Crisis of faith. Help me find my TDEE?

ladiablo

Hi MFP community. I'm trying to use the TDEE method and recently wondering whether I'm eating enough, but also scared of eating too much (common, I know). Here are my measurements - please let me know your thoughts!

Female, 25, 66 inches tall, 205 pounds.

Military body fat %: 41.4%

Unsure if lightly or moderately active (I work about 30 hours/week on my feet constantly, often cleaning or lifting/moving objects). Also try to get moderate exercise 2-3 times a week on top of that. Yoga, pilates, elliptical, or walking.

Harris Benedict says my BMR is 1740 calories.
Katch McArdle says my BMR is 1548 calories.

Fat2FitRadio says I should have the following to maintain my weight:
Sedentary (little or no exercise, desk job) 2088
Lightly Active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk) 2393
Moderately Active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk) 2697

My current goal is set at 1698 because I'd taken 20% off the "lightly active" maintenance weight at my goal weight. I find myself wanting to cheat at this a lot even though my brain tells me this is a perfectly reasonable amount of calories to eat. I'm having logic battles internally - is this a good amount to eat, or is it below my BMR and therefore way too low?

Please help!

OllyJ_79

If you give this site a try it should help to match up your activity levels.

http://calorieline.com/tools/tdee

ladiablo

If you give this site a try it should help to match up your activity levels.

http://calorieline.com/tools/tdee

"Work: On feet for 6 hrs each day, 5 days weekly.
Exercise: brisk one hour walk 3 times weekly. 2634
Work: Moderate manual labor (sweeping, mopping) 4 hours each day, and on feet for another 4 hrs each day, 5 days weekly.
Exercise: none. 3139 "

.... I don't think that's possible.... I would be losing a minimum of two pounds per week, and I am definitely not. I've lost 6-10 pounds over the last two months (bouncing around significantly). I know I'm putting on muscle in addition to losing fat, but... 3000 calories/day to lose weight?

I do appreciate the resource, and I know everyone is resistant to TDEE at first because it just seems like too much, but.... does that number seem high to anyone else?

OllyJ_79

If your stats are correct, 5ft 5, 93kg, 25 yr, then that gives you a BMR of around 1680, and with your activity that would be a TDEE of around 2700. To lose weight you'd take 15-20% off that total, so you'd be eating around 2150 a day. What is your goal weight?

The next question is are you accurately logging all solids and liquids, and weighing everything?

ladiablo

The site you posted says the TDEE listed is for the goal weight (I put 140). It's saying I should eat that TDEE daily to lose weight and reach my goal.

If I put my current weight as my goal weight (to establish the recommended maintenance calories), it recommends 2988-3493 daily (depending which category I choose). 15-20% off of the lower one would put me at 2390-2540 calories/day for healthy weight loss. That's 700 calories/day higher than what I'm eating now!

I am logging all solids and any liquids with calories (I have not been logging my metric ton of diet pepsi consumption). I have a food scale that I use religiously and try to estimate on the high end when that's not an option.

I do have a thyroid disorder (no thyroid at all, complete levothyroxine replacement), but that is well-regulated right now.

OllyJ_79

As it also says "If you want to lose weight faster, you can choose a line in the chart above, but then shave off about 150-300 calories from the suggested 'calories to eat,' or if you prefer, increase the exercise level a bit. "

TDEE is always an estimate of course; But as you have a BMI of nearly 34, you can afford to eat lower than most people would be recommended. I think 2000 per day would be a good target.

How much weight are you losing per month?

jennetsullivan

If you give this site a try it should help to match up your activity levels.

http://calorieline.com/tools/tdee

"Work: On feet for 6 hrs each day, 5 days weekly.
Exercise: brisk one hour walk 3 times weekly. 2634
Work: Moderate manual labor (sweeping, mopping) 4 hours each day, and on feet for another 4 hrs each day, 5 days weekly.
Exercise: none. 3139 "

.... I don't think that's possible.... I would be losing a minimum of two pounds per week, and I am definitely not. I've lost 6-10 pounds over the last two months (bouncing around significantly). I know I'm putting on muscle in addition to losing fat, but... 3000 calories/day to lose weight?

I do appreciate the resource, and I know everyone is resistant to TDEE at first because it just seems like too much, but.... does that number seem high to anyone else?

Are you sure that you're putting on muscle?

I ask because I was doing almost EXACTLY what you were doing, eating at 1800 calories and working out - I have a desk job, but I'm also 30 pounds heavier than you.

Anyways. I had my body fat measured via the water method ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrostatic_weighing ) when I started exercising. I was losing weight, eating 1800 calories a day, and hungry quite often (but not starving).

I lost 15 pounds over 6 weeks. I had my body fat measured again. I had lost 15 pounds, sure but 9 of that was lean muscle mass!!! :sad: I'm definitely stronger, and definitely have more strength in my core and arms...but I wasn't eating enough calories AT ALL.

I've since bumped up my intake to 2100 and eat back half of my exercise calories. Still losing weight, a little bit slower (initially saw a weight boost but my nutritionist said it was just my body re-hydrating) and now I'm down another few pounds.

tl;dr - I think you need to eat more calories. You sound like a highly active person and you'll feel better eating more. You might lose a little slower, but for me I feel much better eating 2100 so the trade off is worth it because I feel better and feel like it's easier to stick to this calorie counting thing.

SezxyStef

If you give this site a try it should help to match up your activity levels.

http://calorieline.com/tools/tdee

"Work: On feet for 6 hrs each day, 5 days weekly.
Exercise: brisk one hour walk 3 times weekly. 2634
Work: Moderate manual labor (sweeping, mopping) 4 hours each day, and on feet for another 4 hrs each day, 5 days weekly.
Exercise: none. 3139 "

.... I don't think that's possible.... I would be losing a minimum of two pounds per week, and I am definitely not. I've lost 6-10 pounds over the last two months (bouncing around significantly). I know I'm putting on muscle in addition to losing fat, but... 3000 calories/day to lose weight?

I do appreciate the resource, and I know everyone is resistant to TDEE at first because it just seems like too much, but.... does that number seem high to anyone else?

You have to remember that any TDEE site is just an estimate.

Based on your stats and another site you could eat 2000 calories a day and lose weight.

That being said you are not putting on muscle. You would have to be doing a progressive load lifting program for that...since you are new there would be some newb gains but as it stands now you are not.

as jennetsulliva said if you don't do some sort of resistence training and get in enough protien you will lose muscle.

If you find yourself hungry choose more filling foods such as protien.

And with 44lbs to go 1lb a week is sufficent and sustainable.

If you aren't losing weight at your current calorie level chances are you are eating more than you think. You have to weigh all solids and measure liquids.

And after looking at your diary...well it's interesting...chocolate covered peanuts for dinner? and you don't weigh most items.

As for exercise...do you have yourself set at lightly active? if so you are logging your work too and double dipping into those calories.

Set your activity at lightly active and don't log work as exercise.

ladiablo

Are you sure that you're putting on muscle?

I ask because I was doing almost EXACTLY what you were doing, eating at 1800 calories and working out - I have a desk job, but I'm also 30 pounds heavier than you.

Anyways. I had my body fat measured via the water method ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrostatic_weighing ) when I started exercising. I was losing weight, eating 1800 calories a day, and hungry quite often (but not starving).

I lost 15 pounds over 6 weeks. I had my body fat measured again. I had lost 15 pounds, sure but 9 of that was lean muscle mass!!! :sad: I'm definitely stronger, and definitely have more strength in my core and arms...but I wasn't eating enough calories AT ALL.

I've since bumped up my intake to 2100 and eat back half of my exercise calories. Still losing weight, a little bit slower (initially saw a weight boost but my nutritionist said it was just my body re-hydrating) and now I'm down another few pounds.

tl;dr - I think you need to eat more calories. You sound like a highly active person and you'll feel better eating more. You might lose a little slower, but for me I feel much better eating 2100 so the trade off is worth it because I feel better and feel like it's easier to stick to this calorie counting thing.

Oh no!
I feel like I must be putting on muscle because even though my weight isn't really changing, my measurements are. I'm using the military body fat calculator to keep track (estimates, I know :S) and it tells me that I've gone from a lean mass of 112 to 120 based on measurements. Not to say that's accurate, necessarily - could just be that I've lost some bloating maybe! 3 inches from waist, 1 from bra line, and 2 from hips. Have been hoping that it's real, measurable change but I'll just have to wait and see if the measurements keep going down or seem to be water retention .

Thanks for the allegory!

ladiablo

You have to remember that any TDEE site is just an estimate.

Based on your stats and another site you could eat 2000 calories a day and lose weight.

That being said you are not putting on muscle. You would have to be doing a progressive load lifting program for that...since you are new there would be some newb gains but as it stands now you are not.

as jennetsulliva said if you don't do some sort of resistence training and get in enough protien you will lose muscle.

If you find yourself hungry choose more filling foods such as protien.

And with 44lbs to go 1lb a week is sufficent and sustainable.

If you aren't losing weight at your current calorie level chances are you are eating more than you think. You have to weigh all solids and measure liquids.

And after looking at your diary...well it's interesting...chocolate covered peanuts for dinner? and you don't weigh most items.

As for exercise...do you have yourself set at lightly active? if so you are logging your work too and double dipping into those calories.

Set your activity at lightly active and don't log work as exercise.

I appreciate that you took time to reply to my message. I have difficulty seeing why I would not be gaining muscle; could you explain that please? I left a desk job at the end of May and have gone from sedentary to 2-3x/week exercise and a moderately physical job since them. Obviously I don't expect to be bulking up or anything, but it makes sense to me (without expertise) that there would be some amount of muscle change simply from being more active. Is that not the case?

I have been working on meeting my protein goals but find it very difficult. I've got it set currently at 30% protein (127g/day) and feel as if I never reach that. Perhaps I am too lenient with myself on "I have plenty of calories left for today, a sweet would be fine." Just feels like I am constantly consuming "high protein" foods and never get there.

I resent that you insinuate I am lying about weighing items.

I log the exercise purely to know that the exercise was completed. I do not eat back calories and I don't have it "set" at anything - since I am using TDEE method. I specified in the initial post that my calorie goal of 1698 was determined by reducing the TDEE for lightly active from fat2fitradio by 20% - but that is the TDEE recommended for my goal weight of 140. Hence why I was asking for advice.

beautifulwarrior18

How many times a week do you strength train?

Assuming you don't strength train this is the break down of the numbers I got for you at a 20% cut.

Calories: 1785

CARBS: 141.3 grams

PROTEIN 143.5

FAT 71.8

FIBER 41-51