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From 1 episode and 2 videos

Why is my weight going up during maintenance?

Answered by Nikkiey Stott and her guests · Updated

The short answer

Your weight usually rises in maintenance because your daily calorie burn shifts with activity, sleep, stress and your cycle, and because you're likely building muscle. Nikkiey says your maintenance weight is your two-to-four-week average, not one morning's number, and a rise of around three pounds, up to about seven at most, isn't all fat.

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  1. Nikkiey on why maintenance doesn't mean the scale stays perfectly still

    Plays from 25:52 · Ep. 377: Lean Bulk for Women: Why the Scale Goes Up When You Eat More

  2. How much scale gain is normal in maintenance, and why some of it is muscle

    Plays from 4:02 · Video: Skinny Fat? Why a Maintenance Phase Beats Cutting Calories

  3. Cycle, sleep and stress as causes of temporary, non-fat scale increases

    Plays from 30:25 · Ep. 377: Lean Bulk for Women: Why the Scale Goes Up When You Eat More

  4. Why building muscle pushes the scale past normal fluctuations

    Plays from 6:14 · Video: How to Find Your Real Maintenance Calories After a Cut

The full answer

On Ep. 377 of The WarriorBabe Show, Nikkiey explains that maintenance is not a promise the scale will stay still. You're eating what your body burns on average, and that burn changes daily. Your tracker might show 1,700 calories one day and 2,300 the next. So the scale will go up some days and down others, and the number that matters is your average over two to four weeks.

If the average is still climbing, she suggests checking a few things before you panic:

She notes that almost every "I'm gaining in maintenance" post in the community comes back to one of these. Maintenance isn't broken, and the answer isn't to cut calories.

  • Are you truly at maintenance, or did you rush your reverse?
  • Are you tracking everything, honestly?
  • Did you start a new training program?
  • Where are you in your cycle? If you still get a period, she says the week before can show two to five pounds of fluid, not fat.
  • How are your sleep and stress?

In her maintenance videos, Nikkiey adds that some of the gain is muscle. The scale only shows total body weight, and muscle is denser than fat, so a few extra pounds can come with a leaner, more shaped body. She suggests the scale should hover around a three pound increase, up to about seven pounds at most, and says to use the scale as one tool rather than the whole story.

Her ask is simple: give it a full month, track honestly, and look at the real average before changing anything. Let the data guide you, not one bad weigh-in. She points out that a maintenance threshold can rise over time as you build muscle. One 58-year-old VIP client leveled out at 2,150 calories and later maintained on 2,800.

From Nikkiey Stott and WarriorBabe's coaching. For education, not medical advice: talk to your doctor about your own health.

Women also ask

More questions →

  • Metabolism, Eating More & Reverse Dieting

    What is a build phase?

    A build phase is a planned stretch of eating above maintenance while lifting heavy and keeping protein high, so you build muscle on purpose. Nikkiey puts the surplus at roughly 5 to 15 percent, or about 200 to 300 calories, above maintenance. Some weight gain is expected. It is controlled, not a free-for-all.

    Read the answer →

  • Metabolism, Eating More & Reverse Dieting

    Can you lose fat while eating at maintenance calories?

    Yes, for many women over 40. Nikkiey explains that eating at maintenance while strength training lets you build muscle and slowly lose body fat at the same time, a slight recomp. WarriorBabe clients have lost weight this way without ever doing a cut. If you have 30-plus pounds to lose, she says a cutting phase may fit better.

    Read the answer →

  • Metabolism, Eating More & Reverse Dieting

    How long should I stay in a maintenance phase?

    There's no fixed number, but Nikkiey's rule of thumb is to stay in maintenance at least as long as your previous phase lasted, so about 12 weeks after a 12-week cut. If you want a hard estimate, she suggests roughly six to twelve months, and longer if you've under-eaten for years.

    Read the answer →

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