Do I eat at TDEE or below to lose?

josiereside1

I am needing to lose about 20 or so pounds. I am 5 feet 5 inches 159 pounds. I work out by running minimum of 3 miles every other day and currently doing a Jillian Michaels DVD which is about 30 minutes long, mostly weights but also has 2 minute bursts of cardio between sets. I also ride bike on occasion and do yoga here and there. I am just back into weighing/measuring everything. I have gained in the past year or so and struggle to lose (blaming it on hypothyroidism/perimenopause as I am soon to be 50.

IsaackGMOON

You eat at -500 of your TDEE to lose.

josiereside1

Would like to add that I have a desk job so I am never 100% sure what to enter as my activity level in the TDEE tables.

kjm3579

If you follow the TDEE calculator it asks you to set your daily activity level and it also asks for adjustments for weight loss or gain, etc. Setting it properly will dial in your daily calories.

WinoGelato

IsaackGMOON wrote: »

You eat at -500 of your TDEE to lose.

Not necessarily. You eat 500 cals less than your TDEE if you want to lose 1 lb/week. Often people using the TDEE approach take a percentage off of their TDEE, something like 10-20% reduction. Others with less weight to lose, should be looking at a rate of 0.5 lb/week and a 250 cal deficit from their maintenance level.

OP based on your stats and your confusion, can I ask why you wouldn't just set up MFP with your current statistics, goal weight, and sedentary activity level, set it to lose 1 lb/week (for now) and then let it calculate a calorie goal for you? Then if you exercise, you would eat back at least a portion of those calories.

josiereside1

I don't use the suggest MFP because I have read many posts on here that 1200 is too low. On days I don't exercise, I serious would be starving at 1200 calories. I am eating around 1400-1600 now and I still feel always hungry, and yes I am eating lean proteins, veges, healthy fats, some fruits, and drinking lots of water. I barely have energy for my workouts.

WinoGelato

josiereside1 wrote: »

I don't use the suggest MFP because I have read many posts on here that 1200 is too low. On days I don't exercise, I serious would be starving at 1200 calories. I am eating around 1400-1600 now and I still feel always hungry, and yes I am eating lean proteins, veges, healthy fats, some fruits, and drinking lots of water. I barely have energy for my workouts.

You are right, 1200 is too low, for most people. However, MFP is providing you that number based on the data you input, what rate of loss did you put in to get that number? 1 lb/week or 2 lb/week?

Have you read this thread? There is a ton of helpful info in there, including separate posts about calculating your TDEE, setting appropriate calorie goals, and tracking accurately.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

josiereside1

I think I put in to lose 1.5 per week but even at 1 pound per week it says 1200. Thank you for sharing the thread you provided! I will hopefully get some of the answers I am looking for.