Is my real TDEE now almost 1000 less than calculated?
DeguelloTex
Posts: 6,652 Member
I'm 6'9", 237, 51. IIFYM estimates my TDEE at 2906 (exercise set to three times per week).
Per MFP, I am eating at a 1000 calorie per day deficit excluding exercise. Yes, I weigh my food. Yes, I enter everything. Yes, I'm still doing everything exactly the same way I was when my weight loss very closely matched what the caloric deficit "predicted."
In addition to eating at a 1000 calorie a day deficit, I walk about 40 miles per week at around a 14:30 per mile, or faster, pace.
I lift three times a week.
For six weeks now, I've only been losing .59 pounds per week (weigh every day, use the week's average for comparison).
The math says I should be losing more. The only thing that makes sense to me is that I am burning wildly fewer calories than "should" be expected, to the point where I'd maintain my current weight at only about 1950 calories a day, even if I continue exercising at this level. If I stopped the exercise, maintenance would probably be sub-1600. That seems discouragingly low as an ongoing target.
What am I missing (other than the obligatory "six weeks isn't enough to see a pattern")?
Per MFP, I am eating at a 1000 calorie per day deficit excluding exercise. Yes, I weigh my food. Yes, I enter everything. Yes, I'm still doing everything exactly the same way I was when my weight loss very closely matched what the caloric deficit "predicted."
In addition to eating at a 1000 calorie a day deficit, I walk about 40 miles per week at around a 14:30 per mile, or faster, pace.
I lift three times a week.
For six weeks now, I've only been losing .59 pounds per week (weigh every day, use the week's average for comparison).
The math says I should be losing more. The only thing that makes sense to me is that I am burning wildly fewer calories than "should" be expected, to the point where I'd maintain my current weight at only about 1950 calories a day, even if I continue exercising at this level. If I stopped the exercise, maintenance would probably be sub-1600. That seems discouragingly low as an ongoing target.
What am I missing (other than the obligatory "six weeks isn't enough to see a pattern")?
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Replies
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I'm 5'8", much lighter, and maintain at more than 1950. Keep in mind MFP does not use TDEE.0
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What is your goal weight? And how many calories are you actually eating each day. You never actually stated that, or your MFP goal, in your post.
At 6'9" and 237 lbs it sounds like you do not have much to lose. Your current rate of loss is pretty good IMO but I am curious about your answers to the above.0 -
I know MFP doesn't use TDEE, but I am at a 1000 calorie a day deficit per MFP, using sedentary, which should equate to two pounds per week, even without the exercise. The exercise should make it more than two pounds. It's about one-sixth the loss it "should" be, overall.lcooper327 wrote: »I'm 5'8", much lighter, and maintain at more than 1950. Keep in mind MFP does not use TDEE.
I'm at about 1670 per day, over the week. I eat more on MWF when I lift and less on the other four days. The .59 pounds per week suggests an effective deficit of 295 calories per day. That would put me at 1965 as maintenance, even walking six miles a day and lifting three times a week.
It seems off, but it also seems accurate.
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Are you eating 1670 or netting 1670?0
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My goal weight will depend more on body fat than on actual weight, but right now it's looking like about 220, maybe a shade less.What is your goal weight? And how many calories are you actually eating each day. You never actually stated that, or your MFP goal, in your post.
At 6'9" and 237 lbs it sounds like you do not have much to lose. Your current rate of loss is pretty good IMO but I am curious about your answers to the above.
I'm eating, on average, 1670 per day: constant protein each day, more carbs on lifting days, more fat on off days.
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That doesn't seem possible... did you see a doctor?0
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Could you make your diary public? Settings/diary settings.0
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Just looked at your profile. You've lost close to 100 pounds? You may be in the small class of people who've experienced a metabolic slowdown due to eating at a deficit for an extended period of time. Have you taken any diet breaks--eaten at maintenance for a week or so?0
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I presume you are weighing everything on a digital scale in grams, measuring liquids and all the usual malarkey?
Check whether any of your staple foods have changed their recipe recently. (I'd be fked if Shreddies suddenly added calories)
Also check you're not sleep walking to the fridge in the night... it happens to my friend all the time.
If none of the above, take a break at maintenance for a couple of months and see the doc.0 -
Just looked at your profile. You've lost close to 100 pounds? You may be in the small class of people who've experienced a metabolic slowdown due to eating at a deficit for an extended period of time. Have you taken any diet breaks--eaten at maintenance for a week or so?
This is actually not that uncommon, according to some of the studies I've read. Sometimes a previously obese person can need as much as 10 - 15% fewer calories than a person of the same weight who has never been obese. it can take upwards of 6 months to return to "normality". This is not a sign of a damaged metabolism though, this is simply your metabolism learning to be more efficient.0 -
Just looked at your profile. You've lost close to 100 pounds? You may be in the small class of people who've experienced a metabolic slowdown due to eating at a deficit for an extended period of time. Have you taken any diet breaks--eaten at maintenance for a week or so?
I ate at more or less maintenance from Thanksgiving until mid-January.
I don't log in MFP anymore. I log in My Macros+ because it was easier to focus on the macros and work toward total calories rather than vice versa.
This is what I eat every WMF. The other days are about the same, but replacing the carbs -- tortillas, rice, fruit -- with fat, usually eggs and sausage, but the lower carb days are also lower cal days. That is, this list covers the days I eat the most.
Pre-Workout (~450 calories)
Greek yogurt - 2 cups (46P, 16C, 0F)
Brown rice - 42g dry/128g cooked (3P, 32C, 1F)
Strawberries - 150g (1.07P, 11.79C, 0F)
Post-Workout (~460 calories)
Corn tortillas - 3 (3P, 30C, 2.25F)
Rotel - 205g (1.60P, 8.47C, 0F)
Greek yogurt - 1 cup (23P, 8C, 0F)
Strawberries - 75g (.54P, 5.89C, 0F)
Whey powder - 30g (18.37P, 5.51C, 2.14F)
Dinner (~770 calories)
Corn tortillas - 3 (3P, 30C, 2.25F)
Rotel - 205g (1.60P, 8.47C, 0F)
Greek yogurt - 1 cup (23P, 8C, 0F)
Strawberries - 75g (.54P, 5.89C, 0F)
Whey powder - 30g (18.37P, 5.51C, 2.14F)
Grilled Chicken - 15oz (79.8P, 0C, 20.85F)
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Does your family have a history of hypothyroid? I'm 6'0" and was maintaining at 1800 with the same exercise routine you're doing for over a month. I got my blood work done and found my TSH was slightly high (about 4). I increased my thyroid medication slightly and started losing 3 pounds per week without changing anything else.0
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Yeah, same digital scale as always, either in grams (mostly) or tenths of an ounce if it's a PITA to deal with grams for some reason.mumblemagic wrote: »I presume you are weighing everything on a digital scale in grams, measuring liquids and all the usual malarkey?
Check whether any of your staple foods have changed their recipe recently. (I'd be fked if Shreddies suddenly added calories)
Also check you're not sleep walking to the fridge in the night... it happens to my friend all the time.
If none of the above, take a break at maintenance for a couple of months and see the doc.
I'm pretty brand faithful once I've found something I like. I eat very few things out of a can -- usually tomatoes of one sort of another -- but I have started to wonder about the chicken. I think that's about the only thing I eat in sufficient quantity that could really swing things much in either direction.
I'm not sleep-eating... all of the leftovers are still there when I go to use them.
I had planned on easing more toward maintenance at about this point (the plan was to do so at 100 pounds lost, but I figured that would be behind me by now, I'm around 98 down as of this morning), anyway. As I said above, my annual trip to the doctor is looming, so I'll talk to him about if it's still an issue at that point.
Thanks...
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Not that I know of, but it's not outside the realm of possibility.galgenstrick wrote: »Does your family have a history of hypothyroid? I'm 6'0" and was maintaining at 1800 with the same exercise routine you're doing for over a month. I got my blood work done and found my TSH was slightly high (about 4). I increased my thyroid medication slightly and started losing 3 pounds per week without changing anything else.
Honestly, something really messing with the "calories out" side of the equation is the only thing that makes any sense. That said, I was losing 2.5 - 3.5 pounds a week from the time I started (the end of last April) until the end of November when I basically went into "It's the holidays, I'm going to eat what I want as long as I don't bloat up" mode. The weight came off a little more slowly than before for about a month, but now it's slowed to a relative crawl.
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I think your food intake is too low regardless. You are close enough to your goal that a 2 lb loss per week is excessive. You'd likely be more apt to maximize your fat vs muscle loss by decreasing your deficit. But also, 1670 is just really low for a guy your size. I would think you'd be really hungry all the time doing that.0
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My food intake seems fine to me, though people here have been telling me to eat more almost literally from the day I started eating less, about 11 months ago.
1650-1670 on average is as low as I'm willing to go. Less than that, with way less body fat that I used to have, makes me want to sleep too much and some of the morning walks are less than stellar. So, basically, this is absolutely the bottom of my calorie intake range probably even as more weight comes off. I accept that that will mean the weight loss will necessarily slow at that point, but it doesn't seem like it should be this slow already.
I do get that it's on the low side, but if I can walk six miles a day at a fairly brisk pace, lift and make progression three times a week, and continue to do all the day-to-day things I need to do, it doesn't seem too low. I'm getting plenty of protein and if One-A-Day isn't lying to me, I'm also getting my micronutrients.
I'm not really worried about being hungry. It is what it is. I have more than enough willpower to cope with that. I'm just a bit frustrated and confused about the results lagging where they should be, based purely on numbers. The concerning part is whether I'm going to have to stay at this freakishly low level once my body fat is in a more reasonable range and I switch into maintenance and then into a slight surplus to gain more muscle.
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Your walking adds an average of ~500 calores/day to your TDEE.0
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Sounds like it's time to see a doctor.0
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Which is marginally less than half of what MapMyFitness tries to tell me, so that sounds pretty reasonable and relatively in line with the 2906 TDEE from IIFYM, given that I was conservative with the "3 times a week for exercise." A 2650 baseline plus 500 would put me at 3150 TDEE and IIFYM estimates 3183 for me at "6 times/week" so that's as spot on as could be expected.Your walking adds an average of ~500 calores/day to your TDEE.
So, 1000 a day deficit from diet and 500 from exercise above sedentary should put me at about 3 pounds a week, not .59. The only thing that makes sense is that I've started burning way fewer calories -- like 1000 a day or worse -- than expected. Unless, again, I'm just completely missing something.
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I don't understand why you are going through several calculations if you are going to make them inaccurate on purpose--underestimating exercise, etc. I really have no good suggestions because you're not really following mfp, you're not following tdee style calorie counting, and you seem focused on doing multiple calculations incorrectly on purpose. None of it makes sense. All I can syggest is for you to see a doctor. Good luck.0
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I'm just putting this out here: I'm 5'6, female, and 165ish lbs and less active than you are; I'm eating more than you and successfully losing weight.
Also, any chance there's a typo in the first post and you're 5'9 not 6'9? Because 6'9 and 237 does not sound that incredibly unhealthy (though, I have no idea what your body fat percentage is or any other indicators). That being said, an 1000 calorie deficit is really aggressive weight loss, how much more are you looking to lose? You know your body best, what would be a healthy weight for you? What are your long term goals? Because your deficit, with exercise is likely around 1500 cals a day (I'm taking for granted that you are logging correctly etc), which would be a weight loss of 3lbs per week, which is doable when you have a high amount to lose, not so doable close to your goal. At this point, I'd be seriously concerned about the ratio of muscle to fat you'd be losing if you continue to be so aggressive successfully. I'm literally sitting here like how are you even lifting on that few calories?
Check in with the doc, rule out any genetic causes, and then experiment a bit. I know that the logic doesn't always seem there, but sometimes you really do need to eat more to lose weight (and you know, give your body the nutrition it needs to continue to function properly).
And my last bit; weight loss is weight loss, you're still losing, so be happy that it is working (even if not at the speed you'd like). Weight loss is not linear, you could be on this trend for another month and then drop 7lbs in less than two weeks. That just kind of happens. Take measurements, look to other areas for progress (like trying to walk faster than you currently do, or lift heavier etc), and recognize that exercise often has a negative impact on scale loss (especially if you're switching up exercises, added more weight to your lifts, increased the duration etc) because changes in exercise can create water retention as your body adjusts.
Hang in there, and congrats on being (almost) 100 lbs down!
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What?I don't understand why you are going through several calculations if you are going to make them inaccurate on purpose--underestimating exercise, etc. I really have no good suggestions because you're not really following mfp, you're not following tdee style calorie counting, and you seem focused on doing multiple calculations incorrectly on purpose. None of it makes sense. All I can syggest is for you to see a doctor. Good luck.
I absolutely am following TDEE-style calorie counting, I'm just not believing MapMyFitness when it tells me I burned 925 calories walking 4.5 miles this morning. If I believed that app, I'd be losing 4+ pounds a week. 99.9999% of the people on this site say that most apps and monitors greatly overestimate calorie burn, right?
Tell me what calculations I'm doing incorrectly on purpose. Tell me what doesn't make any sense.
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I would get a metabolic rate check done, then you'll have a resting energy expenditure to work from that relates to you personally. http://naturalbiohealth.com/new-metabolic-rate-machine-measures-oxygen-use/ for instance.0
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Can you set your diary to public/open?0
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No, it's not a typo. I am 6'9". 237 puts me just outside the healthy range on BMI (yes, I know). Using the modified BMI that better accounts for height, I'm inside the healthy range. I just want to lose some more body fat.365andstillalive wrote: »I'm just putting this out here: I'm 5'6, female, and 165ish lbs and less active than you are; I'm eating more than you and successfully losing weight.
Also, any chance there's a typo in the first post and you're 5'9 not 6'9? Because 6'9 and 237 does not sound that incredibly unhealthy (though, I have no idea what your body fat percentage is or any other indicators). That being said, an 1000 calorie deficit is really aggressive weight loss, how much more are you looking to lose? You know your body best, what would be a healthy weight for you? What are your long term goals? Because your deficit, with exercise is likely around 1500 cals a day (I'm taking for granted that you are logging correctly etc), which would be a weight loss of 3lbs per week, which is doable when you have a high amount to lose, not so doable close to your goal. At this point, I'd be seriously concerned about the ratio of muscle to fat you'd be losing if you continue to be so aggressive successfully. I'm literally sitting here like how are you even lifting on that few calories?
Check in with the doc, rule out any genetic causes, and then experiment a bit. I know that the logic doesn't always seem there, but sometimes you really do need to eat more to lose weight (and you know, give your body the nutrition it needs to continue to function properly).
And my last bit; weight loss is weight loss, you're still losing, so be happy that it is working (even if not at the speed you'd like). Weight loss is not linear, you could be on this trend for another month and then drop 7lbs in less than two weeks. That just kind of happens. Take measurements, look to other areas for progress (like trying to walk faster than you currently do, or lift heavier etc), and recognize that exercise often has a negative impact on scale loss (especially if you're switching up exercises, added more weight to your lifts, increased the duration etc) because changes in exercise can create water retention as your body adjusts.
Hang in there, and congrats on being (almost) 100 lbs down!
Right now, I'm targeting about 220, but it will ultimately depend on body fat estimates. It might be a little lower; it might be a little higher.
I'm lifting fine, and progressing, on this amount of calories. The longer term goal is to get my body fat down under 15% -- I'm guessing it's around 22% right now -- and then switch to maintenance and then to a slight surplus to add (mostly) muscle.
I know weight loss isn't linear. I have 11 months of Excel graphs that make it oh so clear. The trend was always fairly sharply down. Now, it's almost leveled off, despite a substantial caloric deficit with a pretty reasonable amount of exercise thrown in on top of that.
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I've been logging in a different app, but this is what I eat, exactly, every MWF:Can you set your diary to public/open?
Pre-Workout (~450 calories)
Greek yogurt - 2 cups (46P, 16C, 0F)
Brown rice - 42g dry/128g cooked (3P, 32C, 1F)
Strawberries - 150g (1.07P, 11.79C, 0F)
Post-Workout (~460 calories)
Corn tortillas - 3 (3P, 30C, 2.25F)
Rotel - 205g (1.60P, 8.47C, 0F)
Greek yogurt - 1 cup (23P, 8C, 0F)
Strawberries - 75g (.54P, 5.89C, 0F)
Whey powder - 30g (18.37P, 5.51C, 2.14F)
Dinner (~770 calories)
Corn tortillas - 3 (3P, 30C, 2.25F)
Rotel - 205g (1.60P, 8.47C, 0F)
Greek yogurt - 1 cup (23P, 8C, 0F)
Strawberries - 75g (.54P, 5.89C, 0F)
Whey powder - 30g (18.37P, 5.51C, 2.14F)
Grilled Chicken - 15oz (79.8P, 0C, 20.85F)
The other four days, I trade eggs and sausage/bacon for the tortillas/tomatoes/rice/fruit, so that the carbs and total calories are lower, but the fat is higher. Protein is basically constant all seven days (about 1g per pound).
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That could be it. I'll be talking to my doctor about all this when I go in a month or so.I would get a metabolic rate check done, then you'll have a resting energy expenditure to work from that relates to you personally. http://naturalbiohealth.com/new-metabolic-rate-machine-measures-oxygen-use/ for instance.
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DeguelloTex wrote: »
No, it's not a typo. I am 6'9". 237 puts me just outside the healthy range on BMI (yes, I know). Using the modified BMI that better accounts for height, I'm inside the healthy range. I just want to lose some more body fat.365andstillalive wrote: »I'm just putting this out here: I'm 5'6, female, and 165ish lbs and less active than you are; I'm eating more than you and successfully losing weight.
Also, any chance there's a typo in the first post and you're 5'9 not 6'9? Because 6'9 and 237 does not sound that incredibly unhealthy (though, I have no idea what your body fat percentage is or any other indicators). That being said, an 1000 calorie deficit is really aggressive weight loss, how much more are you looking to lose? You know your body best, what would be a healthy weight for you? What are your long term goals? Because your deficit, with exercise is likely around 1500 cals a day (I'm taking for granted that you are logging correctly etc), which would be a weight loss of 3lbs per week, which is doable when you have a high amount to lose, not so doable close to your goal. At this point, I'd be seriously concerned about the ratio of muscle to fat you'd be losing if you continue to be so aggressive successfully. I'm literally sitting here like how are you even lifting on that few calories?
Check in with the doc, rule out any genetic causes, and then experiment a bit. I know that the logic doesn't always seem there, but sometimes you really do need to eat more to lose weight (and you know, give your body the nutrition it needs to continue to function properly).
And my last bit; weight loss is weight loss, you're still losing, so be happy that it is working (even if not at the speed you'd like). Weight loss is not linear, you could be on this trend for another month and then drop 7lbs in less than two weeks. That just kind of happens. Take measurements, look to other areas for progress (like trying to walk faster than you currently do, or lift heavier etc), and recognize that exercise often has a negative impact on scale loss (especially if you're switching up exercises, added more weight to your lifts, increased the duration etc) because changes in exercise can create water retention as your body adjusts.
Hang in there, and congrats on being (almost) 100 lbs down!
Right now, I'm targeting about 220, but it will ultimately depend on body fat estimates. It might be a little lower; it might be a little higher.
I'm lifting fine, and progressing, on this amount of calories. The longer term goal is to get my body fat down under 15% -- I'm guessing it's around 22% right now -- and then switch to maintenance and then to a slight surplus to add (mostly) muscle.
I know weight loss isn't linear. I have 11 months of Excel graphs that make it oh so clear. The trend was always fairly sharply down. Now, it's almost leveled off, despite a substantial caloric deficit with a pretty reasonable amount of exercise thrown in on top of that.
I mean this in the nicest way then, why are you eating so little?
A deficit like that puts you at around TDEE -40%? You won't find an expert that recommends that for long term weight loss.
You have 17lbs to go, 0.5-1lb a week is a good goal. Honestly, I think you'd be better off looking into bulking and cutting cycles if you're looking to have an impact on your fat loss because what you're doing now is actually causing you to lose muscle as well. Not worth it. What you're trying to do just isn't all that healthy...0
This discussion has been closed.
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