Set your weight change goal to 0, and stay in maintenance for about 2/3 as long as a fat loss phase of 8 weeks or more, or about 1/2 as long after a shorter fat loss phase or a muscle gain phase.
Who it's for
Choose maintenance if you've just finished a fat loss or muscle gain phase, whether in the app or on your own, and want to hold your results before the next one. You can also stay in maintenance indefinitely if you don't plan another phase soon. See Choose your goal.
Set it up
On step 4 of setup, the Maintenance goal screen fills most of it in for you:
- Diet duration: the app suggests an 8-week phase. The app doesn't know how long your last phase was, so change the end date to match the guideline below. For example, after a 12-week diet, set it to 8 weeks.
- Target weight: starts at your current weight, so Change shows 0 lbs. Leave it there unless you want a small change. After an aggressive diet, set it slightly higher (see Setting a custom goal).
- Tap Next.
Length
| Previous phase | Maintenance length | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Fat loss, 8 weeks or more | About 2/3 as long | 8 weeks → about 5 weeks. 12 weeks → 8 weeks. 16 weeks → about 11 weeks |
| Fat loss, shorter than 8 weeks (e.g. a mini-cut) | About 1/2 as long | 6 weeks → 3 weeks. 4 weeks → 2 weeks |
| Muscle gain | About 1/2 as long | 16 weeks → 8 weeks |
Setting a custom goal
Keep your weight change at 0 unless you have a specific reason not to. For example, you might want to drift down slightly after a muscle gain phase, or up slightly after a long fat loss phase. If you do set one, keep it small; no more than 1 to 2% of body weight over the whole phase. A bigger change than that is really a fat loss or muscle gain phase, so set it up as one.
Coming off an aggressive fat loss phase? Set your target weight about 5 lb (2 kg) above the weight you ended your diet at. Once you start eating more, your body refills water and glycogen (stored carbs), and it's normal for the scale to rise 5+lb over the first 1 to 3 weeks after a long or aggressive diet. That's not fat. A slightly higher target means the app doesn't cut your calories to fight a normal rebound. If you're still well above your goal after 3 weeks, update your goal weight in your weekly review (Show options on the Review goal step).
There's no maximum length for maintenance. If you aren't planning another phase soon, set a long end date and stay as long as you like.
Why it matters
- After fat loss, maintenance helps your metabolism, body and motivation recover. It also gives you practice holding your new weight, which is the hardest part of keeping results long term.
- After muscle gain, it helps you keep the muscle you've built before you start losing fat.
- Either way, it gives your body and mind a break, so you start your next phase fresh.
What to expect
Your weight may drift up or down a little at first. That's normal. It should settle over a few weeks. Small up-and-down changes to your calories are normal too, while the app learns your true maintenance intake.
If your trend weight is within about +/-2.5% of your goal weight, your weekly review shows you're within your maintenance range. Inside that range, the app still fine-tunes your calories, by no more than about 100 calories a day each week, to bring you to your exact goal weight. It never moves your calories away from your goal. If you're above it, they can hold or come down, and if you're below it, they can hold or go up.
Changing it or moving on
In your weekly review, you can update your end date or end the phase. When maintenance ends, set up your next fat loss or muscle gain phase.