Advice on calories to consume for TDEE -20% and fast days.

Givemewings

Ok, so I am going to try TDEE-20%. I used scooby's calculator to help me. As I do two fast days at around 600 cals, on my other days my goal is around 1800, which seems a lot to me, but I am going to try it and see what happens. I will be eating exercise calories too , or at least some of them . What do you think? Is this a good plan? Any advice welcome! I have 11lbs left to goal weight , or at least what I think should be my goal weight.

jacksonpt

First, if you are basing your cals on TDEE, you don't eat back exercise cals (assuming what you calculated was actually TDEE...).

Second, how are you balancing your 2 fast days with the 5 "feed" days based on that TDEE-20% number?

Ladyinwaiting4

Whenever I input my calories I post the same stats on scoobysworkshop I keep getting different numbers.

height 5"4
Age 38

current weight 180
body fat 35%

work out level not sure I work out 5 days a week for 25 minuets is this moderate

tdee want to do at least a 15% cut on it. right now I am doing the metabolic reset .

TavistockToad

you are mixing up two different methods for calorie reduction. either do TDEE -20% or do 5:2 fasting.

dont do both.

Givemewings

I used Scooby's TDEE calculator and put the activity level in as desk job with little exercise. I suppose this is not strictly TDEE. This gave me the total for the week. I then took off my fast day calories then divided the remaining calories by 5 to work out my calories for the other 5 days.
As my exercise level can change from week to week I thought it would be better to add on the exercise calories in this way.

TavistockToad

I used Scooby's TDEE calculator and put the activity level in as desk job with little exercise. I suppose this is not strictly TDEE. This gave me the total for the week. I then took off my fast day calories then divided the remaining calories by 5 to work out my calories for the other 5 days.
As my exercise level can change from week to week I thought it would be better to add on the exercise calories in this way.

but the 5:2 methodology is to eat at maintnenace 5 days and 500 cals the other 2, which creates the deficit. doing it on TDEE-20% means you are creating a deficit twice.

you also said you were on your last 11lbs, so you should only be aiming for a loss of TDEE-10%/15% anyway!

jacksonpt

I used Scooby's TDEE calculator and put the activity level in as desk job with little exercise. I suppose this is not strictly TDEE. This gave me the total for the week. I then took off my fast day calories then divided the remaining calories by 5 to work out my calories for the other 5 days.
As my exercise level can change from week to week I thought it would be better to add on the exercise calories in this way.

Sounds reasonable, albeit a little overcomplicated to me. But if you can do it, go for it.

However, do you really have a desk job and get little exercise? If not, then you didn't really calculate TDEE, and your deficit will be that much bigger.

jacksonpt

I used Scooby's TDEE calculator and put the activity level in as desk job with little exercise. I suppose this is not strictly TDEE. This gave me the total for the week. I then took off my fast day calories then divided the remaining calories by 5 to work out my calories for the other 5 days.
As my exercise level can change from week to week I thought it would be better to add on the exercise calories in this way.

but the 5:2 methodology is to eat at maintnenace 5 days and 500 cals the other 2, which creates the deficit. doing it on TDEE-20% means you are creating a deficit twice.

you also said you were on your last 11lbs, so you should only be aiming for a loss of TDEE-10%/15% anyway!

Yea, this.

Givemewings

Hi TavistockToad, thanks for your advice. I realise I may be complicating things using two methods, but prior to starting 5:2 I was just using MFP to calulate my daily calories, and unfortunately this will not work if you are doing 5:2. So I used the TDEE calculator to see how many calories I should be eating then divided them up through the week, taking into account the two fast days of 500.

SoDamnHungry

Agreed, don't do both. I actually read an article saying that IF wasn't good for women, specifically, but is ok for men. I'll see if I can find the article and send it to you.

TavistockToad

Hi TavistockToad, thanks for your advice. I realise I may be complicating things using two methods, but prior to starting 5:2 I was just using MFP to calulate my daily calories, and unfortunately this will not work if you are doing 5:2. So I used the TDEE calculator to see how many calories I should be eating then divided them up through the week, taking into account the two fast days of 500.

i understand that, but as i say, you are creating a deficit twice.

jacksonpt

Hi TavistockToad, thanks for your advice. I realise I may be complicating things using two methods, but prior to starting 5:2 I was just using MFP to calulate my daily calories, and unfortunately this will not work if you are doing 5:2. So I used the TDEE calculator to see how many calories I should be eating then divided them up through the week, taking into account the two fast days of 500.

Then don't use TDEE-20%... use TDEE.

The 2 fast days will create the deficit for you. So if TDEE is 2000, you eat 2000 5 days a week, and 600 2 days a week, those 2 days put you in a deficit for the week. You don't need to reduce TDEE to create a deficit, the 2 fast days do it for you.

Givemewings

Ok, thanks. I only worked out TDEE-20% to know how much of a deficit I needed calorie wise. I haven't actually given myself a double deficit.

palmerar

Whenever I input my calories I post the same stats on scoobysworkshop I keep getting different numbers.

height 5"4
Age 38

current weight 180
body fat 35%

work out level not sure I work out 5 days a week for 25 minuets is this moderate

tdee want to do at least a 15% cut on it. right now I am doing the metabolic reset .

25 minutes 5 days a week would be in the light category, as it is less than 3 hours per week...I usually go by how much time I spend working out not number of times when calculating.

Edit to add: How much does it vary by? 20-50 cals or a few hundred? Do you change any of your input numbers when using the calculator?

TavistockToad

Ok, thanks. I only worked out TDEE-20% to know how much of a deficit I needed calorie wise. I haven't actually given myself a double deficit.

so you use that figure to work out how many calories you eat on the 5 feed days? and then have 2 500 cal days?

Givemewings

Thanks for answering again. My TDEE -20% was 1479 ( desk job with little exercise). So I worked out the weekly calories by multiplying this by 7 which brought me to 10353 calories. I subtracted 1200 calories for my fast days which brought me to 9153 calories. Then I divided this up between the remaining 5 days which meant I should consume 1830 calories on those days. I hope this is a little clearer. Thanks for sticking with me.

TavistockToad

Thanks for answering again. My TDEE -20% was 1479 ( desk job with little exercise). So I worked out the weekly calories by multiplying this by 7 which brought me to 10353 calories. I subtracted 1200 calories for my fast days which brought me to 9153 calories. Then I divided this up between the remaining 5 days which meant I should consume 1830 calories on those days. I hope this is a little clearer. Thanks for sticking with me.

riiiiiiiiight.

well if it works for you then great!

jacksonpt

Thanks for answering again. My TDEE -20% was 1479 ( desk job with little exercise). So I worked out the weekly calories by multiplying this by 7 which brought me to 10353 calories. I subtracted 1200 calories for my fast days which brought me to 9153 calories. Then I divided this up between the remaining 5 days which meant I should consume 1830 calories on those days. I hope this is a little clearer. Thanks for sticking with me.

Again, as travis said... you are creating a deficit twice. Don't use TDEE - 20%, just use TDEE.

And you're missing the bigger point. 5:2 is maintenance for 5 days, fast for 2 days. Maintenance is ~ 1775 for you. Eat 1775 for 5 days, then fast for 2 days. You're over thinking it.

TavistockToad

Thanks for answering again. My TDEE -20% was 1479 ( desk job with little exercise). So I worked out the weekly calories by multiplying this by 7 which brought me to 10353 calories. I subtracted 1200 calories for my fast days which brought me to 9153 calories. Then I divided this up between the remaining 5 days which meant I should consume 1830 calories on those days. I hope this is a little clearer. Thanks for sticking with me.

Again, as travis said... you are creating a deficit twice. Don't use TDEE - 20%, just use TDEE.

And you're missing the bigger point. 5:2 is maintenance for 5 days, fast for 2 days. Maintenance is ~ 1775 for you. Eat 1775 for 5 days, then fast for 2 days. You're over thinking it.

agree with the overthinking, but she isnt actually doing 5:2, just eating her weekly TDEE -20% calories in the style of 5:2.... i think....

jacksonpt

Thanks for answering again. My TDEE -20% was 1479 ( desk job with little exercise). So I worked out the weekly calories by multiplying this by 7 which brought me to 10353 calories. I subtracted 1200 calories for my fast days which brought me to 9153 calories. Then I divided this up between the remaining 5 days which meant I should consume 1830 calories on those days. I hope this is a little clearer. Thanks for sticking with me.

Again, as travis said... you are creating a deficit twice. Don't use TDEE - 20%, just use TDEE.

And you're missing the bigger point. 5:2 is maintenance for 5 days, fast for 2 days. Maintenance is ~ 1775 for you. Eat 1775 for 5 days, then fast for 2 days. You're over thinking it.

agree with the overthinking, but she isnt actually doing 5:2, just eating her weekly TDEE -20% calories in the style of 5:2.... i think....

So on the 5 feed days she's actually a bit over TDEE, then way under on the 2 fast days, so weekly cals balance out to TDEE - 20%?

TavistockToad

Thanks for answering again. My TDEE -20% was 1479 ( desk job with little exercise). So I worked out the weekly calories by multiplying this by 7 which brought me to 10353 calories. I subtracted 1200 calories for my fast days which brought me to 9153 calories. Then I divided this up between the remaining 5 days which meant I should consume 1830 calories on those days. I hope this is a little clearer. Thanks for sticking with me.

Again, as travis said... you are creating a deficit twice. Don't use TDEE - 20%, just use TDEE.

And you're missing the bigger point. 5:2 is maintenance for 5 days, fast for 2 days. Maintenance is ~ 1775 for you. Eat 1775 for 5 days, then fast for 2 days. You're over thinking it.

agree with the overthinking, but she isnt actually doing 5:2, just eating her weekly TDEE -20% calories in the style of 5:2.... i think....

So on the 5 feed days she's actually a bit over TDEE, then way under on the 2 fast days, so weekly cals balance out to TDEE - 20%?

this is making my head hurt....

she worked out a weeks worth of TDEE -20% calories, then of that figure, split it up into 2x 600 calorie days and the rest as 5 normal days.... now i think its double counting again... i didnt before!!!!

jacksonpt

Thanks for answering again. My TDEE -20% was 1479 ( desk job with little exercise). So I worked out the weekly calories by multiplying this by 7 which brought me to 10353 calories. I subtracted 1200 calories for my fast days which brought me to 9153 calories. Then I divided this up between the remaining 5 days which meant I should consume 1830 calories on those days. I hope this is a little clearer. Thanks for sticking with me.

Again, as travis said... you are creating a deficit twice. Don't use TDEE - 20%, just use TDEE.

And you're missing the bigger point. 5:2 is maintenance for 5 days, fast for 2 days. Maintenance is ~ 1775 for you. Eat 1775 for 5 days, then fast for 2 days. You're over thinking it.

agree with the overthinking, but she isnt actually doing 5:2, just eating her weekly TDEE -20% calories in the style of 5:2.... i think....

So on the 5 feed days she's actually a bit over TDEE, then way under on the 2 fast days, so weekly cals balance out to TDEE - 20%?

this is making my head hurt....

she worked out a weeks worth of TDEE -20% calories, then of that figure, split it up into 2x 600 calorie days and the rest as 5 normal days.... now i think its double counting again... i didnt before!!!!

No, I don't think it is. If it's a week's worth of TDEE -20%, it doesn't matter how it's all divided out, right? I think...

TavistockToad

YES!!!

jqh23

First, if you are basing your cals on TDEE, you don't eat back exercise cals (assuming what you calculated was actually TDEE...).

Sorry to interrupt this thread.. but really?! I was asking this same question in another thread yesterday. I did my TDEE-20% and wasn't eating back my exercise but then someone told me I needed to..

jacksonpt

First, if you are basing your cals on TDEE, you don't eat back exercise cals (assuming what you calculated was actually TDEE...).

Sorry to interrupt this thread.. but really?! I was asking this same question in another thread yesterday. I did my TDEE-20% and wasn't eating back my exercise but then someone told me I needed to..

Really. TDEE includes exercise cals, so if you eat them back, you are effectively eating them twice.

Part of the problem is that it's become popular to calculate "TDEE" without exercise (which in fact ISN'T TDEE), in which case you should eat them back.

AbbyPDX

Here is what Dan the Man told me for calculating what to eat on the 5 days:
To do 5:2 correctly:
Get calculated tdee and multiply by 7.
Divide that by 5.
Subtract 1000.
That's your daily intake.

For example:
My tdee is 2400
2400x7=16800
Divide by 5=3360
Subtract 1000=2360

That's what I'll eat 5 days a week.
The other 2 days are 500 cals.

Ladyinwaiting4

no I type the same stuff. thank so I should put me as lightly active instead? thanks so much this will help me a lot.