Stalled in a weird place...

born_of_fire74

RoxieDawn, how does one go about determining their NEAT? Do TDEE calculators take it into account? Does MFP take it into account?

I have been using third party TDEE calculators but yesterday I plugged my numbers into MFP instead. To get a recommendation for less than 1688 calories, I had to tell it I want to lose 2lbs a week (pretty ambitious) or drop my activity level to sedentary and tell it I wanted to lose 1lb a week (I'm definitely not sedentary and 1lb a week is still on the ambitious side).

I've recently read some articles talking about how severe calorie deficits can actually lower your metabolism and decrease your BMR. As someone who often ate less than 1000 calories a day up until I started at my crossfit gym, is it possible I've done this to myself and all the TDEE's are simply over-estimating my BMR?

RoxieDawn

born_of_fire74 wrote: »

RoxieDawn, how does one go about determining their NEAT? Do TDEE calculators take it into account? Does MFP take it into account?

I have been using third party TDEE calculators but yesterday I plugged my numbers into MFP instead. To get a recommendation for less than 1688 calories, I had to tell it I want to lose 2lbs a week (pretty ambitious) or drop my activity level to sedentary and tell it I wanted to lose 1lb a week (I'm definitely not sedentary and 1lb a week is still on the ambitious side).

I've recently read some articles talking about how severe calorie deficits can actually lower your metabolism and decrease your BMR. As someone who often ate less than 1000 calories a day up until I started at my crossfit gym, is it possible I've done this to myself and all the TDEE's are simply over-estimating my BMR?

To answer your question in the last paragraph, yes..but not just BMR, your NEAT as well.

TDEE calculators include EAT.. and MFP is NEAT..

TDEE calculators ask you for your exercise.. So the TDEE factors all this in when it gives you a final number.

MFP uses NEAT (you add exercise on top of that yourself).. Your activity level you give MFP is your NEAT..

edited: For TDEE, just know that there is a fair amount of individual variation as far as BMR and other factors like NEAT are concerned, so you should always bear in mind that this is just an estimate, and you may need to adjust upwards or downwards based on how much weight you’re gaining or losing. And factor in extreme dieting and possible metabolic slow downs.

This is where if you had historical data to look at we could figure out your real TDEE.. But since we don't there needs to be a starting point, finding that starting point is what we need.

chocolate_owl

born_of_fire74 wrote: »

rileysowner wrote: »

The answer is obvious. Because of the weight you have lost you TDEE has gone down meaning you are no longer at a deficit. Drop your calories to 1500 and see what happens.

It might be obvious aside from the fact that I have recalculated my TDEE several times over using several different calculators since I hit this plateau. I'm already hungry all the time; I'm not about to go cutting almost 200 calories from my intake without exploring other places I might be deficient first. On swimming days, that'd be a 500 calorie deficit. Pretty sure it wouldn't be long before I was eating everything in sight if I tried a 500 calorie deficit.

Stay where you are and tighten up your logging first. If the scale doesn't budge and you REALLY want to lose those last few pounds, you'll have to get your head around the idea of eating less. Some people can do it pretty easily, but I wasn't one of them - I'm 5'5.5" and got down to 120 once upon a time. I was hangry going from 123-120, and I found maintenance there difficult. I'm 127-129 right now, which doesn't look as good, but it's easier to maintain.

Over the years, I've found if I run twice a week (5K) and lift four times a week (45 mins) my TDEE is around 1800 (if I don't exercise, it's more like 1600). If my weight creeps up above 130, I cut on 1400, stay strict during the week, and loosen up on weekends - I prefer it to a 250 cal daily deficit. I do weigh and measure everything, so I know my calorie counts are as accurate as possible.

As far as TDEE calculators go, they drastically overestimate for me if I use "moderately active" or "very active" as the settings even though I exercise 5-6 times a week. I have to use "lightly active" as my exercise setting. TDEE calculators w/o BF% overestimate by about 100 calories, and but those with BF% are pretty spot on. I know you're taking an average of everything, but you may need to aim low instead of in the middle? And if you don't know your BF%, get a ballpark estimate with calipers.

All of this to say: start with weighing and measuring. It really helps with the last few pounds. If that doesn't get you anywhere, accept that your TDEE is lower than you hoped and do a bigger cut. Hunger isn't any fun, but hopefully you'll adapt better than I did - maybe play with your macros and see if there's a more satiating ratio, and eat back cals on swimming days. If that STILL doesn't help, go see your doctor and make sure everything is normal.

Another option would be a full-on diet break. If you've been eating in a deficit this entire time, it can be really exhausting mentally. Go up to 1800-2000 for 3-4 weeks, then cut again. You might not feel so ravenous, and you'll get a motivating drop on the scale from water weight after the first week or two of returning to a deficit.

Firefly0606

You are at what should be a deficit and not losing. One of your comments in this thread is that you are already hungry all the time. You could try eating at maintenance for a few weeks.

All the online calculators and logic in the world will tell you that you won't not lose anything at maintenance, however it should clear up the 'hungry all the time' problem.

Sorry, I don't have any science, but I think your body may be telling you it needs a break from trying to lose. You don't want to cut any more....and good, because starvation is silly. You are exercising well, maybe your body is trying to tell you it wants fuel for that? So fuel it. Take some time to figure out what your true maintenance is - you already know that all of the online calculators have a differing opinion of that magic number. Once you have figured out how many calories your body truly needs to maintain your weight and your energy expenditure, it might be ready to let you cut calories and lose more weight.

It might mean you'll gain a little bit, or a fair bit, but the benefit is that you will than know what true maintenance or TDEE is, and you can then start a cut again.

MsRuffBuffNStuff

This may be overly simple but you might be gaining girth due to CrossFit...Crossfit builds an extremely strong core. Building abdominal muscles will actually make your abdominals bigger until the fat is lost. I would eat at maintenance calories for a while and see what happens.

born_of_fire74

AprilCoe wrote: »

This may be overly simple but you might be gaining girth due to CrossFit...Crossfit builds an extremely strong core. Building abdominal muscles will actually make your abdominals bigger until the fat is lost. I would eat at maintenance calories for a while and see what happens.

This is what I am hoping is the case. If 1688 turns out to be my maintenance, as it appears it may be aside from the small gain at my waist, then I am recomping by accident. I think my bum is getting smaller FWIW.

Knowing my BF% would be super helpful. Time to get some calipers!

rileysowner

born_of_fire74 wrote: »

rileysowner wrote: »

The answer is obvious. Because of the weight you have lost you TDEE has gone down meaning you are no longer at a deficit. Drop your calories to 1500 and see what happens.

It might be obvious aside from the fact that I have recalculated my TDEE several times over using several different calculators since I hit this plateau. I'm already hungry all the time; I'm not about to go cutting almost 200 calories from my intake without exploring other places I might be deficient first. On swimming days, that'd be a 500 calorie deficit. Pretty sure it wouldn't be long before I was eating everything in sight if I tried a 500 calorie deficit.

Calculators are based on averages. If you remember bell curves from school, that means some people will be above the average and others below. The range is not that huge, but it would be enough to stall out some people. The reality is if you are eating a certain amount of food, and are not losing for a significant amount of time like at least 3-4 weeks, then you are eating a maintenance or close enough that is makes no difference. Thus, cutting back how much you are eating, not by a huge amount but by say 250 calories.

As for hunger, you may need to change your macro ratio to see what might help you feel full longer.