Testing TDEE

Zx14chick

I have not been losing weight with MFP's goals and working out 4 days/week (boxing or boot camp for 1 hour), although they seemed to work in the past. I am very nervous about gaining weight. I have seen a lot of success stories with using it. My biggest fear is not hitting my macros goals because I have a hard time hitting my protein goal with MFP's standards. Any suggestions for the protein portion? I have been eating Greek yogurt, meat, etc.

SezxyStef

I took a peak at your diary and it appears as though you don't weigh your food. This is based on the entries used.

As well 1200 calories is low...but I suspect you are eating more than 1200 calories based on not weighing.

A kitchen scale is a very valuable tool for weight loss.

First piece of advice is to get a scale, 2nd use it and log accurately choosing the correct entries...those that start with generic or homemade or an asateriks are user entered and not always correct.

For your calorie goal MFP wont give you the "best" target it is based on what you entered for your weekly weight loss goal and with 10lbs to go 1/2lb a week is best.

TDEE is a method used here frequently but I often suggest it for those with consistent exercise and are sure of their intake...

When I switched I had been weighing my food for a month and was sure of my exercise consistency as I lift weights...and my TDEE-20% was MFP suggested calorie intake + exercise calories so it really is 6 of one half a dozen of another..

Now for the macros here they are minimums...my diary is open so you can see I have 120g a day of protien that I try to hit..that is due to me lifting heavy weights and wanting to maintain my lean body mass...

to hit my protien I eat a lot of greek yogurt, eggs, egg whites lean meats, cheeses etc...

Francl27

TDEE worked really well for me - it's really close to MFP, all things considered (if you're using it properly and eating exercise calories back). But you got to weigh your food.

fourtsmomma

My sister has FINALLY convinced me to switch over from the MFP suggested caloric intake to the TDEE formula on caloric intake. TDEE has allowed her to maintain her 90 lb weight loss and so far for me it has been a success. I've been doing it for about a week. I have done a fair amount of research because like you I really was puzzled by it because I went from a 1450 calorie day to a 1900 calorie day!! YIKES!! But the changes I have made are all health conscious....doubled my oatmeal portion in the morning and added blueberries and flax seed oil for instance. Best of luck on your journey

SezxyStef

My sister has FINALLY convinced me to switch over from the MFP suggested caloric intake to the TDEE formula on caloric intake. TDEE has allowed her to maintain her 90 lb weight loss and so far for me it has been a success. I've been doing it for about a week. I have done a fair amount of research because like you I really was puzzled by it because I went from a 1450 calorie day to a 1900 calorie day!! YIKES!! But the changes I have made are all health conscious....doubled my oatmeal portion in the morning and added blueberries and flax seed oil for instance. Best of luck on your journey

TDEE does help maintain but if you don't take a % of the TDEE you wont lose weight...

Your TDEE is 1900 or your TDEE-5-20% is 1900????

Quasita

Me, I got a BodyMedia unit to measure my average TDEE and then cut 1k from that. Set that as my calorie goal here instead of what MFP suggested, and it was a substantial difference. I did it this way because I burn a lot due to being a really large person and the standard calculator numbers didn't seem to fit. I didn't exercise during that time though, just wore it to get an idea. Then after that, I ate back my exercise calories as much as I could.

I went from losing less than a pound a week to losing 3-6 pounds a week. Don't freak, it's all relative, this was okay for me due to my size. My point being, you have to get the right numbers for YOU and adjust accordingly, and unless you're 5' nothin' and not that heavy, 1200 is probably not the right goal. Just sayin.

I personally have a calorie intake goal after that 1k cut of 2440, which was almost twice as much as I was eating before. It was weird, but after 3 days, it just... worked...

fourtsmomma

Yes....I subtracted the 20% for a desired weight loss......it is working GREAT so far for me

Zx14chick

I entered my workout info, etc on the website, IIFYM.com and clicked on the weight loss information, which took it down to around 1525. I really do want to get a kitchen scale!

I am 5'3" and currently weigh 131. I want to get down to 120 or back into comfortably wearing my size 4 clothes. Using the MFP calculations and eating back my calories hasn't been working so well.

I use a HRM and use the calorie burn it says. which of course typically varies from MFP calculations. I looked back at my calorie intake for the past 7 and 30 days to see how I've been doing. My intake fluctuates so much and I think that I will eat better if I maintain a more consistent calorie intake each day.

Thank you all for your suggestions!!

deksgrl

I have not been losing weight with MFP's goals and working out 4 days/week (boxing or boot camp for 1 hour), although they seemed to work in the past. I am very nervous about gaining weight. I have seen a lot of success stories with using it. My biggest fear is not hitting my macros goals because I have a hard time hitting my protein goal with MFP's standards. Any suggestions for the protein portion? I have been eating Greek yogurt, meat, etc.

A properly set MFP + exercise calories goal should be somewhere near the same ballpark as a properly set TDEE - % goal.

Example:

1200 (amount MFP says to eat)
-300 (amount of calories burned in exercise)
+300 (amount more you eat for exercise)
=1200 NET or 1500 TOTAL calories

TDEE - % = 1500

I just saw your most recent post, you only have 10 pounds to lose, you should take only a 10% deficit from TDEE. You need to be very careful about measuring food, because you will have a small calorie deficit.

Zx14chick

I have not been losing weight with MFP's goals and working out 4 days/week (boxing or boot camp for 1 hour), although they seemed to work in the past. I am very nervous about gaining weight. I have seen a lot of success stories with using it. My biggest fear is not hitting my macros goals because I have a hard time hitting my protein goal with MFP's standards. Any suggestions for the protein portion? I have been eating Greek yogurt, meat, etc.

A properly set MFP + exercise calories goal should be somewhere near the same ballpark as a properly set TDEE - % goal.

Example:

1200 (amount MFP says to eat)
-300 (amount of calories burned in exercise)
+300 (amount more you eat for exercise)
=1200 NET or 1500 TOTAL calories

TDEE - % = 1500

I just saw your most recent post, you only have 10 pounds to lose, you should take only a 10% deficit from TDEE. You need to be very careful about measuring food, because you will have a small calorie deficit.

Why should I only do a 10% deficit? I just want to make sure I understand. I chose the weight loss, but not "aggressive" weight loss option for my TDEE.

deksgrl

I have not been losing weight with MFP's goals and working out 4 days/week (boxing or boot camp for 1 hour), although they seemed to work in the past. I am very nervous about gaining weight. I have seen a lot of success stories with using it. My biggest fear is not hitting my macros goals because I have a hard time hitting my protein goal with MFP's standards. Any suggestions for the protein portion? I have been eating Greek yogurt, meat, etc.

A properly set MFP + exercise calories goal should be somewhere near the same ballpark as a properly set TDEE - % goal.

Example:

1200 (amount MFP says to eat)
-300 (amount of calories burned in exercise)
+300 (amount more you eat for exercise)
=1200 NET or 1500 TOTAL calories

TDEE - % = 1500

I just saw your most recent post, you only have 10 pounds to lose, you should take only a 10% deficit from TDEE. You need to be very careful about measuring food, because you will have a small calorie deficit.

Why should I only do a 10% deficit? I just want to make sure I understand. I chose the weight loss, but not "aggressive" weight loss option for my TDEE.

Weight loss is slower when you get closer to your goal weight. You should choose either "lose half a pound a week" with MFP method or choose 10% deficit from TDEE. If you take too much of a calorie deficit when you are close to goal weight, you can lose weight, but it will be both muscle and fat, and then proportionally you will have the same % of body fat as you do now and still won't be happy with how you look. If you lose it slowly, you will preserve muscle.

DavidSTC

I'm new to TDEE, as well. Since I am about 10 pounds from my goal, I wanted to make sure I was precise in my food measurements. I bought a digital scale for home, and I have a cheaper scale at work. I've discovered that on some foods I was overestimating calories and on some I was underestimating calories. I think by accurately measuring all of my food, I was able to get a true picture of my food intake for really the first time. So, I've lost around a pound a week the first two weeks of TDEE. I'm thinking of upping my calorie intake to slow down my weight loss. I would subscribe to this approach because I want to slowly approach my goal weight and when I hit my goal weight, I'll be eating the exact amount of calories I want to continue to eat to maintain my weight. It's kind of cool that you can eat a little more the closer you get to your goal.

Now, I don't use a heart rate monitor, so I'm still in the dark for the most part with calories. I'm just staying as active as I was before, and on more active days, I don't mind going over my calorie count. I'm going to have to get more protein in my diet, too, as I'm strength training more than I used to. I'm looking at buying whey protein powder and adding it to my yogurt in the morning.

Zx14chick

I get it now, Thanks, Deksgirl.

I felt a lot less stressed about eating yesterday, that was for sure. I hope it continues that way!