When I’ve reached my Ultimate Goal Weight (UGW), I expect I’ll be happy with my overall weight loss. But losing more weight would potentially be dangerous. So my goal is to figure out how to maintain my new, lower weight. It may seem unnecessary to have a chapter dedicated to maintaining weight at one’s UGW. However, reaching one’s UGW usually means that there will still be some fat and sagging skin. Therefore, some people who are involved with the pro ana lifestyle are unable to stop losing weight, as that fat and sagging skin can motivate them to continue losing weight. Therefore, this chapter covers my plan to maintain my weight at my UGW. Before I get into the details of my plan, I’d like to mention that some people involved in the pro ana lifestyle, when they reach their UGW, eat the food they’ve been craving and denying themselves (for example, by eating an entire jar of Nutella). But then the following day they might gain five pounds on the scale. So this can lead them to think that they have two options: 1) resume restricting their caloric intake and 2) continue to binge and gain weight. For some people, though, continuing to restrict caloric intake and additional weight loss can have potentially-dangerous and/or deadly consequence if, for example, their body fat percentage gets too low. Therefore, I have developed a plan to maintain my weight at my UGW. First, I’ll review approximately how many calories per day I’m eating. Let’s say I’m eating 1,400 calories per day, approximately. In reality, I’d likely be eating around 1,200 calories per day in order to get almost one pound of weight loss per week, but for the sake of this example, I’ll assume that I’m eating around 1,400 calories per day. Second, I’ll go to http://www.losertown.org/eats/cal.php and calculate how many calories I need to eat, per day, approximately, given my age, height, weight, and activity level, to maintain my weight. Let’s say, for the purpose of this scenario, that this number would be 1,650 calories per day, according to this website. Third, since I have to increase my caloric intake in order to stop losing weight, I’ll now increase the number of calories that I eat, per day, by approximately 100 calories per day. So instead of eating approximately 1,400 calories per day, I’ll eat approximately 1,500 calories per day. Then I’ll do this for an entire week, so I can get used to eating slightly more calories per day. Also, I’ll weigh myself every day, at around the same time each day, and record my weight in a journal or spreadsheet. Fourth, at the end of the week, I’ll review my journal/spreadsheet. Assuming I’ve still lost weight, compared to my weight a week ago, and since I’m below my UGW, I need to gain weight. So I will increase my caloric intake again, by 100 calories per day, and instead of eating approximately 1,500 calories per day, I’ll eat approximately 1,600 calories per day, and I’ll do this for a week, while continuing to record my weight every day. Fifth, while eating approximately 1,600 calories per day for a week, let’s say my weight loss slows to a trickle, but I’m still losing weight and I’m still below my UGW. Sixth, I’d still need to increase my daily caloric intake, in order to stop losing weight and to gain weight to my UGW. So for the next week, I’d try consuming approximately 1,700 calories per day, which should result in a slow rate of weight gain, per that website. After comparing my weight for a week, let’s say I have gained a little weight, but I’m still below my UGW. Seventh, in this situation, I’ll continue to eat approximately 1,700 calories per day, until my weight reaches or exceeds my UGW, and at that point, I’ll try eating approximately 1,650 calories per day, for a week (whatever that website recommends). My goal is to maintain within a couple of pounds (or one kilogram) of my UGW. If I need to lose, in this scenario, I’ll decrease my daily caloric intake to a level where I’ve lost weight, such as approximately 1,600 calories consumed per day. If I need to gain, in this scenario, I’ll increase my daily caloric intake to a level where I’ve gained weight, such as approximately 1,700 calories consumed per day. When I’m back within two pounds of my UGW, I’ll resume eating an approximately daily caloric intake that should cause me to maintain my weight, adjusting as necessary depending on weight fluctuations. Eighth, when holidays come around, birthdays, anniversaries, etc., I’ll indulge but then resume eating (after that meal) a slightly lower number of calories per day than I would need to in order to maintain my weight – let’s say approximately 1,600 calories per day, in this scenario. Thus I’d slowly lose weight until I’m back at my UGW, and then I’d return to my approximate maintenance daily caloric intake. Therefore, I can maintain my UGW overall and still enjoy holiday meals, such as those during Thanksgiving. But let’s say I still had some unsightly fat and wanted to improve my appearance without losing “essential fat”.
For more information on this topic, please review my other blog entries and visit http://chatzy.com/proana for pro ana chat.
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