Macro Tracking & Maintenance Mode
+ recipe for Chicken, Spinach & Black Bean Quesadillas
I’ve been in maintenance mode for about two months now, and it’s been an interesting balance. Much harder than being in a deficit, which is perhaps the most surprising to me. I gradually went from eating about 1,500 calories a day to just under 2,000 now, gradual being the key.
Over the course of a month, I slowly increased my calories to match closer to what I burn daily, though I’m still a bit under. Sticking with my ratio of 30% protein, 40% carbs and 30% fat, my caloric breakdown is as follows: 144 grams protein, 195 grams carbs and 64 grams fat. Some days are a breeze meeting them. It’s no surprise those are the days when I plan ahead and plot out all my meals in advance.
What I really want to stress about maintenance mode is that you also need to shift your mindset. After being in a deficit for however long you were, and seeing the scale show a loss week over week, maintenance mode can mess with your perception of all the hard work you did while in deficit mode—at least I found this to be true for myself. Will I gain back weight is a question that comes up in almost every article I read about transitioning from deficit to maintenance mode.
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