Last 5 lbs and 2% bodyfat help please....:)

nellyett

Hi All!

I have been a lurker on this discussion board for a little while and love the positive energy that everyone has. I am looking to change my settings to a straight TDEE cut and and just aiming for the same calorie goal everyday.

I am currently doing a Sedentary TDEE cut of 15% and then eating back any logged exercise calories bringing me up to anywhere from 1650-1900 cals per day. I'm not sure that I am reaping the full benefits of this method. I had read somewhere that I may be under/over estimating my calories on anaerobic workout days and want to make sure I have these covered off. I use a HRM to gauge, but it doesn't show the 'afterburn'.

My current stats are:

5'5" tall female
40 years old
135 lbs
22.3 % bodyfat

I have a desk job during the day,
push myself with heavy weights at bootcamp 3 x per week (30-40 min class on average with a 200-300 cal burn as per HRM),
run 5kms 1 x per week
run 3-4 kms 1 or 2 days per week (occasionally sprint intervals)
1 to 2 rest days per week.

I was adding back my exercise calories because I figured it would motivate me to get that workout in. I'm thinking a more 'level' approach might be a nice change.

The Scoobys Workshop website has me at 1845 cals per day at a 15% deficit in the moderate activity level.

I am so close to my goal that I am apprehensive to change it up now, especially with the holidays coming up. Do I have my numbers right? Has anyone else tried this for the last few lbs? What was your experience? I am eating close to this on exercise days anyway, but not the rest days and am trying to wrap my head around it all.

Many thanks to everyone in advance!!

Gapwedge01

Just a note on eating back your exercise calories using a HRM for the burn number if you want to continue doing it that way. Remember your TDEE already has some activity built into the equation so you have to take your gross calories shown on your HRM and reduce it by the TDEE calories to get a net calorie burn to eat including your 15% cut.
I have my TDEE set up using a 1.35 activity factor which is an in between number of sedentary and lightly active. However, I may burn 1200 calories riding my bike. So, I have to find the net calories from that 1200 to get my eatable calories.
You will find most recommend nothing more than a 10% cut with only 5 pounds to go.

(non-exercise TDEE + exercise) - 15% = daily goal. Normal way of doing it with this method or

non-exercise TDEE - 15% + exercise - 15% = daily goal.

heybales

Don't worry about afterburn.

If it's the EPOC from lifting, it's fat burn during recovery, don't need to replenish fat stores, right.
If it's from cardio, it's maybe an hour, you'd have to do almost all out for 45 min to get a substantial afterburn like lifting, and even then, it's fat stores being used while glucose stores are being reloaded, so who cares as long as enough carbs eaten.

But you have best way to estimate TDEE, forget picking a level.

Pick your non-exercise level of TDEE only, probably above the 1.2 Sedentary level, that's so low. Most with FitBit's find their non-exercise desk job days end up being 1.35 x BMR, which is MFP's Lightly Active level.

Then add up all your normal avg exercise calories for the week, along with how much time that took.
Now divide by 7 for how much avg daily for exercise.

Then remove the TDEE hour calories that you already are accounting for from the HRM calorie count. So if it avgs 1 hr daily, that's TDEE / 24.

Add that new exercise total to your non-exercise TDEE estimate, there's your best TDEE estimate. Now take an appropriate deficit.

Even better though, this has been desired for a while, so it's already in a spreadsheet linked in this topic.
Fill in your stats, for curiosity's sake, fill in the Activity Calculator and see what the BMR multiplier is.
Then go to the TDEE Deficit tab, TDEE calc #2.
Fill in those HRM reported calories and time spent (don't modify, it'll do it for you), pick probably Lightly Active as other number or round down slightly.

There is your TDEE doing what we said. Oh, and what is that BMR multiplier compared to Simple Setup tab one?

Now drop to Deficit section and do first one, which is probably down at 10% deficit.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/813720-spreadsheet-bmr-tdee-deficit-macro-calcs-hrm-zones

If you are familiar with the whole BMR/TDEE concept, just skip to bottom for link.

nellyett

Wow, thank you for the detailed info. It all makes sense, and I've read bits and pieces of it all before, but it's so hard to lock in on a number when it relates to myself. haha

I will do some calculations and see what I come up with. Many thanks!!

Oh, and if I go the route with a constant TDEE-10% calorie count for the day, that's all I eat each day? No adding in cals for exercise, etc.?

heybales

Wow, thank you for the detailed info. It all makes sense, and I've read bits and pieces of it all before, but it's so hard to lock in on a number when it relates to myself. haha

I will do some calculations and see what I come up with. Many thanks!!

Oh, and if I go the route with a constant TDEE-10% calorie count for the day, that's all I eat each day? No adding in cals for exercise, etc.?

Correct.

Well, mostly. I'd say if you have like 1 long run a week over 60 min, only count the 60 min in the TDEE to be avg out to daily level.
On that day of the longer run, eat more carbs after.

Only other time would be if you just added extra time or an extra unplanned workout. So just keep in mind what you did include in the TDEE estimate, if you do extra, you get an extra 200 cal/hr probably.

nellyett

That's great, thank you! I filled out the chart and for the third calculation down which includes lifting 3 x per week it states my gross cals should be 1640 per day.

My BMR is 1400 so basically if I have a run day I need to make sure that I net above my BMR. The only part I'm not clear on now is that if I still total 1640 on a rest day, aren't those extra 240 cals above BMR supposed to balance out my workout days? Doesn't seem to be that high....the other calculations gave me a gross of 1900 and 2000 respectively. LOL

I guess I figure if I'm anywhere over a net of 1400 and under 1900 I should be okay... haha

heybales

That's great, thank you! I filled out the chart and for the third calculation down which includes lifting 3 x per week it states my gross cals should be 1640 per day.

My BMR is 1400 so basically if I have a run day I need to make sure that I net above my BMR. The only part I'm not clear on now is that if I still total 1640 on a rest day, aren't those extra 240 cals above BMR supposed to balance out my workout days? Doesn't seem to be that high....the other calculations gave me a gross of 1900 and 2000 respectively. LOL

I guess I figure if I'm anywhere over a net of 1400 and under 1900 I should be okay... haha

Well, that lifting is traditional, sets, reps, and rest. Boot camp where they keep you moving is more cardio, and without a recharge between lifts you can't actually lift as heavy and do as much damage. You are also burning more carb cals than lifting.

I'd say that might not be right for bootcamp type weights.

Those 240 extra calories above BMR on rest days do indeed balance some, they are also needed for the about 10% of TDEE is spent on processing food, rest of the day's activities, ect. Of course you want excess energy being spent of course, just not to much.

But correct, I think the NET above BMR is based on trusting a HRM calorie report a tad too much, and the fact there is always going be some 24 hrs in a row somewhere in your week where you are not netting your BMR. The idea that midnight matters to the body on that is, well....

nellyett

Thanks so much for all of your help!