Switching from tdee to mfp nervous will be eating more!

XLMACX

I have been doing MFP for around 7 weeks now and lost 7.4lb (had 2 maintains due to bank holidays) my average loss has been around 2lb a week. I have 24lb left to get to my target,

I chose the TDEE method when I first started which I set myself at “lightly active 1-3 a week exercise” just to play it safe in room for any error with any foods ect but I have realised as time goes on that I work out more like” 4-5X a week which may explain loosing at a quick rate. TDEE gave me 1600cals for my stats:

Lightly active
5ft 8.5”
154lb
23 year old
Female

My problem is I seem to have gotten myself in to a bit of a vicious circle, what I have been doing is my version of “calorie cycling” were on a Saturday I will eat around 2200 cals then cut back the week after to compensate which wasn’t too bad to start with but on 3 occasions I have actually eaten around 4000calories on a Saturday throughout the day (on 2 occasions of this I maintained and once I actually lose 1lb) because what I do the week after a massive food binge episode is cut back the week after to compensate this has meant some days eating only 1000calories.

My concern is that some days I burn anything up to 700cals in a 1hr cardio gym session according to my HRM so this will mean only netting 300cals which I know is not good.

To break this cycle I have decided to switch to MFP method of logging exercise and making sure each day I net at least 1200cals.

Saturday is my biggest work out day and also my alcohol night so if I have 1400cals+ 700 exercise burn = 2100 meaning I won’t have to cut back the week after to compensate, I’m hoping this method will work and stop me getting in to weekend “binges” just a little nervous that I may gain by changing as I have worked out depending on my works outs I will be eating anything up to 900 cals more a week but I suppose long term it’s the healthier option and when I get to my maintain stage I will be able to eat more and not gain. X

DianeinCA

I entered your info into Scooby's Accurate and got a BMR of 1512, a TDEE of 2344, and a cut (at 20%) of 1875. I put your activity level as "active" (the middle setting) because if you're exercising 4-5x a week that's probably close.

1200 calories isn't going to cut it. I think you should try 1800 for a while (inching up slowly, if you're netting less than that now).

If you're undereating and that leads to bingeing on the weekends, that's no good. Try to eat a little more on the week and dial it back on weekends.

XLMACX

Hi when I use scooby it never gives me those results must be using it wrong! And your right I think i think the weekends I have binged is due to only eating like. 400 calories the day before then going out drinking until early hours I know not to do that again! X

heybales

On Scooby, remember Diane is being honest with your activity level, you were not. That's the reason for the difference.

If using MFP method, which is just fine if you will honestly meet a changing daily goal, at least follow the concept - which is a reasonable deficit is better long term sustainable and mainly fat loss.

So with a Mifflin BMR of 1510, your non-exercise sedentary maintenance would be 1888, only on of course non-exercise days.
Or are you actually Sedentary outside exercise, or is that another "playing it safe but not honest" setting, and you are really Lightly Active?
You have a 45 hr a week desk job and commute, outside exercise a bump on a log, no kids, no dog walking, ect?

So you are only getting to 1200 goal either because you manually are setting that and think it's a good choice, or you are going for unreasonable option above 1 lb weekly. Because 1 lb weekly would have been 1388.

So 1 lb or 500 cal deficit is 26% deficit on non-exercise days.
1/2 lb or 250 cal is 13% deficit on non-exercise days.

But if on exercise days you burn 350 - 700, that makes maintenance 2238 - 2588.
In that case ...
500 cal deficit is 22-19 %.
250 cal deficit is 11-10 %.

With only 23 lbs left to go, you are actually right in the middle there for what is reasonable, but sadly that's not an option.

Reasonable now would be a deficit of 388 on all days. So net calorie goal would be 1510 on non-exercise days.
Then you correctly log and eat back ALL your workout calories.
That would make it slightly more than 15% on rest days, slightly less on workout days. But still a deficit of 388.

This is dependant on you honestly being sedentary though. Don't shoot your body in the metabolism trying to play it safe though.

You would have to manually set that 1510 goal, as MFP would never get there with it's math.

Now you know where your potential TDEE is on the big workout but big eating weekend. Sounds like you'll just need to chalk that up to a non-deficit weight loss day. 6 out of 7 isn't bad. Better than 1 out of 7 reasonable, then 6 very unreasonable.

Then when you lost 10 lbs, MFP would warn you, and time to do the math again for new eating level.