TDEE and 1200 calories

tunisia86
tunisia86 Posts: 11 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi,

I've been on MFP for 6 weeks or so and and really enjoying it. I've got about another 67 lbs to lose before I'm where I want to be so am looking at counting calories. When I signed up I started on the 1200 calories a day plan and tried to eat all my exercise calories. It has worked for a couple of weeks but I'm worried I'm not eating enough food.
I recently went on holiday for two weeks all inclusive, ate loads (and I mean loads) and did little exercise and only put on a few pounds.
I exercise normally 6 days a week doing high intensity classes such as Spin, punch, curcits plus extra gym work. Normally do at least 2 hours a day sometimes 4 hours on a Saturday and will also be starting sessions with a personal trainer next week.
Can someone tell me if my calulations on TDEE are correct and if it's worked for them using this method.

Weight 207lbs
Age 27
height 5 "4
Very Active activity level

TDEE comes out on http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/ as 2983 - 20% 2386

Is it worth me putting in moderately activity or leaving as very active. Do I count any extra activity on top?

Can someone help me with this please as I seem to be hungry all the time lately.

Thanks

Replies

  • kae_blah
    kae_blah Posts: 180 Member
    Following MFP, when working on the 1200 calorie goal you should also eat back your exercise calories.

    Given your stats I would be surprised if MFP calculated 1200 for you.
  • tunisia86
    tunisia86 Posts: 11 Member
    To lose 2 pounds a week i should be eating 1230 accroding to MFP.

    Eating my exercise calories back is ok but on the day I have off I'm finding it hard to stick to just that number
  • tunisia86
    tunisia86 Posts: 11 Member
    BUMP
  • tunisia86
    tunisia86 Posts: 11 Member
    Can anyone help?
  • smn76237
    smn76237 Posts: 318 Member
    Why are you working out so much? Because you want to lose weight faster or because you enjoy it? Going super gung-ho into training all at once is a good way to burn out. But if you enjoy it, keep right ahead!

    Since you still have 67lbs to lose, you can probably take a bigger cut than 20% from your TDEE at first to see what happens, like 25% or even 30%. Don't include any extra activity you do on top. Maybe try 2080 for a few weeks. Assess how you feel during your workouts and on a day to day basis. Adjust upward/downward from there.
  • erinsueburns
    erinsueburns Posts: 865 Member
    TDEE is the amount that you need to eat to maintain weight. BMR is the amount your body would need to maintain your biological processes if you were in a coma and not moving at all. IMO BMR is the number you should endeavor to not eat below. MFP doesn't really take into account exercise until you have logged it, unless you pick a higher activity level. When using the TDEE minus strategy you pick your level and then DO NOT add exercise calories because your weekly exercise is essentially calculated in and averaged out. So be honest with the amount of exercise you plan on doing, be habitual in actually doing the excercise. Then give it a few weeks and see where you are. Nothing locks you into those numbers so you change them if they aren't working. Remember this isn't a race, you don't have a deadline so there is time to change and adapt.

    My personal method at the moment is to set my goal to around BMR and instead of considering that a goal to be under, I consider it a minimum goal and then have my TDEE in my head as the number to not go over. Don't know if that helps you any...
  • cjh022
    cjh022 Posts: 88 Member
    Why are you working out so much? Because you want to lose weight faster or because you enjoy it? Going super gung-ho into training all at once is a good way to burn out. But if you enjoy it, keep right ahead!

    Since you still have 67lbs to lose, you can probably take a bigger cut than 20% from your TDEE at first to see what happens, like 25% or even 30%. Don't include any extra activity you do on top. Maybe try 2080 for a few weeks. Assess how you feel during your workouts and on a day to day basis. Adjust upward/downward from there.

    Good advise here. Don't include any exercise calories on top of the 2000+. Also, unless you truly enjoy it, you don't need to workout that much as there is already a calorie deficit built in (especially if you chose a deficit larger than 20%). When I started I worked out 3 times a day but soon realized that it wasn't sustainable for me... for pretty much anything on here moderation is key :smile: good luck!
  • tunisia86
    tunisia86 Posts: 11 Member
    I started out last year working out 4 times a week but now I enjoy it so much which is why I work out so much.
    Thanks for the advice everyone. I'm going to look at eating around the 2080 number as someone suggested and see what happens. I'd rather eat a regular amount every day than eat loads on my big exercise day and only 1200 on my day off. Hopefully it will stop me waking in the night hungry and help me sleep

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