Quick Question

ashleybreuer

Hello, I find it easiest/best for me (for now) to eat back my exercise calories rather than doing TDEE -20%. Just because my calorie burn varies throughout the week. I had read to crunch your numbers on Scooby (using sedentary and 20% cut) take e bottom number and add back in your exercise calories. I found my BMR to be 1350 using Katch McCardle, but the 20% cut number is below my BMR at 1295. So do I use e 1295 and add back my workout calories or should I use my true BMR at 1350 and add back in my workout calories?

Stats:
Female
30 years old
Weight 123.2
Height 63.5 inches
Body fat 18.7% but I round up to 19%

I typically workout 5-6 days a week (4 of those are running days where I burn 400-1000 calories). The ore 2-3 days are personal training days (30 minutes only) so I'm sure the calorie but isn't nearly as high. So I'm at a cross road as to if I'm truly lightly active or if I could fall into moderately active. This is why I just prefer to eat back my workout cals

Thanks for your help!

SweatpantsRebellion

You are definitely moderately active. Given your activity level, I would suggest eating at the moderately active level and then adding in more calories on the days you have a high burn that takes you under BMR. If it's easier for you to set your activity lower and add in exercise calories, given your activity level, looks like you'll be adding those cals in everyday. Rather than using the Katch-McArdle number, I would set your MFP to a hundred or two over BMR. BMR is what you burn when your body runs basic functions all day. Even on rest days, I'm sure that you're burning over BMR. I'm a bit concerned that even if you set your amount to BMR plus a couple of hundred that you might be undereating on rest days.

Another thought I had too is that people who don't have as much to lose often find more success with a smaller cut, so you might try starting with a 10% cut.

I ran a few possibilities for you.

At moderately active with a 10% cut, you'd want to eat 1872 calories a day. Your TDEE would be 2080. So even on rest days you'd want to eat 1872 calories a day.

If you want to go with a lower number and add in your exercise calories, I would suggest lightly active instead of sedentary, so that you minimize the risk of underreating. If you did that, your 10% cut would be 1660 a day. TDEE would be 1845.

I'm not saying you have to only do 10% cut, but with not a lot to lose 20% cut could possibly be a bit much for you. A lot of people start with 10% and then increase the cut to 15% when things stall.

Your body fat is in range for an athlete and your weight is healthy. What are your goals? How much weight are you wanting to lose? Are you looking to increase muscle tone?

KarenJanine

You do not need to take a cut from your BMR. If using your preferred method (also known as calorie zig-zagging) then simply aim to net at least your BMR every day. i.e. eat back all your exercise cals.

So if for example you have a day where you do no exercise, make sure you eat a minimum of 1350 cals.

On exercise days if, for example, you burn 500 cals, you will eat at least 1350 + 500 = eat at least 1850 cals.

This will still leave you with a deficit as you have not taken into account your calories burned by non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) and thermic effect of feeding (TEF). i.e. the energy you've used by going about your daily business and digesting food.


Edited to add:

I initially went by the zig-zagging method but when I increased the intensity of my workouts and started doing more lifting I found that I was very hungry on non-workout days. So I then switched to the TDEE -10% method which meant I could eat the same amount every day which evened out my hunger and also simplified things as I had the same calorie goal every day.

ashleybreuer

You are definitely moderately active. Given your activity level, I would suggest eating at the moderately active level and then adding in more calories on the days you have a high burn that takes you under BMR. If it's easier for you to set your activity lower and add in exercise calories, given your activity level, looks like you'll be adding those cals in everyday. Rather than using the Katch-McArdle number, I would set your MFP to a hundred or two over BMR. BMR is what you burn when your body runs basic functions all day. Even on rest days, I'm sure that you're burning over BMR. I'm a bit concerned that even if you set your amount to BMR plus a couple of hundred that you might be undereating on rest days.

Another thought I had too is that people who don't have as much to lose often find more success with a smaller cut, so you might try starting with a 10% cut.

I ran a few possibilities for you.

At moderately active with a 10% cut, you'd want to eat 1872 calories a day. Your TDEE would be 2080. So even on rest days you'd want to eat 1872 calories a day.

If you want to go with a lower number and add in your exercise calories, I would suggest lightly active instead of sedentary, so that you minimize the risk of underreating. If you did that, your 10% cut would be 1660 a day. TDEE would be 1845.

I'm not saying you have to only do 10% cut, but with not a lot to lose 20% cut could possibly be a bit much for you. A lot of people start with 10% and then increase the cut to 15% when things stall.

Your body fat is in range for an athlete and your weight is healthy. What are your goals? How much weight are you wanting to lose? Are you looking to increase muscle tone?

Thank you so much! I have to be honest that my body totally loves e days when I'm eating back all of my exercise calories but I find that I'm always hungry now, I assume because I've upped my calorie count. I don't have any hard goals right now. Ideally I'd like to be 120 lbs but the number on the scale isn't my driving goal. I have a personal trainer and she is working on building muscle tone and definition. Overall headlines is my main goal I just haven't had the gumption to go full maintenance so I'm hoping that by upping my calories rough eating back my workout cals or doing TDEE - 10 or 15% will help me slowly get there