I think I've confused myself re: TDEE Halp? Please?

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shezzzzz
shezzzzz Posts: 119 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I am female, 41, and 5'10" and have been trying to lose weight for a while. I thought I finally had it figured out, but I think I've confused myself, and hit a plateau at the same time.

I was too eager to start EM2LW, so I didn't read everything, or maybe I did, but didn't remember it all.

At the time, I was 238 lbs. I work a desk job, but was swimming for 30 minutes 3 times a week.

I looked at both scooby, and fat2fit, and figured I should eat around 1700 cals per day, and eat back my exercise cals. That s what I did, and it seemed before no time had passed, I was down to 219 lbs (not making any changes to cal consumption or exercise amount other than substituting JM 30DS when I didn't feel like swimming).

I figured after 20 lbs, I had better re-calculate, then I realized I should not have been eating back my exercise calories.

I've ended up eating less some days (and more on others, had a few birthdays to celebrate in the last 2 weeks, so eating has not been stellar, but I stayed under my weekly calorie limit).

I am also doing the 30DS everyday (challenge with a friend), and am on day 10. I have not lost an ounce in the last 2 weeks, and in my history, I always seem to get stuck at 220 lbs, and give up, and I don't want to give up this time, but am losing motivation.

My food diary is open, I am careful about weighing EVERYTHING on my digital kitchen scale. I don't log water, but usually drink 1-2 liters per day. The 1 cup of milk I log is for my tea and coffee (which I don't log) I only have milk in my tea or coffee, so no sugar count required there either. I usually have 1 cup of coffee, 4 cups of regular tea, and 3 cups of decaf tea per day.

Oh, and my schedule tends to get crazy sometimes, so some weeks I can expect to be able to work out 4 or 5 times, while other weeks I'm lucky if I can get 2 in.
Any advice is appreciated. Thank You

Replies

  • shezzzzz
    shezzzzz Posts: 119 Member
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    anyone?
  • luckydays27
    luckydays27 Posts: 552 Member
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    if your TDEE is 1700, you probably should eat that. i see in your diary where you consistently eat 1300-1400 cals a day. Not 1700.

    I got yoru TDEE to be around 2100 for a sedentary lifestyle so 20% less would be around 1700. But you need to add in your exercise cals at least some of them.

    Try eating 1700 a day plus half your exercise cals for a few weeks and see if that gets you out of your plateau.
  • lunahbby
    lunahbby Posts: 18 Member
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    Don't eat back your exercise calories. They're typically way overestimated, and you'll just be doing yourself harm, unless you are really going hard.
  • shezzzzz
    shezzzzz Posts: 119 Member
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    Thanks, I'll try eating 1700 more often, plus some extra when I've done a decent workout.
  • redraidergirl2009
    redraidergirl2009 Posts: 2,560 Member
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    If gaining weight is your goal it's perfect!
  • smn76237
    smn76237 Posts: 318 Member
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    How long have you been on a plateau? What you were doing before worked-you lost 20lbs!

    That said, people here often misuse the term "TDEE"--if you do any exercise, by definition, that should be included in your "TDEE" average for the week. You only have a sedentary TDEE if you never do any exercise ever. That's why you're not supposed to "eat back" any exercise calories using the TDEE-20% method--they should already be calculated into your TDEE to begin with. However, since you did set yourself to sedentary even though you're not, that's why you were able to lose weight while still eating back exercise calories. (which is essentially how MFP is designed to work).

    If you are confident you will get to some physical activity at least twice a week every week, I would try your settings as "lightly active" under a TDEE calculator, and eat 20% less than that. I would also calculate what your TDEE-20% is for "moderately active," and on days you workout significantly harder, eat up to that number.
  • shezzzzz
    shezzzzz Posts: 119 Member
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    Thanks for the clarification. I'll tweak my #'s some more and see how the next two weeks go.

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