Am I doing this right?

tinak33

I am questioning whether I am eating enough or too much or doing anything right. I am always second guessing myself.... I was seeing results before, but now I'm kind of at a standstill. :ohwell:

Stats:
Female
Height: 5'5
Weight: 159.5
Age: 33
GW: 130 or size 4-6

I calculated my numbers and I got this. ( I use the scooby one - http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/)

Desk Job (little or no exercise) - I sit at a desk all day.
BMR: 1493
TDEE: 1791
TDEE - 20%: 1433

I was kind of doing this but then eating my exercise calories because I wasn't exercising regularly. But I also didn't want to eat below my BMR, so I was eating (and still am) 1500-1510 calories plus my exercise calories.

But now, I am doing the C25K 3x/week and lifting for 45 min 3x/week. I alternate days with these and take Sundays off.
So it's more regular. I don't do other exercise besides that, so would that make me lightly active (1-3 hrs exercise/wk)?

My numbers for that are (lightly active - 1-3 hrs/week of light exercise):

TDEE: 2052
TDEE-20%: 1642

As of right now, I don't log my lifting as calories burned. I log the roughly 50 calories I burn during my warmup jump roping. So on lifting days I have been eating about 1550 and on C25K days I eat about 1700-1730.
So the TDEE-20% is right in the middle.

Should I keep going the way I'm going? Or should I just eat the 1642 every day?
I just want to know if I am doing this right, or if I am calculating wrong, or what.

Any help would be SOO much appreciated!!! :flowerforyou:

grandevampire

I am questioning whether I am eating enough or too much or doing anything right. I am always second guessing myself.... I was seeing results before, but now I'm kind of at a standstill. :ohwell:

Stats:
Female
Height: 5'5
Weight: 159.5
Age: 33
GW: 130 or size 4-6

I calculated my numbers and I got this. ( I use the scooby one - http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/)

Desk Job (little or no exercise) - I sit at a desk all day.
BMR: 1493
TDEE: 1791
TDEE - 20%: 1433

I was kind of doing this but then eating my exercise calories because I wasn't exercising regularly. But I also didn't want to eat below my BMR, so I was eating (and still am) 1500-1510 calories plus my exercise calories.

But now, I am doing the C25K 3x/week and lifting for 45 min 3x/week. I alternate days with these and take Sundays off.
So it's more regular. I don't do other exercise besides that, so would that make me lightly active (1-3 hrs exercise/wk)?

My numbers for that are (lightly active - 1-3 hrs/week of light exercise):

TDEE: 2052
TDEE-20%: 1642

As of right now, I don't log my lifting as calories burned. I log the roughly 50 calories I burn during my warmup jump roping. So on lifting days I have been eating about 1550 and on C25K days I eat about 1700-1730.
So the TDEE-20% is right in the middle.

Should I keep going the way I'm going? Or should I just eat the 1642 every day?
I just want to know if I am doing this right, or if I am calculating wrong, or what.

Any help would be SOO much appreciated!!! :flowerforyou:

First off, in general, if you are using the TDEE method, you do not then log your exercise, as it is accounted for in the activity level used to calculate the TDEE figure. So the TDEE method gives you a constant goal to aim for whether you worked out that day or not. If you prefer to log, you would need to set a baseline daily activity (not counting workouts) then log your individual workouts. I think eating the a constant number of calories everyday or eating varying amounts depending on that day's activity is a personal preference thing. I get much hungrier on days I work out more, so I prefer to adjust daily.

I would worry less about the 20% than being at a comfortable (in terms of how you feel daily) amount that is less than your TDEE and more than your BMR. How much less will indeed determine the rate at which you lose, but 20% could feel too drastic depending on the person and where you are at for your goal.

For example, as I have very little to lose, my TDEE -20% was less than my BMR (as yours was), and eating my BMR felt way too little for the amount and intensity of training I wanted to do, etc etc. So in the end, I ballpark TDEE -250 kcal (~ -10% to -12%).

Hope that helps.