Success with TDEE -20%

woodsy0912 · February 2013

bump!

cld111 · February 2013

Do you guys change your goals in MFP once you switch to TDEE - 20%? If so, what do you put in there? What do you add to the Net Calories Consumed / Day? Do you add your BMR there?

Helloitsdan · February 2013

Why did you use this split? 40, 20 20?

Math is hard?

PS: Anyone trying the Road Map please add me as a friend and dont forget your request note.
I see tons of Road Mappers on this thread.
Also Props to the EMTWL team!

geecee77 · February 2013

BUMP!

Makoce · February 2013

Was eating 1,200 - 1,400 calories and I felt pressured and hungry!
Just used this site http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/
and its telling me I need 1,864 calories.
That's so much better. Except I have no idea how I'm going to do that, haha!

It's 8:06PM right now and I have 574 calories left until 1,864.

I feel like MY negative of eating more for TDEE is feeling like I can eat a lot of high calorie foods and be unhealthy because I can fit it in.

CherokeeBabe · February 2013

I've lost 5lbs recently on the TDEE -20% method. My TDEE -20% and my BMR are only about 100 calories different from each other though, must be something to do with me being so short :laugh:

Note: 5+ lbs down in roughly two weeks. I think around 2lbs of that was water weight. So to amend it, probably roughly 3- 3.5 lbs in two weeks. Moderate exercise, 1500-1600 calorie 'goal' daily.

looking4lisa · February 2013

Also make sure you redo your TDEE stats in scooby or whatever site your using for every 5lbs lost :-)

Makoce · February 2013

Never would have changed it, thanks!

Mazzela5 · February 2013

How do you find out your TDEE? I am new tot he site and am trying to figure out how many calories I should be following. Any info would help:) The first two weeks I was at 1420 and lost 5 pounds but now I am gaining and the weight loss has stalled. I am 45 years old and have underactive thyroid if this matters....

fruitloop2 · February 2013

Ok, I get the whole TDEE - 20 % thing and I think I'd like to up my calories a bit to try this out. HOWEVER...doing the TDEE - 20% includes your daily exercise. I don't always exercise every day but try to do at least 3 days/week for about 30 - 50 minutes depending on what I'm doing. All these sites that everyone posts for calculating your TDEE all come up different...some as much as a 300 calorie difference. I would like to some how eat at a -20% deficit but for a TDEE that doesn't include the exercise since I don't do it every day. Does that make sense...not sure I'm explaining what I'm after very well or not. How would I go about this? Figure out my TDEE as little - no exercise/sedentary and then on days I exercise I would just eat some or all my calories back? Would this work?

TOPSrainee · February 2013

The iifym site puts my TDEE -20% as 50 calories higher than MFP; the scooby site puts it 42 calories lower. So I think I'll stick with what MFP says, as it's right about in the middle.

heybales · February 2013

Ok, I get the whole TDEE - 20 % thing and I think I'd like to up my calories a bit to try this out. HOWEVER...doing the TDEE - 20% includes your daily exercise. I don't always exercise every day but try to do at least 3 days/week for about 30 - 50 minutes depending on what I'm doing. All these sites that everyone posts for calculating your TDEE all come up different...some as much as a 300 calorie difference. I would like to some how eat at a -20% deficit but for a TDEE that doesn't include the exercise since I don't do it every day. Does that make sense...not sure I'm explaining what I'm after very well or not. How would I go about this? Figure out my TDEE as little - no exercise/sedentary and then on days I exercise I would just eat some or all my calories back? Would this work?

When you pick the TDEE level that said 1-3 hrs weekly, you are spreading the exercise burn out over the whole week, therefore you eat the same amount daily.
Some days bigger deficit, some days smaller. Evens out on weekly avg to 20%

It is better than Sedentary with deficit and then eating back, if you have any kind of constant routine.

As to the variances in suggestions, probably depends on the base BMR they are using.

The 1919 study that led to those levels is pretty standard though outdated.

Here's a better option, uses the best BMR estimate if you provide BF%, and you put in actual time in levels for activity calc, based on more recent research.
Explains what to change, and track progress.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/813720-spreadsheet-bmr-tdee-deficit-macro-calcs-hrm-zones

heybales · February 2013

But let say I eat my TDEE -20% which is 1800. Then I workout 4 times a week, each time for about 600. Then 600*4=2400/7=342

So 1800-342=1458

Wouldn't my total intake a day then just be 1458?

No.
From that reported 600 calorie burn comes off what was already account for that time, of say 60 min. Your BMR.
1800 TDEE-20% with 4 hrs weekly is Moderately Active. So 1800 / 0.8 = 2250 TDEE / 1.55 = 1452 BMR.
1452 / 24 hrs = 60 already accounted for every hr.
600 reported burn - 60 already = 540 burned above and beyond your already account for BMR.

Day - Eat - Burn - Net left
Sun - 1800 - 0 - 1800
Mon - 1800 - 540 - 1260
Tue - 1800 - 0 - 1800
Wed - 1800 - 540 - 1260
Thu - 1800 - 0 - 1800
Fri - 1800 - 540 - 1260
Sat - 1800 - 540 - 1260

Avg - 1800 - 309 - 1491

So never did you net below your BMR 1452.
That actually may be a tad close, but your bigger days really helps out.

This is why just easier to stick with TDEE method if your workouts are consistent enough to allow it.
Miss a workout, skip 200 calories that day. Make it up, eat 200 more.

xLyric · February 2013

I have a feeling this was just asked but I want to make sure. If my BMR is 1600, can I eat at that plus exercise calories? Or should it be more? From what I understand BMR is the new number to never go below instead of 1200, right?

Also, If I'm going from 1100/1200 the last few weeks, then suddenly to 1600+exercise cals, what should I expect as far as gaining some first? Will I? Or will I just keep going down just not as fast? I need to know what to expect so I don't get unmotivated if it goes up at first. I will definitely be measuring haha.

heybales · February 2013

I have a feeling this was just asked but I want to make sure. If my BMR is 1600, can I eat at that plus exercise calories? Or should it be more? From what I understand BMR is the new number to never go below instead of 1200, right?

Also, If I'm going from 1100/1200 the last few weeks, then suddenly to 1600+exercise cals, what should I expect as far as gaining some first? Will I? Or will I just keep going down just not as fast? I need to know what to expect so I don't get unmotivated if it goes up at first. I will definitely be measuring haha.

1200 is the recommended lowest for sedentary woman to get all the nutrition in you need eating normal foods.

It's the safety level, much like minimum building codes is for safety.
Neither is for performance, aesthetics, or longevity. You want your body to perform better, look better, live longer?
Don't do minimum for safety reasons.

And no, the TDEE deficit method usually leaves a buffer above BMR even when exercise is taken out. BMR is the calories your body would like to spend just sleeping deeply. There are other metabolic functions it would also like to perform, like keeping you warm, growing nails/skin/hair, improving your body.

BMR + exercise calories is still cutting yourself short if you desire exercise to make some body improvements.
If you ate 2000 because you burned 400 in calories, then your body was left with besides what the BMR wants for basic functions. What did you leave to actually improve your body with that the exercise gave you.

You'd probably want to select MFP Sedentary Level, weight loss goal of Maintain. See what that gives you for daily calories.
Now go in manually to your Goals and take that value * 0.80 for 20% deficit, and make that your base eating goal.
Now log your exercise calories and eat them back.

fruitloop2 · February 2013

Ok, I get the whole TDEE - 20 % thing and I think I'd like to up my calories a bit to try this out. HOWEVER...doing the TDEE - 20% includes your daily exercise. I don't always exercise every day but try to do at least 3 days/week for about 30 - 50 minutes depending on what I'm doing. All these sites that everyone posts for calculating your TDEE all come up different...some as much as a 300 calorie difference. I would like to some how eat at a -20% deficit but for a TDEE that doesn't include the exercise since I don't do it every day. Does that make sense...not sure I'm explaining what I'm after very well or not. How would I go about this? Figure out my TDEE as little - no exercise/sedentary and then on days I exercise I would just eat some or all my calories back? Would this work?

When you pick the TDEE level that said 1-3 hrs weekly, you are spreading the exercise burn out over the whole week, therefore you eat the same amount daily.
Some days bigger deficit, some days smaller. Evens out on weekly avg to 20%

It is better than Sedentary with deficit and then eating back, if you have any kind of constant routine.

As to the variances in suggestions, probably depends on the base BMR they are using.

The 1919 study that led to those levels is pretty standard though outdated.

Here's a better option, uses the best BMR estimate if you provide BF%, and you put in actual time in levels for activity calc, based on more recent research.
Explains what to change, and track progress.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/813720-spreadsheet-bmr-tdee-deficit-macro-calcs-hrm-zones

According to that spread sheet, I should be eating 1929 calories (1800 for a -20% deficit). That's a lot! the other sites were about 1500-1600ish calories...1 being almost the same as the spread sheet. That's about 500 calories MORE than I'm eating now! Yikes! If I'm eating this I do NOT eat exercise calories right?

Icanredefinemyself · February 2013

Thanks for this thread. I too recently have been slowly increasing my caloric intake. I started mid November at the 1200 as per the app presets (?) I gotta tell you, my hair was so thin by end of December. Mind you my appetite was very poor due to some personal issues and I ate quite consistently under that for ~6 weeks. Late Dec I was put on some medication that increased my appetite. At the same time I was reading the roadmap threads and realizing I was (and always have, whenever dieting) eating waaaay too low. My BMR 1551 and TDEE 2133. I slowly started increasing my weekly calories first 1300, 1400, 1500 today. I am still under BMR but I am continuing to lose, and my hair looks thicker! I still need to increase by 200 calories a day but am slow to do this (should I continue to stagger my increases? Or just go ahead?) I have been pretty consistent on the 40 30 30 and since early Jan have been more religious about this, and eating more smaller meals all day. I am however very inconsistent with my activity so by eating 1500 on days I do not exercise, am I not correct in doing so, because I'm taking the "assumed" 200 calories per day from exercise off the daily calories? (2133-20%=1706ish. So if I eat 1500 I'm good... right?! But then I'm under BMR...)

heybales · February 2013

Here's a better option, uses the best BMR estimate if you provide BF%, and you put in actual time in levels for activity calc, based on more recent research.
Explains what to change, and track progress.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/813720-spreadsheet-bmr-tdee-deficit-macro-calcs-hrm-zones

According to that spread sheet, I should be eating 1929 calories (1800 for a -20% deficit). That's a lot! the other sites were about 1500-1600ish calories...1 being almost the same as the spread sheet. That's about 500 calories MORE than I'm eating now! Yikes! If I'm eating this I do NOT eat exercise calories right?

That either means you have a better LBM than other BMR calcs are giving you, or you got something in the TDEE calc entered wrong.

Or you have non-desk job and on your feet more, and the other TDEE calcs don't make it easy to figure out how to do that, so you correctly filled in work time standing/moving on feet.

If not getting the full 20%, you must be within 40 lbs of goal weight and doing no lifting, just cardio.

That's helps not risk losing muscle mass.

heybales · February 2013

Thanks for this thread. I too recently have been slowly increasing my caloric intake. I started mid November at the 1200 as per the app presets (?) I gotta tell you, my hair was so thin by end of December. Mind you my appetite was very poor due to some personal issues and I ate quite consistently under that for ~6 weeks. Late Dec I was put on some medication that increased my appetite. At the same time I was reading the roadmap threads and realizing I was (and always have, whenever dieting) eating waaaay too low. My BMR 1551 and TDEE 2133. I slowly started increasing my weekly calories first 1300, 1400, 1500 today. I am still under BMR but I am continuing to lose, and my hair looks thicker! I still need to increase by 200 calories a day but am slow to do this (should I continue to stagger my increases? Or just go ahead?) I have been pretty consistent on the 40 30 30 and since early Jan have been more religious about this, and eating more smaller meals all day. I am however very inconsistent with my activity so by eating 1500 on days I do not exercise, am I not correct in doing so, because I'm taking the "assumed" 200 calories per day from exercise off the daily calories? (2133-20%=1706ish. So if I eat 1500 I'm good... right?! But then I'm under BMR...)

Right idea to remove some calories when you miss a planned workout included in your TDEE.
But don't go below BMR right now, consider that a safe line. Once you've moved up to proper level you can do that.

And sure, if you haven't seen any weight increase each week when adding more, then metabolism is moving up, good work, keep it going.

RMNPHike · February 2013

I started MFP at 1200 and eating back exercise calories, went OK for 2 - 3 weeks then started feeling hungry and grumpy and not losing weight. I looked at a thread that had the road map link, and figured TDEE - 20% = 1360 + exercise calories. My exercise in not consistent, but I find it difficult to eat back the calories. Usually, I just go a little over the 1360 on days I run, sometimes not. I seem to have broken through the plateau and definitely not hungry anymore.

Success with TDEE -20%

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