Confused about my TDEE

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ggh15
ggh15 Posts: 13 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am consistently eating around 1500 calories a day mark and have been doing so for the last two weeks. In these two weeks I have lost 2lb per week which doesn’t seem to make much sense to me. I am aiming for 1lb a week loss as I only want to lose around 1 stone. I am eating back my exercise calories right now. This also isn’t a one off as around a year ago I also tried to lose weight and lost 2lb again eating around 1500 calories. An online calculator tells me my TDEE is around 1900 but how can that be correct?

For info:
Height: 5’4
Weight: 150lb
Goal weight: 140lb ish

Replies

  • Huff870
    Huff870 Posts: 14 Member
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    TDEE calculators are an estimate only (although close for most people). Your mileage may vary.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    Initial weight loss can be rapid and include a lot of water weight which messes up the 3500 calories deficit to lose a pound of weight guideline. Even at maintenance water weight variations can be large, I gained and lost 5lbs from Friday to Monday - that wasn't fat.

    You need a longer period of time than two weeks to come to any firm conclusion and as a woman you may well have monthly fluctuations which can mask a trend in the short term.

    By the way TDEE is an estimate, your logging is an estimate, adjusting based on long term results/trends makes sense.

    Not sure why you picked 1500cals again if it was too fast last time - why not pick a higher amount?
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    edited August 2018
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    TDEE calculators are just a starting point based on averages. They are not necessarily 100% accurate. Adjust up or down as necessary.

    To be honest, I lost most my weight eating around 2000 calories a day and I’m only slightly taller than you (5’4.5”). My maintenance right now is roughly 2263. That isn’t from a calculator, but how much I ate vs what my weight has done.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    georgee1506 wrote: »
    I am consistently eating around 1500 calories a day mark and have been doing so for the last two weeks. In these two weeks I have lost 2lb per week which doesn’t seem to make much sense to me. I am aiming for 1lb a week loss as I only want to lose around 1 stone. I am eating back my exercise calories right now. This also isn’t a one off as around a year ago I also tried to lose weight and lost 2lb again eating around 1500 calories. An online calculator tells me my TDEE is around 1900 but how can that be correct?

    For info:
    Height: 5’4
    Weight: 150lb
    Goal weight: 140lb ish

    Calculators just give you an estimate and that estimate is only as good as the data you put in.

    A couple of things to consider are that weight loss tends to be a little faster in the first couple of weeks due to a decrease in inherent waste in your system and dropping water weight.

    You also may be more active than you indicate in your activity level. I have a desk job and I ultimately had to go with light active for my activity level to lose at my desired rate. Even with a desk job and without deliberate exercise I was light active with general movement.

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