Success with TDEE -20%

sylvabelle89

I just recently changed my calorie goals to my TDEE -20%. Even though I am a bit wary of it, I feel like it better suits my lifestyle.
Wanting to hear from some of the MFP folks that have had success losing weight with this particular course of action!

Also, did you all eat your exercise calories back or no?

Thanks!

calibriintx

I switched b/c MFP had me at 1200 cal/day and I was hungry, grumpy and feeling defeated. Still losing and feeling so much better. I try not to eat all of my exercise calories back just b/c MFP's exercise cals seem inflated. I'm about to get a HRM. Once I feel a little more confident of the accuracy, I'll probably eat them back more often, but only if I'm hungry.

sylvabelle89

Thanks fr your reply, briccomp!
I was also eating around 12-16 a day and was always hungry. I have to say since upping my calorie intake I feel unstoppable. Never hungry, twice the energy to exercise and run and play with my kids.

How long has it been since you changed your goals?

mockchoc

I did TDEE - 20% then 15% then 10% as I got closer to goal. Exercise is included in TDEE that is why it's called Total Daily Energy Expenditure.

eyeshuh

I eat all of my exercise calories back because I calculated my TDEE without taking exercise into consideration. That was easier for me since I exercise a different amount every day.

I have been very successful. Check the ticker, yo! I am at least another .8 down from that as well, I am hoping by weigh-in tomorrow I'll be able to mark another full pound gone!

Nic620

Bump!

I just upped my calories this week to be my TDEE- 20%. I was back and forth the same few pounds so I'll give this a go for a while to see if it will get me to where I want to be. Wish me luck!!

irishblonde2011

Bump

Would like to hear more success stories

determinedbutlazy

I was on a plateau for a month or so, and even put on a bit of weight over christmas, so about 3 weeks ago I switched to TDEE-20% and I've dropped about 5lbs. This is the most weight I've lost over the shortest amount of time since I started.

TDEE includes exercise, so you don't eat any of them back. I eat 1800 on days I exercise and on days I don't.

It works! Make good food choices, stick to your macros, eat and exercise and you will notice a massive difference. Not just in weight either, my hair and my skin are better, my moods are better, I'm generally a lot happier.

cubbies77

I was stuck for about eight weeks. I started eating my TDEE -20%, added some weights into my routine, and I've been losing about 1.5 - 2 pounds per week for the past few weeks. I'm sure it will slow eventually, since I tend to lose in whooshes instead of a straight line. I usually lose a half-pound one week, then two the next, then nothing, then three pounds... stuff like that.

I don't eat my exercise calories back. That's figured into your TDEE. It makes it SO much easier, since you always eat the same number without worrying about net calories and all that. You can still track your exercise. I change my calories burned to "1" so MFP doesn't add them into my diary and screw me up.

fruitloop2

I did TDEE - 20% then 15% then 10% as I got closer to goal. Exercise is included in TDEE that is why it's called Total Daily Energy Expenditure.

How close were you to your goal when you started doing this? I'm starting to think about slowly upping my calories to get to my TDEE for when I reach my gol and switch to maintenance but not sure when I want to start doing this.

calibriintx

I eat all of my exercise calories back because I calculated my TDEE without taking exercise into consideration. That was easier for me since I exercise a different amount every day.

I have been very successful. Check the ticker, yo! I am at least another .8 down from that as well, I am hoping by weigh-in tomorrow I'll be able to mark another full pound gone!

Same here. My current activity level isn't consistent enough to count exercise it in TDEE calculation.

calibriintx

Thanks fr your reply, briccomp!
I was also eating around 12-16 a day and was always hungry. I have to say since upping my calorie intake I feel unstoppable. Never hungry, twice the energy to exercise and run and play with my kids.

How long has it been since you changed your goals?

It's only been a week. The first 2-3 days I felt even more hungry even though I was eating more. I feel great now though and I'm down 1.5 lbs this week. So I don't know what kind of long term loss I have to look forward to but I feel confident that I'm doing what's healthy and sustainable for me.

mockchoc

I did TDEE - 20% then 15% then 10% as I got closer to goal. Exercise is included in TDEE that is why it's called Total Daily Energy Expenditure.

How close were you to your goal when you started doing this? I'm starting to think about slowly upping my calories to get to my TDEE for when I reach my gol and switch to maintenance but not sure when I want to start doing this.

I think I'd lost about 20lbs when I went from -20% to -15% and then changed it to -10% when I had the last 5lbs or so to go.

faithchange

I did TDEE - 20% then 15% then 10% as I got closer to goal. Exercise is included in TDEE that is why it's called Total Daily Energy Expenditure.

This was exactly what I was going to say. You shouldn't eat exercise calories back if you log them...you'll be over and possibly gain.

faithchange

Bump!

I just upped my calories this week to be my TDEE- 20%. I was back and forth the same few pounds so I'll give this a go for a while to see if it will get me to where I want to be. Wish me luck!!

Just remember if you make this decision of change...you may have to stick with for a while. I've heard like 4 wk to see a difference and the scale may at first go up. I did this one time, but switched by to MFP with eating my exercise calories. When I get to 5lbs left to goal...I'll do this TDEE 20% reduction again.

jmariscal3

OK from this forum I went out and calculated my TDEE and I have to bump up my calorie intake by almost 500. That seems a lot to me, but I will make them healthy choices and see what happens. Nothing has worked so far and I am weight-lifting now so I am sure the cals are needed. Any tips would be great!

calibriintx

OK from this forum I went out and calculated my TDEE and I have to bump up my calorie intake by almost 500. That seems a lot to me, but I will make them healthy choices and see what happens. Nothing has worked so far and I am weight-lifting now so I am sure the cals are needed. Any tips would be great!

Mine went up by 700. It was scary! I also followed advice from others and made my carbs 40, protein 20 and fat 20. Look for the post called In Place of a Roadmap 2.0 for more info.

4given4life

I was stuck for about eight weeks. I started eating my TDEE -20%, added some weights into my routine, and I've been losing about 1.5 - 2 pounds per week for the past few weeks. I'm sure it will slow eventually, since I tend to lose in whooshes instead of a straight line. I usually lose a half-pound one week, then two the next, then nothing, then three pounds... stuff like that.

I don't eat my exercise calories back. That's figured into your TDEE. It makes it SO much easier, since you always eat the same number without worrying about net calories and all that. You can still track your exercise. I change my calories burned to "1" so MFP doesn't add them into my diary and screw me up.

On the days that you don't exercise, do you still eat at this amount or do you lower it further?

NomNomMom

Bump for later.

determinedbutlazy

I was stuck for about eight weeks. I started eating my TDEE -20%, added some weights into my routine, and I've been losing about 1.5 - 2 pounds per week for the past few weeks. I'm sure it will slow eventually, since I tend to lose in whooshes instead of a straight line. I usually lose a half-pound one week, then two the next, then nothing, then three pounds... stuff like that.

I don't eat my exercise calories back. That's figured into your TDEE. It makes it SO much easier, since you always eat the same number without worrying about net calories and all that. You can still track your exercise. I change my calories burned to "1" so MFP doesn't add them into my diary and screw me up.

On the days that you don't exercise, do you still eat at this amount or do you lower it further?

You eat the same number.

sylvabelle89

Thanks everyone for your comments, im confident this is going to work! Still bumping tho!