Do I Need to Eat My TDEE - 25% When I Don't Exercise?

ParanSkies
ParanSkies Posts: 59
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello,

I just learned all about TDEE and decided to break out of the 1200 net calories per day mentality (I would always net way under this amount on exercise days and as a result, my weight loss seems to have stalled these last two weeks). I set my activity level to 3-5 hours of moderate activity a week so my TDEE is 2167 while the daily calories I should have is 1625. However, I don't have time to exercise at all on most Wednesdays and I'm very sedentary when I don't exercise. Is it still necessary for me to eat 1625 calories on these kinds of days? Is it ok if I just have maybe my BMR + 200 calories?

Also, what would you consider as "strenuous" exercise? I recently upped my cardio so I might have 6-7 hours of using the elliptical, playing tennis, and occasionally swimming but I'm not sure if this should count as being strenuous.

Replies

  • ayamagali
    ayamagali Posts: 167 Member
    Hmm, I've wondered this, too. Curious to see what people have to say about this.
  • 1ConcreteGirl
    1ConcreteGirl Posts: 3,677 Member
    Nope. TDEE -20% is the max you should eat under, because that will account for about 2 lbs per week loss. HOWEVER. IF you have 25 lbs or less to lose, you should really be eating more like 15% under your TDEE, to lose 0.5-1lb per week. Yes, it will take a little longer, but you will look way better under the fat if you do it that way.

    Most people set their rate of loss to 2 lbs per week because it seems like the faster the weight comes off, the better. Not true. If you lose weight too quickly, you will not just lose fat, you will also lose LBM (lean body mass, which is muscle). LBM is what makes you look "toned," so you don't want to lose that or you'll look flabby and weird when you get the weight off.

    To preserve LBM, eat 10-15% under your TDEE, and eat back every last exercise calorie you can. On days when you don't exercise, you'll be eating the same exact number of net calories, which is why you shouldn't eat fewer calories than on exercising days.

    For instance, if your TDEE - 15% is 1600 calories, on an exercise day you would eat 1600 calories and burn off 400, then eat back those 400, which means you will have eaten 1600 net calories. On a non-exercise day, eat 1600 calories, burn off 0, and still have 1600 net calories. Eat back your exercise calories, because 1600 (in this example) is ALREADY below your TDEE, so you will lose weight there. as long as you are eating below TDEE you will lose weight.
  • ParanSkies
    ParanSkies Posts: 59
    Nope. TDEE -20% is the max you should eat under, because that will account for about 2 lbs per week loss. HOWEVER. IF you have 25 lbs or less to lose, you should really be eating more like 15% under your TDEE, to lose 0.5-1lb per week.

    Most people set their rate of loss to 2 lbs per week because it seems like the faster the weight comes off, the better. Not true. If you lose weight too quickly, you will not just lose fat, you will also lose LBM (lean body mass, which is muscle). LBM is what makes you look "toned," so you don't want to lose that or you'll look flabby and weird when you get the weight off.

    To preserve LBM, eat 10-15% under your TDEE, and eat back every last exercise calorie you can. On days when you don't exercise, you'll be eating the same exact number of net calories, which is why you shouldn't eat fewer calories than on exercising days. For instance, if your TDEE - 15% is 1600 calories, on an exercise day you would eat 1600 calories and burn off 400, then eat back those 400, which means you will have eaten 1600 net calories. On a non-exercise day, eat 1600 calories, burn off 0, and still have 1600 net calories. Eat back your exercise calories, because 1600 (in this example) is ALREADY below your TDEE. as long as you are eating below TDEE, you will lose weight.

    This sounds like it should be so simple but I'm having so much trouble wrapping my head around this :(
    I thought TDEE already accounts for exercise? Wouldn't that mean I don't have to eat back my exercise calories on work out days unless I'm burning a bigger deficit than TDEE - BMR?

    I set my caloric deficit as 25% because this is 1.1 lb per week for me (I'm 4'10 and 129 pounds). Is that too high?
  • 1ConcreteGirl
    1ConcreteGirl Posts: 3,677 Member
    MOST people calculate their TDEE as either sedentary or lightly active. It makes it easier to log calories burned, because then any time you exercise, you log the calories. If you calculate your TDEE as extremely active, that does account for exercise and you shouldn't be logging any of your workouts.

    With that said, if you calculate your TDEE as sedentary or lightly active, you should be eating 10-20% under TDEE and you should be losing no more than a pound per week. I want to lose 20 lbs at this point, so I am on a schedule of losing 0.7 lbs per week.

    When you set your TDEE - 15% or so, that will give you a certain number of NET calories you should be eating. As you can see, calculating your TDEE using sedentary or lightly active, will make this a lot easier to compute, which is why most people do it that way, unless they have a really strenuous job.
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
    Your TDEE isn't a fixed number - its the amount of energy you've expended in a day. If you haven't exercised, then it's lower.
  • SmileyFaceGuy
    SmileyFaceGuy Posts: 201
    Yes, it is necessary to eat the full 1625 on days you don't exercise because that number is based on a weekly average, not daily, meaning that you won't reach your weekly calorie goal. You said that you're mostly sedentary when you don't exercise, so in my opinion you should set your activity level to "sedentary" (or perhaps "light") and log your exercises separately.

    As far as what activity is strenuous, well, that's completely dependent on how hard you're working during that activity.
  • 1ConcreteGirl
    1ConcreteGirl Posts: 3,677 Member
    Yes, it is necessary to eat the full 1625 on days you don't exercise because that number is based on a weekly average, not daily, meaning that you won't reach your weekly calorie goal. You said that you're mostly sedentary when you don't exercise, so in my opinion you should set your activity level to "sedentary" (or perhaps "light") and log your exercises separately.

    As far as what activity is strenuous, well, that's completely dependent on how hard you're working during that activity.

    This too.
  • SmileyFaceGuy
    SmileyFaceGuy Posts: 201
    Your TDEE isn't a fixed number - its the amount of energy you've expended in a day. If you haven't exercised, then it's lower.

    Similarly, if you DO exercise, then your TDEE will be higher for that day. Point being, you should eat the same calories every day because it averages out at the end of the week (assuming your activity level is accurate).
  • HeidiMightyRawr
    HeidiMightyRawr Posts: 3,343 Member
    I base my intake on more of a weekly average than a daily one. My TDEE was determined by trial and error - "What calorie intake makes me maintain my weight on a weekly basis" So therefore, somedays it will be higher and some lower, but it evens out.
  • ParanSkies
    ParanSkies Posts: 59
    MOST people calculate their TDEE as either sedentary or lightly active. It makes it easier to log calories burned, because then any time you exercise, you log the calories. If you calculate your TDEE as extremely active, that does account for exercise and you shouldn't be logging any of your workouts.

    With that said, if you calculate your TDEE as sedentary or lightly active, you should be eating 10-20% under TDEE and you should be losing no more than a pound per week. I want to lose 20 lbs at this point, so I am on a schedule of losing 0.7 lbs per week.

    When you set your TDEE - 15% or so, that will give you a certain number of NET calories you should be eating. As you can see, calculating your TDEE using sedentary or lightly active, will make this a lot easier to compute, which is why most people do it that way, unless they have a really strenuous job.

    Having activity level being included in my TDEE was actually the reason why I shied away from using this number in the first place! I should have just realized I could use the "sedentary" option for TDEE and log the exercises separately. Thank you so much for all your help :) Hopefully my weight loss is steady and healthy from now on.
  • ParanSkies
    ParanSkies Posts: 59
    Yes, it is necessary to eat the full 1625 on days you don't exercise because that number is based on a weekly average, not daily, meaning that you won't reach your weekly calorie goal. You said that you're mostly sedentary when you don't exercise, so in my opinion you should set your activity level to "sedentary" (or perhaps "light") and log your exercises separately.

    As far as what activity is strenuous, well, that's completely dependent on how hard you're working during that activity.

    Thank you so much for your reply! I will be following 1ConcreteGirl's and your advice to log the exercises separately :)

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