Maintaining during the summer is a win. Summer can be one of the most difficult times to stay vigilant with your nutrition. Your schedule is off. You’re traveling all over. Social gatherings. Cookouts. Summer is actually the best in some ways, but super challenging in others.
And hear me out, there is ABSOLUTELY a time and a place for giving macros 100%, even during the summer. If you are new to counting macros, if you want to push HARD TOWARDS YOUR GOALS, we at Stay Fit Mom will be your biggest cheerleaders.
But MAINTAINING, especially during the summer, is a HUGE win. You should not be chasing weight loss 365 days a year. Many people falsely believe they’re ONLY succeeding with their goals if the scale is going down, but maintenance is the REAL feat that few people talk about. Maintenance calories are precisely the number of calories your body needs to support energy expenditure. A rough estimate for maintenance calories for a moderately active person is multiplying body weight in pounds by 15.
There are MANY reasons to go through periods of maintenance including:
- Quality of life
- Letting your body adjust to a new lower weight
- Muscle building
- QUALITY OF LIFE
Life is BETTER lived at maintenance. Your body feels it’s very best when you’re at maintenance. Maintaining your weight also allows for MORE calories and more food freedom and more “off” days (when it comes to macro tracking).
We are ALL FOR making change and chasing goals. But sometimes trying to tackle weight loss in the summertime is like pushing a boulder uphill- brutally hard with VERY little progress.
No, there will never be a perfect time to lose weight. You need to just START. But if you’ve been at it for a while, summer is a PERFECT time to loosen the reins a little and give your body a chance to live at maintenance.
But maintaining goes BOTH ways- not losing AND not gaining. It’s not a blank check for a
summer free for all. This requires that you keep up healthy habits and routines. Be intentional with the food you’re putting in your body. Be selective about the days when you’re choosing memories over counting macros. But don’t be filled with guilt if your weight isn’t tracking downhill. If you’re maintaining your weight during the summer you’re winning and you’re winning big!
If you like this post you might also like:
How to Make Macros Work for You When You’re Not in a Season of 100%.
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