Metabolism Reset - Eating at TDEE Support Thread
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I decided yesterday that I need the full reset. I wish I would have jumped in from the beginning, but it sounded like too much for me, and I was just hoping that a different number would work. I am a guy with a measured bmr of just over 2150 calories. I increased from 1600 before exercise calories to 2400 plus exercise calories about 5 weeks ago (I think).
I am very active, but my weeks can change dramatically as far as calorie burns, so I decided to figure out my TDEE based on what I burn just going to and from work (not working out). I know this isn't the recommended way for everyone, but my calorie burns week to week can change by 3000 or 4000 calories easily. So, I think I should be at about 3000 calories without any exercise outside of my normal work day. That is a lot of calories to eat, but I am eating them.
Today, I ate 3000 calories, did not work out, and am still hungry, haha. That seems wild to me considering just a couple months ago I was eating this much only if I went and played basketball for a long time.
Anyway, I'm sure I will increase (weight) again over the next week or more, but I think my body will be happy. I stabilized after upping my calories but did not really start losing, just fluctuated slightly. I'm ready, and I'm all in now.
Just wanted to get that all out of my head and on (virtual) paper.0 -
Wow I never thought I'd be proud of the fact that I ate almost 2000 calories but here we are. Day 2 of trying to reset my metabolism saw me eating 1901 calories and a net of about 1655 which is STILL below my BMR of 1800 and TDEE of 2100 dear Lord! The only way it got that high was treating myself to some ice cream but I know that's not what I should be eating for this but it's day 2 and I'm still trying to find ways to bump up the cals plus it was nice after months of "living" on 1200 calories a day. I noticed I had more energy in the gym today yay. Funnily enough calories = energy whooda thunk?0
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jomatho, thank you! I will start watching the videos.:flowerforyou:0
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Thanks for the welcome and replying to my post Noor13 and MariaMaria!
I am/was not eating my exercise calories back at all. So, I would finish the day eating around 1100 or so calories total plus I would exercise 2 hours on top of it. So, I was maybe netting 200-300 calories a day. I've been very irritable and every now and then if I got up too fast, I'd be light headed. I also haven't had a menstrual cycle in about a year. So, that's what I'm gathering I've done to my self.
The idea just really seems counter productive to me though. My body is already used to working out so much, I'm afraid if I cut back, then there is no possible way for me to get the short-term weight I will gain by increasing my calorie consumption. But, I also can't expect to have a life by spending every waking moment working out or worrying about it.
Thanks so much for your suggestions, I will take a look at them.
OMG-girl you netted 200-300 kcal a day. No wonder you are gaining. Your body is for sure in distress. You are starving yourself.
If you want to profit from the concept to weigh less by eating more you will have to reduce your workout or you will have to eat crazy amounts in order to net your TDEE.
I was doing Insanity 6 times a week and cut back on it to three times and three times weight lifting. That;s still more than enough and I think the TDEE of 2400kcal I am eating at the moment still might not be enough.0 -
Feeling discouraged today. My scale has not moved-- it is still up 9 out of 10 lbs so far. I hate it so much, but trying not to let it get to me. I'm up 1inch in my waist
This Tuesday will be end of my 5th week going into 6th week. Miracle, where are you? Trying not to give up, even though I can't go back to 1,200 diet EVER!
Anyone feeling same? 0 -
and I'm going on vacation next week. That is CRAZY! I usually gain 7lbs during vacation. Crazy I know, that was when I was on 1,200 diet. IDK about this time. I can't deal with this anymore really.0
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and I'm going on vacation next week. That is CRAZY! I usually gain 7lbs during vacation. Crazy I know, that was when I was on 1,200 diet. IDK about this time. I can't deal with this anymore really.
Stay strong. You can do it. We all have days like that. i did not step on the scale for a while. As long as I can fit into my pants I am ok.
Maybe on your vacation the magic will happen.
Thinking about you:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:0 -
Hi folks,
I am somewhat in a state of despair at the moment!!
I've been eating in between TDEE - 20% and TDEE for the past 5/6 weeks after years of 1200 cals and binges.
I have good days and bad days, but I'm mainly aiming to hit my calories, even if some of it comes from less ideal food, just to try to sort my body out.
Mentally I am feeling good, and my clothes aren't tight so I think i'm doing ok (haven't measured since the start, but might this weekend).
In a moment of insanity I jumped on the scales this morning (haven't weighed for 3/4 weeks) and I am up 7lbs... now i don't know what to do! I don't know whether to weigh for a few days in a row to check that this 7lb gain is rubbish (which I suspect it is), or just leave it and forget about it?!
Any advice is welcome, I don't want my life to be ruled by the scale, but I'm also worried that I'm doing something wrong!
Do I need to be more consistent with my calories? At the moment I'm eating anywhere between 2000 and 2400 and I'm now thinking this might be too big a difference to deal with daily?0 -
I've finally decided to take the plunge and try this. I'm extremely nervous about the potential weight gain though, but after reading posts and listening to my body lately, I don't think I have a choice.
I lost over 40 pounds in about 2 years by simply restricting my diet to 1200 calories. I'm 5'2" and 28 years old.
I then started exercising a little bit here and there, went vegetarian, and reached my lowest weight of 108 pounds. I felt great. So, why not go even farther? Long story short, I think I have become obsessed with the exercise part and gaining any weight. I'm lucky if I eat a total of 1200 calories a day and I work out an average of 1 1/2 hours at the gym, 30 minutes of weights at home and walk the dog for 30 minutes EVERY DAY, NO breaks. The problem is, I've now gained weight and my clothes are fitting tighter. How can this be?! I'm currently 121 pounds and am devastated that the more I do exercise-wise, the more I seem to gain.
So, I'm going to give this a shot, but it is very difficult knowing that I'm going to gain even more potentially. According to the Scooby Calculator, my BMR is 1339, TDEE is 2545 and -15% is 2163.
Question now is, do I go back to what I first did and had success, no gym at all and just eat 1200 calories a day? Or, do I just cut back on the gym and eat at 1339 to ease into it? Or, don't go so hard at the gym, maybe an hour each day, a few days a week and eat closer to 1900?
I really just want to get back to my goal weight of 110, not worrying so much about not being able to make it to the gym, and actually being healthy!
I think Noor answered some of your questions for you, but I have a question? What activity level did you put in to get a TDEE of 2545? If that was based off 1.5-2 hours of cardio a day, I think you need to rework the numbers.
My suggestion for you would be to do the reset, but also give your body a break from all that cardio. If it makes you feel better, do something light a few times a week, but not stressing your body in any way. Keep the 30 minutes of weights, but maybe do more intensely about 3 times a week instead of daily. Keep the dog walks and thats it. Now assess your TDEE on those activities and see what you come up with. Eat that amount every day no matter if you workout or not for 8 weeks. Then do a small cut of about 10% after that. You are not far from goal so you do not have to lose fast, slow is better.
The reason I say this, is you are killing yourself doing all of that. You won't be able to keep it up forever. You are young and don't notice right now, but it catches up to you. Life gets busier and busier and your body gets older, lol. You need to find something right now that you can keep up with and maintain for life. What you were doing was impossible to keep at forever and I think you were realizing that.
So let us know what you come up with for numbers with those readjustments!!!
Oops, forgot to ask, are you still vegetarian and what are your protein goals? Protein is very important if you want to build muscle and reshape your body.0 -
Feeling discouraged today. My scale has not moved-- it is still up 9 out of 10 lbs so far. I hate it so much, but trying not to let it get to me. I'm up 1inch in my waist
This Tuesday will be end of my 5th week going into 6th week. Miracle, where are you? Trying not to give up, even though I can't go back to 1,200 diet EVER!
Anyone feeling same?
Those were pounds that you lost unfairly, meaning you were starving/overworking and they probably weren't fat, but essential fluids, bone, organs, important stuff like that. Your body needs that back and has taken it. You are healthier because of it. Once you start your cut, you will lose hopefully mostly fat, the right way.0 -
Hi folks,
I am somewhat in a state of despair at the moment!!
I've been eating in between TDEE - 20% and TDEE for the past 5/6 weeks after years of 1200 cals and binges.
I have good days and bad days, but I'm mainly aiming to hit my calories, even if some of it comes from less ideal food, just to try to sort my body out.
Mentally I am feeling good, and my clothes aren't tight so I think i'm doing ok (haven't measured since the start, but might this weekend).
In a moment of insanity I jumped on the scales this morning (haven't weighed for 3/4 weeks) and I am up 7lbs... now i don't know what to do! I don't know whether to weigh for a few days in a row to check that this 7lb gain is rubbish (which I suspect it is), or just leave it and forget about it?!
Any advice is welcome, I don't want my life to be ruled by the scale, but I'm also worried that I'm doing something wrong!
Do I need to be more consistent with my calories? At the moment I'm eating anywhere between 2000 and 2400 and I'm now thinking this might be too big a difference to deal with daily?
Choose one and stick with it. Either TDEE or TDEE minus a cut. Consistency is part of it.
It is not uncommon to gain some weight after starving yourself before. Are you sure you have your numbers right? Activity right? ARe you working out?
If TDEE minus cut doesn't work for weight loss, you may have to go with less of a cut, or go all the way up to a reset anyways.
Also, if your jeans are fitting well, you shouldn't worry about the scale, I know it is hard, I have the same problem, but the inches are what people see anyways, not the scale. I understand it is just something to measure by and you want to make sure it is all working.0 -
First check in:
I'm 11 days in for eating at TDEE. Although, some days this week I didn't quite make it to TDEE AND I only worked out 6 / 11 days. This week has been CRAZY busy for me and I've been a bit stressed with all I've had to get done this week for work and the shower. I've also gone to bed late and gotten up super early every day, so I'm tired. Even so, it's been a fun and very positive week!
The baby shower I'm hosting for my daughter is finally here tomorrow (I'm so excited!), so today is the last day of being super busy getting everything done. I will plan ahead what I'll eat tomorrow because it will be a busy day! Then, Sunday will be back to my regular routine.
I've gained about 1 lb in 11 days. My clothes feel tighter. In fact, one pair of jeans was too tight to wear this week. Ugh. I feel much "bigger" everywhere. My abdomen definitely looks fuller. Hmmm. While I'm tired from all the craziness of my schedule, I KNOW I'd be much more tired had I not been eating at TDEE.
I still plan to stick out the next 6.5 weeks to get to a full 8-week reset! I have found reading everyone's posts VERY helpful in making me want to stay with this despite how I look and feel with the gain.
Hang in there, troops! We are changing in SO MANY positive ways! Yeah US!:flowerforyou:0 -
Good morning ladies, I woke up ravenous and bloated today. TOM is due any day...ugh! Anyway, seems to be some discouragement out there, just wanted to say keep on keepin on!!! I know this has been a long, hard journey for so many of you, but you did not come this far to throw in the towel!!! Hang in there!!!!
((((hugs)))))
Becca 0 -
and I'm going on vacation next week. That is CRAZY! I usually gain 7lbs during vacation. Crazy I know, that was when I was on 1,200 diet. IDK about this time. I can't deal with this anymore really.
But remember, previous vacations were "binges" ! You are no longer on a binge cycle, so your body wont shock itself when you eat a bit more.. You might be surprised after your vacation!0 -
I am struggling a bit this past few days. Ive been super busy so one day I didnt even come close to TDEE and others I have struggling to get close to. On top of that my workout schedule has been in the tank this week due to busyness so I feel like Ive done nothing at all.
I checked inches again because Ive been off weights since Mondays workout and I wanted to see if there were any changes..And zilch.. So Im pretty disappointed that after 6 weeks of NROL there have been ZERO inches lost and small inch gains in almost everything.
Just getting a bit frustrated .. hoping I can hold out longer0 -
Seems to be a rough week for many of us on here.
Just wanted to send you some good vibes-keep going girls. We can do it.
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I started to eat TDEE last Tuesday (so 10 days). The last 4 days I stayed to exact same weight, which was only about 2 pounds more than when I started eating more (3 months ago). Then, of course TOM hit hard today and gave me and extra 2 pounds. ugh I could barely find any jeans that fit me. It will feel nice to have my tummy flat again without all this food/water bloat. I even noticed yesterday I had a little belly hangover! What the junk?!? Anyhow, I am going to measure next week after TOM goes away and see how that went. I don't listen to the scale and it WILL NOT determine my mood for the day!
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I think Noor answered some of your questions for you, but I have a question? What activity level did you put in to get a TDEE of 2545? If that was based off 1.5-2 hours of cardio a day, I think you need to rework the numbers.
My suggestion for you would be to do the reset, but also give your body a break from all that cardio. If it makes you feel better, do something light a few times a week, but not stressing your body in any way. Keep the 30 minutes of weights, but maybe do more intensely about 3 times a week instead of daily. Keep the dog walks and thats it. Now assess your TDEE on those activities and see what you come up with. Eat that amount every day no matter if you workout or not for 8 weeks. Then do a small cut of about 10% after that. You are not far from goal so you do not have to lose fast, slow is better.
The reason I say this, is you are killing yourself doing all of that. You won't be able to keep it up forever. You are young and don't notice right now, but it catches up to you. Life gets busier and busier and your body gets older, lol. You need to find something right now that you can keep up with and maintain for life. What you were doing was impossible to keep at forever and I think you were realizing that.
So let us know what you come up with for numbers with those readjustments!!!
Oops, forgot to ask, are you still vegetarian and what are your protein goals? Protein is very important if you want to build muscle and reshape your body.
Yeah, she totally did. Thanks, Noor!
I did the re-assessment of my TDEE with just 3-5 hours of exercise per week and my numbers are definitely lower. TDEE is at 2076. I'm planning on signficantly cutting back on my time at the gym. I only did 40 minutes of cardio and 20 minutes of weights yesterday and FORCED myselft to leave. It was a strange feeling; felt guilty, especially with eating so much more on top of it. But, I can say that after not going at all Tuesday or Wednesday and just for that hour yesterday, I felt much more relaxed and less irritable. It may just be in my head, but my body felt less stressed.
As for my protein. I don't meet my goal everyday. But, I'm generally pretty close. Well, in comparison to my total daily intake of calories and my previous exercise habits, I'm sure it wasn't enough... But, I do eat a lot of yogurt, peanut butter, beans, quinoa, some tofu and lots of veggies that carry high amounts of protein like broccoli.
I totally agree on the fact that I can't keep what I was doing up forever. Actually, looking forward to cutting back. So, I'm going to do the reset and cut back significantly on the gym. 2076 calories a day here I come!!! Thanks for your suggestions. 0 -
Its definitely a rough week for me. I'm on my 5th week of eating TDEE and I've gained a few lbs, but I wasn't going to pay any attention to the scale...BUT....Now my favorite pair of pants are too tight for comfort, and I've had to resort to going through my old "fat clothes" to pull out clothing that fits!! Also, I've gone up 1 inch on my waist!
I'm feeling pretty awful right now, but I'm still going to stick with it, I just can't wait until I can do my 15% cut. I really hope that works!!!0 -
I am going to post a video over the weekend...not sure the title yet and I want all of you guys to take a moment to watch it...I had someone email me that they had been doing the reset and gained...I checked their diary and they never netted close to bmr. It is as though because the calories increased, they felt the need to increase the burns or they may have just chosen the incorrect activity level from the beginning...counterproductive:frown:
So, please make sure that you have picked your correct activity level, make sure when you do your workouts you at least net your BMR, and be consistent....
If you are not hungry by the end of night and need quick cals, find those dense cals to take in (tbs coconut or olive oil...yes I have taken it straight because I needed the cals, pb, banana, pb and banana, protein shake w/ egg and pb and banana)...but get those calories in. I start eating early in the morning, every two hours...meals are planned in the morning so I know when to eat what, and if you want a big burn, then you have to be willing to eat to support that burn...Ok I won't repeat make sure to at least NET your bmr if you have a high burn day...:blushing: guess I did repeat it eh?
Lucia:flowerforyou:0 -
Should I put in my current weight or my weight I am aiming to be? I weigh 285 currently and I am not sure if I can eat that much anymore.0
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Should I put in my current weight or my weight I am aiming to be? I weigh 285 currently and I am not sure if I can eat that much anymore.
Your current weight. You musteat the cals needed for your current weight. If you go by your goal weight, then you arent feeding yourself enough..
Work on eating higher calorie dense foods like Nuts, oils, full fat cheese etc.. they eat up the cals a lot quicker0 -
I did it!...I think. If the goal is to eat our TDEE then I got pretty darn close. My TDEE is 2158 apparently. And MFP says I ate 2118 calories today so woo. Although I netted 1872 but that's just above my BMR so yay? Kinda confused if we're to eat back our exercise cals doing this but today was pretty darn good regardless.
Funny how in a week's time my definition of a good day of eating sure has changed. I looked at one of my friend's diaries and I saw she only ate like 1100 calories. It was so bare. I feel like I should warn her about all this stuff and save her the grief but don't wanna get all up in her business.0 -
Hey everyone, checking in. Day 11 of my reset. I'm up .6 but there's been minute fluctuations in-between because I'm more sensitive to sodium lately, and while it doesn't cause huge swelling in any extremities, it does cause obvious water retention. I've been approx. -230 calories away from my TDEE by the end of each night, which bugs me because I really want to do it right, eat at TDEE or above, and not have a deficit of more than -100 calories.
I have also not worked out as much as I had before the reset, but mainly because I'm waiting for next week, when I get back to the gym to lift weights 2x/week, thanks to summer school for my kiddos. I'll lift Monday & Wednesday, then do HIIT Thursday, Saturday and possibly Sunday.
Raynn1 - are you on Stage 1 of NROLFW? Don't be discouraged if you haven't seen changes. I have heard that more obvious changes happen in the later stages. I had finished Stage 1 after 6 weeks and did notice body recomposition in my upper midsection (hello, two pack! Stick around a while!), but the love handles are still sitting on my hip bones. Don't give up!
Drusilla126 - Hooray! Good for you for eating so close to TDEE! Like I said, that's my goal, too, and I need to plan my meals better/eat more during the earlier part of the day. If you're trying to eat at TDEE, I believe you do NOT eat back exercise cals, especially if you picked the correct activity level for your TDEE calculation.
Hang in there, everyone! Don't give it up! I'm not! :flowerforyou:0 -
I've been reading the posted links. My TDEE is 2327 and my BMR is 1923. I want to be sure I've got this right. I need to reset and eat my TDEE 2327 for 6-8 weeks then cut by 15% to start losing (if I should gain weight). Exercise should be light, 30 min. walks etc. I do have to watch my carbs. due to a pre-diabetic scare this past spring. I am reading the posts and feeling excited yet anxious about weight gain. Is there anyone who has been doing this program and not freaked out about the weight gain? My mind understands the concept but like so many...the thought of gaining more weight is overwhelming. Thanks!0
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One thing to consider, do you have the right activity level? I am not working out hard but I live in the city and walk alot. After actually believing what my fit bit says I find I should eat 2900 at maintenance. I started my reset at 2400 then went up to 2700, now for the last 3 weeks of it I will be eating 2900. I am 5'8 and I never used to eat any exercise calories it put me under my bmr every day. So, even if your not running or weight lifting a every day, your still spending hours exercising, in a reset better to err over cals than under and have to do it over! Pre reset weight was 183. I thought I was moderately active, turns out I'm in the very active category. If your walking 2 or 3 miles every day your probably more active than you think. I've gained about 7 lbs on reset in these 5 weeks.
Good luck to you all and don't let the psychological stuff make you sweat it.
Don't give up!0 -
I've been reading the posted links. My TDEE is 2327 and my BMR is 1923. I want to be sure I've got this right. I need to reset and eat my TDEE 2327 for 6-8 weeks then cut by 15% to start losing (if I should gain weight). Exercise should be light, 30 min. walks etc. I do have to watch my carbs. due to a pre-diabetic scare this past spring. I am reading the posts and feeling excited yet anxious about weight gain. Is there anyone who has been doing this program and not freaked out about the weight gain? My mind understands the concept but like so many...the thought of gaining more weight is overwhelming. Thanks!
You dont have to quit (or lighten) up exercise unless you want to. Pretty much, you should continue at whatever activity level you were at before.0 -
Good morning! Just popping in to say keep on keepin on! You all are doing great!
I woke up feeling bloated(again), TOM, and up 4.2 lbs (I'm on day 17). Oh well. Going to the gym. I've got to keep my eats a bit cleaner today, we have a birthday weekend so I am going to be around alot of treats. Its so hard to stay away from all that stuff when technically you have the calories!
Have a great day!0 -
WHY in the world did I step on the scale this am? It's day 9 of the reset.
I should have known better.....TOM, I ate out yesterday night and I lifted heavy.
I am up 9! Pounds today. I wanna cry!:sad: :sad: :sad: :sad: :sad: :sad:0 -
WHY in the world did I step on the scale this am? It's day 9 of the reset.
I should have known better.....TOM, I ate out yesterday night and I lifted heavy.
I am up 9! Pounds today. I wanna cry!:sad: :sad: :sad: :sad: :sad: :sad:
In times like these, it helps to do the math...have you eaten an extra 35,000 calories? I think not. I'm up too because of a super busy week and poor eating choices in the busyness. Gonna get back on track today, though.
Drink lots of water for the next few days and the water weight will go down. :flowerforyou:0
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