I need some direction

Rock1348

I've been struggling with weight loss for awhile now. I've tried a lot of "diets" but most recently have tried to increase my calories to support my activity.

My stats:
31 years old, 195 pounds, 5'6"
According to scooby calculator
BMR: 1661
TDDE: 2575. I do use fitbit to get a better idea of my TDEE which is usually around 2800. I usually average 17,000 steps a day.
I lift heavy 4 days/ week and do cardio 3 days.

I've been eating around 2000-2100 calories

Am I on the right track? I'm getting married in 7 months. I would like to try my best to look the best I can for my wedding day.
Any suggestions?

heybales

Suggestion - don't guess from 5 level TDEE table when you have a much better estimate in Fitbit with infinite levels.

Just confirm you are manually logging all non-step based exercise that the Fitbit is underestimating, to get best estimate of TDEE.

Like Strength training should be logged in MFP and synced over, and at 4 x weekly, if you aren't, your TDEE is higher still.

So even using the possible low estimate of 2800, you are taking a 30% deficit to eat at 2000 - way too much for as little as you have to lose.

Knock it on down to 15%.

By having smaller deficit, you'll be giving your lifting the best possible body improvements.

Now, to that point since you said cardio 3 x weekly.

Is this intense cardio using the same muscles you will be lifting with the next day, or just lifting with day before?
If so - you are impeding your lifting.
You cannot lift as heavy on tired muscles, so you cannot get the same level of improvement from it.
You cannot get full repair of muscles putting them through another intense workout, so you won't get the repair and improvement from it you could have gotten.

Now, perhaps you are doing a split routine, and cardio varies, and you can allow the lifting to have best effect.

Also, if that truly adds up to 7 days with no rest day. Keep in mind this fact.

Exercise if done right tears the body down.
Rest for repair and recovery is what allows it to be built back up, stronger if diet allows.

Where is your rest?
Recovery is impaired in a diet too, worst time to be trying to do more.

Only way to increase calories to support that level of activity, if you are doing what it appears you are doing, is to eat at maintenance and forget the weight loss, and accept slower fat loss as body improvements occur.

Rock1348

Thank you for the response!

Should I eat at the same amount each day based on my average TDEE from the month or week? Or should I assess that daily based on my activity / TDEE for the day? I guess it makes me nervous to eat that much.
Yesterday my TDEE according to fitbit with my lifting added was 3,300. Today I didn't workout and was in meetings at work so my TDEE is 2600.

If I add my non-step exercise to MFP should I have MFP linked to fitbit?

I do my cardio after my weight lifting. I don't do that much and it's more for stress relief, so it's not super intense. I do get 2-3 days of rest each week.

heybales

Great way to do the cardio then, extra blood flow then can help speed up repair later.

So you can keep your account unsynced, and add the exercise to Fitbit directly, and then just keep an eye on your average TDEE, like as seasons change you may walk more, ect.
Then as you see avg TDEE change, you change your MFP eating goal.

After several normal weeks you'll probably notice the avg TDEE is usually about the same, so you could adjust weekly, or monthly since the decreased weight will cause the TDEE to be smaller.

Or you can make TDEE how MFP does it - literally for the day, with possibly bigger changes in eating level.

If you honestly can meet your goal with changing calories and not just say forget, and constantly make your deficit bigger, than MFP method is very valid with Fitbit synced.

Pick as many normal non-exercise days as you can and get avg TDEE on them. That would be non-exercise TDEE in this case.
Get your MFP Mifflin BMR from Apps.
TDEE / BMR = personal activity factor
Pick the MFP activity level closest to your personal one.
1.25 - Sedentary
1.4 - Lightly Active
1.6 - Active
1.8 - Very Active

Set weight loss goal to maintain. Set fitness goals to whatever, not used in math anyway. Save out.
Confirm Fitbit positive/negative syncs will occur.

Now manually set your eating goal to that Fitbit non-exercise TDEE - 15% or wherever you are right now.

Log your non-step based activity. And merely reach your eating goal that will include Fitbit adjustments, mainly up on exercise days, sometimes down on slower days.

If you don't want the adjustments so big, but are willing to deal with more negative adjustments, but still sync the accounts - do the above but instead of non-exercise days for TDEE, use couple weeks to get avg TDEE that includes exercise.
Same setup as above otherwise.

Your adjustments will be lower, but both directions.