i'm debating tdee vs mfp

Amandawith3kids

so i've calculated tdee(tdee -20% = 1750) and then theres the goal mfp gave me (1460). i switched to tdee so that i didnt have to worry about if the calories burned during exercise were accurate or not.

but i kinda miss "earning" the extra calories back using mfp's method. it was more motivating to see the the cals go down and then back up. i switched last week, right as i got sick, so i cant really say if it's working better for me than mfp's method was (which i had stalled on, but according to the numbers i ran it was too low to begin with)

how long should i stick with the tdee before i try something else?

any other thoughts?

oh i'm 5'7", 189 lbs, 33yr

cwolfman13

If you're doing them right, they are 6 of 1...if you are having issues losing, it is not the method....it is because you have something off somewhere. These calculators are not gospel...you have to make tweaks here and there as per real world results. These calculators are just good starting points...nobody has an exact calorie requirement of XXXX calories as per any of these calculators.

One thing you shouldn't do is bounce around from method to method and plan to plan...you don't give yourself enough time to know if anything is working at all. People don't lose weight for a week or something and they freak out even though it's completely normal...weight loss isn't linear...you're going to have stalls and whooshes, etc.

Most people just need to have more patience in general and realize that this process is a long one...none of this happens overnight. Most people do a really poor job of tracking as well...they just sorta log whatever without actually weighing and measuring...I can guarantee a great deal of inaccuracy if you're doing that.

meshashesha2012

what he said. they end up being the same number on average

maybyn

I'm personally doing the TDEE method (cutting a very small percentage only).

However, I find that the MFP method works all the same because I tend to eat more on workout days anyway!

So taking weekly cals into account, everything works out well.

Kitship

Try it for two weeks. If nothing changes, keep adjusting. You just need to find your body's "sweet spot".

Amandawith3kids

If you're doing them right, they are 6 of 1...if you are having issues losing, it is not the method....it is because you have something off somewhere. These calculators are not gospel...you have to make tweaks here and there as per real world results. These calculators are just good starting points...nobody has an exact calorie requirement of XXXX calories as per any of these calculators.

One thing you shouldn't do is bounce around from method to method and plan to plan...you don't give yourself enough time to know if anything is working at all. People don't lose weight for a week or something and they freak out even though it's completely normal...weight loss isn't linear...you're going to have stalls and whooshes, etc.

Most people just need to have more patience in general and realize that this process is a long one...none of this happens overnight. Most people do a really poor job of tracking as well...they just sorta log whatever without actually weighing and measuring...I can guarantee a great deal of inaccuracy if you're doing that.

i am measuring, not weighing.

how long do i need to stick with one method (or calorie goal, whatever) before i decide it's not working? i didnt expect to lose weight while i was just sick, i never do.

i had been stuck for about 3 weeks on the 1460 mfp plan, so i changed it, and literally the next day i was in bed wishing for death. i am just now getting back into the swing of things r.e exercising, and it made me sad a little bit ago to take out the calories from my snow shoveling. (i zeroed out what the database said i burned so it didnt mess me up)