Does it make sense and would it ever work?

harleenarang

According to MFP - My calorie intake should be 1200 calories a day. I have recently started working out and hope on being regular at it - 5 days a week @ 45 mins a day. I am a foodie but i am capable of making better choices.

My concern is - I feel 1200 calories are too less and i calculated my TDEE from various websites and it comes to 1850 odd so I decided to cut 500 from that a keep my target at 1350 a day. Does this make sense and will it actually help me lose weight?
I am working out for the past week and a half with cardio and just started weight training (approx burning 2000 calories / week)

Please Please help on this. I get so confused reading 100's of articles about calorie intake. Also is there a specific Carb/Protein/Fat ratio I should follow - I read at a couple of places and set mine to a 45/25/30 ratio. My profile is open with my diary and everything so you can go through and suggest

Super happy to get suggestions from MFPals - This community is awesome!!!

72MonteCarla

Based on my research, I would target TDEE-15%. Based on TDEE of 1850, that would be 1572 calories/day. The weight will come off more slowly, but your metabolism will stay healthy & you're body will be more likely to lose fat as opposed to lean mass (muscle).

72MonteCarla

Based on my research, I would target TDEE-15%. Based on TDEE of 1850, that would be 1572 calories/day. The weight will come off more slowly, but your metabolism will stay healthy & you're body will be more likely to lose fat as opposed to lean mass (muscle).

And for every 3-5 kgs you lose, reassess your TDEE. When you are within 5 kgs of your goal, target TDEE-10%, then TDEE-5% when you are within 2-3 kgs of your goal.

CariS001

I agree with TDEE-15%! Aim for 1500 or so. Otherwise, you will be damaging your metabolism. Trust me... not easy to recover from!

elyelyse

According to MFP - My calorie intake should be 1200 calories a day.

this is most likely because you entered the maximum weight loss of 2lbs per week. MFP will bring you down to their minimum goal of 1200, but if that is not enough for you (and you are not alone in thinking that!) there is no reason you can't change your settings. As long as you create a deficit based on your TDEE you should lose.

72MonteCarla

Sorry for all the posts... I found thiS TDEE calculator to be the most in-depth:

http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/

Instead of choosing an activity level, you enter your actual activities. If you're burning 2000 cals/wk with exercising, your TDEE might be higher than 1850. Good luck!

AddyMaeMomma

I struggled with 1200. I upped mine to 1360 and I'm seeing steady weight loss and I'm not a total jerk all day from being hungry.

Melo1966

Also it is planned that you will eat your exercise calories back. So with this you should be eating 1,400-1,700 calories.

harleenarang

So the TDEE - 15% = x calories is the number I should eat including my exercise calories ?
Also, what is the difference between TDEE and BMR ?

LoseYouself

Based on my research, I would target TDEE-15%. Based on TDEE of 1850, that would be 1572 calories/day. The weight will come off more slowly, but your metabolism will stay healthy & you're body will be more likely to lose fat as opposed to lean mass (muscle).

I agree with this. When you go by TDEE, typically you subtract 10-20%. The less weight you have to lose, the lower % you should take off of your TDEE. Honestly, 1200-1350 does NOT seem like enough food for that activity level.. but that's just my personal view. It could be right for your body.. only you know how it makes you feel, but it's important to listen to how your body feels about that amount of calories.

I was trying to lose weight for the past year on 1200-1600 calories per day and it just wasnt enough for me personally. I never felt like working out, and I always was thinking about food. A few months ago I upped my calories (very hesitantly) to TDEE-15%. which is 1800-2000 per day. It actually helped me lose MORE weight because I was more satisfied (no binges, less cravings), AND gave me so much more energy, therefore making me want to workout a whole lot more. Don't be afraid of an increase. Many people have great success with this, and although you're losing more slowly, its more likely to be fat loss while maintaining muscle mass. Whatever you do I wish you the best of luck.

LoseYouself

So the TDEE - 15% = x calories is the number I should eat including my exercise calories ?
Also, what is the difference between TDEE and BMR ?

BMR is what your body needs if you were to lay in bed all day, not moving around or doing things.

TDEE is your total daily energy expenditure. It's your BMR + walking around, working, any exercise, etc.

1850 seems rather low for a TDEE. My BMR is 1770.. and my TDEE is 2100 even if I'm sedentary. It's higher most days because I workout quite a bit. Are you sure the 1850 youre calling your TDEE isn't really your BMR? I just know that working out 5x a week TYPICALLY requires a lot more energy to sustain than 1350.

harleenarang

Thanks herbivoreheal. Loved your comments. And yes you are right - I checked my TDEE based on 72MonteCarla's suggestions and yes it comes out higher - Close to 2200. So a 15% reduction would leave me at 1870 calories - Now that looks like too much for weight loss unless than already accounts the exercise calories.

I guess I am going to set my calorie limit at 1400 and eat my exercise calories so I will be close to 1800.
Am I understanding it correct. The intake is

TDEE - 15% = Total Food Intake (including Exercise calories)

72MonteCarla

Thanks herbivoreheal. Loved your comments. And yes you are right - I checked my TDEE based on 72MonteCarla's suggestions and yes it comes out higher - Close to 2200. So a 15% reduction would leave me at 1870 calories - Now that looks like too much for weight loss unless than already accounts the exercise calories.

I guess I am going to set my calorie limit at 1400 and eat my exercise calories so I will be close to 1800.
Am I understanding it correct. The intake is

TDEE - 15% = Total Food Intake (including Exercise)

Yes, TDEE accounts for exercise calories. And 2200 sounds about right. I think your plan (Target 1400 + exercise) is right on the money. Good luck!

Hbazzell

If you aredoing TDEE dont eat back your workouts. If you are doing MFP then do. But, 1200 is really low.

72MonteCarla

Thanks herbivoreheal. Loved your comments. And yes you are right - I checked my TDEE based on 72MonteCarla's suggestions and yes it comes out higher - Close to 2200. So a 15% reduction would leave me at 1870 calories - Now that looks like too much for weight loss unless than already accounts the exercise calories.

I guess I am going to set my calorie limit at 1400 and eat my exercise calories so I will be close to 1800.
Am I understanding it correct. The intake is

TDEE - 15% = Total Food Intake (including Exercise calories)

Not sure what happened there, posting from my phone. Let's try it again:

Yes, TDEE accounts for exercise calories. And 2200 sounds about right. I think your plan (Target 1400 + exercise) is right on the money. Good luck

favoritepie

Dropping 500 calories is a good way to start. What you should notice is once you add your workouts after completing them instead of putting them on MFP before you do them you gain extra eating calories so it will fluctuate and you won't be hungry if you stay within the perimeter of those extra calories.

mich1902

Base your minimum calorie intake on your bmr and then work out tdee and whatever percentage you wish to reduce.

harleenarang

Thanks to all your replies
Just another thing popped up in my mind - What if I eat the set 1400 calories and then my exercise calories are somewhere around 500-600 and now I eat those too. So my total intake is 2000 and my TDEE is 2200. I know its a deficit but wouldn't that be a very slow weight loss?

Should I go back to 1200+ exercise calories ? :indifferent:

LoseYouself

Thanks to all your replies
Just another thing popped up in my mind - What if I eat the set 1400 calories and then my exercise calories are somewhere around 500-600 and now I eat those too. So my total intake is 2000 and my TDEE is 2200. I know its a deficit but wouldn't that be a very slow weight loss?

Should I go back to 1200+ exercise calories ? :indifferent:

1400 + exercise sounds perfect. If you burn 500-600 calories, you don't have to eat them ALL back if you're not comfortable with going up to 2000. However, If you're consuming 1400 on rest days, then 1900-2000 on workout days is actually perfect. It's not like you'd be eating the full 2000 every day (I even lost weight doing that when working out 4-5x per week). I typically eat 1800-2000 calories depending on my workout intensity, and I've been losing about 1 lb per week since doing this. It's slower, but it's fat loss, and I feel more energized and happy.. not restricted. The first few weeks are the hardest (mentally) because you have to remind yourself it's okay to eat more. You WILL lose weight guaranteed, as long as you're below TDEE.

Based on your TDEE, 1800 on exercise days is a good area to be in. I'd recommend going up to 1900-2000 if you workout extra long or intensely. I purposely go over my calorie goal if I had a more intense workout a particular day. Without extra fuel for those intense days, you probably won't be as eager to do it again. If you can eat more, feel better, and still lose weight (but slower).. why not make the journey enjoyable?

harleenarang

Awesome - thank you so much for being so patient with me and explaining that so clearly.
I can surely follow that and observe for some time - specially coming from you makes a lot more sense because you have done it and lost weight ( 90 lbs - kudos to you !)

Love you girls !! Thanks