4 Weeks eating at TDEE

MariahMichaels
MariahMichaels Posts: 48 Member
I've done 4 weeks of eating at TDEE 2453, I went from 178 (May 2nd) to 186.2 (June 21st), so hopefully I've found my true TDEE because as of tomorrow I am 6 weeks pregnant. A wonderful surprise! I've been doing pretty well with keeping on track with my exercising which I put as Moderate = 3 hours of brisk walking and 2 hours of Elliptical each week. I've been doing my research and know that I should be eating at maintenance for my 1st trimester of pregnancy which I have been doing using TDEE. My knees have started hurting after my brisk walking, the pain started 2 weeks ago. I have to ice my knees each evening after I do brisk walking and I can't sit on the floor with my 3 year old daughter without my knees locking up and pain shooting down them. It's getting frustrating but I know I need to listen to my body and not push with brisk walking, so today I walked at a very slow pace for 72 minutes just to see how my knees feel. If they continue to hurt I will stop walking and only do elliptical for 2 hours a week (unless that aggravates my knees too). I walk at work during breaks and lunch on concrete. I will be seeing my Chiropractor on Thursday so hopefully he can help me figure this out. I have to wait 5 more weeks before I can see my OBGYN and I will talk to her if the pain continues. My question for you is, since I may not be able to put in the 3 hours of brisk walking for a while, should I change my TDEE to Light Activity = 2 hours of Elliptical each week in order to stay at maintenance?

This is what I'm thinking I should change it to if I have to give up my brisk walking which I did for 3 hours a week. At least until my knees stop hurting. I want to stay at maintenance for my first trimester (12 weeks) since that is what is recommended.

Height: 5'7"
Weight: 186
Activity Level: 1-3 hours of light exercise (2 hours of Elliptical)
BMR 1617
TDEE 2224

Any opinions would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Mariah Michaels

Replies

  • mymodernbabylon
    mymodernbabylon Posts: 1,038 Member
    Sounds like a good plan - eat at current TDEE and then change it over if you workout less.

    And congratulations!!!
  • wow congrats!!

    ouch on knees though it could be that you upped it too much too quickly I would back it right off and do slow and moderate walking and then if you get no pain do brisk walk/slow walk intervals - don't forget that sometimes doing the same speed doesn't actually do a great deal but mixing it up - hard /slow/hills etc can make a big difference

    good luck though :)
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Did you do 4 weeks eating at TDEE after moving slowly up to that eating level - or jumped right up from much lower eating level?

    And how much did you gain the last 1 or 2 weeks?

    Also, your TDEE has changed now. You'll be growing tissue using your energy more than you could ever grow on your own body eating in a surplus and lifting.

    Agree on backing off walking until it gets checked out, or you find slow enough speed to be useful.
    Adjust TDEE as needed.

    Oh, for those rough TDEE levels for hours per week - walking only counts half time since it's so low a calorie burn. So 4 hrs walking would only count as 2 hrs in the chart.
    Pretty sure that's why your weight gain was more than it needed to be - you've been eating above maintenance.
  • MariahMichaels
    MariahMichaels Posts: 48 Member
    I increased my calories from 1680 NET by 200 each week to get to TDEE of 2453.

    Here is my breakdown:

    April 28 - May 2: I ate at MPF NET Calories: 1680 - I weighed in May 2nd at 178 lbs.
    May 5 - 11: I increased my calories by 200 to NET 1880 - I weighed in on May 10th at 179.2 lbs.
    May 12 - 18: I increased my calories by 200 to NET 2080 - I did not weigh in as it was my TOM that week.
    May 19 - 25: I increased my calories by 200 to NET 2280 - I forgot to weigh in this weekend.
    May 26 - June 1: I increased my calories by 173 to NET 2453 - I weighed in on June 1st at 185 lbs.
    June 2 - 8: Ate at TDEE of 2453 - I did not weigh in because my TOM was due. (It never happened!)
    June 9 - 15: I ate at TDEE of 2453 - Found out I was pregnant and didn't even think about weighing in.
    June 16 - 21: I ate at TDEE of 2453 - I weighed in on June 21st at 186.2 lbs.

    So I must be eating above TDEE to have gained this quickly? I hope to get this figured out in the next 6 weeks, so that I can increase my calories accordingly for my 2nd and 3rd trimester.

    I'm going to try eating at the new TDEE of 2224 for a couple of weeks.

    Height: 5'7"
    Weight: 186
    Activity Level: 1-3 hours of light exercise (2 hours of Elliptical)
    BMR 1617
    TDEE 2224

    - Mariah
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Are you sure you were using the word NET correctly in those descriptions?
    So you ate back logged exercise calories?
    And that calorie burn was estimated by ....?

    So you had an exercise level probably higher than it needed to be, AND it included exercise, AND you were eating back exercise calories?

    So last week for instance - NET 2453, and your gross eating level was actually how much because of eating back exercise?

    I'd suggest that was a reason for weight gain too.

    When looking at results of eating levels, NET stats are actually useless, because that's assuming you know exactly how much you burned in the exercise, and you don't.
    Gross figures matter.

    So for the weeks from June 1 to June 21, what was the average Gross average eating level, not goal, actually eaten?

    1.2 lb gain if fat x 3500 / 20 days = 210 surplus over TDEE for whatever the workout was during that time.

    So you find your average Gross eating level for that time, minus 210 - there's your TDEE - for the activity level during that time. Might review what that was too, average amount of walking, of this, of that, weekly.

    That TDEE divided by MFP's Mifflin BMR for that weight = your personal activity factor.

    If you kept that workout routine the same - your new BMR as weight increases x that factor = new TDEE.
  • MariahMichaels
    MariahMichaels Posts: 48 Member
    From May 5-25, I did log my exercise calories into MFP but made sure to eat back those calories so my NET calories would be correct. Calories burned were estimated by MFP for that time frame. From May 26 - June 21st I logged my exercise in at 1 calorie into MFP so that it would not change my calorie goals.

    May 5 - 25
    Exercise calories are based of MFP.

    Calories consumed 2202 - Walking 348 (68 minutes) - NET Calories 1854
    Calories consumed 2516 - Elliptical 763 (63 minutes) - NET Calories 1753
    Calories consumed 2269 - Walking 469 (101 minutes) - NET Calories 1800
    Calories consumed 2550 - Elliptical 751(62 minutes) - NET Calories 1799
    Calories consumed 2513 - Elliptical 835 (87 minutes) - NET Calories 1678
    Calories consumed 2038 - Walking 202 (60 minutes) - NET Calories 1836
    Calories consumed 2281 - Walking 432 (90 minutes) - NET Calories 1849
    Calories consumed 2402 - Walking 348 (68 minutes) - NET Calories 2054
    Calories consumed 2610 - Elliptical 751 (62 minutes) - NET Calories 1859
    Calories consumed 2412 - Walking 374 (73 minutes) - NET Calories 2038
    Calories consumed 2728 - Elliptical 775 (64 minutes) - NET Calories 1953
    Calories consumed 2339 - Walking 333 (65 minutes) - NET Calories 2030
    Calories consumed 2279 - Walking 202 (60 minutes) - NET Calories 2077
    Calories consumed 2339 - Walking 331 (60 minutes) - NET Calories 2008
    Calories consumed 2497 - Walking 358 (70 minutes) - NET Calories 2139
    Calories consumed 2826 - Elliptical 751 (62 minutes) - NET Calories 2075
    Calories consumed 2718 - Walking 348 (68 minutes) - NET Calories 2370
    Calories consumed 2567 - Walking 297 (58 minutes) - NET Calories 2270
    Not logged
    Calories consumed 2323 - No exercise - NET Calories 2323
    Not logged

    May 26-31
    Exercise calories were logged as 1 calorie burned during this time.

    Calories consumed 2426 - Walking 1 (60 minutes)
    Calories consumed 2421 - Walking 1 (66 minutes)
    Calories consumed 2451 - Elliptical 1 (62 minutes)
    Calories consumed 2440 - Walking 1 (65 minutes)
    Calories consumed 2448 - Elliptical 1 (60 minutes)
    Calories consumed 2440 - No exercise

    June 1 - 21
    Exercise calories were logged as 1 calorie burned during this time.

    Calories consumed 2418 - Walking 1 (145 minutes)
    Calories consumed 2425 - Walking 1 (59 minutes)
    Calories consumed 2433 - Elliptical 1 (62 minutes)
    Calories consumed 2444 - Walking 1 (65 minutes)
    Calories consumed 2452 - Elliptical 1 (62 minutes)
    Calories consumed 2452 - Walking 1 (62 minutes)
    Calories consumed 2441 - No exercise
    Calories consumed 2427 - Walking 1 (150 minutes)
    Calories consumed 2447 - Walking 1 (49 minutes)
    Calories consumed 2430 - Elliptical 1 (62 minutes)
    Calories consumed 2449 - Walking 1 (54 minutes)
    Calories consumed 2410 - Elliptical 1 (62 minutes)
    Calories consumed 2449 - Walking 1 (61 minutes)
    Not logged
    Calories consumed 2446 - Walking 1 (90 minutes)
    Calories consumed 2416 - No exercise
    Calories consumed 2432 - Walking 1 (68 minutes)
    Calories consumed 2416 - Elliptical 1 (62 minutes)
    Calories consumed 2408 - Walking 1 (72 minutes)
    Calories consumed 2397 - Elliptical 1 (62 minutes)
    Not logged


    So what do I need to fix in order to make my TDEE correct?

    Thank you,
    Mariah
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Well - you understood the concept wrong. You are mixing 2 totally different methods.

    MFP takes a deficit off non-exercise TDEE or maintenance.
    You exercise and add on those calories.
    Same deficit taken.
    You eat more.

    TDEE deficit method takes a deficit off exercise included TDEE.
    You exercise and do nothing because you already included exercise in the TDEE level.
    Deficit changes daily.
    You eat the same daily.

    Or are you saying you are doing TDEE method, but you are really doing MFP method?
    Meaning you picked Sedentary TDEE, and are adding on exercise later to eat back?
    Which is what MFP was already doing.

    If you did include exercise in your selection of TDEE level, and ate back during all that time - yes - you did indeed gain some fat eating that much above maintenance. Because just the June time frame shows that was eating above maintenance already, now add some 250-500 almost daily for that earlier time.

    The walking calorie burn is fine, if the elliptical is about the same intensity as the walking, then you got some bad inflated calorie burns.
    Elliptical calorie burn is for a hard effort the whole time. So if that time includes starting out slow and ending slow for warmup/cooldown - you may have an extra 10 too high calorie burn, even if rest of the workout was intense.

    To fix, get your avg eating level for the Jun 1 - 21, subtract 210. Explained more detail in last post.
  • MariahMichaels
    MariahMichaels Posts: 48 Member
    Starting on May 26 - June 21st I set my calories at 2453 (I thought was my TDEE using the Scooby calculator and setting my activity level to moderate).

    MPF setting are customized settings:

    Net Calories Consumed: 2453
    Carbs: 40%
    Protein: 30%
    Fat: 30%

    I record my exercise using MPF with everything logged a 1 calorie for each time I exercised since my TDEE was supposed to include my activity level. Is that wrong? As far as my workouts go, walking was done at a brisk pace (estimated about 3.5 MPH), elliptical is 62 minutes which includes 2 minutes of cool down (intensity is set 16-17, highest you can go is 20) I normally do 30 minutes of hills and 30 minutes of flat.

    I want to make sure I understand this correctly now, I'm to subtract 210 calories from my current 2453? That would put me at 2243 calories per day. I am not walking at a brisk pace this week because of my knee pain, I am walking slowly for about 60 minutes 3 days a week and using the elliptical for 60 minutes 2 days a week. On Saturday and Sunday I usually do errands, which includes about 45-60 minutes of slow walking on each day. Here's a breakdown:

    Monday - Walking for 60 minutes (Slow pace)
    Tuesday - Elliptical for 60 minutes plus 2 minutes of cool down
    Wednesday - Walking for 60 minutes (Slow pace)
    Thursday - Elliptical for 60 minutes plus 2 minutes of cool down
    Friday - Walking for 60 minutes (Slow pace)
    Saturday - Errands so 45-60 minutes of walking at slow pace
    Sunday - Errands so 45-60 minutes of walking at slow pace


    Thank you,
    Mariah
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Well, I'm using terms specifically.
    Avg eaten daily is not the same as what you had your goal set to.
    You can't do math with goal numbers and real results, because we both know you did not eat that much daily during that time.

    I did the math in a prior post to show you how it's done, might review, for basing TDEE on real results of weight gain 1.2 lbs.
    Hence the need for what you actually ate, not goal to eat. In case there is bigger difference.

    So I know you are not eating back exercise calories now - I was referring to the time period in your list where you made a distinction of NET calories, which sounds like you did eat back at that time.
    That's why you gained fat, you were eating over TDEE during that whole period.
    That's a separate point I wanted to make, the reason why you gained weight then.

    For the later time where you were not eating back exercise, you still were eating over TDEE, or you would not have gained weight. Unless you started a new lifting program - which you did not.
    Or that final weigh in was invalid and a jump in weight of purely water weight. But your workouts are not the super intense stuff to do that, you can recover. As long as weigh-in was after rest day.

    The difference in calorie burn between 3 mph and 4 mph walking is decently big if you do a lot of it, but between 2 and 3 is not. So i don't know what you mean by slow compared to prior speed, because don't know it.

    But if you think of that last block of 20 days that the TDEE math is based on - whatever that workout was then.
    If currently doing less than that - then your TDEE will be even less than the math of avg eaten - 210 = TDEE.

    To emphasis - here's what you need.
    What did you eat daily average Jun 1-21? (not goal, actually put in body)
    Subtract 210 (based on fact you gained 1.2 lbs during that time).
    That was your actual TDEE during that time for that workout level and weight.

    If current exercise is going to remain less than that routine, round down.
    If current exercise is less walking more elliptical, round up.
    Take deficit.
    Continue as you have been.

    For future reference when you lose 5 lbs, take that true TDEE / current BMR = activity factor.
    As weight drops and BMR goes down, then new weight BMR x factor = new weight TDEE. (if routine stays about the same)
    Take deficit.
    Continue.