taking in 1200 calories. Raising it by a 10% increase would mean you up it to 1320 this week. Then next week say up it by 5% of that number raising it to 1386. And so on and so forth as needed. Until you reach 1850 or so. Of course listen to your body and watch how things go. You may gain a little WATER weight, this is normal, do not freak out. Keep hydrated, it is not fat and will go back down in a few days.
 
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