- \n
- Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR):<\/strong> The energy your body needs to function at rest.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Thermic Effect of Feeding (TEF):<\/strong> The Calories burned digesting and processing food.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (EAT):<\/strong> The Calories burned during exercise.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT):<\/strong> The Calories burned through non-exercise activities like walking or fidgeting.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
These factors determine how many Calories you burn daily, with each contributing a specific percentage to your total energy expenditure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Description](\"https:\/\/macrofactor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Targets-article-graphics-02.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nTo add a little more clarity to this conversation, definitional views of metabolic adaptation (as discussed in this article<\/a>) and adaptive thermogenesis are also relevant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Metabolic adaptation<\/strong>: A drop in BMR that\u2019s greater than what you\u2019d expect just from changes in lean body mass.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Adaptive thermogenesis<\/strong>: A more inclusive term that refers to any decrease in total energy expenditure that happens during weight loss. While it can include BMR reductions, it can also encompass factors such as reduced physical activity or other energy conservation measures during a deficit. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
For more details on this, check out Greg\u2019s article<\/a> on what happens to BMR after weight loss. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019ve been using MacroFactor to lose weight, then you know that your TDEE can fluctuate. These fluctuations over the shorter term are usually due to NEAT and EAT (which I\u2019ll cover more in the next section).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TEF<\/a> probably won\u2019t shift TDEE all that dramatically, but it\u2019s worth a little consideration. TEF accounts for the Calories you burn when digesting food and will generally scale with total food intake. This means that if you increase your Calories during maintenance, you could<\/em> see a slight increase in TEF. That said, keep in mind the overall composition of the food. For example, suppose you were eating low-Calorie and high-density foods (e.g., lean protein, vegetables, fruits) during your Calorie-deficient period, but then shift back to ultra-processed “fun” foods, you could lose the small TEF boost you got from whole foods. With all this said, it\u2019s a pretty small swing either way, but since we\u2019re diving in, it\u2019s something to consider. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This moves us to your BMR (and, at times, metabolic adaptation). If you haven\u2019t lost a lot of physical weight, then you probably don\u2019t need to give much thought to alterations in BMR or metabolic adaptation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re losing a modest amount of weight, say, less than 10% of your starting body weight (and you\u2019re taking a relatively slow and steady approach), the drop in BMR due to metabolic adaptation tends to be mild, usually in the range of 5%<\/a>. However, if you\u2019re dieting more intensely or losing a significant amount of body weight, adaptation tends to occur more quickly, and BMR reductions of around 10%<\/a> can become more common.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That said, even if your BMR takes a slight hit during weight loss, most of that drop is simply your body doing less work to support a smaller frame. And while metabolic adaptation is real, it\u2019s not necessarily permanent nor does it make a significant difference<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the long term, your body doesn\u2019t seem to cling to some fixed \u201cset point<\/a>\u201d that drags you back to your starting weight. There\u2019s physiological pushback during weight loss (more hunger, less spontaneous movement, a slight metabolic decrease), but those effects don\u2019t necessarily stick around forever. What matters more is how aggressive the diet was, how long you stayed on the diet, and whether you gave your body a chance to stabilize at the new weight. And FYI, if you are worried about aggressive weight rebound, I highly recommend reading about dynamic maintenance<\/a> within MacroFactor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
All of this is to say that while there is a conversation about maintenance being unsustainable from a BMR standpoint, that\u2019s far less of a factor for most, and it\u2019s more of an issue of behavior and activity. For TDEE, the key is to watch for significant shifts in these areas, which is where we will focus the remainder of our efforts in this article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. Prioritize training and general activity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
So, we\u2019ve covered whether you need to account for or adjust for any long-term change in TDEE and BMR from weight loss. Let\u2019s assume that you\u2019re in a state of maintenance and you\u2019re actively trying to eat as close as possible to your total daily energy expenditure. Where you can make more significant changes in your TDEE is in activity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Exercise is a place where a lot of people struggle after periods of weight loss. To be fair, a lot of this has to do with time management and lifestyle habits. For many, exercise just doesn\u2019t rank high on their list of priorities. And just as I\u2019ve stated that exercise can aid fat loss but is not a requirement for fat loss<\/a>, the same is true for maintenance. You don\u2019t have to exercise in order to maintain weight loss, but I\u2019d highly recommend it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Physical activity is seen as one of the most consistent predictors of successful weight loss maintenance<\/a>. Maintenance is also the time you can really ramp up your training because you\u2019re moving from a place of inadequate energy to actually being able to fuel your workouts and take advantage of the extra Calories and recovery. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
With exercise, you\u2019re looking to primarily do three things:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Maintain (or gain) muscle mass<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Maintain (or improve) general health<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Watch for any dramatic shifts in overall daily activity<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
With muscle mass and general conditioning (like cardiovascular work), you\u2019re basically trying to set yourself up for the bare minimum of good health<\/a>. For example, maintaining more muscle mass has been linked to a lower risk of metabolic deterioration over time<\/a>, acting as a kind of metabolic defense system. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
With that said, even if we are talking about having an easier time with maintenance, avoiding sedentary behavior is high on the list for achieving success. One study<\/a> looking at weight loss maintenance found that increases in sedentary time and decreases in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) were both linked to weight regain. For example, a 10-minute drop in daily MVPA was associated with a 0.35 kg weight gain at 6 months, while a 1,000-step decrease per day was linked to a 0.89 kg gain at 24 months. Another study from Knell et al<\/a> found that hitting at least 150 minutes of MVPA per week was linked to a greater likelihood of long-term weight maintenance, even if participants had higher levels of sedentary time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now, where some people get misled is assuming that hitting a lot of training or maintaining high activity levels gives them free rein in the eating department. They lose fat, start lifting, feel great, but the weight still creeps up. Sadly, you can\u2019t out-train excess energy intake. Everyone has their own natural threshold, and while you can skew the numbers in either direction quite respectably, the concept of constrained energy<\/a> (where your body adjusts to increased activity in ways that can offset the Calories you think you\u2019re burning) is also still real.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Overall, exercise is a key component of successful maintenance<\/a>. The frequency and intensity can range from daily walking to moderate to vigorous training 3-4 times per week, but if you make it a priority, it can be a pretty big factor in your success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3. Maintain a regular and quality sleep schedule<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
When it comes to maintaining your weight loss, sleep is one of those habits that\u2019s easy to push down the priority list. It\u2019s tempting to think you can just muscle through without it, but consistently neglecting sleep is risky. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first reason is that sleep is a pretty big contributor to controlling appetite. There\u2019s a decent amount of evidence suggesting<\/a> that sleep loss can contribute to increases in ghrelin and reductions in leptin (which are associated with hunger and appetite control), though this will vary based on the severity and length of the sleep loss. There are also neurological factors at play, where our impulses might be shortened<\/a>, making that grab for food a little easier, but again, this can vary based on how long and how severely you\u2019ve been sleep-deprived<\/a>. Basically, the mechanisms that could increase your food intake are there, but they might differ in severity and amount of time to hit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From a logistical standpoint, it\u2019s also easy to understand that the longer you\u2019re awake, the more hours you have to eat. This will vary for different people. One study<\/a> looked at sleep restriction in men and women, where they had ad libitum (essentially whatever they desire) access to any food during a monitored study. The researchers considered a 300-Calorie surplus over maintenance to be a significant cutoff and found that at least 42% of the participants hit that level above their normal sleep condition (though 19% actually ate less). What\u2019s more interesting is that individuals who rated themselves as having good sleep habits before<\/em> the experiment were more negatively affected, Calorie-wise, by the sleep restriction than those who were already more used to experiencing worse sleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"How](\"https:\/\/macrofactor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Sleep-loss-image-fix-scaled.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nAnd piggybacking off that point, regularity is pretty important. This NoHoW trial<\/a> found that total sleep duration didn\u2019t predict long-term weight maintenance as much as the variability of sleep onset. Each additional hour of variability in sleep onset was associated with a 0.55 kg increase in body weight and a 0.41% increase in body fat percentage over a 12-month period. That means consistent and predictable sleep is just as important as aiming for \u201cx\u201d number of hours. That\u2019s not to say you should choose to consistently get less sleep, but if you\u2019re someone who gets wrecked by losing your good night\u2019s sleep and then finds yourself reaching for food to help erase that feeling, it tracks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While there appear to be individual differences in how we respond to sleep loss, there\u2019s sufficient evidence to suggest that maintaining consistent quality sleep can be a useful aid in weight loss efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
4. Use logging and create good habits<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Maintaining weight loss typically requires continued effort to sustain the initial weight loss. You likely<\/em> had a logging system in place<\/a> during your loss (such as an app, journal, or program) that provided structure and guidance. One of the most common mistakes people make after reaching their goal is dropping that system and \u201cwinging it.\u201d While that can work for some, most people find more successful weight maintenance means not giving up the system entirely<\/em>. Less successful weight maintainers often exhibit a decline in self-monitoring over time<\/a>, characterized by decreases in behaviors such as self-weighing and food tracking. As logging becomes less consistent, it\u2019s not uncommon to see the weight creep back up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many people get hung up on the idea that logging means they can never relax, but that doesn’t have to be the case. You don\u2019t have to track every<\/em> Calorie or weigh yourself daily to participate in valuable monitoring. For many, weighing in one or two times a week and estimating Calorie intake on a handful of days is enough to stay mindful of trends before they become problems. Mostly, what you\u2019re looking for is consistency and, then ideally, ramping up a little frequency in that consistency if<\/em> you\u2019re noting any problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example, a study by Peterson et al<\/a> found that even infrequent but consistent loggers maintained better than those who logged more often but did so very inconsistently. For example, let\u2019s say you weighed yourself every day, but you did so at different times throughout the day, sometimes after eating but other times when you woke up. The frequency of weighing isn\u2019t going to help if there are many changing variables, similar to food logging. If you\u2019re only tracking a few days a week sporadically, you\u2019re not likely to catch any trends or find patterns that can help you shift. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Effect](\"https:\/\/macrofactor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Scientific-graphics-for-blog-article-06-2.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWith that said, I do think frequency is helpful. A recent study<\/a> found that you\u2019re likely to benefit from at least 3 days of logging a week, but upping that to 5 to 6 days could lead to additional success. So, while logging more often is great, doing it consistently is better. And if you can manage both, I think it gives you the best advantage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lastly, adding purposeful, constructive habits to this situation can set you up for more effortless weight loss maintenance. I\u2019ve discussed habits extensively (check out this series<\/a> if you\u2019re interested), and ultimately, what you\u2019re trying to achieve with habit work is an upfront effort to create a more automated and supportive system over the long term. The beauty of habits is that if you set up your environment with supportive cues, you\u2019re creating a system where certain actions just \u201chappen\u201d without much thought. A narrative review on habits and weight loss maintenance by Cleo et al<\/a> echoes this point, noting that these automatic behaviors, formed through repeated actions, become very useful for maintaining weight loss. The automaticity reduces the cognitive load of daily decision-making. Ideally, it all stops feeling like a chore and just happens. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In short, how you keep your eyes on things can be very individual (as well as how often). However, you\u2019re setting yourself up for a better experience if there is consistency and a few baked-in habits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
5. Lessons on success from diet to a sustainable daily grind<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The most challenging aspect of maintaining weight for most people is adjusting to a new normal. It\u2019s not that you need to stick to rigid, restrictive diets or worry about extreme metabolic adaptations. Still, the eating habits that contributed to your initial weight gain are likely not the ones that will keep you at your goal weight. Ideally, your weight-loss phase helped you build some foundational habits (like eating more protein or incorporating more nutrient-dense foods), and maintenance is about carrying those lessons forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The most consistent finding in research on weight maintenance is the importance of maintaining a high protein intake. A systematic review and meta-analysis by Van Baak and Mariman<\/a> highlighted that higher protein diets tend to support better long-term weight maintenance. While low-Calorie, nutrient-dense foods can also play a role by helping satiety<\/a>, it\u2019s important not to conflate the need for a lower-Calorie intake during weight loss with a need to stay on a strict low-Calorie diet for maintenance. Instead, the goal is to find your ideal TDEE and match it with a sustainable, nutrient-rich diet that supports your physical goals and quality of life. There\u2019s no one-size-fits-all approach here<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a 2019 systematic review<\/a> of the determinants of weight loss maintenance, researchers examined how various factors interact to achieve successful weight maintenance outcomes. To say that these factors are just as varied and complicated as what aids successful weight loss is an understatement. Ultimately, this is a lifestyle game, and it’s essential to always keep your eye on the target and the reality of the situation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Adaptive thermogenesis<\/strong>: A more inclusive term that refers to any decrease in total energy expenditure that happens during weight loss. While it can include BMR reductions, it can also encompass factors such as reduced physical activity or other energy conservation measures during a deficit. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- Thermic Effect of Feeding (TEF):<\/strong> The Calories burned digesting and processing food.<\/li>\n\n\n\n