TDEE - 20% Help - Why has it stopped?

kellysdavies

Hello
Since March I have been following the TDEE - 20% method and I've done really well. I've lost 1stone5lb. However the past 2 months maybe I've completely stalled. My goal is to get to 9 stone and I'm stuck on fluctuating between 9 5 and 9 7. And it's been like this since the end of June.


My stats:
5.1 (well 1.3 to be precise)
Female
Age 36
Weight 9 stone 6lb this morning

Exercise
Monday - weight or body weight 1hr session with personal trainer
Tuesday - Spin class 45 minutes (sometimes also do 45 minute boot camp in the evening)
Wednesday - Circuits 45 minutes (sometimes do spin for 45 mins in the evening too)
Thursday - Spin 45 minutes
Friday - weight or HITT with personal trainer
Saturday - 5k park run
Sunday - usually rest

I pretty much stick to my calories every day. If I have a bad day I make up for it the next day (usually will go wild on a Sunday for example but do a fast day the next day and only have 500-600 calories)

I consume 2lts minimum of water a day.

So, why has my weight loss stopped? It's pretty much completely stalled since the end of June! Based on my exercise what level should I use in the TDEE calculators and which one is the best to go by? I've tried playing around with a few less calories, a few more calories .. but nothing seems to be working. I can NOT shift this last half a stone and I just don't know why.

Can anyone help?

Thanks so much
Kelly

ana3067

Your tdee is now lower and/or you are loggi.g incorrectly and eating more than you think. Or your activity is lower than it used to be

lemurcat12

Have you adjusted as you've lost?

kellysdavies

Hi. My TDEE - 20% is approximately 1400 depending on the calculator I use. Hard to know which one is best. I am definitely logging correctly; I don't cheat myself as that would be pointless. If anything my activity has increased!

J72FIT

lemurcat12 wrote: »

Have you adjusted as you've lost?

^This. As your body changes, so do your needs...

kellysdavies

lemurcat12 wrote: »

Have you adjusted as you've lost?

Yep!

kellysdavies

Perhaps someone could be so kind to use the stats I have provided and tell me what they would have their TDEE-20% at?

kellysdavies

J72FIT wrote: »

lemurcat12 wrote: »

Have you adjusted as you've lost?

^This. As your body changes, so do your needs...

I have readjusted my TDEE with every couple of pounds weight loss. It's been the same for a few months so I don't get why it's not working.

Tilran

How long did it take you to lose the 20 pounds? Your body may be catching up to the loss. 2 Months is a long time to be stuck however....are you sure it has been 2 months? sometimes we exaggerate the time in our minds because of the frustrations. If it has been 2 months, you probably need to lower your calorie intake.

cwolfman13

Am I reading this correctly that you have only 9-7 Lbs or so to go? If you have that little to go, it's going to be very slow...you don't have the fat stores you used to have for faster weight loss. Most people with very little to lose dial it back to about TDEE - 5-10%...20% is pretty aggressive if you don't have much fat to lose.

lemurcat12

The calculated TDEE is never going to be as accurate as your own numbers, so if you've been logging carefully I'd calculate it yourself based on the past 2 months or so and see how it compares. Just add up all the calories eaten plus 3500x each pound lost and divide by the number of days. Not perfect, but a good rough estimate.

Based on the calculate that I usually use I get about 1750 for your TDEE, but it could be higher or lower. I tend to like the more conservative ones. That would give 1400 for TDEE minus 20%, but remember that would be expected to result in about 0.7 lbs lost per week on average. How long have you been stalled? (Edit: Oh, I see--2 months. It could be a logging thing, then, as 1400 isn't going to be your maintenance, but it sounds like you might be eating at maintenance.)

kellysdavies

Lol. I'm not exaggerating. I'm not here to cheat myself, pointless. Since around the end of June I'm fluctuated from 9stone4 to 9stone7 and can't get get out of that pattern. Up one week, down the next, up again then down.

ana3067

kellysdavies wrote: »

Hi. My TDEE - 20% is approximately 1400 depending on the calculator I use. Hard to know which one is best. I am definitely logging correctly; I don't cheat myself as that would be pointless. If anything my activity has increased!

unless youre really light you are possibly calculating tdee wrong.


Is your diary open? This will allow people to know if you log correctly. Ie do you weigh all food?

lemurcat12

She is pretty light--she's 132 and 5'1, so at 36 her TDEE is probably around what she's calculating.

kellysdavies

ana3067 wrote: »

kellysdavies wrote: »

Hi. My TDEE - 20% is approximately 1400 depending on the calculator I use. Hard to know which one is best. I am definitely logging correctly; I don't cheat myself as that would be pointless. If anything my activity has increased!

unless youre really light you are possibly calculating tdee wrong.


Is your diary open? This will allow people to know if you log correctly. Ie do you weigh all food?

Yes it's open

gothchiq

OK so calories eaten per day are... ? Try eating 1200 and see if it budges.

Lasmartchika

Ok, I believe that since you're getting closer to your goal you should switch to TDEE- 15%. You only need 6lbs more to lose to reach your goal... so most likely -20% is now too drastic.

kellysdavies

lemurcat12 wrote: »

The calculated TDEE is never going to be as accurate as your own numbers, so if you've been logging carefully I'd calculate it yourself based on the past 2 months or so and see how it compares. Just add up all the calories eaten plus 3500x each pound lost and divide by the number of days. Not perfect, but a good rough estimate.

Based on the calculate that I usually use I get about 1750 for your TDEE, but it could be higher or lower. I tend to like the more conservative ones. That would give 1400 for TDEE minus 20%, but remember that would be expected to result in about 0.7 lbs lost per week on average. How long have you been stalled? (Edit: Oh, I see--2 months. It could be a logging thing, then, as 1400 isn't going to be your maintenance, but it sounds like you might be eating at maintenance.)

Sorry, what do you mean it's a logging thing?
You think I'm probably eating more than 1400 a day but not realising or not logging correctly and thus I'm probably eating at maintenance ? I see. It's one theory... yep. Though I'm pretty sure I'm good at logging and mostly accurate. Hmmmm.

knitapeace

Have you tried gauging success by other means than the scale for a while? Measurements or physical abilities are much better gauges when you only have a few more pounds to go. With only 7 or so pounds to goal, I was stuck in a 4 lb range for FIVE MONTHS which I attribute to several factors including less stringent logging techniques and the addition of strength training. If it weren't for my looser jeans I might have given up!

kellysdavies

Lasmartchika wrote: »

Ok, I believe that since you're getting closer to your goal you should switch to TDEE- 15%. You only need 6lbs more to lose to reach your goal... so most likely -20% is now too drastic.

That would be lovely - but you can understand my reluctance given what I'm currently sticking to isn't bloody shifting it. I can't understand how more calories will mean it starts decreasing - I thought that theory was all nonsense and less calories in than going out, means weight loss!

kellysdavies

knitapeace wrote: »

Have you tried gauging success by other means than the scale for a while? Measurements or physical abilities are much better gauges when you only have a few more pounds to go. With only 7 or so pounds to goal, I was stuck in a 4 lb range for FIVE MONTHS which I attribute to several factors including less stringent logging techniques and the addition of strength training. If it weren't for my looser jeans I might have given up!

Yes. That's kinda what prompted me to come on here today really as I had my measurements taken by my PT this morning and I was thinking 'well, it's great if I've lost inches, doesn't matter about the pounds being the same' but no.. I was the same! VERY ANNOYING.