TDEE-20% Still seems too HIGH! So now what?!?

Personally I know for a fact that my TDEE is waaaaay off. I'm a writer so I spend about 97% of the day sitting down typing. I know I barely burn 1000 calories doing my daily activity (thats not including exercise). SO I dont use TDEE and BMR. I try to eat only as much as I exercise in the day. So if I burn 1000, I will eat 1000. Its hard but it is working for me. I don't feel tired or malnourished.

Please do not post this extremely dangerous and borderline insane opinion as "fact". What you have posted isn't even close to fact and is a terrible thing to promote. Netting zero calories a day for any decent length of time is going to result in some serious health problems long-term. I bet you will be losing your hair inside of a month. Talk to someone that knows what they're doing instead of spreading misinformation around on these forums - PLEASE.

I didn't state anything as a fact. I said that it is what is working for me.

Interesting discussion considering you only started logging within the last week. How were you tracking calories before?

Personally I know for a fact that my TDEE is waaaaay off. I'm a writer so I spend about 97% of the day sitting down typing. I know I barely burn 1000 calories doing my daily activity (thats not including exercise). SO I dont use TDEE and BMR. I try to eat only as much as I exercise in the day. So if I burn 1000, I will eat 1000. Its hard but it is working for me. I don't feel tired or malnourished.

Please do not post this extremely dangerous and borderline insane opinion as "fact". What you have posted isn't even close to fact and is a terrible thing to promote. Netting zero calories a day for any decent length of time is going to result in some serious health problems long-term. I bet you will be losing your hair inside of a month. Talk to someone that knows what they're doing instead of spreading misinformation around on these forums - PLEASE.

I didn't state anything as a fact. I said that it is what is working for me.

Interesting discussion considering you only started logging within the last week. How were you tracking calories before?

Oh no Whatever would we do wihout computers?! There is this thing called a pen and paper, It's ancient and outdated I know, but they still work.

Personally I know for a fact that my TDEE is waaaaay off. I'm a writer so I spend about 97% of the day sitting down typing. I know I barely burn 1000 calories doing my daily activity (thats not including exercise). SO I dont use TDEE and BMR. I try to eat only as much as I exercise in the day. So if I burn 1000, I will eat 1000. Its hard but it is working for me. I don't feel tired or malnourished.

Please do not post this extremely dangerous and borderline insane opinion as "fact". What you have posted isn't even close to fact and is a terrible thing to promote. Netting zero calories a day for any decent length of time is going to result in some serious health problems long-term. I bet you will be losing your hair inside of a month. Talk to someone that knows what they're doing instead of spreading misinformation around on these forums - PLEASE.

I didn't state anything as a fact. I said that it is what is working for me.

Interesting discussion considering you only started logging within the last week. How were you tracking calories before?

Oh no Whatever would we do wihout computers?! There is this thing called a pen and paper, It's ancient and outdated I know, but they still work.

You are funny!

And when I say funny, I mean really rather aggressive and defensive all at the same time. Ask a simple question, and I get attitude. Have fun with your 'diet'. :flowerforyou:

bump

Doesn't the poster eating low cals mean they eat 1000 if the burn 1000 (in a 24 hour period) not 1000 through calories burned from workouts? If it's this then they are netting 1000 not 0 as it appears to be in the way the post is written.

Netting a 1000 is still bad but no. Tl;dr, she's eating 1000cals a day or less. Supposedly her doctor told her 600cals was okay.

Doesn't the poster eating low cals mean they eat 1000 if the burn 1000 (in a 24 hour period) not 1000 through calories burned from workouts? If it's this then they are netting 1000 not 0 as it appears to be in the way the post is written.

If you look at her diary, she does tend to eat the exact same amount that she logs as exercise and no more than that.

Thursday for example
Logged intake: 1017
Logged exercise: 1009
Remaining calories : 1372

...I just checked your diary, you aren't eating back your exercise calories. You're supposed to. That's how the system is designed.

The MFP numbers and TDEE - 20% aren't that different if you do it right.

This!

Not this...people are confusing two completely different methods. Yes, they should be similar when it's all said and done, but you do NOT eat back exercise calories with TDEE method...exercise is included in your activity estimation.

MFP is a NEAT method calculator...thus exercise is NOT included in your activity level and is extra activity that needs fueling...thus you DO eat back exercise calories with the MFP (NEAT) method.

As an example...

TDEE - 20% = 2150

MFP goal = 1,850 + exercise (300 per day on avg) = 2,150 calories

You just explained the same thing the posts you quoted were saying...(although granted your post did a better job of explaining it). The *end results* of the two methods are very similar (and, assuming consistent daily exercise, would be entirely identical).


Edit: because randomly wrong words aardvark bad.

...I just checked your diary, you aren't eating back your exercise calories. You're supposed to. That's how the system is designed.

The MFP numbers and TDEE - 20% aren't that different if you do it right.

This!

Not this...people are confusing two completely different methods. Yes, they should be similar when it's all said and done, but you do NOT eat back exercise calories with TDEE method...exercise is included in your activity estimation.

MFP is a NEAT method calculator...thus exercise is NOT included in your activity level and is extra activity that needs fueling...thus you DO eat back exercise calories with the MFP (NEAT) method.

As an example...

TDEE - 20% = 2150

MFP goal = 1,850 + exercise (300 per day on avg) = 2,150 calories

You just explained the same thing the posts you quoted were saying...(although granted your post did a better job of explaining it). The *end results* of the two methods are very similar (and, assuming consistent daily exercise, would be entirely identical).


Edit: because randomly wrong words aardvark bad.

No kiddin. MFP (whatever it gives you + exercise calories eaten back) = (TDEE-20%)

Nowhere did I say anything about eating back cals on the TDEE method. Whichever way you go, the numbers are effectively the same, one is just less math.

....cause I hate math.

ETA: Also, I put the responsibility of actually reading about the TDEE method to the poster. If they quote that something isn't working for them, it's on them to have done the research to find that TDEE doesn't involve eating ex. calories back. If they use words, I expect them to know what they mean.

I'm confused... seems like my TDEE on other sites where you plug in the information is way higher than here on MFP.

Female
36
195.4 (cause apparently I gained 2.5 lbs over the weekend, for no apparent reason)
5'1"
5 morning workouts for 30 minutes each, plus the gym tu & thu


My base calories on here are 1300 plus my burned calories (about 235 calories m-f not counting the gym) but when I go to other sites my TDEE is about 2407 (depending on the site) so less 20% is 2006. So what is it, apprx 1525 or 2006?

My weekly average for last week was just about 1100 net, so maybe that's why I gained, cause I didn't eat enough???... but still how many calories am I supposed to eat, what MFP says (with all my workout calories, just some of my work out calories) or my TDEE -20%?

When you did your goals on MFP, did you tell it that you wanted to lose 2lb/week?

1.5 lbs per week.

Try 1lb or .5lb, and I bet with your exercise calories you'll be closer to your TDEE numbers.

So does that mean that my TDEE -20% is too high to lose 1.5 lbs per week. Really I would like to do 1.5-2 lbs per week.

I just adjusted my goals to have my current weight from this morning and 30 minutes of working out 5 times a week and it lowered my base calories to 1290! lol

Why does it have to be so confusing! I just want to make sure to eat the right amount of calories for how much I workout to make sure that I lose every week. lol

I don't know how much weight you have to lose but unless you're morbidly obese, 1.5-2lbs is probably too aggressive. And you might not lose every week. Weigh loss isn't linear. You may lose one week and not the next. I would customize your goals based on your TDEE numbers, give it about a month, and adjust accordingly.

I'm confused... seems like my TDEE on other sites where you plug in the information is way higher than here on MFP.

Female
36
195.4 (cause apparently I gained 2.5 lbs over the weekend, for no apparent reason)
5'1"
5 morning workouts for 30 minutes each, plus the gym tu & thu


My base calories on here are 1300 plus my burned calories (about 235 calories m-f not counting the gym) but when I go to other sites my TDEE is about 2407 (depending on the site) so less 20% is 2006. So what is it, apprx 1525 or 2006?

My weekly average for last week was just about 1100 net, so maybe that's why I gained, cause I didn't eat enough???... but still how many calories am I supposed to eat, what MFP says (with all my workout calories, just some of my work out calories) or my TDEE -20%?

That's because MFP isn't even trying to give you a complete TDEE value like the other sites are doing.
MFP diet goals is based on NO exercise expected or done.
Sadly and confusingly though, you do enter exercise goals too - but those have NO bearing on the diet goals.
That's why you eat back your exercise calories.

The other big difference is, you selecting the correct TDEE level on other sites. Hrs per week is the way to view those levels, not days. You doing 30 min is 1/2 day really, add it up, now what level?

MFP has a deficit amount not based on %, but block of calories. Recommend 1 lb weekly. If you selected more, or have little to lose, that block amount is bigger than 20% off full TDEE.

They can compare favorably, but they are by no means the same all the time.

Also, the MFP method doesn't have any assistance to retaining muscle mass, it'll be more than happy to give you a goal based on YOUR choices that has you undereating and losing muscle mass.
TDEE Deficit method usually protects you from that if honest with activity level.

1300 PLUS exercise calories or TDEE minus 15-20% should be about the same amount of calories, if you're accurate about your activity level and have a good way to measure your calaories burned. So set it to 1900ish and don't eat your exercise calories (already included in your activity level), or set it to 1300 and eat back your calories. Give it a few weeks and see where your at and adjust as needed. And if you are working out that much, you NEED the fuel!

Best of luck!

Mfp gives me 1670 a day, I am 48yr male. I have not lost any weight in 2 months. 4 weeks ago I started to eat more of my exercise calories and gained weight ?. I averaged around 2000 a day. I do exercise at least 5 times a weeks. I also use body media and both are very close. So not sure if I need more or less at this point but I know for sure i dont want to gain anymore. I do drink a lot of diet coke,I have read that diet sodas can cause slow weight loss but not sure if it true ?

Mfp gives me 1670 a day, I am 48yr male. I have not lost any weight in 2 months. 4 weeks ago I started to eat more of my exercise calories and gained weight ?. I averaged around 2000 a day. I do exercise at least 5 times a weeks. I also use body media and both are very close. So not sure if I need more or less at this point but I know for sure i dont want to gain anymore. I do drink a lot of diet coke,I have read that diet sodas can cause slow weight loss but not sure if it true ?

Lost inches?
With that much exercise, looks like you are asking your body to make improvements from it, which rarely has to do with weight loss, but weight gain.
But you could still lose fat, so inches will drop.

But, you've probably also lost some decent muscle mass and lowered your metabolism in addition to that lowering, due to not following the program correctly.

You will gain water weight, always do the math.

3500 calories is 1 lb of fat. So if you gain 1 lb overnight, did you eat 3500 calories over your maintenance level the previous day?
Eating 250 calories in excess daily would only be 1 lb gain in 2 weeks.
Anything faster than that is water weight.

Your body is trying to store more glucose you have been keeping it depleted on until you ate more.
Allow, accept the fact it was going to happen sometime anyway. Same water weight you lost the first week fast.

And stop losing muscle mass, you might want it, and you won't gain it back later unless you really do eat in excess then. And you'll gain fat then too. Bummer.

This is assuming you are doing exercise the BodyMedia is good at estimating, or not doing much of the stuff it is bad at estimating.
But what does it say your TDEE is for like a weeks avg?