I started my lifestyle change in July 2017. It was slow and steady, an average change of 1-2lbs per week. I focused on getting 10000 steps daily and began tracking in MFP. I adhered to strict CICO but didn’t give up any specific foods, I dropped from obese to overweight in less than a month. When summer ended I had a harder time staying active, but I was able to recognize that if my CO dropped my CI needed to be lower too. It seemed manageable. In January, after a slight holiday plateau, I finally crossed into healthy BMI. The whole time up until then I knew my TDEE was changing and that my weight loss would slow down eventually so I started stepping up my exercise game. I changed the Fitbit goal, joined 52 hike challenge, and hit a BMI of 22 in April. And then it stopped. I didn’t consciously decide to switch to maintenance, it just happened. I’ve been fluctuating between BMI of 22 and 24 all summer and fall. I added trail running to hiking. I dropped to 21 for a week and then was right back at 22.
And now I’m hitting a wall. It’s winter. My job has gotten super stressful. I haven’t hit my step goal on a weekday in over a month. My BMI hasn’t been at 22 in weeks. It hasn’t crossed back above 25 yet, but the lows aren’t as low and the highs are creeping higher.
I know that if my CO is low my CI needs to be low too. But at my current sedentary TDEE the calories I need to consume to keep from gaining don’t feel fulfilling. I am hungry all the time and I’m not even getting exercise. I have also been experiencing more cravings and have been succumbing to them more often. I’m super nervous that I’m going to screw everything up.
Last winter I was still overweight and my TDEE when sedentary was 1720 a day. When I added just a smidge of exercise I could really eat exactly what was comfortable for me. But now, at my current TDEE of about 1550, I struggle to get even 200 extra calories on most weekdays and I go to bed hungry, or end up making snack choices I regret. I don’t know how to shift my thinking or my behavior.
I know I’m still at a healthy BMI and this kind of panic is probably not necessary or healthy. I know part of the plateau is that I am reaching maintenance and it’s probably a good thing that I’m not getting too thin. But I also want to make sure that I never go back. And part of my change has been about consistent self improvement. I was hoping at this point to be starting to work on strength training and athleticism. Instead I feel like I’m fighting not to backslide. But I wonder if this is part of the healthy person’s experience. Do people who were always thin get sluggish in the winter? Is this because my lifestyle change isn’t sustainable, or is a small amount of ebb and flow a part of healthy weight maintenance? Should I try to do something to kick myself into gear and shed those last 6-8 lbs or is that likely to backfire or be temporary?
I’m not sure what advice I’m even asking for, this is honestly mostly a desperation rant. Anyway
TLDR; should I be worried about this plateau/slight regain, or is this just a part of reaching maintenance?
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