Going from MFP to TDEE--possible weight gain?

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  • kerriotto
    kerriotto Posts: 93
    If you're eating below your TDEE you should lose weight, even on days you don't exercise.
  • seena511
    seena511 Posts: 685 Member
    save
  • reerazzle
    reerazzle Posts: 81 Member
    Bump
  • BigG59
    BigG59 Posts: 396 Member
    For the OP and others who asked, because your exercise is figured into TDEE, you do NOT eat your exercise calories back if you are eating based on TDEE, even TDEE- x%.

    If you are eating based on MFP goals, you should eat your exercise calories back, but I would advise getting a better number for calorie burn than the numbers MFP gives you. If you don't have a HRM or fitbit/BodyMediaFit/Jawbone UP, then use one of the online calculators:

    http://www.shapesense.com/fitness-exercise/calculators/activity-based-calorie-burn-calculator.aspx
    http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calories_burned.htm

    There are lots of others online, but most just base the calories on your weight, and that's not really sufficient.

    I agree 100% with this.

    I am on an MFP of 1220 calories. I am still losing 2lbs a month. I have been doing this for almost 6 months now (starting at 1400 calories). I realised a few weeks in that MFP was overestimating calories burned (for me) and got a HRM.
  • mad00had00
    mad00had00 Posts: 103 Member
    I was on the 1200 calorie diet for 3 months and now that I am using the TDEE method...I want to know, on average, how much more weight does a person gain back before they start losing again.

    I ask this because I am sure going from 1200 to 1800 after 3-4 months must cause some cause of fat deposition, until it takes time for the body to settle down.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    I was on the 1200 calorie diet for 3 months and now that I am using the TDEE method...I want to know, on average, how much more weight does a person gain back before they start losing again.

    I ask this because I am sure going from 1200 to 1800 after 3-4 months must cause some cause of fat deposition, until it takes time for the body to settle down.

    If you have been doing any kind of decent exercise with that level, your glucose stores will be constantly low.

    You should gain maybe 3 lbs pretty quickly. Carbs store with water - needed, and you were going to get those back the minute you went to maintenance level anyway.
    It's the same big weight loss you got at the start - water weight.

    Outside that, realize the math.

    250 calories daily over your TDEE would cause 1 lb of fat gain in 2 weeks. 1 lb if it was truly due to fat gain.

    And you can do the math for where you are at right now, kind of.

    Likely some of the weight you've been losing has been muscle mass, so the math really doesn't work well.

    But if you've been screeching to a halt in weight loss to 0.5 lbs weekly, that's the same 250 cal deficit - if it was truly all fat lost, which I'm doubting.

    So that would imply your real TDEE is 1450 plus your exercise calories if you've been eating them back. If not, less than that then.

    Pretend no exercise calories was eaten back, and TDEE really was 1450. 1700 would be that 250 extra daily, for 1 lb of fat in 2 weeks.
    Assuming your metabolism stayed suppressed.

    Which, don't tell the ladies - we luck out on recovering faster, usually.

    So let any initial fast weight gain show you just how badly your body was wanting extra cals, and then see what happens in 3 weeks after that.

    And if you like the eat back method, Lightly Active level, 1 lb loss goal, eat back all calories estimated.

    If you want the TDEE method, get that BF% estimated in the spreadsheet and use that goal, because I'm guessing you've lost some LBM and muscle. And this way knowing exercise burn amounts don't matter.
  • volume77
    volume77 Posts: 670 Member
    Yes, I did this! I did not have as big of a gap as you do but I did gain 4 pounds and then got stable. The process took 6 weeks. THEN, I started losing again.

    Those really low calorie goals (like 1200) are really a metabolism killer as far as I'm concerned. And, really contribute to the whole yo-yo dieting thing. That's one reason people are "back" here trying to lose what they gained.

    My story is that I lost my original weight (35 pounds) eating1200 plus exercise calories and the moment I upped my calories to my maintenance level I started gaining. (and I even did it slowly too!)

    So, then I did the TDEE method. In my opinion it is a much better method as it takes into account your body fat and lean body mass. And, it was worth gaining the 4 pounds to get on the right track with losing them again. I feel much better, healthier and energetic!




    AND I can eat more food!

    I say give it a try and don't worry about the small gain, you will lose it back down again.

















    exactly what she said

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