I think I'm done with this whole TDEE thing.
raincoastgirl
Posts: 40
I've been doing TDEE-20% for 4 weeks and I now weigh more than I did when I actually joined MFP a year ago. I know it's supposed to "take time" etc, etc, but I just can't deal with putting all this weight on.
I am hoping that I've shocked my system enough that dropping to a lower calorie plan will actually work.
This SUCKS. Anyone out there with a similar experience, I'd love to hear.
I am hoping that I've shocked my system enough that dropping to a lower calorie plan will actually work.
This SUCKS. Anyone out there with a similar experience, I'd love to hear.
0
Replies
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How much have you gained since starting on TDEE-20%? Are your clothes fitting tighter or is just the number on the scale going up? Have you double checked all your calculations to make sure they are correct?
Just asking because it has worked so well for me - hate to see you give up on it too soon....0 -
what was your previous calorie intake? how much are you eating now & did you gradually ease yourself into it (raising by 100 - 200cal a week)?0
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It's really hard to give advice without knowing details like your weight before, when you started TDEEand now.
But my advice always is make sure your food logs are accurate - consistent logging, and accurate estimates (weighing if possible, choosing accurate entries, etc). If that is on the spot my next piece of advice would be to play with numbers. Don't throw TDEE put the window, but of after a month you are gaining, lower it. Not slash but lost by 100 or 200 and see how that works after a couple of weeks. TDEE is still an estimate.
And I agree with PP, what about measurements. Scale weight can be decieving but then Again, that goes with my first point of not knowing numbers.0 -
How much have you gained since starting on TDEE-20%? Are your clothes fitting tighter or is just the number on the scale going up? Have you double checked all your calculations to make sure they are correct?
Just asking because it has worked so well for me - hate to see you give up on it too soon....
Hey, I've gained almost 5 pounds and my clothes are tighter, plus my face looks bloated. I chose the lowest option for me by picking sedentary at 1340 calories (this is 20% off my TDEE). I thought it would be enough because It's bumping me up from a usual 1000-1200.
What was your experience when you first started?0 -
I understand your frustration. I've been gaining and losing the same half pound for the past 3 months. I'm almost at my wits end, and don't know how much I should actually be eating either. Grr.0
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what was your previous calorie intake? how much are you eating now & did you gradually ease yourself into it (raising by 100 - 200cal a week)?
20 weigh watchers points, which can be 1000-1200 calories. I bumped myself to 1340 and have stayed there for a month, but since I have an active job I didn't freak out if I went over that--however, I've always stayed under 1500.0 -
I have been following MFP's plan and I calculated it, and it's about TDEE - 30% for me, and it's been working pretty well. I like MFP cause it doesn't account for my exercise. If I want to eat more, I exercise, if I want to be lazy, I just eat less.
Yeah, I may just do that. But the thing is it wasn't really working for me before either. Congrats on your success though
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LMAO!!! OMG! ROFLMAO!
Every diet or Plan is NOT for EveryBody. These forums have MANY different eating plans with many followers...because one size does NOT fit all. Learn what YOUR body needs, and that might take a "minute". Don't be convinced by others for whom it works, trust what YOUR Body says to You. An eating plan is like buying shoes. Last month you went to Neiman Marcus and bought those size 8 Sling Backs that look and feel so good. This month you go to DSW to get those bad Stilettos in size 8 and your feet just won't "act" right. Suggestion, either go back to NM for some Stilettos or adjust at DSW.
I got MANY blisters before I learned what fits My "Feet" best! Good shopping to ya...LMAO!!!
ETA: Also keep in mind that many of the women and men who are very successful with that TDEE formula are doing weight training, basically sculpting. Now, I will do a week or 2 on a "reset" if I go into a looooong stall, but the TDEE formula does not work for Me while I'm in wt loss mode...MAYBE when I get into maintenance.0 -
To have gained 5 pounds of fat in 4 weeks at 1340, your TDEE would have to have been 715. Something is not adding up. Either you've got a medical condition, or your calorie counts are off, or your gain was not fat, or something else.How much have you gained since starting on TDEE-20%? Are your clothes fitting tighter or is just the number on the scale going up? Have you double checked all your calculations to make sure they are correct?
Just asking because it has worked so well for me - hate to see you give up on it too soon....
Hey, I've gained almost 5 pounds and my clothes are tighter, plus my face looks bloated. I chose the lowest option for me by picking sedentary at 1340 calories (this is 20% off my TDEE). I thought it would be enough because It's bumping me up from a usual 1000-1200.
What was your experience when you first started?
But if you were staying level at 1100-1200 then obviously your TDEE isn't 715.0 -
are you weighing all your food on a food scale? that's pretty much the only way to accurately know how many calories you're eating.
I can't imagine how anyone could gain weight at 1340 cals/day! I lose more than 2 lbs a week eating an average of 1500 cals/day (1400 during the week with 2 high 1800 days) - and I'm 5' 4'' and only 10 lbs overweight. I exercise a lot too, but I'm building muscle so that should actually be reducing my losses each week. I weigh absolutely everything I eat (unless someone else cooked for me or I'm at a restaurant, but that's so infrequent that one over/underestimate isn't going to screw me up).
FYI, I think MFP's estimates are definitely low. I chose "moderately active" and "2 lbs/week" and it gave me 1400cals/day, which is working wonderfully. I sit most of the day in classes and exercise on average 6-7 hours a week.
Here's the other thing- you're doing Weight Watchers? Don't they have the whole "free fruit and veggies" thing? That makes zero sense to me, and would mean your 1000-1200 cals number is totally wrong. Veggies add up, and fruit adds up even faster!0 -
Raincoastgirl, you may want to really look at your #s and invest in a basic hrm to find your true TDEE before tossing it out as a failure. I see you have an active job but have chosen sedentary for your activity level. I am not an expert but you may still be eating too little. Also one of the joys of being a woman is weight flux and bloat at least 1x a month. Don't get discouraged.0
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Raincoastgirl, you may want to really look at your #s and invest in a basic hrm to find your true TDEE before tossing it out as a failure. I see you have an active job but have chosen sedentary for your activity level. I am not an expert but you may still be eating too little. Also one of the joys of being a woman is weight flux and bloat at least 1x a month. Don't get discouraged.
A basic HRM will not give you your true TDEE. They are not meant for estimating anything other than estimating calories during steady state cardio. (Calorie wise. There are other uses training wise)
As for the info about calorie intake, Serpwidgets covered it all.0 -
Don't give up too soon.. just like weight loss, health and fitness, it all takes patience and time. Investing in a HRM if you haven't done so already is a really good idea. It can take time to find your actual TDEE.. it sounds like you are retaining water possibly due to sodium intake or TOM.. someone just doesn't gain weight eating 1300 cals a day.0
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I disagree - I lost my last 10lbs by eating TDEE - 20%, I'm 5'8" and that was from 143 to 133lbs, certainly not obese.I've been doing TDEE-20% for 4 weeks and I now weigh more than I did when I actually joined MFP a year ago. I know it's supposed to "take time" etc, etc, but I just can't deal with putting all this weight on.
I am hoping that I've shocked my system enough that dropping to a lower calorie plan will actually work.
This SUCKS. Anyone out there with a similar experience, I'd love to hear.
1.HOw do you know wat your TDEE is? (because some random calculator online told you so?)
2. TDEE - 20% is for obese people, if you're not obese it wouldn't work well for you.
OP, I still think there must be an issue int he calculations. You ran your numbers through as sedentary, but you say you have an active job? Do you exercise as well, and if so, eat exercise cals back?
I believe this plan works for the majority of folks, but is it perfect or exact? No, of course not - we're dealing with estimates here. TDEE, BMR, calories burned, calories in restaurant foods and home cooking, calories the machines or a HRM says - all estimates, but you get as close as you can, and make adjustments as needed.
As others have said, it's hard to know exactly what advice to give without knowing more about your food & exercise, how much you want to lose, etc, etc.0 -
Since you have yourself set at sedentary when you aren't then that would be the first thing I'd go and correct. Then as PU asked are you obese or not? If your ticker is right and you only have about 15 lbs to go then you shouldn't be at 20% but only on 15% deficit. The slight gain was probably water weight or something.0
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OP, unfortunately no-one can give you a figure and say 'there, eat that and you will lose weight.' This is a learning curve and much of weight loss is trial and error, and more importantly, patience.
A couple of things I have noticed:
You said you were eating 1000 – 1200 cals a day and you have an active job. This probably means you were eating at a severe deficit and depending on how long you kept this up for, your body WILL take time to adjust. 4 weeks is not long enough to trial something.
You also said that you set yourself at sedentary and took 20% from that. Why? You said you have an active job? For TDEE to work, you have to be truthful.
No calculator is ever going to give you an exact TDEE figure, but they can be used as a starting point and you can work from there. My recommendation is that you recalculate and be honest about your daily activity, up your cals gradually, and stick to it for 3 months and see where you are, then adjust if necessary. You need to remember that this is a lifestyle change, not a diet. Personally, I’d rather suffer an initial gain while my body sorts itself out, than be stuck on 1000 cals for the rest of my life.0 -
OP, unfortunately no-one can give you a figure and say 'there, eat that and you will lose weight.' This is a learning curve and much of weight loss is trial and error, and more importantly, patience.
A couple of things I have noticed:
You said you were eating 1000 – 1200 cals a day and you have an active job. This probably means you were eating at a severe deficit and depending on how long you kept this up for, your body WILL take time to adjust. 4 weeks is not long enough to trial something.
You also said that you set yourself at sedentary and took 20% from that. Why? You said you have an active job? For TDEE to work, you have to be truthful.
No calculator is ever going to give you an exact TDEE figure, but they can be used as a starting point and you can work from there. My recommendation is that you recalculate and be honest about your daily activity, up your cals gradually, and stick to it for 3 months and see where you are, then adjust if necessary. You need to remember that this is a lifestyle change, not a diet. Personally, I’d rather suffer an initial gain while my body sorts itself out, than be stuck on 1000 cals for the rest of my life.
this.
obviously you have been eating a fairly small amount for a while, so it may seem odd to eat more to lose weight, but it DOES work.... you just need to be patient, and let your body get used to having a good amount of fuel again!0 -
I think you're misunderstanding what TDEE is. All calorie counting is based on the TDEE, even if you don't calculate it yourself. If you don't lose at TDEE -10% then that's not really your TDEE.LMAO!!! OMG! ROFLMAO!
Every diet or Plan is NOT for EveryBody. These forums have MANY different eating plans with many followers...because one size does NOT fit all. Learn what YOUR body needs, and that might take a "minute". Don't be convinced by others for whom it works, trust what YOUR Body says to You. An eating plan is like buying shoes. Last month you went to Neiman Marcus and bought those size 8 Sling Backs that look and feel so good. This month you go to DSW to get those bad Stilettos in size 8 and your feet just won't "act" right. Suggestion, either go back to NM for some Stilettos or adjust at DSW.
I got MANY blisters before I learned what fits My "Feet" best! Good shopping to ya...LMAO!!!
ETA: Also keep in mind that many of the women and men who are very successful with that TDEE formula are doing weight training, basically sculpting. Now, I will do a week or 2 on a "reset" if I go into a looooong stall, but the TDEE formula does not work for Me while I'm in wt loss mode...MAYBE when I get into maintenance.0 -
I'd say if TDEE didn't work for you and neither did MFP, then either you are doing something wrong or you should see a doctor and get checked out explaining that you have been at a calorie deficit for however long and you aren't losing weight.0
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I also did TDEE less 20% for a month and put on weight. It is really frustrating but its all part of the journey. i bought a Fitbit so i could see how many steps i was taking during the day. it also estimates my TDEE. Then I used the IIFYM.com calculator to work out my TDEG and it was pretty accurate to the FitBit, MFP method and also the "spreadsheet" by Heybales on MFP. I've been following that for about 4 weeks and the fat is melting away. So perhaps I was eating too much on the TDEE less 20% method...
I agree that you need to work out the right number for you. Tweak things a bit and go up with calories and down again until you find that magic number.
BTW - I don't do hours of cardio, but I do weight training 3 times a week. Plus a bit of walking and I find that is all I need.
Good luck. Never give up, you'll get there.0 -
TDEE -20% is tough as you have less and less to lose. I have 7lbs to lose and so my -20% is only about 350 calories...and according to several studies, most people overestimate their calories each day by 200-300 unless they measure everything and don't eat out (ambiguous calories). This is where I have found you need to pull a few extra tricks out of the bag...one of which is NOT eat less...but what you eat. You are going to have to fight with your body to lose those last few pounds and that may mean you are are going to have to work harder...give up white bread, sugar...but if you only have a few pounds to lose it should only take a couple weeks before you can get back to maintenance and find your happy medium.0
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My frustration is I have been trying to figure out what my body needs for two years now. Everything I tried has not resulted in weight loss for me. My husband follows the plans I choose and has had great results! I had two different personal trainers, a nutritionist, had my blood work done, including my thyroid (all normal), and I have tried several combinations of exercise and eating plans. I am the same weight today that I was this time two years ago! I can't even lose one pound! Even when I got the flu for three weeks and didn't eat very much, I remained the same weight! Impossible I know but true. When I get on the scale I get witnesses just to make sure I am not seeing things and nope, the same weight within three tenths of a pound every time. I have an appointment this month with an endocrinologist as a last ditch effort to try and figure out what my body needs to spark weight loss. I am so far past my wits end it is not even funny. However, I still try to make good food choices and I still drag my butt to the gym four to five days each week.
Just hang in there. I have not given up and you try to find something to cause you to hang in there too.0 -
If you have an active job you are not sedentary. Run your numbers again and this time be honest. Also if you have just a few pounds to lose then 20% might be to agressive. The idea would be to start at TDEE-20% but as you get closer to your goal it should be more like TDEE-10 to 15%.
Again go back and actually be honest and do TDEE the correct way and then decide whether or not it works.
I lost 126lbs eating 20%TDEE then adjusting as I got closer to my goal until I got to goal ( I have been maintaining almost two years eating at TDEE). I work two active jobs and work out so I knew better than to choose sedentary. It works but you have to be realistic and honest.0 -
I recently started doing the TDEE-20% deal, but I also started drinking WAY more water than I used to. I had to make sure that everything i entered was accurate, and with the added water, I noticed that I wasn't as constipated as I had become (sorry, TMI, but it's the truth) Now that I'm going regularly every morning, I think I have let go of a lot of water weight which can mask actual fat loss. The point I am trying to make is could it be bloating that is masking actual fat loss (considering that the TDEE calculation is accurate)?0
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are you weighing all your food on a food scale? that's pretty much the only way to accurately know how many calories you're eating.
I can't imagine how anyone could gain weight at 1340 cals/day! I lose more than 2 lbs a week eating an average of 1500 cals/day (1400 during the week with 2 high 1800 days) - and I'm 5' 4'' and only 10 lbs overweight. I exercise a lot too, but I'm building muscle so that should actually be reducing my losses each week. I weigh absolutely everything I eat (unless someone else cooked for me or I'm at a restaurant, but that's so infrequent that one over/underestimate isn't going to screw me up).
FYI, I think MFP's estimates are definitely low. I chose "moderately active" and "2 lbs/week" and it gave me 1400cals/day, which is working wonderfully. I sit most of the day in classes and exercise on average 6-7 hours a week.
Here's the other thing- you're doing Weight Watchers? Don't they have the whole "free fruit and veggies" thing? That makes zero sense to me, and would mean your 1000-1200 cals number is totally wrong. Veggies add up, and fruit adds up even faster!
Ughh I'm so envious. I only want to lose 10-15lbs. I'm afraid if I change my status to moderately active it'll have me eating even more and gaining more. I was following the old WW plan, which does account for fruits and veg. I don't get the new system.0 -
My frustration is I have been trying to figure out what my body needs for two years now. Everything I tried has not resulted in weight loss for me. My husband follows the plans I choose and has had great results! I had two different personal trainers, a nutritionist, had my blood work done, including my thyroid (all normal), and I have tried several combinations of exercise and eating plans. I am the same weight today that I was this time two years ago! I can't even lose one pound! Even when I got the flu for three weeks and didn't eat very much, I remained the same weight! Impossible I know but true. When I get on the scale I get witnesses just to make sure I am not seeing things and nope, the same weight within three tenths of a pound every time. I have an appointment this month with an endocrinologist as a last ditch effort to try and figure out what my body needs to spark weight loss. I am so far past my wits end it is not even funny. However, I still try to make good food choices and I still drag my butt to the gym four to five days each week.
Just hang in there. I have not given up and you try to find something to cause you to hang in there too.
That sounds so unbelievably frustrating. I'm so sorry you have to go through that. I haven't had any blood work done, but this week I've been thinking of making an appointment.0 -
If you have an active job you are not sedentary. Run your numbers again and this time be honest. Also if you have just a few pounds to lose then 20% might be to agressive. The idea would be to start at TDEE-20% but as you get closer to your goal it should be more like TDEE-10 to 15%.
Again go back and actually be honest and do TDEE the correct way and then decide whether or not it works.
I lost 126lbs eating 20%TDEE then adjusting as I got closer to my goal until I got to goal ( I have been maintaining almost two years eating at TDEE). I work two active jobs and work out so I knew better than to choose sedentary. It works but you have to be realistic and honest.
Congrats on your success! I totally get what you're saying. If I ate at the moderately active level it'd be somewhere around 1640 calories, and if I'm gaining at 1340 I can't see how eating even more could cause a loss.0 -
From my experience, girls our weight and height sometimes need to have a more aggressive calorie deficit. Fit in some higher calorie days too. I was stuck at 133 for 2 weeks and after binging on 1500 calories of chocolate this weekend, I've lost 3 lbs haha.
I think that a lot of the advice on here is for people with more weight to lose. It works for them certainly but we have more trouble with it.0 -
I dont do the TDEE thing a lot of people on here does. It says it dont always work for eveyone maybe u r one of those people if ur not losing at least inches then i wouldnt keep doing it or maybe ur calculations r wrong. If ur gaining and ur cloths r tighter i would do it the low calorie way and still do ur exercising just my thought not saying im right:) Hope u find ur way through this im sure its frustrating...0
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OP, unfortunately no-one can give you a figure and say 'there, eat that and you will lose weight.' This is a learning curve and much of weight loss is trial and error, and more importantly, patience.
A couple of things I have noticed:
You said you were eating 1000 – 1200 cals a day and you have an active job. This probably means you were eating at a severe deficit and depending on how long you kept this up for, your body WILL take time to adjust. 4 weeks is not long enough to trial something.
You also said that you set yourself at sedentary and took 20% from that. Why? You said you have an active job? For TDEE to work, you have to be truthful.
No calculator is ever going to give you an exact TDEE figure, but they can be used as a starting point and you can work from there. My recommendation is that you recalculate and be honest about your daily activity, up your cals gradually, and stick to it for 3 months and see where you are, then adjust if necessary. You need to remember that this is a lifestyle change, not a diet. Personally, I’d rather suffer an initial gain while my body sorts itself out, than be stuck on 1000 cals for the rest of my life.
My thoughts exactly.0
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