TDEE method...does it work?
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I just don't understand if this work so well, why is weightwatchers and all these other diets using the same 1200 calorie thing.....is it something new?
Unless WW has changed in a major way since I was a member, they do hide TDEE-20% in their figuring of how many "points" you are allocated -- the heavier you are, the more points you are allocated. You can also earn "bonus points" through exercising.0 -
ate 1670 once I became sedentary.. stopped losing weight... ate 2100.. lost 2 lbs. Hmm.0
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Yes it works! I think that people use 1200 is a starting point. In the beginning your body doesn't have much muscle and is not used to working out, and you have been eating lots of calories. Then as you get closer to your goal weight your body needs the calories to keep losing, and keep its muscle. That is when I switched to the tdee method. Also, don't eat your calories back!0
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My TDEE is 2253.. so TDEE-20% = 1802. I'm currently eating between 1450-1550 a day.. MFP sets my goal at 1640.. I'm consistently losing 1.5-2 pounds a week. So does the TDEE method tell me that if I eat another 300 calories a day I will lose MORE?? Hmmm.. Doesn't sound too healthy to me. And I know I'm too scared to try..0
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Of course it does, it's based on Thermodynamics0
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My TDEE is 2253.. so TDEE-20% = 1802. I'm currently eating between 1450-1550 a day.. MFP sets my goal at 1640.. I'm consistently losing 1.5-2 pounds a week. So does the TDEE method tell me that if I eat another 300 calories a day I will lose MORE?? Hmmm.. Doesn't sound too healthy to me. And I know I'm too scared to try..
who said you would lose more than the 1.5-2lbs than you're already losing?0 -
My TDEE is 2253.. so TDEE-20% = 1802. I'm currently eating between 1450-1550 a day.. MFP sets my goal at 1640.. I'm consistently losing 1.5-2 pounds a week. So does the TDEE method tell me that if I eat another 300 calories a day I will lose MORE?? Hmmm.. Doesn't sound too healthy to me. And I know I'm too scared to try..
Where the hell did you get the idea that it would lead you to losing more? Nowhere does that type of statement get made.
the "TDEE method" is just a formula to calculate a caloric intake, it is not based on getting a specific # of lbs/wk of expected wt. loss.
You're losing 1.5-2lbs/wk which is pretty much bang on to what you'd expect to lose based on your expected deficit of around 750 ish cals/day. So why would you even want to be changing something that is working?0 -
No, you don't maintain at TDEE -20%. You maintain at your actual TDEE. That's the definition of TDEE.Doesn't work for me, even with an underestimated activity level (I have a Fitbit One and know that I'm at least lightly active every day, so I've tried it there and at sedentary.) I maintain at TDEE -20%, and I weigh and measure absolutely everything and track calories extremely carefully. I may have ruined my metabolism with too many years of disordered eating (heavy restriction alternated with binge/purge mostly), though, as the vast majority of posters here seem to be very successful with the method.
Exactly what I was going to say. TDEE isn't a number a calculator spits out for you -- it is your maintenance calorie level. Eat less than that and you will lose weight.
The reason TDEE-20% works for so many people is that is gives you a smaller deficit than MFP tends to give people. So it's an easier deficit to maintain and it takes longer to plateau. There's nothing really magic or complicated about it, just figure out your TDEE/maintenance level (calculation, then trial and error) and eat a little less than that.
I understand what it means; I guess I should be more clear to the pedantically inclined. When I eat at what SHOULD be my TDEE -20%, I still maintain and don't lose, even if I underestimate my activity level and claim to be sedentary (which I am not- I'm a bartender, run 5k three times per week, and walk about 13 000 steps on an average day according to my fitbit.) Like I said, I might have just screwed up my metabolism, but I'm proof it doesn't work for everyone.0 -
no, you're proof that reading is entirely too difficult sometimes.
No, you don't maintain at TDEE -20%. You maintain at your actual TDEE. That's the definition of TDEE.Doesn't work for me, even with an underestimated activity level (I have a Fitbit One and know that I'm at least lightly active every day, so I've tried it there and at sedentary.) I maintain at TDEE -20%, and I weigh and measure absolutely everything and track calories extremely carefully. I may have ruined my metabolism with too many years of disordered eating (heavy restriction alternated with binge/purge mostly), though, as the vast majority of posters here seem to be very successful with the method.
Exactly what I was going to say. TDEE isn't a number a calculator spits out for you -- it is your maintenance calorie level. Eat less than that and you will lose weight.
The reason TDEE-20% works for so many people is that is gives you a smaller deficit than MFP tends to give people. So it's an easier deficit to maintain and it takes longer to plateau. There's nothing really magic or complicated about it, just figure out your TDEE/maintenance level (calculation, then trial and error) and eat a little less than that.
I understand what it means; I guess I should be more clear to the pedantically inclined. When I eat at what SHOULD be my TDEE -20%, I still maintain and don't lose, even if I underestimate my activity level and claim to be sedentary (which I am not- I'm a bartender, run 5k three times per week, and walk about 13 000 steps on an average day according to my fitbit.) Like I said, I might have just screwed up my metabolism, but I'm proof it doesn't work for everyone.
if you're eating at what you THINK your tdee -20% is, and you aren't losing... you're actually eating at TDEE.0 -
It's really no different to MFP.
With TDEE method your exercise is included, with MFP you are given a baseline calorie allowance you are then suppose to add in your exercise and eat those calories back also.
They work out pretty much the same if you follow MFP as you should.0 -
It's really no different to MFP.
With TDEE method your exercise is included, with MFP you are given a baseline calorie allowance you are then suppose to add in your exercise and eat those calories back also.
They work out pretty much the same if you follow MFP as you should.
exactly the case... except FAR too many people sign up for MFP and go with sedentary and 2lbs / week loss, regardless of how much they have to lose.0 -
It's really no different to MFP.
With TDEE method your exercise is included, with MFP you are given a baseline calorie allowance you are then suppose to add in your exercise and eat those calories back also.
They work out pretty much the same if you follow MFP as you should.
exactly the case... except FAR too many people sign up for MFP and go with sedentary and 2lbs / week loss, regardless of how much they have to lose.
and then don't eat back their exercise calories.0 -
bingo. then they stall out, can't figure out why, and either:It's really no different to MFP.
With TDEE method your exercise is included, with MFP you are given a baseline calorie allowance you are then suppose to add in your exercise and eat those calories back also.
They work out pretty much the same if you follow MFP as you should.
exactly the case... except FAR too many people sign up for MFP and go with sedentary and 2lbs / week loss, regardless of how much they have to lose.
and then don't eat back their exercise calories.
1. look for fad diets
2. think they need a cleanse.
3. come back to the forums and actually read a lot of the posts where folks clearly explain why they need to eat to lose weight.0 -
there's an updated link....
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974888-in-place-of-a-road-map-2k130 -
YES!0
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I lost a lot on low calorie, switched it up.. for 6 months, giving it time, gained 10 lbs, lost nothing, switched back to low calorie, lost the 10 and am still losing. I think its crap. I crossfit, on low calorie, have plenty of energy, gaining strength, losing weight. It may work, if you are not really looking to lose much and are decently lean already, but for the typical fatty, its not the best option, imo.0
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Yes it works. Fuel your body workout hard and never be hungry. I eat at 1900, I am a 53 year old female. TDEE minus 20%0
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so for somebody in the obese category (me) is this something that would work? it seems most people who are saying this works only need to lose 15-30 lbs or so.0
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Of course it will work.
The question will be is if you want to take a more aggressive weight loss path (ie aiming for 2 lb/wk of loss).
That is up to you and how well you adjust to living on a big calorie deficit.
If anything, you could start with TDEE-20% for a month, see how it goes, and then re-evaluate if you want to be more aggressive.0 -
I just don't understand if this work so well, why is weightwatchers and all these other diets using the same 1200 calorie thing.....is it something new?
Because they can continue to make money when people continue to use their service wondering why it isn't working. They stop making money when you can succeed on your own.
Exactly!! They don't have as big of a profit if their users don't keep coming back to them once they are off their plans or they plateau.0 -
When I started out I was eating TDEE-20% and I lost then I read that I shouldn't be eating back the points I got daily from my Fitbit for exercise so I cut back and was netting 30-40% less than TDEE and only at about 1000-1200 cal a day and I gained. I made out a spreadsheet showing the past 8 weeks "Cal Burned" "20%" and "Actual Cal Eaten" and "Weight" just to visualize get this thing in my head.
Funny thing..........when I look at the 2 weeks I ate at exactly the 20%, that was the weeks I lost. All the others, the weight came back on. I'm tired of playing around with this on then off #'s. I am going to eat what the plan tells me and quit trying to figure it all out. I have come to the conclusion it is set up to auto adjust on the exercise and tell me what to eat so why do I keep trying to subtract and make new rules? We are making this thing way to difficult with all the second guessing.0 -
Of course it will work.
The question will be is if you want to take a more aggressive weight loss path (ie aiming for 2 lb/wk of loss).
That is up to you and how well you adjust to living on a big calorie deficit.
If anything, you could start with TDEE-20% for a month, see how it goes, and then re-evaluate if you want to be more aggressive.
I do want to lose about 2 lbs a week. should I aim for TDEE-25% or does that just defeat the entire purpose?0 -
that really depends on how much you want to lose total. Not the "I wanna be skinny by summer, so 2lbs per week is right for me."Of course it will work.
The question will be is if you want to take a more aggressive weight loss path (ie aiming for 2 lb/wk of loss).
That is up to you and how well you adjust to living on a big calorie deficit.
If anything, you could start with TDEE-20% for a month, see how it goes, and then re-evaluate if you want to be more aggressive.
I do want to lose about 2 lbs a week. should I aim for TDEE-25% or does that just defeat the entire purpose?
so, how much weight are you aiming for, you know, overall?0 -
Of course it will work.
The question will be is if you want to take a more aggressive weight loss path (ie aiming for 2 lb/wk of loss).
That is up to you and how well you adjust to living on a big calorie deficit.
If anything, you could start with TDEE-20% for a month, see how it goes, and then re-evaluate if you want to be more aggressive.
I do want to lose about 2 lbs a week. should I aim for TDEE-25% or does that just defeat the entire purpose?
Go with 20%. I thought if 20 is good, then 25 or 30 is better but the only 2 out of almost 9 weeks that I lost was the 2 weeks I ate at the 20%, eating less, I gained.0 -
Of course it will work.
The question will be is if you want to take a more aggressive weight loss path (ie aiming for 2 lb/wk of loss).
That is up to you and how well you adjust to living on a big calorie deficit.
If anything, you could start with TDEE-20% for a month, see how it goes, and then re-evaluate if you want to be more aggressive.
I do want to lose about 2 lbs a week. should I aim for TDEE-25% or does that just defeat the entire purpose?
Go with 20%. I thought if 20 is good, then 25 or 30 is better but the only 2 out of almost 9 weeks that I lost was the 2 weeks I ate at the 20%, eating less, I gained.
so what you guys are saying is that the -20 works the best, right? Also, where can I get the best formula (most accurate) way to calculate the TDEE? there I that scoobysite ...is that a good one?
Also, this whole thing just confuses me to death, is there anyway to make MFP work in the same kind of way (I have read some people say if you use MFP properly and eat back calories then it is the same as MFP)? If I wanted to do it that way, how would I set up my goals on here: I do have a sedentary job so I always pick sedentary, and then how many lbs per week should I say I want to lose. Thanks.0 -
I just don't understand if this work so well, why is weightwatchers and all these other diets using the same 1200 calorie thing.....is it something new?
Because they can continue to make money when people continue to use their service wondering why it isn't working. They stop making money when you can succeed on your own.
Exactly!! They don't have as big of a profit if their users don't keep coming back to them once they are off their plans or they plateau.0 -
.... no.Of course it will work.
The question will be is if you want to take a more aggressive weight loss path (ie aiming for 2 lb/wk of loss).
That is up to you and how well you adjust to living on a big calorie deficit.
If anything, you could start with TDEE-20% for a month, see how it goes, and then re-evaluate if you want to be more aggressive.
I do want to lose about 2 lbs a week. should I aim for TDEE-25% or does that just defeat the entire purpose?
Go with 20%. I thought if 20 is good, then 25 or 30 is better but the only 2 out of almost 9 weeks that I lost was the 2 weeks I ate at the 20%, eating less, I gained.0 -
Of course it will work.
The question will be is if you want to take a more aggressive weight loss path (ie aiming for 2 lb/wk of loss).
That is up to you and how well you adjust to living on a big calorie deficit.
If anything, you could start with TDEE-20% for a month, see how it goes, and then re-evaluate if you want to be more aggressive.
I do want to lose about 2 lbs a week. should I aim for TDEE-25% or does that just defeat the entire purpose?
Go with 20%. I thought if 20 is good, then 25 or 30 is better but the only 2 out of almost 9 weeks that I lost was the 2 weeks I ate at the 20%, eating less, I gained.
so what you guys are saying is that the -20 works the best, right? Also, where can I get the best formula (most accurate) way to calculate the TDEE? there I that scoobysite ...is that a good one?
Also, this whole thing just confuses me to death, is there anyway to make MFP work in the same kind of way (I have read some people say if you use MFP properly and eat back calories then it is the same as MFP)? If I wanted to do it that way, how would I set up my goals on here: I do have a sedentary job so I always pick sedentary, and then how many lbs per week should I say I want to lose. Thanks.
TDEE system is working for me. I love the fact that I do not feel hungry, I learn to eat the way I will be eating the rest of my life. So in that sense this not a diet at all, but a lifestyle change. This method is lot simpler since you do not try to figure out how many calories you burned exercising. This is just plain good and simple.
I do understand that it can look confusing and weird at first. There are several threads here with the same method but explained differently. Some have more info and detail and are more educational. This works for some people. For other this is too much. They don't like the "wall of text" or "too much of math". We are all different. If the In Place of The Road Map is too confusing, please look at the following thread by PU239;
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/975707-fat-loss-tactics-guide
This is the same thing, but as clearly and simply explained as possible. If you are interested, just follow these steps and try for a month or two. If it doesn't work for you, then try for something else. You do have to have patience period. First your body will take time to adjust and even after that happens, weight loss is not linear. It goes down and then up and then stays and then down etc. This is normal. As long as the general trend is down, it is all good. And slow loss is good. You will probably keep it off easier that way. Just try - what do you have to loose....0 -
Why wouldn't it work? Your TDEE is the total calories you burn during the day. If you don't get those calories from food, you'll get them from your body, so you'll lose weight. Or that's how I understand it.
Supposedly you lose a pound for every 3500 calories deficit. MFP seems to recommend a pound a week weight loss, so that's a 500 calorie deficit a day. People tend to use percentages when working out their deficit from TDEE, so instead of a flat 500 calories deficit, they'd cut, say 20% (It isn't always 20% - the IPOARM thread will explain which to choose). Obviously if somebody just happens to have a TDEE of 2500, that will mean that they eat 500 calories less, and should lose weight at exactly the same rate as they would on MFP. Generally speaking, somebody with a TDEE of less than 2500 will lose slower with MFP and somebody with a TDEE of more than 2500 will lose faster with MFP. (In practice, MFP cuts off at 1200, so people with very low TDEEs will end up eating more on MFP). That's the main difference, I think: not the amount of the deficit, but the fact that it scales according to the person's TDEE, with a smaller deficit for the smaller, older, less active people.
The other big difference is that the TDEE system allows you to eat the same calories every day, if you so wish. You're usually counting your TDEE as an average for the week, and you do the same with your calories. You don't have to do this with the TDEE system, but I prefer it.
I've probably made this sound more complicated than it is, but I'm trying to say that it ISN'T complicated. There's no mystery to how either system works. Both have you eating less than you burn, but MFP subtracts a fixed amount and TDEE subtracts a percentage. MFP works out what you burn before exercise and subtracts the number from that, so if you exercise you add it in and eat back the calories to keep the same deficit. TDEE system works out what you burn including exercise, and subtracts a percentage from that.
It's worth reading the threads posted above and seeing what you think. I've personally found that both systems work, but I find TDEE - x% easier.0 -
i dont follow what mfp suggests for my calories. and in the beginning it is hard. the first couple months i was always always over and seemed hungry all the time. but you have to understand that its new to you and you have to train your body to adjust to it. the first week i cant count how many binge eating days i would have and days where i would exercise and just needed a sugar fix. dont go into this as "diet". calculate you tdee and go from there. understand that the first week or two will be a bigger loss cause of water weight and all that. after that it will slow down. and the progress you get depends on the effort you put into it. point blank. if you eat better and exercise, you will lose. if you dont, then you will not lose much or any at all. this is health for the rest of your life. not a quick fix. but i promise you, if you stick to it, you can do it. i use to eat well well over 2000 a day easy. now i have to force myself to eat more just to stay above some days. i can now purposely get my naughty take out foods and stay in my goal. dont follow that 1200 calorie stuff. and eat when your hungry. just make better choices. see what gets you in trouble. cut the sugar pop. no creamer in your coffee. lighter more frequent meals. light bed time snacks. and when you do have a craving, eat it. just cut back on the amount. eat one or two oreos instead of the whole bag lol! i have lost over 50 lbs in 4 months and im living proof. i eat around 1600-1800 calories a day even now and im still losing.0
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