Door # 1, 2, or 3?

GetHotIn2014 · January 2013

Option 1: TDEE -20%
Option 2: MFP recommended goal to lose 2 lbs/week
Option 3: TDEE for goal weight

What works best? I lost pretty quickly for the first month or so and now seem to have slowed way down. I know I am building some muscle from 30 Day Shred but I'm a little concerned about the scale. (Don't need any scale lecures. I understand all about fluxtuation and body composition.) I only eat back some of my exercise cals and actually am using MFP's recommendation for 1.5 lb loss/week. That puts me at 1680. I'm at 250 (give or take a few) now and my goal is 150-160. Should I just wait a couple weeks and see what happens or what?

cmriverside · January 2013

"Plateau"? Like for a month? Anything less than a month isn't really a plateau. Just keep doing what you're doing. If you make too many changes, you won't know what works. A weight-loss stall is very common after losing 20-40 pounds. Hang in there. Use whichever calculation you like, they should all give you within 100 calories anyway....they all use basic general calculators - the variable is what you enter as data.

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stumblinthrulife · January 2013

I've done Option 2, and it worked well. Wasn't much food, though. I was on just under 1300 calories a day. I won't say I suffered, but I doubt it would have been sustainable since I was on a damn near vegan diet to pull it off. I ate back all my exercise calories, and snacked if I would otherwise have come under the calorie target - at such a low goal I don't believe you should mess around. Hit or exceed the goal every single day. Although it worked for me, I'm not sure I'd recommend it to everyone. Perhaps as a one month thing to 'reboot' your diet, and get off all the red meat, added refined sugars, excessive carbs, etc... I felt better for doing that.

I'm now on Option 1, more or less. I've reintroduced much of what I removed from my diet, with the exception of processed food. The difference is that I now eat in moderation and much more thoughtfully. Hard to say how well it's working. I did lose well for the first two weeks, but I've stalled for a week or two. I think though that this has a lot to do with experimenting with protein intake. I'd certainly not discount this method of weight loss since it's worked for so many. I'm going to stick with it.

Option 3 I think would depend entirely on your starting position. In my opinion it's always smart to think in terms of deficit, because that's what you are doing to your body today.

But that's just my uneducated 2c. Many may have different views, and I'd certainly not automatically say they are wrong.

Note that if you aren't eating back all your exercise cals, you are artificially inflating your deficit. I'd definitely not suggest using the 2lb goal if you aren't going to eat back cals.

psuLemon · January 2013

I think you are doing well with your approach. Just stick with it. Aiming for 1.5 lbs per week and eating some of exercise calories is a good approach.

But personally, I do TDEE - 20%. With as much weight as you have to lose, TDEE - 30% would work as well. And since I am consistent in exercise, my TDEE includes it so I don't chase exercise calories. So if you do TDEE, make your TDEE lightly active. With 30DS, you don't burn a ton of calories.

marjoleina · January 2013

I do TDEE less 20%. But I only started this a week ago, after losing a whole 3 pounds in 6 months. I do not have a lot to lose, but I hope this will help and at least I feel like I am actually eating food. I work out about 2 hrs x5 days a week, mostly lifting.

GetHotIn2014 · January 2013

Uhhh...no.

TDEE -20%= 2424 (That's way more than I think I could even possibly eat with the appitite I have now unless I started eating high calorie junk food all the time like I used to or absolutely stuffed myself with healthier food.)
TDEE for goal: Still about the same (I am working out on the elliptical around a half hour 5 days/week and doing 30 Day Shred 4 days/week so I set activity to moderate)
MFP goal to lose 2 lbs/week: was around 1400-1500 (The number I'm basically comfortable eating right now)
Current MFP goal to lose 1.5 lbs/week: 1680 (which is around the sedentary TDEE for my goal weight and am comfortable having it there because it gives some room between 1400 and almost 1700 cals to decide if my body wants more)

GetHotIn2014 · January 2013

TDEE -20% or TDEE for goal at light activity is even about 2150 and that's more than I think I would wanna eat, too. =\

Colleen118 · January 2013

I was losing very quickly until I started the Shred too... That program really builds the muscle quick so the scal doesn't show much movement. If you are gonig to keep the program, kick the scale to the curb and pick up the tape measure... the tape measure will show results more quickly than the scale in this case

psuLemon · January 2013

Whats the difference if you go TDEE - 30% or 1.5 lb per week and eat back exercise calories. Inevitably, it's all around the same number. If you follow the math, then you should be eating around 2000 calories a day, which puts you with every active women I know, which average 1700-2100 calories.

psuLemon · January 2013

30 DS does NOT build muscle, especially while in a calorie deficit. You might build some strength but overall, you stop seeing the scale move due to water retention.

It is very difficult to build muscle, especially for women which on average in a calorie surplus can gain 1/2 lb per week.

stumblinthrulife · January 2013

I think that you more or less know what you are going to do.

You've a fair amount of weight to lose, so you will probably be successful with an aggressive strategy. Just keep a close eye on yourself and your weight, and if you want to push that deficit higher, make sure you do eat back your exercise calories.

"Starvation mode" may be a myth, but once you get down to very low calories, it can take really well planned meals to ensure you are not malnourished. And make sure you are getting adequate protein to maintain your lean mass.

GetHotIn2014 · January 2013

Yeah, makes sense. I really need to get myself a tape measure. I'm not worried about being on a plateau by the way, because I am still losing, just seems a LOT slower now and I was worried that the difference between the TDEE methods and MFP's recommendation might be causing an issue.

GetHotIn2014 · January 2013

Plus, I've been having issues with my mood lately (more depressed and anxious more often than usual except for during and right after exercising) and I thought that could have to do with it as well.

bcattoes · January 2013

Sounds like what you are doing is fine.

Colleen118 · January 2013

I am going to have to assume you haven't done the program because anyone who has can personally attest to it completely changing their body and building lean, sculpted muscle. To the OP, in my pics there is one of me "before" taken about 3 months before I ever did the shred. When I started the program I had lost about 35 lbs. The "after" was taken after the second week of starting the program. I had already started to get some definnition in my abs and arms...

but it apparently isn't muscle because I was eating at a calorie deficit and did lose 4.5 lbs that month overall.... along with like 3" in my abdomen... I have the stats somwhere on a message board on MFP LOL

BarbieAS · January 2013

I'm currently working with sort of a hybrid of 1 and 3. I have quite a bit to lose (actually pretty similar stats/goals to yours), so I can start out with a bit more aggressive approach than TDEE - 20% - I'm shooting for more like TDEE - 30-35%, or about 1750 calories. I tend to eat a bit less on rest days and a bit more on workout days, but averaging for the week about 1750. Another advantage of that number is that it's very close to my calculated BMR, and I do think it's important to eat at least that number. The final advantage is that it's pretty close to sedentary maintenance for my goal weight and BF%, so it feels like it's a level of eating that I can sustain for the rest of my life (and be able to eat a bit more assuming that I continue working out, which I plan to do, but I won't *need* to do in order to maintain). If I just keep going as-is (excluding maybe some temporary shake ups if I hit a plateau or something), I should theoretically enjoy a weight loss that, yes, gradually slows down a bit, but gets me where I want to be. It took me a long time to settle in to an approach that both worked for me in the short term (to lose the weight while remaining energized and satisfied) and the long term (ease into maintenance), and I like where I landed.

psuLemon · January 2013

I don't do 30DS, it isn't hard enough. I do p90x, les mills combat, tapout xt, etc..

It is impossible to gain muscle though unless you are in a state of anabolism. When you are in a calorie deficit, you body is catabolic. You will still see strength gains are your muscles can become more efficient. Many people assume they are gaining muscle because it's more visible and they become stronger, but in reality, your muscles are becoming more efficient and you cut body fat so it becomes more visible. Below is a good thread if anyone would like to read it.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818594-building-muscle-and-losing-fat-at-the-same-time

GetHotIn2014 · January 2013

Thanks to everyone who responded. It seems like there's so much debate about the whole TDEE approach and MFP's recommendations on here and some people swear that you will just like die if you ever eat below BMR.

katielangley · January 2013

Iam also doing the shred and have not lost any weight... Today is 1 week and I have not had weight loss in 2 weeks... I have completely changed my diet and workout, so I thought I would see something!!! I totally understand the frustration, but the other girls are right about the tape measure!! I lost A LOT of inches last time I did the shred!! Here's to getting shredded!!!

GetHotIn2014 · January 2013

It's definite that my body is continuing to improve, so I'm probably just being too paranoid. I just don't wanna be causing myself problems that I don't know about.

GetHotIn2014 · January 2013

by eating too few cals.

_chiaroscuro · January 2013

I'm doing TDEE-20%. I work at a healthcare research institute so as soon as I heard about it on MFP I scuttled off to the nerdery to read NIH studies. I'm comfortable with the science, and I love being able to eat and drink whatever I want as long as I log it. I'm losing slower, about half a pound per week, but I'm much happier. It's been lovely actually.

alanlmarshall · January 2013

i think it is different for those with very high body fat. Below BMR is fine if your goal TDEE is below BMR. You are, after all, going to live healthily on that many calories for the rest of your life.

psuLemon · January 2013

Well you could always maintain what you are doing since it works and when it stops working, reevaluate what you are doing. 1700 calories is a good amount of calories but realize that if you are hungry on a particular day, 2000 calories will be cool too. It's OK to eat under your BMR, but occasionally, you want to eat over so your RMR doesn't adopt and start burning less calories.

ajnlee25 · January 2013

I'm new on here, can someone tell me what TDEE stands for?

helpmelose2011 · January 2013

I agree - kick the scale and go by measurements - it's what i've been doing and after 1 week i had lost 2lbs but had lost 3 inches off my waist and one on each of my arms - which to you is more encouraging? It's sooo hard not to look at the scale trust me I do it too I wish I could just break mine and be done with it LOL

psuLemon · January 2013

Total Daily Energy Expended. Essentially, it's the total number of calories you burn throughout a day to include metabolic rate, job/lifestyle and exercise and if you are breast feeding, those calories too.

nicleed · January 2013

FYI - you mention you have been more depressed and anxious - I understand this could be a sign you are not eating enough (or netting enough). And depression.anxiety could lead to binging.

Why not try to ups cals just a little and see what happens - somewhere between the MFP number and TDEE - 20 %

(I started at the 1200, got stabby, tired and hungry very quickly and slowly upped cals till I was losing netting around 1700...)

corneredbycorn · January 2013

My goal is set to 1500, which is where heybales' formula has me. I try to eat between MFP's suggested 1200 and HB's 1500.

krickeyuu · January 2013

only want (ed) to lose 23 lbs so I have been using option #3 and eating at TDEE, sedentary for my goal weight. I eat back exercise calories. Currently stalled (or maintaining?) at 132 lbs

etoiles_argentees · January 2013

Ohhhhhhhh......thought we were playing Mystery Date.

Door # 1, 2, or 3?

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