TDEE - 20% - how on earth!!!

hookilau

I didn't mean for my post to make MFP members attack each other.

I was just seeking advice.

Just a quick review of my condition.

I have to take Cellfood several times a day, so that my body can have enough oxygen and that my organs can do their work properly. That is the one medical condition that no one understands or know what caused it. My body don't keep oxygen. Doctors did tests etc, couldn't find a reason for this. And I am not going to waste money on more tests!

Been 8 years now - still alive and kicking with the obesity and all!

And due to this occurrence, no dietitian is willing to work with me. Keeps saying that I will give them a bad reputation if we fail.
The few that has worked with me - after not loosing weight or losing weight but gaining it back and more - they believe I am cheating. Which I am not.

Now I know because my organs are under pressure that this can be a great reason for me not being able to loose weight and for being nausea most of the time. having an under active thyroid with it - almost a guaranteed no win situation.

Like i said before, doctors said I have to make peace with the fact that I cannot loose weight. Doctors also said I will never have children - I have 2!!!

I absolutely refuse to believe that I cannot loose weight. I have been a normal healthy person for 4 years in my early 20's.

I have tried in the past to loose weight - with small success - but there was success.

I don't deny that there was times that I went overboard - but not everyday! The point is, yes, overeating might have had a part, but certainly not the main reason why I am where I am. I was weighing about 198 lbs before this condition. After giving birth for the 2nd time, (weighing about 225 lbs) it just went uphill for me. 3 months after giving birth - I landed in hospital - my body didn't had enough oxygen. Body parts was shutting down. And since then - no solution = gaining weight. I have been maintaining my weight for about 7 months now which is a great success for me.

I wish that people could just get by the fact that if you are overweight, that is because you eat to much. Medical conditions play a big roll with obesity as well.

I am no expert in weight loss - and having an under active thyroid complicates things - But I can only try. I've been reading a lot about weight loss - maybe too much - because it is quite confusing to me now...

:-) That is why I posted this topic... the support on MFP is one of the best on the internet - every question you google - MFP pops up


@iceqieen - Thx for the great advice. Don't think I will be able to get to 2000 cal right away, but will work my way up there and then work it down again

holy moley this is a fast moving thread!!! :laugh:

OP; in light of the information about your medical health, this is the LAST place I would seek advice :blushing: If I were you, I would find a medical professional who can help you and THEN come to MFP with your information. There are variables here that we cannot possibly account for.

Having your RMR tested would be the first place I would start. Since you have problems with retaining oxygen, this may prove problematic, but the folks who administer the test may be able to help re-direct you to a professional who can help you. Your issues sound too complicated to be answered by a bunch of folks on a weight loss board, if you don't mind my saying so :blushing:

hovercar

I want to put this as kindly, and as forcefully as I can: Cellfood is a scam. You cannot get oxygen to your body by eating it. If you could, you still wouldn't want to, because there is only so much oxygen your red blood cells can carry- any oxygen in the blood other than that would be somewhere it wasn't supposed to be. Also, its "active" ingredient is sulfuric acid (aka Drain-o), which (as far as I know) is NEVER something that you should drink.

I can promise you that it's not helping you; I can hope it isn't making you sick.

If you need more red blood cells (if you are anemic), take small amounts of supplemental iron and/or eat lean beef.
If your circulation is poor, and the oxygen in your blood isn't getting where it needs to go (you have diabetes), treat the diabetes, lose weight, and stabilize your blood sugar.

Best of luck with your journey. Be well.

ndj1979

three weeks is not enough time to see any kind of change. Before you change anything, you should wait until you hit four to six weeks and then if still no changes make an adjustment.

TDEE - 20% is just a method for creating a deficit, it is not a cure all. At the end of the day, it boils down to calories in vs calories out and eating in a deficit.

Online calculators are just estimates based on a mathematical formula so they will never be 100% right for everyone. The only way to f ind your true maintenance, bulk, and cut calorie intake is to weight yourself at least three times a week and take an average each week to account for weight fluctuations in water weight, bloat, etc.

IF you are currently eating 1400 and weight 273, then you will start losing weight. .unless you somehow defy the laws of math and thermodynamics...

so my advice would be to stick with your program and see how it goes...

Hildy_J

This is just not a nice thing to say (I'm not trying to be nasty either)

I would have kicked off more at the 'fat suit' comment personally - fortuntately the OP is smart enough to rise above it, it would seem.

hookilau

wait....am I understanding this correctly?

OP are you anemic and using 'shakes' that are not Rx for nutrition?

ndj1979

Natural reply Symonep. I would also have replied that.


After replacing 2 meals (which i didn't had in the first place), I am so full. I am struggling to eat an apple in between meals to keep metabolism up. I am trying my best to eat something every 2-3 hours - but gosh, my tummy ache when eating so much.

.

meal timing and metabolism are a myth....and eating snacks to keep metabolism going is a myth as well. If you are not hungry in between meals then do not eat ...and you can eat one meal, three meals, or 24 meals spaced out every hour and it will have zero impact on metabolism....so only eat when you are hungry.

ndj1979

Don't be silly, 0.8 * 2150 = 1720

Yeah but how on earth did you arrive at 2,150 for TDEE? I got it at 2,772. She's 28, 273 lb, 5ft 5, setting 'lightly active'.

You're asking the poor girl to have a 1,000 calorie per day deficit! It's really important that the advice you give on here is correct.

yet, more proof that TDEE is just an estimate and not the end all be all ...

hookilau

Natural reply Symonep. I would also have replied that.


After replacing 2 meals (which i didn't had in the first place), I am so full. I am struggling to eat an apple in between meals to keep metabolism up. I am trying my best to eat something every 2-3 hours - but gosh, my tummy ache when eating so much.

.

meal timing and metabolism are a myth....and eating snacks to keep metabolism going is a myth as well. If you are not hungry in between meals then do not eat ...and you can eat one meal, three meals, or 24 meals spaced out every hour and it will have zero impact on metabolism....so only eat when you are hungry.

while that may work for some people, it doesn't take into account gherlin, leptin as well as other things that can affect overeating.

edited for typos

psuLemon

three weeks is not enough time to see any kind of change. Before you change anything, you should wait until you hit four to six weeks and then if still no changes make an adjustment.

TDEE - 20% is just a method for creating a deficit, it is not a cure all. At the end of the day, it boils down to calories in vs calories out and eating in a deficit.

Online calculators are just estimates based on a mathematical formula so they will never be 100% right for everyone. The only way to f ind your true maintenance, bulk, and cut calorie intake is to weight yourself at least three times a week and take an average each week to account for weight fluctuations in water weight, bloat, etc.

IF you are currently eating 1400 and weight 273, then you will start losing weight. .unless you somehow defy the laws of math and thermodynamics...

so my advice would be to stick with your program and see how it goes...

Pretty much this.


For a person with hypothyroidism, they are going to be 300-500 less calories, than a person without a medical condition. Second, TDEE-20% is more for people who are fairly lean ( 50lbs to lose). The more weight you have to lose, the larger the deficit, so a person your size could go 30-40% in terms of a deficit.

I would stick it out though. 1400 calories isn't a bad option for hypothyroidism. If anything, I would recommend going low carb as you don't have a lot of calories available. This will also ensure adequate protein intake which is important for muscle retention. And high fat/protein foods are great for satiety.


http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/753-hypothyroidism-and-hyperthyroidism

FitMama2013

I'm 28, female, 5'6, and 235ish and I eat 2500 calories a day to lose weight. So no, it's not crazy!

ndj1979

Natural reply Symonep. I would also have replied that.


After replacing 2 meals (which i didn't had in the first place), I am so full. I am struggling to eat an apple in between meals to keep metabolism up. I am trying my best to eat something every 2-3 hours - but gosh, my tummy ache when eating so much.

.

meal timing and metabolism are a myth....and eating snacks to keep metabolism going is a myth as well. If you are not hungry in between meals then do not eat ...and you can eat one meal, three meals, or 24 meals spaced out every hour and it will have zero impact on metabolism....so only eat when you are hungry.

while that may work for some people, it doesn't take into account gerlin, leptin as well as other things that can affect overeating.

so you are saying meal timing has an impact on metabolism?

MityMax96

TO the OP,
They are not fighting.....they just have a difference of opinion on how to reach the same goal.

Remember, there is always more than one way to skin a cat, especially if you can get him to hold still.

BeachGingerOnTheRocks

TO the OP,
They are not fighting.....they just have a difference of opinion on how to reach the same goal.

Remember, there is always more than one way to skin a cat, especially if you can get him to hold still.

Exactly this.

Katch-McCardle just has a different way of determining TDEE than other programs and is often considered the most accurate. Several of the other programs suggest TDEE minus 35%-40% for people who have a significant amount of weight to lose. In your case, starting out at a larger deficit is just fine. Of course, as you lose, the calculations will change, and your difference from TDEE will be smaller. I believe it is recommended you recalculate it every 5 to 10 pounds lost.

As to your other questions, you really do need to give things time, and many people don't lose much in the first few weeks. You need to figure out a way to get moving more. If your blood O2 is low, that stuff you buy on Amazon is not going to increase it. Activity and possibly prescription medication if your doctor feels it is necessary is the way to increase O2 at the cellular level. Have you spoken to a pulmonologist or cardiologist about this? Do you have asthma? Do you have a problem with edema? These will have an impact on blood O2, and these problems are sometimes obesity-related and reversible or they can be medicated and alleviated.

As for hypothyroid, yes losing weight will be more difficult, but there are plenty of success stories on this website of people with thyroid disorders who have been quite successful.

Mommybug2

Thanks for all the replies.

My height is 5.5 and my weight is 273lbs. :-(

I am not so active during the day. Sitting at desk most of the day working. I try to do treadmill or zumba 30 minutes a day. Sometimes I do treadmill and zumba. But mostly only one per day.

I will admit I only glanced at the responses but I wanted to add my personal experience since we have a lot of similarities. I started 5.6 216 with hypothyroidism. I didn't use TDEE. I have a desk job so am very unactive most of the day but I do workout 4-5 days a week. I still classify myself as "INACTIVE" that way I have the option to workout and eat back calories or not workout and stay in a deficit. I try to keep my Net calories @1250 and since January 3rd and am down 62lbs so it must be working for me (.5-2lbs/week). Also I might mention I don't "eat clean" and I am never hungry. I haven't changed WHAT I eat just HOW MUCH I eat. I do have 1-2 days a week where I go over my 1250 calories and at least one of those days I ensure I eat at least maintenance calories just to keep my metabolism up (God knows wiht hypothyroidism you don't want to do anything to slow it down). I have more energy and stamina and feel better then I have in years. I do 30-60 minutes of Cardio 4-5 days a week and 30 minutes of Strength Training 2-4 days a week. Because I don't do TDEE I am working with the calories I actually burn not calories I should burn. I track EVERYTHING I put in my mouth - down to chewing gum and I use an HRM for calorie burn estimates. The HRM is very worth it as it confirms that the gym machines and MFP WAY WAY overestimate burn 90% of the time.

Here is my personal opinion of things that go wrong with TDEE if your not doing it exactly right. #1) You classify yourself as lightly active so the calculation means you have to be lightly active EVERYDAY not just a few days a week or on the days you don't workout you actually end up over eating for your activity level. #2)You classify yourself as lightly active but then eat back your exercise calories. TDEE already accounts for exercise so if you eat back exercise calories you are actually eating double your exercise calories.

Honestly at 1400 Calories you SHOULD be losing something. The most common mistakes I've seen even without using TDEE are 1)Not using an HRM and overestimating burns. 2) Not measuring and underestimating calories 3) Not tracking EVERYTHING. Read the article someone posted about starvation mode - there are two cases on there where the people really thought about everything they were eating and realized that they were taking in HUNDREDS of calories more then they thought based on simple mistakes.

I will close by saying don't try too many changes at once - give your body time to respond to what you are doing. If there is a defict you will lose weight you just have to figure out what to do to get that deficit.