Help finding TDEE. Should I increase calories again?
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KatieDuvall612
Posts: 17 Member
Hi everyone. I'm new to this group but having been lurking on here as well as the Facebook group and soaking up all of the info. I am looking for some advice on my calorie intake and finding my TDEE.
After realizing I'd been WAY undereating for a long time (probably off and on for years), I increased my calories in mid Dec. to what is supposedly my maintenance/TDEE according to NROLFW and Scooby. As expected, there was some intial weight gain and slight increase in measurements but I stuck with it and by mid Jan. it had gone back down to what it was before. I thought I'd found my maintenance so I then slightly lowered my cals so I'd be at a deficit, but I saw no changes after a month of being in a deficit. So, I thought maybe I'd take a chance and increase my calories just to see what happened.
I've been eating slightly above what is suggested for my maintenance for the last few weeks. I've seen positive changes - an increase in energy and strength - but still no changes in my measurements (no decrease or increase). I was honestly hoping I'd see a slight increase so that I will finally have an idea of what my actual TDEE is and can raise or lower my calories depending on my current goals (whether I'm wanting to cut or bulk). However, since I saw no changes then does this mean I still haven't found my actual TDEE? Should I increase my calories again and keep doing so until I lose or gain?
I hope all of this makes sense.
For reference, I am a 27 year old "skinny fat" female. I'm 5'3.5" tall and currently weigh 116. I lift weights 3 days a week (about to finish NROLFW) and do c25K 2-3 days a week. According to Scooby, I should be eating 2052 calories for maintenance. I've been eating 2100-2200 for the last few weeks and haven't seen any changes in measurements (I don't pay much attention to the scale). I know I've gained muscle in the last few months but not as much as I feel like I should have by now (probably due to undereating in the beginning of the NROLFW program) but it's odd that my measurements of my fatty areas haven't changed regardless of how little or how much I'm eating. Could my TDEE be even higher than this? I find it hard to believe that I may need to eat more, but I will gladly do so if I should! lol
I apologize that this is so long. Thanks in advance for any help.
After realizing I'd been WAY undereating for a long time (probably off and on for years), I increased my calories in mid Dec. to what is supposedly my maintenance/TDEE according to NROLFW and Scooby. As expected, there was some intial weight gain and slight increase in measurements but I stuck with it and by mid Jan. it had gone back down to what it was before. I thought I'd found my maintenance so I then slightly lowered my cals so I'd be at a deficit, but I saw no changes after a month of being in a deficit. So, I thought maybe I'd take a chance and increase my calories just to see what happened.
I've been eating slightly above what is suggested for my maintenance for the last few weeks. I've seen positive changes - an increase in energy and strength - but still no changes in my measurements (no decrease or increase). I was honestly hoping I'd see a slight increase so that I will finally have an idea of what my actual TDEE is and can raise or lower my calories depending on my current goals (whether I'm wanting to cut or bulk). However, since I saw no changes then does this mean I still haven't found my actual TDEE? Should I increase my calories again and keep doing so until I lose or gain?
I hope all of this makes sense.
For reference, I am a 27 year old "skinny fat" female. I'm 5'3.5" tall and currently weigh 116. I lift weights 3 days a week (about to finish NROLFW) and do c25K 2-3 days a week. According to Scooby, I should be eating 2052 calories for maintenance. I've been eating 2100-2200 for the last few weeks and haven't seen any changes in measurements (I don't pay much attention to the scale). I know I've gained muscle in the last few months but not as much as I feel like I should have by now (probably due to undereating in the beginning of the NROLFW program) but it's odd that my measurements of my fatty areas haven't changed regardless of how little or how much I'm eating. Could my TDEE be even higher than this? I find it hard to believe that I may need to eat more, but I will gladly do so if I should! lol
I apologize that this is so long. Thanks in advance for any help.
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Replies
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With your long history of VLCD you may not stayed long enough at maintenance as in 8-12 weeks long. And yes, you may not have found your TDEE level yet. Your workouts look ok. I would eat at the level you are at or maybe a little more in case you are underestimating your activity factor in calculating your TDEE. And stay there for 8-12 weeks, not just 4.
You are on the right track. Be patient.0 -
Patience is key for the stuff your doing, as scale weight fluctuates people tend to panic and mess with their calories.
Its always possible you are still not at your TDEE since nothing is moving (scale/measurements etc) and I would probably increase after a few weeks until something does happen.. remember these are all calculators giving estimates not the real deal.. so depending on your body your RMR maybe high, therefore your TDEE maybe 2500+..
With your height/weight its going to be difficult because your numbers have to be pretty close.. so I would increase calories again, make sure your getting your macros right (protein) and see if you see movement.
If nothing else, you can always do a workout break, and continue eating where you are.. Then you would really get a better idea. If your eating for your activity, and you stop the activity obviously you should see an increase on the scale from eating.. but if you see a decrease, then you know your under estimating your activity.0 -
@GapWedge, I too was wondering if I may not have stayed at my estimated TDEE long enough before attempting the deficit. I know there's definitely been some damage to my metabolism over the years so you're probably right that I just need to continue the reset and let my body heal for a while longer before lowering again.
@Greenrun, I forgot to mention that my macros are set at about 40/30/30 and I aim for at least 100g of protein per day. I do have a tendency to go a bit over on my carbs but it's mostly from fruit and on days I lift. I'm glad to hear that it's a possibility I may not have reached my true TDEE yet because I thought I may be way off the mark for even considering another increase.
Thank you both for reading and for the feedback! I think I'll continue eating around 2100 for the next few weeks and if there are still no changes then I'll slowly increase it again like you all suggested.
This process has been confusing for me and this is the most I've ever eaten in my life, but I am loving it and learning a lot about my body. Even though I haven't been gaining or losing, I'm fascinated that I'm maintaining while eating double the calories that I used to, I've felt much better the last couple of months, and my lifts have significantly improved. I'll definitely never go back to eating low calorie again!0 -
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