Can you tell me if you think my activity level is correct?

allie491

Hi All,

I am using Scooby's calorie calculator.

BMR - 1488
TDEE - 2056
TDEE minus 10% - 1850, currently set at this. I am 3 lbs away from my goal.

I am using the lightly active setting (1-3 hours a week). I am a stay at home mom, and usually cleaning or running my kids around.

My activity -

Strength training - 30 minutes, 3 days a week
Cardio - 20 minutes, 4 days a week

Do you think I should be set at lightly active or moderate?

bradthemedic

I'd rather over eat than under. That sounds counter productive but it makes perfect sense once you do it. Set it at lightly active and do a 0-10% cut to start. I'd honestly recommend eating AT tdee for 12 weeks.

Gapwedge01

Hi All,

I am using Scooby's calorie calculator.

BMR - 1488
TDEE - 2056
TDEE minus 10% - 1850, currently set at this. I am 3 lbs away from my goal.

I am using the lightly active setting (1-3 hours a week). I am a stay at home mom, and usually cleaning or running my kids around.

My activity -

Strength training - 30 minutes, 3 days a week
Cardio - 20 minutes, 4 days a week

Do you think I should be set at lightly active or moderate?

Your numbers sound ok at lightly active, but my question for you would be what was your eating like before you started EM2WL? Was it a VLCD? If so, for how long? An answer to those questions will suggest eating at TDEE for a few weeks or begin your deficit.

You calculated your TDEE, but do you know what it actually is? The only way to know if your calculated TDEE is accurate is to bump your calories up to your calculated TDEE level and see what your weight gain/steady pattern is over a period of several weeks (maybe not 12) after an intial gain from water retention in the beginning. If you don't gain any weight then you might want to bump up your calories another 250 per day. Then if you begin to gain 1/2 pound per week (which is what 250 calories per day over your TDEE should give you) back off the 250 and see if you begin to maintain. Then you should have a good idea what your TDEE is.

At a 10% deficit you will have to be dead on in logging your calories so I would suggest you invest in a digital food scale and measure your food and log faithfully. Just being off a little at a 10% deficit will bring you up to TDEE and you will wonder why you are not losing.

allie491

Hi All,

I am using Scooby's calorie calculator.

BMR - 1488
TDEE - 2056
TDEE minus 10% - 1850, currently set at this. I am 3 lbs away from my goal.

I am using the lightly active setting (1-3 hours a week). I am a stay at home mom, and usually cleaning or running my kids around.

My activity -

Strength training - 30 minutes, 3 days a week
Cardio - 20 minutes, 4 days a week

Do you think I should be set at lightly active or moderate?

Your numbers sound ok at lightly active, but my question for you would be what was your eating like before you started EM2WL? Was it a VLCD? If so, for how long? An answer to those questions will suggest eating at TDEE for a few weeks or begin your deficit.

You calculated your TDEE, but do you know what it actually is? The only way to know if your calculated TDEE is accurate is to bump your calories up to your calculated TDEE level and see what your weight gain/steady pattern is over a period of several weeks (maybe not 12) after an intial gain from water retention in the beginning. If you don't gain any weight then you might want to bump up your calories another 250 per day. Then if you begin to gain 1/2 pound per week (which is what 250 calories per day over your TDEE should give you) back off the 250 and see if you begin to maintain. Then you should have a good idea what your TDEE is.

At a 10% deficit you will have to be dead on in logging your calories so I would suggest you invest in a digital food scale and measure your food and log faithfully. Just being off a little at a 10% deficit will bring you up to TDEE and you will wonder why you are not losing.

Definitely not VLCD. I started out around 1550, increased to 1610, then 1750, now 1850... As I have gotten closer to my goal. I have lost 26 lbs and only have 3 to go. That's why I am doing TDEE minus 10%

I was just curious if I should be eating more than the 1850 because I am doing strength training now, I have only been doing this for two weeks. I lost 1.5 lbs this week, and was expecting to lose .4 to .5.

Thanks for explaining that accurate way to get your TDEE

ANewLucia

Wow, so close to goal that is awesome. Great that you have started lifting, keep in mind you could possibly see a little gain as you lift. You will cycle in water fluctuations/glycogen store increase depending on how intense your lift sessions are. So just wanted to bring that to the forefront so you are not shocked when and if that happens.

Also, being so close to goal I agree with Brad on eating TDEE and lift heavy and also make two of the the cardio sessions, fat blasting HIIT sessions. At 3lbs to goal, you want fat to come off, and eating TDEE will possibly allow you to gain some lean mass (remember muscle takes up less space than fat) which will help you to burn off more fat.

Just a thought!