Going from MFP to TDEE--possible weight gain?

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mad00had00
mad00had00 Posts: 103 Member
in Motivation and Support
Hello. Im contemplating going from the mfp calorie allotment to tdee-20% but Im worried that its too big of a change. MFP is giving me 1200 calories to eat while tdee-20 is 2100. Im a 5.9 male 160lbs mA. Workout 3-5hours/week

Anybody have any experience with this? I dont want to gain weight by upping my calories.
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  • flutterbug123
    flutterbug123 Posts: 81 Member
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    I just recently went from 1200 calories to 1700 and I'm finally now losing weight..
  • 1Fizzle
    1Fizzle Posts: 241 Member
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    1200 is way to low for any adult exercising male. You don't have to go to 2100, but up them from 1200.
  • Pepper2185
    Pepper2185 Posts: 994 Member
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    You might have a slight gain initially, as your body adjusts to the new routine, but after that I guarantee you'll lose.

    I'm a 5'9'' female and I eat 2000 per day. 1200 didn't cut it for me. You must be hungry!
  • 3RachaelFaith3
    3RachaelFaith3 Posts: 283 Member
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    I just recently went from 1200 calories to 1700 and I'm finally now losing weight..


    are you eating exercise cals back as well? im interested and me TDEE-20 is 1700
  • mad00had00
    mad00had00 Posts: 103 Member
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    I just recently went from 1200 calories to 1700 and I'm finally now losing weight..

    I could change my weight loss from 2 lbs to 1lb. And change from sedantry to lightly active.

    The thing is, even at 2lb loss/week I get 0.2-0.4lbs lost.

    But with the 1lb loss+lightly active on MFP I get 1800 calories to work with.

    So the question now is do I eat 1800 as per mfp or tdee-20 2100 calories?

    Also, do yall eat back exercise calories even you selected the lightly active lifestyle on MFP?
  • jasonpclement
    jasonpclement Posts: 146 Member
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    1200 calories is way to low.
  • mad00had00
    mad00had00 Posts: 103 Member
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    thanks for all the replies so far guys!
  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
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    Well hopefully you've been eating the 1200 plus all your exercise calories as MFP directs you to do.

    We're similar size but I'm a girl and 37 years old... I lose weight eating about 2100 calories/day so I think you're safe. You may not want to make the jump all at once if you can't handle seeing a small scale weight fluctuation. When you go from low calories to closer to maintenance, you'll probably see your water/glycogen stores replenish some, which may give you 2-3 lbs on the scale. Over time, you want those there anyway.

    I definitely think the moderate deficit of 20% from TDEE is the way to go.
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
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    I'm a 5'4" female and I would be threatening to eat my own limbs if I only had 1200 calories per day to work with. I can easily lose on 2000 net calories a day. I don't know how you're surviving on only 1200!
  • tigs728
    tigs728 Posts: 18 Member
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    Good advice on here http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/521728-upping-cals-what-to-expect-why-you-need-patience :smile:
  • jasonpclement
    jasonpclement Posts: 146 Member
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    My recommendation is to up your calories to something that is satisfying. Lets just say 1800-2200. If all of your working out is cardio, you need to cut the cardio back. Spend at least half of that 5 hours a week of workouts lifting weights instead.

    Low calories + excessive cardio is a battle that nobody wins for very long. It works for a few weeks.
  • Flowers4Julia
    Flowers4Julia Posts: 521 Member
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    Yes, I did this! I did not have as big of a gap as you do but I did gain 4 pounds and then got stable. The process took 6 weeks. THEN, I started losing again.

    Those really low calorie goals (like 1200) are really a metabolism killer as far as I'm concerned. And, really contribute to the whole yo-yo dieting thing. That's one reason people are "back" here trying to lose what they gained.

    My story is that I lost my original weight (35 pounds) eating1200 plus exercise calories and the moment I upped my calories to my maintenance level I started gaining. (and I even did it slowly too!)

    So, then I did the TDEE method. In my opinion it is a much better method as it takes into account your body fat and lean body mass. And, it was worth gaining the 4 pounds to get on the right track with losing them again. I feel much better, healthier and energetic!

    AND I can eat more food!

    I say give it a try and don't worry about the small gain, you will lose it back down again.
  • jasonpclement
    jasonpclement Posts: 146 Member
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    Also, it doesn't like your really overweight. I'm 5'10 and 155 lbs. So your an inch shorter and 5lbs more. I'd def work on just fixing your metabolism, and putting some lean mass on. Start working your body the other way, instead of down.
  • tigs728
    tigs728 Posts: 18 Member
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    And how to set it up so not guessing what your goals should really be http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/717858-spreadsheet-bmr-tdee-and-deficit-calcs-macros-hrm
  • mad00had00
    mad00had00 Posts: 103 Member
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    Thanks a lot guys for all the awesome replies.

    My full story:

    I am a male, and MFP has given me 1200 calories (with sedentary activity level) to eat everyday. I understand that if you workout, you add those calories and eat up at least half of them. But the thing is I don't workout everyday. I am on my last 10 pounds (Thank God) and its going rather slow.

    So I decided to go the TDEE route. I went to Scooby's website and got the calculations done. It is giving me 2192 calories to eat everyday (thats based off 20% - my TDEE). I chose the activity level of 3-5hours/week moderate exercise. Even thou I do more exercise, with my upcoming schedule I don't think Ill be able to do a lot more than 3-5 hours anyway.

    I want to know that with MFP I would only eat more than 1200 calories if I added my exercise calories, and ate half of those. If I didn't, I would be going over my calorie budget. So I had to stick to my 1200 calorie budget on non-exercise days. But with Scooby, it says Im suppose to eat 1945 calories "everyday". I am worried that a jump from 1200 to 2192 might actually result in weight gain (even thou its 20% below my TDEE). Also, we don't eat back exercise calories with the TDEE plan right?

    Your experiences with this? My weight loss has slowed down, which is normal at this point, I guess because either its because Im too close to my goal weigh (Thank God mA once again)t or probably hit a plateau, so thats why I decided to go the TDEE route.

    Oh, one last thing…the calculator has set me 30% Protein/50%Carb/20% Fat macro nutrient ratio…does that seem fine?
    Thanks for reading!!

    But after reading all the comments Im thinking of going to 1800 calories, as its above my BMR and see how things go from there.

    thanks for reading!!!
  • Amy911Gray
    Amy911Gray Posts: 685 Member
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    So if my TDEE is 1563 and I subtract 20%, that only ups my calorie intake 50 calories. When you up the calories and log in exercise, are you eating back the exercise calories or not entering them at all?
  • mad00had00
    mad00had00 Posts: 103 Member
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    do yall eat back exercise calories even you selected the lightly active lifestyle on MFP?
  • Flowers4Julia
    Flowers4Julia Posts: 521 Member
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    Good advice on here http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/521728-upping-cals-what-to-expect-why-you-need-patience :smile:

    THIS is a brilliant post and so assuring and informative, thanks for the re-post!

    Here is the link to the spreadsheet so many of us here use:

    https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Amt7QBR9-c6MdGVTbGswLUUzUHNVVUlNSW9wZWloeUE

    I found for myself that Scooby's calculators weren't quite thorough enough.

    And, everyone is different about the exercise calories. I myself don't eat them back because the spreadsheet's calculators can let me put in the number of hours of different types of exercise (heavy, moderate, weight lifting, etc) and assumes a sedentary lifestyle and then lets you add in more for your work/school, etc. But, I know some folks who just go with the sedentary info, then add back in there exercise calories on whatever particular day they worked out. Mentally, I find it easier to go with the average, it makes me more motivated, but to each their own! Also, if you use the spreadsheet to estimate your hours, it deducts what calories you would have just sat on the couch anyway - so you can't double count them and eat too much. Like I said a very thorough spreadsheet!
  • 3RachaelFaith3
    3RachaelFaith3 Posts: 283 Member
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    So if my TDEE is 1563 and I subtract 20%, that only ups my calorie intake 50 calories. When you up the calories and log in exercise, are you eating back the exercise calories or not entering them at all?

    This is my question as well. If you find out before me, PM me please. ;O)
  • mad00had00
    mad00had00 Posts: 103 Member
    Options
    Yes, I did this! I did not have as big of a gap as you do but I did gain 4 pounds and then got stable. The process took 6 weeks. THEN, I started losing again.

    Those really low calorie goals (like 1200) are really a metabolism killer as far as I'm concerned. And, really contribute to the whole yo-yo dieting thing. That's one reason people are "back" here trying to lose what they gained.

    My story is that I lost my original weight (35 pounds) eating1200 plus exercise calories and the moment I upped my calories to my maintenance level I started gaining. (and I even did it slowly too!)

    So, then I did the TDEE method. In my opinion it is a much better method as it takes into account your body fat and lean body mass. And, it was worth gaining the 4 pounds to get on the right track with losing them again. I feel much better, healthier and energetic!

    AND I can eat more food!

    I say give it a try and don't worry about the small gain, you will lose it back down again.

    Im thinking of going with 1800 calories(which is above my bmr) + eating back half or more of my exercise calories. I dont want to gain weight.

    How much did you up your calories to before you started gaining again?

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