How to level off at goal weight

ianmac

It was easy to bring my weight crashing down with Mercola's advice and Cronometer. I dropped from 21% body fat to 12% as I planned.
Then all I had to do was level off. Easier said than done!
I told Cronometer that I wanted to level off and followed their advice on daily Kilo calories.
I kept coming down so I increased my Kilo calories, and kept coming down to an unhealthy 9.5% body fat.
Now I'm eating about 700 Kc more than Cronometer suggests and my body fat percentage seesaws around 11%. My weight varies between 57Kg and 61Kg though I planned to stay level at 19Kg
I suppose an old-fashioned spring scale would show my weight as constant, but I'm a glutton for accuracy.

Susan_RD_101

@ianmac - Congratulations on achieving your weight loss goals!

A few things to keep in mind are 1) there is no such thing as a true weight and 2) body fat % is hugely dependent on hydration status and BIA scales are most inaccurate of all the methods.

In regards to your weight, I would only look at what's happening every 3-4 weeks (but still keep weighing yourself weekly). True changes in weight, and not hydration/metabolism, occur month-to-month, rather than week-to-week.

Also, keep in mind that formulas that calculate energy needs are only theoretical. Double check that you aren't underestimating how active you are in a day. If you find you are still losing weight, I would increase calories by 250 per day each week, until you reach your maintenance weight.

Lastly, if your weight loss fails to slow, I would suggest checking in with your doctor. A sudden, unexplained loss of weight could be a symptom of an underlying medical issue.

Hope this helps!

ianmac

Thanks, Susan.
I agree with everything you say, and I'm aware that my weight goes up and down throughout the day. I have to weigh myself just before I leave the bathroom when I get up to get a reasonably stable weight.
I think I'm stabilizing at about 59Kg plus or minus 2Kg - I had just been visualizing stabilizing at 59Kg plus or minus 500gm - silly me!
I could easily be under-estimating the work I do - though I'm at the computer most of the day, I hand-water the garden for more than an hour each day during the summer (that's now in Australia) and go for walks of one or two hours. I'm also standing around for several hours of food preparation - I suppose that burns some energy too.
I got one of these wrist-band computers that is meant to record my footsteps and my sleep, but it doesn't work. It usually shows that I haven't slept, but I'm sure I've had at least three hours. It shows that I've had no paces when I return from a walk, or thousands of paces when I've been sitting at the computer.
Ian

Susan_RD_101

@ianmac

It definitely sounds like you might be underestimating your activity level! We tend to think exercise only "counts" if it's structured or in a gym, but all movement counts towards our daily calorie expenditure.

The fitbits can certainly help (provided they are good quality), but you can also just keep an activity log and plug everything in Cronometer to see what you are burning from exercise. (If doing this, I would probably lower your activity level setting to "sedentary" to get a more accurate picture of expenditure).

Good luck!