2 months in, hit a stall, time to re-assess TDEE/BMR?

Samuraiko

Okay, first off, I'm a math noob. I'll admit it right here.

Started MFP on October 1st, and after two months, I've gone from 314.2 to 297. Which at first isn't bad - except that I've been hovering around that 297 mark for two weeks (296-298).

I'm 5'8", and lead a rather sedentary lifestyle. I have a desk job (though I am prone to getting up and wandering around - going to people's offices, conference rooms, the break room, and the restroom). I live in an apt complex so I'm going up and down stairs (one flight each way) plus a short walk to/from my car, and based on where I park at work, I'm going up and down stairs (two flights each way plus an uphill or downhill walk to my car). I do regular isometrics at my desk at work to keep my shoulders, back, arms, and ankles loose. (I have a really bad habit of tucking my feet under my chair.)

Based on this thread - http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/975025-in-place-of-a-road-map-short-n-sweet?hl=road+map - I figured out my TDEE/BMR back when I first started (set at Sedentary), and my current daily calorie allotment after that first round of numbers crunching (at 70%) was 1793.

My diary is open so you can see how well I've stuck to it - in 55 days of dieting, 8 were over my limit; the highest was 2619 on a day when I just didn't care about a week ago.

But now the stall has me wondering what the next step is, and if I should be re-visiting those numbers. Suggestions?

gina_nz_

here's a calculator you can use

http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/

FreyasRebirth

I would recalculate every time you lose more than 5 lbs.

FreyasRebirth

Just using my height and age, the difference in TDEE between the two weights is ~100 calories.

FreyasRebirth

At your height its 110 calories different.

cwolfman13

You should adjust every 5-10 Lbs.

Samuraiko

Hmmm - going to the site that ginanz listed, for my height/weight/age/activity level, it puts my TDEE at 2483/day.

Two questions come to mind:

a) Based on what I described, do I still qualify as sedentary? I mean, I'm not bedridden, and I am prone to getting up and roaming around on a regular basis, whether at my desk at work or my desk at home. But I'm by no means a regular exerciser, and I don't do anything that *I* would call cardio on an even semi-regular basis.

b) What percentage of my TDEE should I be eating to lose weight? I've seen the numbers 80%, 75%, and 70% (but no lower than that).

Francl27

Use TDEE-20%.

Ang108

While what you eat has very little to do with actual weight loss as long as you eat at a deficit, I would like to mention that your diet seems to be all over the place with lots of processed food, lots of really big meals, lots of meals skipped, no veggies , no fruit to speak of. Again that by itself has nothing to do with weight loss, but make me wonder if the rest of your life ( as far as weight loss, health and fitness is concerned...the rest is none of my business ) is also all over the place.
In order to be successful you have to stick to a certain routine ( which often turns into discipline ) so you can figure out what works for you and what not. This means that you really need to weigh. measure and log all your food ( there is no way in your log of knowing if you skipped all those meals, or if you just did not log ), that you work out a food plan that you can sustain for a few weeks, that you also measure yourself Body measurements to see if you lost inches maybe) and that you adjust your calories ( using one of the many calculators, which I know are not 100%, but still better than nothing ) after each increment of weight lost ( I suggest every ten pounds )....and that you try some planned exercise because the things you mention, while good for a lifestyle change, are not reliable in regard to calories burned and measuring them.
So maybe start walking the same amount of minutes each day ( if that is all you can do ) so you get an idea if that makes a difference in your weight loss. Not having a plan and not following at least minimally through with it, makes it imo very difficult to figure out why you have not lost any weight in the last weeks, even though I personally only start thinking of a plateau if there is no weight loss for at least a month.
Good Luck !

cwolfman13

Hmmm - going to the site that ginanz listed, for my height/weight/age/activity level, it puts my TDEE at 2483/day.

Two questions come to mind:

a) Based on what I described, do I still qualify as sedentary? I mean, I'm not bedridden, and I am prone to getting up and roaming around on a regular basis, whether at my desk at work or my desk at home. But I'm by no means a regular exerciser, and I don't do anything that *I* would call cardio on an even semi-regular basis.

b) What percentage of my TDEE should I be eating to lose weight? I've seen the numbers 80%, 75%, and 70% (but no lower than that).

I would say you are sedentary with a TDEE calculator, yes. TDEE - 20% should give you roughly 1 Lb per week loss. Really, your rate depends on how much you have to lose...the more fat stores you have the faster you can go...the more you lean out the more damage big calorie deficits will do to you.

Make sure you're being as accurate as possible with your intake (weigh and measure) and that you are consistent in what you are logging. Most often, stalls and plateaus are a result of sloppy adherence. Also, a couple of weeks could just be that...weight loss doesn't happen linearly...you may get a big whoosh...I tended to lose in 2 - 3 week cycles, not really week to week.

Samuraiko

While what you eat has very little to do with actual weight loss as long as you eat at a deficit, I would like to mention that your diet seems to be all over the place with lots of processed food, lots of really big meals, lots of meals skipped, no veggies , no fruit to speak of. Again that by itself has nothing to do with weight loss, but make me wonder if the rest of your life ( as far as weight loss, health and fitness is concerned...the rest is none of my business ) is also all over the place.
In order to be successful you have to stick to a certain routine ( which often turns into discipline ) so you can figure out what works for you and what not. This means that you really need to weigh. measure and log all your food ( there is no way in your log of knowing if you skipped all those meals, or if you just did not log ), that you work out a food plan that you can sustain for a few weeks, that you also measure yourself Body measurements to see if you lost inches maybe) and that you adjust your calories ( using one of the many calculators, which I know are not 100%, but still better than nothing ) after each increment of weight lost ( I suggest every ten pounds )....and that you try some planned exercise because the things you mention, while good for a lifestyle change, are not reliable in regard to calories burned and measuring them.
So maybe start walking the same amount of minutes each day ( if that is all you can do ) so you get an idea if that makes a difference in your weight loss. Not having a plan and not following at least minimally through with it, makes it imo very difficult to figure out why you have not lost any weight in the last weeks, even though I personally only start thinking of a plateau if there is no weight loss for at least a month.
Good Luck !

Nope, I do skip meals on a regular basis; some days I'm just not hungry every three to four hours so I go for longer stretches without eating.

The reason for packaged meals is it's easy for me to take to work and store in the company fridge/freezer; not as healthy, but convenient and enforced portion control.

As for the rest, yep, I admit I'm all over the map. Discipline is not exactly my strongest suit, and that's no one's fault but mine.

---

Much obliged for the answers, all!

Mokey41

Your food choices are far from good but that said if you really are staying in budget I can't see how you aren't losing at that calorie budget. Not sure how you arrive at your calories for food but one thing I noticed that made me go HMMM is 3 slices of bacon for 70 calories. Makes me wonder about other entries.

GuybrushThreepw00d

Hmmm - going to the site that ginanz listed, for my height/weight/age/activity level, it puts my TDEE at 2483/day.

Two questions come to mind:

a) Based on what I described, do I still qualify as sedentary? I mean, I'm not bedridden, and I am prone to getting up and roaming around on a regular basis, whether at my desk at work or my desk at home. But I'm by no means a regular exerciser, and I don't do anything that *I* would call cardio on an even semi-regular basis.

b) What percentage of my TDEE should I be eating to lose weight? I've seen the numbers 80%, 75%, and 70% (but no lower than that).

a) Get a basic pedometer, approximate activity level from that http://www.fitnessforweightloss.com/rate-your-activity-level-based-on-steps-per-day/
b) No fixed way. I did 75% for the first 50lb, then moved to about 80-85%

Samuraiko

Your food choices are far from good but that said if you really are staying in budget I can't see how you aren't losing at that calorie budget. Not sure how you arrive at your calories for food but one thing I noticed that made me go HMMM is 3 slices of bacon for 70 calories. Makes me wonder about other entries.

I'm sure there are more than a few wrong entries in the MFP database. Was actually wondering how one might go through and remove some of the more egregious ones.

And again, I'm not saying me stalling is not my fault. Sometimes it takes objective eyes to see, and I'm glad you guys are pointing this stuff out. It helps me improve for later.

Samuraiko

Hmmm - going to the site that ginanz listed, for my height/weight/age/activity level, it puts my TDEE at 2483/day.

Two questions come to mind:

a) Based on what I described, do I still qualify as sedentary? I mean, I'm not bedridden, and I am prone to getting up and roaming around on a regular basis, whether at my desk at work or my desk at home. But I'm by no means a regular exerciser, and I don't do anything that *I* would call cardio on an even semi-regular basis.

b) What percentage of my TDEE should I be eating to lose weight? I've seen the numbers 80%, 75%, and 70% (but no lower than that).

a) Get a basic pedometer, approximate activity level from that http://www.fitnessforweightloss.com/rate-your-activity-level-based-on-steps-per-day/
b) No fixed way. I did 75% for the first 50lb, then moved to about 80-85%

Much obliged!

FreyasRebirth

You can use fitbit too, although the one that tracks your sleep and everything is $100. I'm guessing you might end up saving that on food since it looks like you have more than 100 lbs to your goal. I think it takes your pulse and counts your steps or something like that to measure how many calories you burn all day long.