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Have I cut too much from my TDEE? 30%?

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Anah291
Anah291 Posts: 16 Member
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Hey guys, firstly I apologise in advance this is probably a repeated question but I can't find any discussions on this.

My TDEE is 2631 and I cut 30% from that (giving me 1842 calories) because I've come across it a few times that the maximum you should cut is 30% and is ok if you're obese (which I am).
Sooo I just started exercising again and tracking calories just over 3 weeks ago and came across the eating more thing,
so then I started eating at TDEE about 2 weeks ago (I didn't do a reset because I probably have been eating my full TDEE for the past few months) it's been 2 weeks and have lost 4 pounds so far and am keen to keep going at this rate.
My question is, is the calorie goal too low? I've seen most people only cutting 15% from their TDEE. I'm fine with 1840, I get pretty full when I eat 1800. My BMR is 1775 so I always make sure I eat between that and 1800. Should I cut at 15% from now on? 15% seems too low for me like I won't even lose any weight with that percentage :-/
Also, I see some people resetting eating at full TDEE after 6 weeks or so of cutting for a few weeks. Why is that? Is that when the weight is stable? or when they've reached plateau? Is that recommended?
Also, when is it recommended that you recalculate your calorie values? Is it after a few weeks or when you have lost 5-10 pounds?

Sorry guys I know alot of info! Hope someone can help me out :)

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  • Anah291
    Anah291 Posts: 16 Member
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    Anyone??? :( lol
  • chicbuc
    chicbuc Posts: 474 Member
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    We don't recommend more than a 20% cut. I think if you're working out at all at your calorie goal, you're netting below BMR on those days. Slow and steady wins the race. Recalculate every 5 pounds, according to the Scooby site. A diet break is recommended every 4-6 weeks where you eat your TDEE for a week.
  • Noor13
    Noor13 Posts: 964 Member
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    Hi there and Welcome to the group!

    As pp said, 30% is not recommended by EM2WL. 15 to max 20% is good. Your deficit should not be much more than 300 kcal/day. I know it sounds like it will tale you forever, but this is not a quick fix. It will take time, but it is sustainable and not like a diet of 1200 kcal, where you will have to quit eventually.

    We also recommend to do a diet break every 4-6 week. Just eat one week at your TDEE and then go back to your cut. You might have to tweak your numbers a bit.

    If you need anything else, give us a shout
  • Anah291
    Anah291 Posts: 16 Member
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    Hiii thank you so much I will edit my calorie goal from this week from now on..
    Just one more question - I THINK I have been eating below my BMR because for the past few weeks I made sure that I eat above my BMR which is 1775 but I have been exercising 400-500 calories a day. I just realised that I've probably been burning that 400-500 from the 1775 do you think that's what I've been doing? Because I'd exercise at night and then eat dinner afterwards and it says I have an extra 400 calories to eat but my food has always been above my BMR? Sorry if this is confusing.. I think I'm just confusing myself..
  • azalais7
    azalais7 Posts: 187 Member
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    Hiii thank you so much I will edit my calorie goal from this week from now on..
    Just one more question - I THINK I have been eating below my BMR because for the past few weeks I made sure that I eat above my BMR which is 1775 but I have been exercising 400-500 calories a day. I just realised that I've probably been burning that 400-500 from the 1775 do you think that's what I've been doing? Because I'd exercise at night and then eat dinner afterwards and it says I have an extra 400 calories to eat but my food has always been above my BMR? Sorry if this is confusing.. I think I'm just confusing myself..

    It partly depends on how you've calculated your TDEE in the first place. What kind of activity level did you use?
  • Anah291
    Anah291 Posts: 16 Member
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    Hiii thank you so much I will edit my calorie goal from this week from now on..
    Just one more question - I THINK I have been eating below my BMR because for the past few weeks I made sure that I eat above my BMR which is 1775 but I have been exercising 400-500 calories a day. I just realised that I've probably been burning that 400-500 from the 1775 do you think that's what I've been doing? Because I'd exercise at night and then eat dinner afterwards and it says I have an extra 400 calories to eat but my food has always been above my BMR? Sorry if this is confusing.. I think I'm just confusing myself..

    It partly depends on how you've calculated your TDEE in the first place. What kind of activity level did you use?

    The level I chose was light or 1-3 hours of light exercise.. I never eat back my calories burned but I think that I should have because I've probably been burning it from my calorie goal even though the food that I ATE was always above my BMR so maybe I'm ok?
  • azalais7
    azalais7 Posts: 187 Member
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    Whatever your total consumed calories for the day are (1840 or whatever), you would subtract your exercise calories from that to determine whether you're eating above your BMR. If you're eating 1840, you'd only have to burn 75 calories through exercise to take you below your BMR.

    If you have yourself set at light activity but are burning 400-500 a day, you're likely at the wrong activity level. How many actual hours a week do you exercise?
  • Anah291
    Anah291 Posts: 16 Member
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    Oh man :-/ I get it now! So that would mean I should be eating back my exercise calories so that I don't go under my BMR? no wonder why I was losing weight. But it depends on the days of the week, I usually aim to get 1 hour of exercise a day.. Soo that would mean Im eating way below my recommendation right? I read somewhere to pick 1-3 hours of light activity on the scooby calculator if you're not really active which I consider myself to be. Because I'm a student, I spend most of my time NOT doing much, the only time I'm pretty active is when I'm at the gym for about 1 hour and that's it..Do you recommend that I up my calories to 3-5 hours recommendation? Thats a lot of calories though, I can never eat that much :-/
    Btw thank you so much for your help I really appreciate it :)
  • azalais7
    azalais7 Posts: 187 Member
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    The basic idea is to get your average TDEE over a week, so it doesn't really matter if you do less exercise on one day and more on another.

    I exercise approximately 3.5 hours a week, and like you I'm not constantly on the move the rest of the time (I'm a teacher). My activity level is set to 3-5 hours, and my TDEE 15% cut is 1950, so that's what I try to eat every day. I don't do much cardio (I lift weights 2x/week and walk 30 min/day), so it's pretty rare that I burn enough to take me below my BMR of 1520; when I do, though, I eat back enough to clear it.

    I would try to up your calories slowly--if you've been generally eating 1800 but not eating your exercise calories, start by eating those back. Then try upping by 100-200/week until you get to your true TDEE cut.

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