Considering TDEE - Questions

cerenia

I gained on this last time I did this, but after doing more research over last few days and talking to a couple of people, i'm pondering if I wasn't following it as well as I should have (i was on it about 3-4 weeks) and have been on a 1270 calorie diet, since, which has helped me stay steady at 1lb a week loss (bar this week, but that was water retention due to dehydration mid-week). I am doing more excercise now, with a new fitness plan in place with 5 nights a week minimum, and quite a few people are telling me to start TDEE again if i'm going to stay true to my excercise - saying my 1270 was OK with little excercise, but if I want to go for proper workouts with so few calories, I will do nothing but damage. My TDEE shows I should be on 1866 calories for -30% with moderate excercise, but this was around the level I was eating before I started dieting, but if I go to light excercise and -30%, it goes to 1655, which personally, looks better, but i'm asking experienced people, I want to do this, but need to find the right path for long term, I will find something and try it for a month to see if it works, its not in the past, but people are adamant 1270 isn't right for me, so i'm asking advice.

Sorry to sound like an idiot asking questions, so many people are telling me different things, and its all so confusing, I just want to eat and lose weight pleaase!

cerenia

Bump?

melaniecheeks

Could you be a bit clearer as to what you're asking?

You've lost 23 pounds, so you're doing SOMETHING right!

cerenia

Sorry, im asking is it possible to be at a stage where 1270 can stop - that was with little excercise, wheras if I'm now excercising more, should I just eat back excercise calories burnt, or go for TDEE -30% and not eat back?

TavistockToad

Sorry, im asking is it possible to be at a stage where 1270 can stop - that was with little excercise, wheras if I'm now excercising more, should I just eat back excercise calories burnt, or go for TDEE -30% and not eat back?

everyone is different - you have to find what works for you. as someone else has said, you have lost 23lbs so you must be doing something right.

if NET 1270 works for you, then keep at it if you are happy with that amount, and not feeling overly hungry, lathargic etc. if after a few weeks you find you are not losing, then add an extra 200 cals per day and see if that helps...

alternatively, if you want to try it then go for 1866 and dont eat exercise cals back.

i like to log my workouts so i dont use a calorie calculation that includes exercise, but its up to you.

hhayes06

I would definitely eat back the exercise calories if you plan to stay at 1270. If you decide to go with TDEE make sure you calculate your exercise into that. Also, I think it's generally recommended (at least what I have seen on here) to go with TDEE - 20%. That's what I do and it took a week or so to start seeing results on the scale but I have dropped 5 pounds in the last two weeks. I have also lost 2 inches off my waist which is what I am most happy about. Also, maybe give it more than 3 - 4 weeks, try to give it at least 6 weeks and see what happens. Good luck and congrats on your 23 pounds down so far.

cerenia

Thanks guys - i think I will got for a calorie increase as i'm starting to feel quite hungry during the day, and finding i'm getting home after work with only about 500 cals to eat, then having to excercise as well - generally finding i'm either ready to go OTT on toast in the morning (i'm a carb addict), or going to bed hungry, which I wasn't getting in the past, as I wasn't excercising as much - have been feeling quite headachey today and generally hyper, but tired, and its day 4 of new plan, so I think i'm starting to burn out a bit, so will take the warning and eat more before I do myself something awful - i'm averagely burning about 500 calories a night in workouts, and a general work day using a pedometer classes me as losing about 220 cals, but I never count that.

Thanks again guys!