I'm sorry I'm still confused- or hard headed!

bossymomd

I just redid my scooby calculator just to try to figure this thing out again.

For the past month I have been doing Cathe on Mondays & Fridays - I am not up to completing all the sets or using the same weights as she is, but I am still doing it. I use 8 & 10 lb dumbbells and the stretch band.

On Tues-and-Thurs I was trying to do something...even if it's for only 20 minutes. 10-minute trainer, or just some jumping jacks, crunches, squats etc, but obviously not as heavy as the Cathe. I am starting to see some definition in my arms and I'm loving that, but my belly fat won't budge for the life of me!

Sooooooooo I redid my calculator because I really think the exercise is still considered 1-3 hours light??

I am 48, 5'2.5" and I usually weight between 170-174.

Scooby says this: BMR 1301, TDEE 1789, Calorie goal based on 15% deficit is 1520.

This explains my stall at my current weight for like ever! I am currently eating anywhere from 1700-2200. First of all I am PISSED! Why does everyone else get to eat upwards of 2000 calories and I am stuck at 1520 if I want to lose weight?? Is it my age? I'm still thinking everyone else MUST be younger and working out much harder than I am but I am doing what I can.

Have I not waited long enough to see progress? Uugghh....Could use some encouragement and advice.

I had a total thyroidectomy 22 years ago and a child 11 years ago so my metabolism is probably a mess.

I'm not going to quit working out but I really need to know how many calories to eat...I am tempted to lower it to the 1500 but not sure I can handle it there....I think I'm jealous of all you girls out there who are allowed to eat 2000-2200 cals. I CAN DO THAT! But it's not working....

Haybales, I did try your calculator and it also told me to only eat 1521......

So, please what do I do here??? Be brutally honest, I need to hear it! Help, and thanks!

mockchoc

Can you fit in 30 minutes of brisk walking most days too? You'll get a couple of hundred extra calories to eat then.

heybales

I just redid my scooby calculator just to try to figure this thing out again.

For the past month I have been doing Cathe on Mondays & Fridays - I am not up to completing all the sets or using the same weights as she is, but I am still doing it. I use 8 & 10 lb dumbbells and the stretch band.

On Tues-and-Thurs I was trying to do something...even if it's for only 20 minutes. 10-minute trainer, or just some jumping jacks, crunches, squats etc, but obviously not as heavy as the Cathe. I am starting to see some definition in my arms and I'm loving that, but my belly fat won't budge for the life of me!

Sooooooooo I redid my calculator because I really think the exercise is still considered 1-3 hours light??

I am 48, 5'2.5" and I usually weight between 170-174.

Scooby says this: BMR 1301, TDEE 1789, Calorie goal based on 15% deficit is 1520.

This explains my stall at my current weight for like ever! I am currently eating anywhere from 1700-2200. First of all I am PISSED! Why does everyone else get to eat upwards of 2000 calories and I am stuck at 1520 if I want to lose weight?? Is it my age? I'm still thinking everyone else MUST be younger and working out much harder than I am but I am doing what I can.

Have I not waited long enough to see progress? Uugghh....Could use some encouragement and advice.

I had a total thyroidectomy 22 years ago and a child 11 years ago so my metabolism is probably a mess.

I'm not going to quit working out but I really need to know how many calories to eat...I am tempted to lower it to the 1500 but not sure I can handle it there....I think I'm jealous of all you girls out there who are allowed to eat 2000-2200 cals. I CAN DO THAT! But it's not working....

Haybales, I did try your calculator and it also told me to only eat 1521......

So, please what do I do here??? Be brutally honest, I need to hear it! Help, and thanks!

If that time and activity put into spreadsheet was about the same, sounds like lightly active level is about right.

And spreadsheet is using Katch BMR based on your LeanBodyMass if you did the BF% calc, which Scooby may not have if you didn't select and enter BF%.

Age is indeed an assumption of lower BMR. Because as we age, unless doing something to fight it, we lose LBM. Less muscle needed, less cardio so less blood volume needed and less glucose stores with water, ect.

That's why Katch is nice, you may be higher than avg gal your weight, height, age, may be under though if years of yo-yo dieting has burned off muscle mass.

If you are sure you got your stats in right, and the activity calculator right, follow the TDEG recommended, and protein levels.
I'd even call the 20 min on Tu/Th medium cardio unless you think you really do keep it more intense than walking 4mph flat.

bossymomd

Thanks hubby keeps telling me I'm impatient....he says to keep doing what I'm doing. I NEVER built muscle in my life. Always cardio or maybe some crunches. As a matter of fact hubby used to call me his little veal.

So yes, I have a long way to go to build muscle. That is why I am so confused about the calories. If I am trying to build muscle so that my muscle burns more calories in a day thereby keeping me leaner, should I lower it to the 1521? Or keep it at say 1800? I guess I'm saying that I'm not sure I could survive on 1521....LOL I should be able to, but if I lower it too much I feel like I'll fall back into the old starvation tactics just to stay within the range.

uugghh

Haybales, thanks for your info! I do appreciate it and the spreadsheet! The tuesday/thurs workout is either raking leaves/yardwork, two 10 minute trainer workouts, or something similar to that (jj, squats, crunches) (going up and down the basement stairs 50 times doing laundry...lol) so maybe 3-5 medium??

I keep telling myself, "I'll get there"

Thanks!

aliciab307

If you want to build muscle or increase lbm you should eat at tdee or a surplus for maybe 4-8 weeks. That could possibly help some

ALittleBitLess1

HI

i too share your pain! am also 5ft 2 and cannot eat much without gaining weight, nevermind losing it! Itry to eat the same things just smaller portions and eat slower. Really dull I know, sorry.

Have been on 1200 for last 3 months and thinking about upping it to 20% below TDEE which works out about 1500 for me. still cant quite figure out if i eat my calories back or not though anf the TDEE calculations includes your activity level over a week!

I have recently got into buying the 'high end' ready meals when they are on offer as they all seem to be around 400-600 cals or less. Lazy but it works, especially when its in the oven while I work out

heybales

Thanks hubby keeps telling me I'm impatient....he says to keep doing what I'm doing. I NEVER built muscle in my life. Always cardio or maybe some crunches. As a matter of fact hubby used to call me his little veal.

So yes, I have a long way to go to build muscle. That is why I am so confused about the calories. If I am trying to build muscle so that my muscle burns more calories in a day thereby keeping me leaner, should I lower it to the 1521? Or keep it at say 1800? I guess I'm saying that I'm not sure I could survive on 1521....LOL I should be able to, but if I lower it too much I feel like I'll fall back into the old starvation tactics just to stay within the range.

uugghh

Haybales, thanks for your info! I do appreciate it and the spreadsheet! The tuesday/thurs workout is either raking leaves/yardwork, two 10 minute trainer workouts, or something similar to that (jj, squats, crunches) (going up and down the basement stairs 50 times doing laundry...lol) so maybe 3-5 medium??

I keep telling myself, "I'll get there"

Thanks!

I'd call Tue/Thu medium cardio in the spreadsheet then for those average minutes you spend.
As to what that means in the 5 level TDEE scale I don't know but the BMR multiplier is shown, but don't take a finer estimate to a rougher one.
Why measure the space to put a piece of wood to 1/16", and then use a ruler with only 1" markings to cut the wood?
Rough ballpark figures will give rough ballpark results.

The TDEG is indeed minimum, for weight/fat loss while retaining muscle, not necessarily building it, though that could happen at start of fat loss.

If you'd rather do it slower with less deficit overall, you could indeed eat at TDEE on lifting days, most calories post workout, and TDEG on the other days, most calories still supporting the 24 hrs post workout day before.
That would give the best chance of building muscle eating at maintenance than.
Or just eat half-way between TDEG and TDEE daily.

heybales

i too share your pain! am also 5ft 2 and cannot eat much without gaining weight, nevermind losing it! Itry to eat the same things just smaller portions and eat slower. Really dull I know, sorry.

Have been on 1200 for last 3 months and thinking about upping it to 20% below TDEE which works out about 1500 for me. still cant quite figure out if i eat my calories back or not though anf the TDEE calculations includes your activity level over a week!

I have recently got into buying the 'high end' ready meals when they are on offer as they all seem to be around 400-600 cals or less. Lazy but it works, especially when its in the oven while I work out

Were your workouts included in the TDEE estimate?
Then the deficit was taken?
Then eating those calories that were already included means eating in surplus.

bossymomd

Hi Again,

Heybales! I like that idea! I think I'll do that and eat between the TDEG & TDEE on my workout days......

This week I changed it up a bit and gave myself two rest days in between the workouts...

I did Cathe Friedrich Muscle Max on Monday and Today. On Tues/Thurs I rested and on Wednesday I did Slim in Six Start it Up.

I saw a weight loss on the scale on Thursday morning of 1.3 lbs! I think my body needs the rest between the workouts. And on Wednesday after the slim in six I wasn't even hungry enough to get over the 1500 cals....

Initially I wanted to do the Slim in Six on Tues/Thurs and rest on Wednesday but my Tuesday schedule got crazy and I couldn't get it in...so it wound up on Wednesday....but it worked!

I am also trying to get my protein up more! I do NOT purchase prepackaged meals as they are loaded with msg/sodium and wreaks havoc with the scale but also with the way I feel...

Thanks for all your help everyone! It's so hard but I will keep tweaking until I get there. I just don't want to starve myself...thanks again!

bossymomd

Ya know, I've been eating back all of my exercise calories! Could this be it???

My new plan:

eat 1826 every day and NOT eat back the exercise calories....

increase protein to make it to my 30% -

Ok we'll see how this works...lol

"tweak til it works"

CM9178

unfortunatey, it is probably because of your height. My TDEE is under 2000

linski24

My tdee is under 2000 too ..!! I'm 5'1" :-(