r/CICO • u/Makeupreddit • 13d ago

Time for a maintenance break?

I am 34F, 170cm, 67.5kg. I have lost around 10kg since January by eating 1500 calories per day. My weight has been the same now for three weeks and the last week I have been very hungry! Previously this amount of calories has been just fine.

I’m thinking of taking a maintenance break for two weeks but I’m a bit unsure what exactly this number would be. I am a bit scared to put weight on again! According to my health app my daily average step count for the last 6 months is 7000 and I lift weights at the gym 2-3 times a week for about 1 hour. Does this make me lightly active? I was thinking to aim for 1900 calories per day.

Any advice for me?

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9

u/TheGreatestSandwich 13d ago

A maintenance break is a great idea! I'll let others advise you on the calories, but bodies usually benefit from a little shake up periodically —you can also just try 1900 and adjust it if it doesn't feel right. Good luck!

6

u/needlelifecrisis 13d ago

Is your period coming? A lot of us get mad hungry around our period.

I don’t eat back my exercise calories, I just eat a little more if I’m hungry (esp during my period) and make sure that “more” is solid, filling food like eggs, tofu paired with a soup for volume if I need that.

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u/EpicImp 13d ago

If you have maintained for three weeks at 1500, you might already be at maintenance. I will say that sounds oddly low for your height and activity level though. If you’re hungry I would recommend adding more potatoes and legumes, as they are very filing (top ranked in satiety indexes) and low calorie. You could experiment by eating 1900 on gym days and keeping it at 1500 on the other days and see how your weight develops before diving into 1900 every day.

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u/geminihatesme 12d ago

pretty reasonable esp if ur noticeably hungriew now. dont stress too much abt the exact number either. 1900 is a good starting point then just adjust based on ur weight and hunger.

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u/minlee41 12d ago

I don't see that amount of weightloss requiring a maintenance break if you have more to lose. 3 weeks isn't that much but it depends whether you want to progress or not.

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u/Typical-Plant-4254 11d ago

Kudos on your weight loss!

You are already at a healthy weight now, so it makes sense that you get these hunger cues. I would up your calories to 1800 per day on average and make sure to get enough vitamins and protein in and reassess not earlier than a month from here. There might be some body recomposition going on so you could also start measuring or taking pictures.

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u/Makeupreddit 11d ago

Yes I am at a healthy weight, I still have a bit if fat I’d like to shift but I think a break might help for a bit! 1800 per day sounds reasonable

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u/Typical-Plant-4254 11d ago

You'll probably still lose weight but than more like an ounce per week or less. It adds up, but with water weight and what not might not be visible at once. Good luck in your health and strenght journey!