Should I be netting my BMR?

Luciabella07

Go to this website - its awesome, it calculates everything for you and it adjusts it based on the percentage you want to cut off your TDEE - it tells you your BMR, TDEE and the calories you should be eating. http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

Bettyeditor

( 30 day shred a day, 15 - 20 minute walks, & the gym 3 days a week or less, that's lightly active right? )

Nope, that is not lightly active. Moderate at the very least. What part of the 30 Day Shred feels light to you? lol

Lightly active is doing something gentle like walking or a "light" workout at the gym no more than 3 days a week. If you are doing some kind of exercise daily, you don't fit the "lightly active" category.

Makoce

Are you measuring all your foods?

How much were you eating before you made this change, and for how long were you doing it? It might be that your body needs a bit more time to adjust to the change.

Yes. With measuring cups and a non-food scale for the most part. Some time I eyeball but add a bit extra to over estimate. Before I started doing TDEE I was a binge eater. So I'm sure a lot. I never logged anything.

innerfashionista

Then why haven't I lost anything in 3 weeks

1) you're putting too much thought into it
2) if you haven't switched up your exercise, do that. your body is smart, it figures things out quick and tries to hold onto what it has.

frood

Perhaps 20% deficit is too steep? You could try TDEE-10% for a couple weeks and see how that goes. Good luck!

Timshel_

If you are doing the TDEE - 20% method, then forget logging your exercise and "net calories". Your exercise should be all included in the TDEE. You could eat a little less on days you don't work out or a little more on days you do work out.

I log my exercise as 1 calorie so I can keep track of the days I work out but it doesn't change my net calories on my food log.

Yup

da_bears10089

Then why haven't I lost anything in 3 weeks

Are you measuring yourself instead of relying on the scale? Are your clothes feeling looser? The scale is a b*tch, plain and simple.

Bettyeditor

I know TDEE accounts for exercise taken out, but am I doing this right?

Someone else can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the TTDE does *not* account for exercise. On the Fitbit site, I was asked to classify my activity level so that it could calculate my TDEE, and lightly active was compared to having a desk job, and moderately active was having a job on your feet like a cashier or waitress, and very active was having a job like being a construction worker. I believe that TDEE only accounts for your daily activity of just living your normal life. But that you need to ADD any exercise on top of that by recording it in MFP so that it can adjust for those days when you are more active because of exercise.

CaddieMay

So, I switched to my TDEE a few weeks ago.
It gave me 1,600 calories for lightly active
( 30 day shred a day, 15 - 20 minute walks, & the gym 3 days a week or less, that's lightly active right? )

This is more activity than I do in an entire year. Not exactly "lightly active."

Alta2000

Because you are not calculating it correctly as you put your calories at mfp at 1480, which is close to your BMR, and then you have been trying to eat back your calories. Another problem is that you eyeball your food. You will be amazed how much we underestimate when we eyeball. I was doing it with peanut butter and measuring it as tb but when I measured the weight I was surprised how much more I was eating. You need to eat at 1600, -+30, not between 1400-1500. Plus, you are under a stressful situation which also plays a role. Try to sleep a full night's sleep and relax. I gained a lot of weight due to a stressful situation and now that I am trying to take back my life, things have started to improve, one day at a time.

Makoce

Then why haven't I lost anything in 3 weeks

Are you measuring yourself instead of relying on the scale? Are your clothes feeling looser? The scale is a b*tch, plain and simple.

Clothes for the same. Measurements are the same.

Makoce

Because you are not calculating it correctly as you put your calories at mfp at 1480, which is close to your BMR, and then you have been trying to eat back your calories. Another problem is that you eyeball your food. You will be amazed how much we underestimate when we eyeball. I was doing it with peanut butter and measuring it as tb but when I measured the weight I was surprised how much more I was eating. You need to eat at 1600, -+30, not between 1400-1500. Plus, you are under a stressful situation which also plays a role. Try to sleep a full night's sleep and relax. I gained a lot of weight due to a stressful situation and now that I am trying to take back my life, things have started to improve, one day at a time.

Oh. I just set my mfp thing to 1480. Prior to 15 minutes ago it was at 1620. I was going to the gym today so I was just goin to eat back my calories. This would be the first time I'm doing it on purpose

Bettyeditor

Here's the deal with the TDEE method...you're going to have days when you're over your BMR and days where you might be slightly under. I don't look at it day to day...I look at it over the course of a week. If I'm netting below my BMR calories for a week I make adjustments...if I'm netting over my BMR for the week things are fine. I have different burns on different days, so I have to look at a longer time frame than day to day.

If you are occasionally below your BMR, it's not a big deal...it's when you consistently net below your BMR for extended periods of time that issues can arise.

^ yes

Alta2000

I know TDEE accounts for exercise taken out, but am I doing this right?

Someone else can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the TTDE does *not* account for exercise. On the Fitbit site, I was asked to classify my activity level so that it could calculate my TDEE, and lightly active was compared to having a desk job, and moderately active was having a job on your feet like a cashier or waitress, and very active was having a job like being a construction worker. I believe that TDEE only accounts for your daily activity of just living your normal life. But that you need to ADD any exercise on top of that by recording it in MFP so that it can adjust for those days when you are more active because of exercise.

"I believe that TDEE only accounts for your daily activity of just living your normal life" That's BMR, estimated minimum level of energy required to sustain the body's vital functions when at rest.



If you use TDEE sedentary, then it does not account for exercise. But if you select other levels like light or moderate active, then depending on the rest of your lifestyle, it does include your exercise. There is a thread where there are different levels of daily activities discussed and you can read examples on what would be the best level to classify yourself.

deksgrl

I know TDEE accounts for exercise taken out, but am I doing this right?

Someone else can correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the TTDE does *not* account for exercise. On the Fitbit site, I was asked to classify my activity level so that it could calculate my TDEE, and lightly active was compared to having a desk job, and moderately active was having a job on your feet like a cashier or waitress, and very active was having a job like being a construction worker. I believe that TDEE only accounts for your daily activity of just living your normal life. But that you need to ADD any exercise on top of that by recording it in MFP so that it can adjust for those days when you are more active because of exercise.

No, TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure and it includes everything your body needs in the energy department including exercise.

cwolfman13

Do you think that my exercise that I listed is lightly active? Bear in mind, when I am not doing these things I am sitting doing nothing.

When I was playing with my TDEE numbers, I found that with my exercise and day to day, I was somewhere between light active and moderately active. I was initially using my light active TDEE - 20% and it just wasn't cutting it. I had to play with it a bit. I ultimately used the fat2fit radio to more accurately gauge my TDEE and chopped off 20% from there. It wasn't a whole lot, but the extra 150 calories or so has made a huge difference and my weight loss is now progressing nicely.