Eating at TDEE - 20%. Help! Does it work?

jessicahoyos
jessicahoyos Posts: 10 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hello!

I read all of the information on eating at TDEE - 20%, as opposed to 500 calories less than your BMR as is sometimes suggested. So I basically went from being told to eat 1200 calories (MFP suggestion based on wanting to lose 1.5 pounds a week) to 1800 calories based on the TDEE -20% equation.

I am so scared of eating this much! If any women have done this can you share your stories/experiences (i'm a woman so my experiences with weight loss might be different than a man's)? Did it take a while for the weight to come off or did you see it immediately. I do agree that 1200 calories is too low but 1800 seems so high.

If anyone can tell me about their thoughts on it, that would be great! My stats: 29 year old female, weight is 150 pounds. I have around 32% body fat (based on calculations online and a trainer recently tested it). I work out 3-4 times a week, twice with resistance training, twice with high intensity cardio. I don't need to lose weight quickly but I do want to see it move each week.

Suggestions? Thanks in advance!
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Replies

  • marypatmccue
    marypatmccue Posts: 521 Member
    Welcome... Yes, It IS scary, isn't it?! The thought that actually fueling ourselves to function, and enjoying food is contrary to most things we've been taught so far.

    If you'd like... you can add me, and I can have my female friends add you. We've all had success. We all love food. It's a beautiful thing.
  • jessicahoyos
    jessicahoyos Posts: 10 Member
    Hello,

    Thank you so much! That would be great, I will definitely add you. I'm new to the site so it might take a minute for me to figure it out. Thank you so much!
  • tatd_820
    tatd_820 Posts: 573 Member
    Just started doing this as well and it is very confusing!
  • jessicahoyos
    jessicahoyos Posts: 10 Member
    Yes, tatd_820, it is! I am trying to wrap my head around eating more and then also going along with the plan as I (hopefully) drop weight! Thats why I'd love suggestions from people who have done it and seen results. I also want to know if I should be patient in seeing them and knowing roughly what to expect. I don't want to be thinking its not working just because I haven't stayed with it long enough :happy:
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
    for the record, if you go from 1200 to 1800 fast, you'll probably gain a little weight while your body adjusts to the new amount. Better to gradually up your calories over about a 1 to 2 month period to let your body adapt, I'd say anywhere from 100 to 200 calorie increase with about 7 to 10 days allowed to let your body settle. It's a little different for everyone, but that's a pretty standard method.
  • smn76237
    smn76237 Posts: 318 Member
    So far my experience eating more has been amazing! I have a lot more to lose than you, but the road doesn't seem as long and arduous knowing I don't have to feel hungry all the time to lose weight. Don't be afraid!

    I started out at 197lbs in December (but that was the last time I stepped on a scale; after Christmas it easily could've been over 200). I'm a 5'0 female so there's not a lot of places for that weight to hide, haha. I tried netting 1200 for a couple weeks and did lose a few pounds, but I was always feeling hungry and obsessing over the tiniest amount of calories. I switched to TDEE-20% sometime in the end of January, I believe. I average 1950 calories gross, sometimes more, sometimes less (but never less than 1700).

    Yesterday I weighed in at 177.75. I do power yoga 3-4x a week, and HIIT with a trainer 2x a week. The only week I've seen the scale go up was one week due to the time of the month, ugh. No, it's not the speediest weight loss, but I don't feel deprived, I haven't had to cut things I enjoy out of my diet, and there's always room for chocolate. :P It totally works!
  • anaquay
    anaquay Posts: 150 Member
    I've just started with this too and I'm somewhat confused. If you're eating at TDEE - 20%, do you eat your exercise calories back? I know cals are included for general activity level but if you're doing something extra do you eat those cals?
  • smn76237
    smn76237 Posts: 318 Member
    No, you factor your exercise into your TDEE number so you don't eat back exercise calories. Maybe if you did something way different in a week than you wouldn't normally do when you factored your TDEE, you can eat a bit more on that day to compensate.
    I've just started with this too and I'm somewhat confused. If you're eating at TDEE - 20%, do you eat your exercise calories back? I know cals are included for general activity level but if you're doing something extra do you eat those cals?
  • anaquay
    anaquay Posts: 150 Member
    No, you factor your exercise into your TDEE number so you don't eat back exercise calories. Maybe if you did something way different in a week than you wouldn't normally do when you factored your TDEE, you can eat a bit more on that day to compensate.

    Thanks for the prompt answer :smile:
  • jessicahoyos
    jessicahoyos Posts: 10 Member
    Hi SMN76237! Thank you! This is great to know! And congrats on the weight loss :drinker:

    I'm a little confused though - your calorie intake is 1950 when you weighed 197 pounds but mine is supposed to be around 1850 and i weigh 150. Does it sound right that I'm only eating about 100 calories less than you were when you weighed 197? About how many calories are you eating now? And have you lost the 20 pounds by consistently eating 1950 calories? Sorry for all the questions :embarassed:

    Keep up the good work!
  • jimbob2010
    jimbob2010 Posts: 15
    hi
    pretty new to this site and have no idea what TDEE is can someone please explain
    x
  • jessicahoyos
    jessicahoyos Posts: 10 Member
    Yes, I asked the guy who wrote about the post on TDEE-20% about eating back exercise calories and he said NO, you don't eat back what you exercise.
  • jessicahoyos
    jessicahoyos Posts: 10 Member
    hi
    pretty new to this site and have no idea what TDEE is can someone please explain
    x

    Check it out here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    Essentially its a different way of looking at weight loss. Eating 500 calories below your basal metabolic rate gets you eating WAY too low. It slows down your metabolism and changes your hormones so that you don't burn as much fat. You also lose muscle mass (and guess what? Having more muscle mass means you burn more calories per day).
    Calculating your TDEE Is a way to find out how many calories your body REALLY burns in a day (taking into account your sex, age, body fat percentage and weight). Then subtract that number by 20% and you should have the amount of calories you should eat in order to still lose weight. It may be a slower weight loss but its promoting health, making sure your metabolism isn't slowing down and your body isn't working against releasing fat or breaking down muscle.
  • jessicahoyos
    jessicahoyos Posts: 10 Member
    for the record, if you go from 1200 to 1800 fast, you'll probably gain a little weight while your body adjusts to the new amount. Better to gradually up your calories over about a 1 to 2 month period to let your body adapt, I'd say anywhere from 100 to 200 calorie increase with about 7 to 10 days allowed to let your body settle. It's a little different for everyone, but that's a pretty standard method.

    Thanks for this... I guess I can take a little weight gain/adjustment period. As long as it comes off after!
  • smn76237
    smn76237 Posts: 318 Member
    Thanks! :) How tall are you? I'm pretty short (5'0) so that could account for my number not being much higher than yours, although 100 extra calories every day over a week is actually a pretty big difference!

    I am pretty bad at hitting the same number every single day, so don't use me as an example for that, haha. For example, last week there were 3 days I ate well over 1950, so i compensated by eating a little less than 1950 the other days (but like I said, nothing extreme, more like 1750-1890).

    Depending on how tall you are, at 150 you probably don't have too much to lose, so even TDEE-10% would probably work for you. None of the calculators and stuff are exact. You kind of just have to pick a ballpark number and see how it feels and works for you. That was probably the hardest part for me to come to terms with!
    Hi SMN76237! Thank you! This is great to know! And congrats on the weight loss :drinker:

    I'm a little confused though - your calorie intake is 1950 when you weighed 197 pounds but mine is supposed to be around 1850 and i weigh 150. Does it sound right that I'm only eating about 100 calories less than you were when you weighed 197? About how many calories are you eating now? And have you lost the 20 pounds by consistently eating 1950 calories? Sorry for all the questions :embarassed:

    Keep up the good work!
  • sac4fd
    sac4fd Posts: 41 Member
    Hey! I just recently increased my calories from1200-1900 based on the TDEE-20% information I have been reading on the forums.

    I am so happy I did! I have lost more weight and I'm not starving and miserable all the time:)

    At first I was just using the MFP app to track calories and followed the 1200 suggested guideline, but thankfully I signed onto the actual MFP website and discovered these forums!! Seriously, I feel so much better now! There is a lot of information on these forums and I'm thankful to all of those who spend time educating the new MFP members.

    Hope your transition to higher calories works as well as mine!
  • mikeyh12
    mikeyh12 Posts: 35 Member
    I'm so glad you posted this, i'm going through the same thinking right now. I have been on this site and logging for about 5 weeks and lost about 16lb. I just did the TDEE-20 and it wants to up my calorie from 1500 to 2400. This just sounds crazy to me and i'm not sure what to do either! I'm 6'2 255lbs.
  • anaquay
    anaquay Posts: 150 Member
    I'm so glad you posted this, i'm going through the same thinking right now. I have been on this site and logging for about 5 weeks and lost about 16lb. I just did the TDEE-20 and it wants to up my calorie from 1500 to 2400. This just sounds crazy to me and i'm not sure what to do either! I'm 6'2 255lbs.

    I'm certainly no expert but 1500 cals seems awfully low to me for someone who is 6'2.
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
    Yes, I asked the guy who wrote about the post on TDEE-20% about eating back exercise calories and he said NO, you don't eat back what you exercise.

    so this is a subjective argument. By that I mean it depends on what you calculate your TDEE with. In other words, if you factor in your exercise sessions into your TDEE then you are correct, you would not include extra calories for exercise. If you don't add in your exercise then you would.

    I make this statement because with regards to MFP it's an important distinction. MFP DOES NOT INCLUDE EXERCISE in your maintenance calories. And thus, has you eat back exercise calories.

    Neither method is better, it's merely a matter of preference. MFP works, and factoring in TDEE with exercise works as well.

    Although factoring in exercise to your TDEE works better for people who are very consistent with their exercise. and MFP works better for both beginners and for people who don't have a regular workout schedule.
  • Jennifer_Lynn_1982
    Jennifer_Lynn_1982 Posts: 567 Member
    Short answer: yes, it works. Friend me if you'd like to see my before and after photos :)
    Good luck :)
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
    Hi SMN76237! Thank you! This is great to know! And congrats on the weight loss :drinker:

    I'm a little confused though - your calorie intake is 1950 when you weighed 197 pounds but mine is supposed to be around 1850 and i weigh 150. Does it sound right that I'm only eating about 100 calories less than you were when you weighed 197? About how many calories are you eating now? And have you lost the 20 pounds by consistently eating 1950 calories? Sorry for all the questions :embarassed:

    Keep up the good work!

    Keep in mind, body fat % is a major factor in how much your body burns. I.E. if you weigh 20 lbs heavier than someone else, but that 20 lbs is fat, then you're only burning 20 calories a day extra (fat is not considered metabolically active, and burns about 1 calorie per lb per day) where as muscle (inactive muscle) burns 6 calories per lb per day I.E. someone who is 20 lbs heavier than you but it's all muscle will burn 120 more calories a day than you even if you don't use that extra muscle at all. It's valid for someone to weight a lot more but only burn a few extra calories, assuming a high percentage of that difference is adipose fat.

    This is a major reason why you should never duplicate someone else's methods without first adjusting for your situation. No two people burn the exact same amount, regardless of whether you do the exact same workout or not.
  • SavvyGurl0528
    SavvyGurl0528 Posts: 228 Member
    I was eating at 1200 calories for several months. I lost a decent amount of weight, but struggled with irritability and was tired all the time. I had been looking at TDEE - 20% for several weeks and decided to try it about a month ago when I hit a very long plateau. I had three pounds that kept coming and going for about a month, but I am happy to say, they are gone along with another two (just weighed Saturday). I am no longer irritable to everyone around me and I have much more energy than I did while eating 1200 calories.

    I have figured mine as sedentary as my exercise is very irregular, and then I eat back my exercise calories. This works best for me.

    Good luck, and friend me if you want.
  • sabolfitwife
    sabolfitwife Posts: 423 Member
    Im glad I read this!! I just changed to TDEE-20% a few days ago, but have been foolishly binging/eating back exercise calories. Here on out I will stick to my calories limit as best I can. 1708 Cal/day.
  • CherokeeBabe
    CherokeeBabe Posts: 1,704 Member
    I'm doing TDEE -20%, very successfully too. I've lost about 12lbs since the end of January with light-moderate exercise and eating 1500-1600 a day. I'd have lost more, but I've been sick and not working out as much as usual the past week. ;)
  • umachanxo
    umachanxo Posts: 926 Member
    I've gone from a 39" waist to a 26" waist and only ate 1200 for the first couple of months. Once I realized that I could eat more, I did. Now, that being said, as I started to eat cleaner, I would net less calories. But 1800 isn't as much as you think. Just be sure that those calories are nutrient rich and not overly processed. I eat around 1400-1600 a day. I'm 5"7, 140lbs, and am down 30 from being on MFP and around 75 in total since beginning my journey.
  • woodsy0912
    woodsy0912 Posts: 323
    Bump - love to hear successes with this method!

    I have been thinking of upping my calories to TDEE - 20% soon. Right now my weekly totals being me to 1500 per day average. My TDEE should be around 2300 - 2500 so I am thinking I can up my daily averages to 1800 or 2000. (I workout 6 days a week)

    I am pretty freaked to try this because I have been losing just fine, but I also want to keep my body as healthy as I can.

    I am 185 right now and I was thinking of starting this in another 10 or 15 pounds.
  • Sunny_fit4life
    Sunny_fit4life Posts: 157 Member
    I recently started netting my BMR, which from what I understand is very close to TDEE -20%.... I am waiting a while to weigh or measure but I could use support from anyone going the same route as well. Feel free to add me :)
  • jessicahoyos
    jessicahoyos Posts: 10 Member
    Hey! I just recently increased my calories from1200-1900 based on the TDEE-20% information I have been reading on the forums.

    I am so happy I did! I have lost more weight and I'm not starving and miserable all the time:)

    At first I was just using the MFP app to track calories and followed the 1200 suggested guideline, but thankfully I signed onto the actual MFP website and discovered these forums!! Seriously, I feel so much better now! There is a lot of information on these forums and I'm thankful to all of those who spend time educating the new MFP members.

    Hope your transition to higher calories works as well as mine!

    Hello - thanks so much for posting your experience! Did you start losing weight automatically or was there an adjustment period?
  • redraidergirl2009
    redraidergirl2009 Posts: 2,560 Member
    After switching to tdee -20% how long did it take you to start losing? As I understand it, it can take awhile for the body to adjust and one may gain weight at first.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    It's not BMR-500 it should be TDEE -500. It is suggested you always eat over your BMR. BMR is what your body needs just to survive if you were in a coma. You have to factor in daily life and activity level.
    TDEE - 20% is usually fairly close to -500. It is better for those with lower TDEE


    A great explanation
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/952996-level-obstacles-lose-weight-target-fat-easy

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