Eating at TDEE - 20%. Help! Does it work?

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Replies

  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
    Hi SMN76237! Thank you! This is great to know! And congrats on the weight loss :drinker:

    I'm a little confused though - your calorie intake is 1950 when you weighed 197 pounds but mine is supposed to be around 1850 and i weigh 150. Does it sound right that I'm only eating about 100 calories less than you were when you weighed 197? About how many calories are you eating now? And have you lost the 20 pounds by consistently eating 1950 calories? Sorry for all the questions :embarassed:

    Keep up the good work!

    Keep in mind, body fat % is a major factor in how much your body burns. I.E. if you weigh 20 lbs heavier than someone else, but that 20 lbs is fat, then you're only burning 20 calories a day extra (fat is not considered metabolically active, and burns about 1 calorie per lb per day) where as muscle (inactive muscle) burns 6 calories per lb per day I.E. someone who is 20 lbs heavier than you but it's all muscle will burn 120 more calories a day than you even if you don't use that extra muscle at all. It's valid for someone to weight a lot more but only burn a few extra calories, assuming a high percentage of that difference is adipose fat.

    This is a major reason why you should never duplicate someone else's methods without first adjusting for your situation. No two people burn the exact same amount, regardless of whether you do the exact same workout or not.
  • SavvyGurl0528
    SavvyGurl0528 Posts: 228 Member
    I was eating at 1200 calories for several months. I lost a decent amount of weight, but struggled with irritability and was tired all the time. I had been looking at TDEE - 20% for several weeks and decided to try it about a month ago when I hit a very long plateau. I had three pounds that kept coming and going for about a month, but I am happy to say, they are gone along with another two (just weighed Saturday). I am no longer irritable to everyone around me and I have much more energy than I did while eating 1200 calories.

    I have figured mine as sedentary as my exercise is very irregular, and then I eat back my exercise calories. This works best for me.

    Good luck, and friend me if you want.
  • sabolfitwife
    sabolfitwife Posts: 423 Member
    Im glad I read this!! I just changed to TDEE-20% a few days ago, but have been foolishly binging/eating back exercise calories. Here on out I will stick to my calories limit as best I can. 1708 Cal/day.
  • CherokeeBabe
    CherokeeBabe Posts: 1,704 Member
    I'm doing TDEE -20%, very successfully too. I've lost about 12lbs since the end of January with light-moderate exercise and eating 1500-1600 a day. I'd have lost more, but I've been sick and not working out as much as usual the past week. ;)
  • umachanxo
    umachanxo Posts: 926 Member
    I've gone from a 39" waist to a 26" waist and only ate 1200 for the first couple of months. Once I realized that I could eat more, I did. Now, that being said, as I started to eat cleaner, I would net less calories. But 1800 isn't as much as you think. Just be sure that those calories are nutrient rich and not overly processed. I eat around 1400-1600 a day. I'm 5"7, 140lbs, and am down 30 from being on MFP and around 75 in total since beginning my journey.
  • woodsy0912
    woodsy0912 Posts: 323
    Bump - love to hear successes with this method!

    I have been thinking of upping my calories to TDEE - 20% soon. Right now my weekly totals being me to 1500 per day average. My TDEE should be around 2300 - 2500 so I am thinking I can up my daily averages to 1800 or 2000. (I workout 6 days a week)

    I am pretty freaked to try this because I have been losing just fine, but I also want to keep my body as healthy as I can.

    I am 185 right now and I was thinking of starting this in another 10 or 15 pounds.
  • Sunny_fit4life
    Sunny_fit4life Posts: 157 Member
    I recently started netting my BMR, which from what I understand is very close to TDEE -20%.... I am waiting a while to weigh or measure but I could use support from anyone going the same route as well. Feel free to add me :)
  • jessicahoyos
    jessicahoyos Posts: 10 Member
    Hey! I just recently increased my calories from1200-1900 based on the TDEE-20% information I have been reading on the forums.

    I am so happy I did! I have lost more weight and I'm not starving and miserable all the time:)

    At first I was just using the MFP app to track calories and followed the 1200 suggested guideline, but thankfully I signed onto the actual MFP website and discovered these forums!! Seriously, I feel so much better now! There is a lot of information on these forums and I'm thankful to all of those who spend time educating the new MFP members.

    Hope your transition to higher calories works as well as mine!

    Hello - thanks so much for posting your experience! Did you start losing weight automatically or was there an adjustment period?
  • redraidergirl2009
    redraidergirl2009 Posts: 2,560 Member
    After switching to tdee -20% how long did it take you to start losing? As I understand it, it can take awhile for the body to adjust and one may gain weight at first.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    It's not BMR-500 it should be TDEE -500. It is suggested you always eat over your BMR. BMR is what your body needs just to survive if you were in a coma. You have to factor in daily life and activity level.
    TDEE - 20% is usually fairly close to -500. It is better for those with lower TDEE


    A great explanation
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/952996-level-obstacles-lose-weight-target-fat-easy
  • Cobwellac
    Cobwellac Posts: 75 Member
    Sadly, my TDEE minus 20% is just under 1150. Boo!
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    Sadly, my TDEE minus 20% is just under 1150. Boo!

    With 4lbs to lose, 20% is too high of a goal.
    You seem to exercise often, did you include that in your TDEE?
  • rachelannecraig
    rachelannecraig Posts: 92
    bump
  • Annelies11
    Annelies11 Posts: 174 Member
    Sadly, my TDEE minus 20% is just under 1150. Boo!

    If you have just a few pounds to lose I would strongly suggest eating TDEE-10%, or eating at maintenance and doing heavy lifting to build muscle (which is what I am doing). It is making me look more toned, my body fat % is going down, and it increases calorie burn throughout the day. Plus I feel healthy and strong, which was not the case when I was eating 1200 cals/day!

    Eating less than 1200 cals a day will hurt your body and cause you to lose muscle. Are you working out? Did you factor that into your TDEE? I only work out 3x per week for 45 minutes and my TDEE is 2000.
  • Cobwellac
    Cobwellac Posts: 75 Member
    I wear a FitBit, which gives me my TDEE. I do lift heavy, about 3-4 times a week.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    <
    Yes it works! I also went to TDEE minus 20% (1800 cals a day) and have had my absolute best success since doing so over a year ago. I'm up to 1950+ now - diary is open, photos in my profile, and info with milestones and that sort of thing (I think it's visible) on the left side of my profile.

    Best move I ever made was eating according to the road map! :drinker:
  • diolpah
    diolpah Posts: 134 Member
    Wait, let me check . . .

    . . . ok, back. Yup, the fundamental laws of thermodynamics are still in effect.
  • CrimsonDiva7
    CrimsonDiva7 Posts: 171 Member
    Making the transition up to TDEE minus 20% (at 1670 now) but struggling with clean eating.
  • Warchortle
    Warchortle Posts: 2,197 Member
    Why would it scare you? The idea of eating less than you burn.
  • mareeee1234
    mareeee1234 Posts: 674 Member
    It is PETRIFYING, but I am SO glad I did it. Its so sad to see girls eat so low, when they CAN eat more and still not get fat !

    I started off by doing a 'metabolism rest', eating tdee for 8 weeks (2000 cals for me)
    I also started lifting 3 x a week (Stronglifts program) at the same time
    I didn't get fat in these 8 weeks - eating more, dropping cardio, and lifting made sure of that :)

    I now eat 1600-1800 calories, still lift 3 x a week and do cardio about 2 times a week and love it !

    ... I'm only 5' btw and EAT ;)

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