So i have to gain back everything?

Koldnomore

I am trying to figure out what I have to do. It's very confusing and it sounds like I have to go back to eating almost 2600 calories a day..

I have been doing this for about 1 month now. I started at 1600 or so before i came to MFP then the site told me I had to go to 1200 and eat back exercise, which I did for a couple of weeks. I have since decided that I feel like a bag of crap on 1200 and upped myself to 1400 starting at the end of last week which seemed to help my energy but I did not lose any weight last week either. I have been netting @1500 cal for about the last 8 days and started some light strength training last night.

Today I am hurting badly, I did only 30 squats, wall pushups and dumbell rows (3 x 10). I managed my 16 min walk to work this morning but i could feel it and now I am wondering if I am going to be able to do the walk back or my usual bike ride tonight. My thighs feel like jello

My normal days I walk about 32 min (16 each way) to work at @3.5mph - 5 days a week. Every second day I bike (slowly) for about half an hour. I have a desk job but I do get up on occasion to go install someones computer. Based on this I put my information into the Scooby site and got:
BMR: 1685
TDEE: 2612

If i go back to eating 2600 calories a day I will gain back every pound I have lost in the last month.. How long do I have to go for and then what do I have to do after? I don't want to put all my weight back on and I have no idea how I'm going to manage eating 2200 cal a day with healthy food..I mean I can go back and eat like i did before losing weight and sure I can do it easy but I dont think that's the point right?

HeidiHoMom

I eat 2150-2500 cals a day and it is almost all healthy with the exception of one treat per day (sometimes 2) but it is definitely doable to eat that much in healthy food. You need to choose calorie dense and nutrient rich foods like almonds, avocados, nut butters, full fat dairy, greek yogurt etc.

juicemoogan

you dont have to eat 2600 unless you are doing the metabolism reset.

That 2600 level (if your calculations and activity level are accurate) sould be your maintenance level. At maintenance you should be doing just that... MAINTAIN.. some people gain a bit, but then once they move to their cut level it comes off.

if you are going for your cut level it should be around 15% deficit from your TDEE so that would be 2200 as you say. At 2200 that is still a defecit from your TDEE so you should be losing. not gaining.


Take a look at some members diary's. most are probably open.. and you can get some ideas on what to eat..

HeidiHoMom

I didn't gain anything eating at my 15% cut or at my full TDEE. Everyone is different.

greedygirl118

Are you sure you have your activity levels set correctly? Personally, I wouldn't count the short walk to work as exercise, as I see it as part of normal activity. Judging by what you posted, you're only lightly active, so TDEE of 2600 cals seems like a lot.

SweatpantsRebellion

The truth is that you may gain back a few pounds if you go all the way up to TDEE or that can even happen it cut if your body got to used to very low calorie. But the gain should level off if you are at TDEE or cut. So your next step is up to you. You could go to TDEE - 15% and eat that for an entire month without changing it (the consistency is very important). If that doesn't work, then go up to TDEE for a full reset before dropping back to cut. Or, if you think you might need a metabolism reset(4-12 weeks or so of eating at maintenance) and would rather try that first, then you could go straight to TDEE and do that before dropping down to TDEE - 15%.

Either way consistency is key. Good luck!

Koldnomore

Are you sure you have your activity levels set correctly? Personally, I wouldn't count the short walk to work as exercise, as I see it as part of normal activity. Judging by what you posted, you're only lightly active, so TDEE of 2600 cals seems like a lot.

I only set it like that because that is what the "TDEE & BMR: What they are and what to do with them" thread told me..

Moderately Active - moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk (****SIDE NOTE - even if you have a desk job most people fit right here when you workout 3-5 days a week)

So then walking to work at 3.5 mph speed is not 'working out' and neither is and 8km bike ride every second day at 9.9km/h speed?

So then I set it lightly active and I get 2317 TDEE and 1969 for calories I need to eat which will give me less than 1 - 2 lbs weight loss..actually its only saying .7 lb / week. Now, I am set to lose 2 lbs a week and if I do this I can only lose .7/week?

I'm so confused.. Maybe its easier to just keep slowly increasing my calories like I have been until I start gaining weight then cut from there?

juicemoogan

Walking to work is part of my daily routine so I don't count that in the exercise calculations.

Anything that is intentional exercise, and above your daily routine i would count.

aj_31

Walking to work is part of my daily routine so I don't count that in the exercise calculations.

Anything that is intentional exercise, and above your daily routine i would count.

^^ I agree 100%. I don't count my walks to and from the bus because it is part of my daily routine. I only count walks/runs on my lunch hour because I'm purposely exercising.

greedygirl118

I would only count the bike ride, personally. Fifteen minutes of walking is not really exercise, it's part of normal life.

StephieWillcox

See I disagree with a few of the above. I have a bodymedia FIT and if I didn't count my walk to and from work (40 mins in total) scooby would end up WAY underestimating my TDEE. By including the walk scooby and BMF are pretty equal.