Would this work, do you think?

SnuggleSmacks

So I was wondering (something I'm prone to doing a lot of):

I'm recomping, so my deficit is small and I go over it sometimes on workout days anyway. So what if, instead of eating at a specific deficit, we ate instead at the TDEE we would have if we were at our ideal weight?

I know this would be a challenge for someone with a lot to lose, but I only have about 15 lbs, and there's not that much difference between keeping a 250 cal deficit, and just eating at that TDEE. But if I eat at that TDEE, then I can just continue eating at that TDEE without having to adjust anything until my weight equalizes at that weight, and then that TDEE would just be maintenance anyway.

In theory, this should work, right?

Francl27

Well yeah, but the last pounds would probably never go away, lol.

ScientificExplorerGirl

Perhaps if you increased your weights and/or other physical activity it would help with the recomp?

I think I am in about the same spot you are. I would rather gain some strength and lose fat then specifically lose weight (although that would be nice too). I recently went to TDEE and have been thinking of similar experiments to try and help things along. I was thinking of Up Day Down Day not drastic, but more like the way it sounds you are doing it.

I am very interested in what everyone has to say in this post.

970Mikaela1

A long time ago a calculator told me to do it that way.

jacksonpt

Yes... there are people who base their daily calorie goal on goal weight rather than current weight.

As with so many questions, it's not so much the approach you choose as much as it your consistency doing said approach.

sijomial

Hi fellow recomper - thought I was a dying breed!

Today's TDEE is just an estimate and changes day to day. Trying to estimate what your average TDEE may be at some time in the future and at a different weight seems prone to a lot of error.

Having said that as long as you are slightly under (on average) and losing weight at the rate you want it doesn't really matter how you come by your calorie target, your way would potentially avoid any transition issues that seem to afflict some people when they get to maintenance.

I took a different route - just custom setting my goal based on results over a period of time. Similar aim as you though, a small deficit.