TDEE stories?
Replies
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Thanks sijomial - the TDEE calculator I used seemed to separate the exercise so I just used another one. My daily TDEE came up as 2315 if I do 5 moderate exercise sessions a week. Take off 20% makes it 1852 - so should I put 1850 as my daily goal and not add exercise calories (as long as I make sure I do exercise)?
@zippyjojo
Yep - try 1850 for a month and see how it goes. Adjust if required, either in terms of rate of weight loss or how easy/hard you find that level to adhere to.
Once you have your own data to work from (ignore the first couple of weeks as you can get an amount of water weight loss that skews the numbers) then adjust from your own data.2 -
May I say how happy I am to find this thread? I've been following TDEE for the good part of 2 years, and maybe I would have lost all the weight if I hadn't got two injuries, one of which led to surgery and 6 months off all workouts. Anyways... TDEE-20% is the only method with which I've managed to lose weight without being hungry all the time and having tons of energy. I tried explaining my friends about it, but they were 'NO! It's 1200 calories! My trainer told me so, do you know better than my trainer?!' ... And yeah, it looks like I do. Because that particular friend's diet is truly 1100-1200 calories (she has an eating plan made by her trainer) and her workouts are weight+cardio which when I used to do them I'd get a burn of around 600-700 calories. This leaves her at 500 net because she doesn't eat back... -sighs-
Anyways! For me TDEE-15 or -20% is perfect, you might need to adjust a little your calories until you find your own TDEE (because after all the calculations are standardized, which might be slightly off for you), but after that it works perfectly.
Right now I'm at 1700 calories with light activity (still recovering, just started working out for the first time since my ACL reconstruction).
It makes me so annoyed when people put blind faith in a professional even if the advice they give is bad. If I had listened to my trainer or the nutritionist at my gym and not done research for myself I would not have lost any weight and would probably have given up by now...
I had the opposite experience where instead of putting me on a ridiculously low calorie intake like your friend's trainer did, mine had the opinion that trying to cut calories was harmful and I just need to eat clean and workout, and the nutritionist said I just need to eat more protein and fat and less carbs. There's an element of truth to what each of them said- yes cutting calories TOO MUCH is harmful, but she didn't know enough to know that not cutting calories at all would mean no weight loss... and yes macros are important but the nutritionist didn't know my current macros so how could she give advice on how I should adjust them? (as it turns out I did need to increase protein, but in fact my fat intake was already too high and needed to be reduced). And she didn't mention calorie intake at all!
I actually did go along with that advice for a while- hitting the gym regularly, eating clean, trying to eat more fat and protein but without tracking anything so it was just guesswork... and not surprisingly getting very little results... after 9 months I was fed up with not having lost any weight, and not feeling strong or healthy, and did all kinds of research online and luckily came across IIFYM/tracking macros which also includes adjusting calories for your specific goals. Once I implemented a mild caloric deficit (300 less than TDEE) and adjusted my macros to a better protein intake and less fat and appropriate carbs (using myfitnesspal to log and track of course) I finally and immediately started losing weight at a healthy rate and gaining strength rapidly too since I was finally getting enough protein to support my training!
I often wish I could have those 9 months back, I would already be at my goal weight by now if only I'd known sooner how to adjust my calories and nutrition for my goals.
Always be aware and double check the advice you are given- take note of if it is working or not, and if not then keep searching for answers.3 -
Actually yes you do. They are part of your TDEE calculation. You just eat an average amount -20%.Thanks Kimny72. I don't eat my exercise calories back since the TDEE already factors that in for me.
More accurate would be "I don't separate out my exercise calories".
Both methods work and if done properly and over time they will result in very similar calorie levels if rate of weight loss selected is the same. It's really mostly personal preference but there's advantages for TDEE method of simplicity, there's an advantage for the MFP method if you have a very variable TDEE day to day (week to week, even season to season).
Yes, that's what I meant. I do eat them back, but I don't consciously think about it. Thanks for the correction. ☺
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courtneyfabulous wrote: »May I say how happy I am to find this thread? I've been following TDEE for the good part of 2 years, and maybe I would have lost all the weight if I hadn't got two injuries, one of which led to surgery and 6 months off all workouts. Anyways... TDEE-20% is the only method with which I've managed to lose weight without being hungry all the time and having tons of energy. I tried explaining my friends about it, but they were 'NO! It's 1200 calories! My trainer told me so, do you know better than my trainer?!' ... And yeah, it looks like I do. Because that particular friend's diet is truly 1100-1200 calories (she has an eating plan made by her trainer) and her workouts are weight+cardio which when I used to do them I'd get a burn of around 600-700 calories. This leaves her at 500 net because she doesn't eat back... -sighs-
Anyways! For me TDEE-15 or -20% is perfect, you might need to adjust a little your calories until you find your own TDEE (because after all the calculations are standardized, which might be slightly off for you), but after that it works perfectly.
Right now I'm at 1700 calories with light activity (still recovering, just started working out for the first time since my ACL reconstruction).
It makes me so annoyed when people put blind faith in a professional even if the advice they give is bad. If I had listened to my trainer or the nutritionist at my gym and not done research for myself I would not have lost any weight and would probably have given up by now...
I had the opposite experience where instead of putting me on a ridiculously low calorie intake like your friend's trainer did, mine had the opinion that trying to cut calories was harmful and I just need to eat clean and workout, and the nutritionist said I just need to eat more protein and fat and less carbs. There's an element of truth to what each of them said- yes cutting calories TOO MUCH is harmful, but she didn't know enough to know that not cutting calories at all would mean no weight loss... and yes macros are important but the nutritionist didn't know my current macros so how could she give advice on how I should adjust them? (as it turns out I did need to increase protein, but in fact my fat intake was already too high and needed to be reduced). And she didn't mention calorie intake at all!
I actually did go along with that advice for a while- hitting the gym regularly, eating clean, trying to eat more fat and protein but without tracking anything so it was just guesswork... and not surprisingly getting very little results... after 9 months I was fed up with not having lost any weight, and not feeling strong or healthy, and did all kinds of research online and luckily came across IIFYM/tracking macros which also includes adjusting calories for your specific goals. Once I implemented a mild caloric deficit (300 less than TDEE) and adjusted my macros to a better protein intake and less fat and appropriate carbs (using myfitnesspal to log and track of course) I finally and immediately started losing weight at a healthy rate and gaining strength rapidly too since I was finally getting enough protein to support my training!
I often wish I could have those 9 months back, I would already be at my goal weight by now if only I'd known sooner how to adjust my calories and nutrition for my goals.
Always be aware and double check the advice you are given- take note of if it is working or not, and if not then keep searching for answers.
Same goes with doctors giving out nutrition advice. They take ONE class as part of their medical program. Some of them are good, but at the same time, refer to a licensed professional.1 -
Hello_its_Dan wrote: »... And yeah, it looks like I do. Because that particular friend's diet is truly 1100-1200 calories (she has an eating plan made by her trainer) and her workouts are weight+cardio which when I used to do them I'd get a burn of around 600-700 calories. This leaves her at 500 net because she doesn't eat back... -sighs-
Anyways! For me TDEE-15 or -20% is perfect, you might need to adjust a little your calories until
In most states a trainer cannot prescribe nutrition unless properly certified or licensed by the state. Tell your friend to be very careful. Lots of grey area.
Thanks, but we are not in the States. Warned her about it though. I was 'blamed' for knowing nothing...
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P.S. I'd certainly love to have more TDEE-orientated friends on here - all friend requests are welcome
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Every single person who is using a connected Fitness Tracker is going off TDEE.
A TDEE that is calculated by the tracker, and which MFP uses as your calories out of the day via the "exercise adjustment" mechanism.
Unfortunately MFP doesn't let use choose something like "1lb a week but no more than 20% of off my TDEE".
However if you know what your TDEE is, you can set MFP either manually to a close enough number, or pick -250 or -500 or -750 as the case may be.
You note that I leave out -1000 which should be reserved for people starting out at higher weights or who have a tdee over 4000.
@Tacklewasher you asked a question up-thread. Sustainable and safe rates of loss differ depending on how much available fat you have to lose. What is safe and sustainable and lean mass sparing at 30% body fat is NOT at 20% body fat.
While your 1% is generally safe (and even 1.5% at a morbidly obese level), there are studies of leaner people where 0.07% is more lean mass sparing.
And while you're happy today at your 2,000 Calories, as you approach or exit the obese range and enter the overweight range you should start asking yourself if you see yourself being happier at 2000 or 2500 calories FIVE years from now. Cause if the answer is the second you might be happier losing a portion of your weight at a higher intake.
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I find the mfp calculator ridiculous. I have a very good metabolism. At one point, my TDEE was at around 3.3K calories during a bulk, so when I had to cut, the mfp told me I had to reduce my calories to 1800 calories which is ridiculous...even with the highest activity setting, it gave me like 2000 or something like that. Instead I did 3.3K X 20% and not only I eat more than the suggest mfp setting, but I am actually losing the weight at the pace that I want. Here is a link of the website where I found the 20% of the TDEE thing for those who want to know more about it http://www.acaloriecounter.com/diet/how-many-calories-should-i-eat-per-day-to-lose-weight/
Agreed! MFP calculates my maintenance at 2100. I maintain at 2600-2800 depending on the week. I use a few calculators but found Alan Aragon's calculation from Lean Muscle Diet to be the best. Most are close but a couple hundred cals can make or break you.0 -
@Tacklewasher you asked a question up-thread. Sustainable and safe rates of loss differ depending on how much available fat you have to lose. What is safe and sustainable and lean mass sparing at 30% body fat is NOT at 20% body fat.
While your 1% is generally safe (and even 1.5% at a morbidly obese level), there are studies of leaner people where 0.07% is more lean mass sparing.
And while you're happy today at your 2,000 Calories, as you approach or exit the obese range and enter the overweight range you should start asking yourself if you see yourself being happier at 2000 or 2500 calories FIVE years from now. Cause if the answer is the second you might be happier losing a portion of your weight at a higher intake.
My goal right now is to eat 2000 cals, and let the weight loss end up where it does. I do ~500 cals of exercise/activity on average every day from my tracker, current MFP is 1600 so I'm a bit over 1000 deficit right now. I'm ~260 and 6'.
As I lose weight, I'm leaving MFP at 2 lbs per week, but will go over my calorie allowance as MFP reduces my goal. So I will lose less as I move along and have this all mapped out in Excel. I could just put in 2000 and unlink my tracker, but I'm going to keep it linked and just expect to see negative numbers. March s/b 1.75 lb, will drop to 1.5 sometime in April (and then I will change MFP) and so on.
I'm good with my plan. And, to be honest, wasn't really my question. It just seems to me that the TDEE calculators don't take into account the larger numbers effectively. But it is an academic question to me as I don't calculate that way.
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Oh you lucky folks with high TDEEs!! I maintain at around 1800/1700 depending how much I'm working out. Ugh.1
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courtneyfabulous wrote: »Oh you lucky folks with high TDEEs!! I maintain at around 1800/1700 depending how much I'm working out. Ugh.
Bulk for 3-6 months?
Muscle is metabolic currency.
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Hello_its_Dan wrote: »courtneyfabulous wrote: »Oh you lucky folks with high TDEEs!! I maintain at around 1800/1700 depending how much I'm working out. Ugh.
Bulk for 3-6 months?
Muscle is metabolic currency.
True- I'm pretty muscular right now though actually, just short female with endomorph body type/metabolism. I'm about 4 pounds away from a healthy BMI which is my initial goal. Was hoping to then get to 5 pounds below that then reverse diet up to maintenance and do recomposition for a while.
I gots the muscle, but not the metabolism...
I could do more cardio or train more often for higher TDEE I suppose...
Bulking scares me to be honest and I've got a lot of body fat to lose still.1 -
Add in a session of 4x10 HIIT sprints.courtneyfabulous wrote: »Hello_its_Dan wrote: »courtneyfabulous wrote: »Oh you lucky folks with high TDEEs!! I maintain at around 1800/1700 depending how much I'm working out. Ugh.
Bulk for 3-6 months?
Muscle is metabolic currency.
True- I'm pretty muscular right now though actually, just short female with endomorph body type/metabolism. I'm about 4 pounds away from a healthy BMI which is my initial goal. Was hoping to then get to 5 pounds below that then reverse diet up to maintenance and do recomposition for a while.
I gots the muscle, but not the metabolism...
I could do more cardio or train more often for higher TDEE I suppose...
Bulking scares me to be honest and I've got a lot of body fat to lose still.
4 sets
10 second sprints
Rest only as long as you can breathe easy (more than 2 words per breath)2 -
I find the mfp calculator ridiculous. I have a very good metabolism. At one point, my TDEE was at around 3.3K calories during a bulk, so when I had to cut, the mfp told me I had to reduce my calories to 1800 calories which is ridiculous...even with the highest activity setting, it gave me like 2000 or something like that. Instead I did 3.3K X 20% and not only I eat more than the suggest mfp setting, but I am actually losing the weight at the pace that I want. Here is a link of the website where I found the 20% of the TDEE thing for those who want to know more about it http://www.acaloriecounter.com/diet/how-many-calories-should-i-eat-per-day-to-lose-weight/
MFP's calculator is designed for people who are as inactive as possible in their day-to-day lives. The activity level recommendations for people with more active jobs (or lives) are ridiculously conservative. It's not that you have a "good metabolism"; it's that you are very active in your everyday life. Which MFP sucks at recognizing and compensating for. I have similar issues, and wound up back-calculating my TDEE based on weight loss results (which my FitBit confirmed once I got one).2 -
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