Super scared to do TDEE -20%

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  • JoanB5
    JoanB5 Posts: 610 Member
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    I increased my calories by 100 calories for every body fat percentage lost once I got within 3 pounds of goal. Worked.

    I increased calories again to keep from losing too much, too fast once I got to goal (needed more muscle). I bounced to three over goal, but then slowly lost three pounds back, and inches.

    Now, doing TDEE, BUT subtracting 200 a day for it. If I get the anticipated workout in, I get to add 200 back. If I don't, I know I'm not overeating. I still need this motivation. Sort of a "cyclical calorie cycling", I guess...I eat more when I work out and less when I don't.

    If I am very hungry the day after I work out, I make sure to get more lean protein in and do larger meals the next day's breakfast or lunch. I feel more safe with this method than "the jump". I still need the motivation to keep working out, and this does it for me.
  • Stargrace2
    Stargrace2 Posts: 48 Member
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    The calculator I did asked me the number of times I exercise a week so I did 5x a week. The total TDEE they gave was 2200ish so then -20% is a little over 1700. I set it to be a goal of 1700 (I like even numbers and better to be under than over) so don't eat back what I burn?

    In that case, no you would not eat back what you burn. It's calculated into the 1700 it gave you. 2200 is your average TDEE if you combine your non exercise days with your exercise days and average it out. 1700 same thing. For me it was just easier to eat more or less depending on what day it was. I eat 1500 on non workout days. I eat 1700 on workout days. Especially easier since on workout days you tend to be hungrier.

    Be sure to read this post, it explains it all pretty easily, and gives you great sites to use to figure everything out, read the comments too, a lot of the questions asked in the thread will be ones you're looking for answers to. : http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
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    I started TDEE minus 20% over a year ago and have had my best results with fat loss since then. I hit goal weight, but still have a bit of fat to get rid of, so now I'm at about a 10-15% cut. I workout 5-6 days a week, around an hour a day, 3 days with weights (dumbbells at home) & 3 days of running.
  • Mitzigan94
    Mitzigan94 Posts: 393 Member
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    I have been working out for 12 weeks now. I work out 5-6x a week with 30-45 mins of cardio and 30-40 mins of strength training.
    I am 5'2" currently weigh 143. I've lost inches and gained muscle! I was eating 1200 calories a day (I ate back my burned calories as well) but I've hit a small plateau as far as fat loss. I'm loving the muscle I've been building but would love those last few inches to go away. I'm starting TDEE -20% but am terrified I will just gain fat. I don't eat prepackaged food except Greek yogurt, and peanut butter. Everything else is clean/raw foods. I've been trying to be good with eating fewer carbs as they are my weakness and cut back to one beer every few weeks or more.

    Anyway- how did TDEE work for you all? How soon on average did you see a loss? And I'm going from eating 1200 calories to 1700 so it's a bit scary. How was your experience?


    dont worry ,Im a started on -20% tdee too! Just trust in urself and dont quit! good luck!
  • broscientist
    broscientist Posts: 102 Member
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    Well, did you factor exercise into your TDEE? If so, don't eat them back, because they were already included in your daily amount. If not, then do eat them back.

    THANK YOU.
    You get a gold star.

    This is one of the most common mistake MFP members make.
  • samcat2000
    samcat2000 Posts: 106 Member
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    I'm not sure yet whether I should eat back my exercise calories? Today I did but an like 30 under 1700
    (Today was a light day only burned 180) but I'm not sure if I should eat hem back or not?

    Well, did you factor exercise into your TDEE? If so, don't eat them back, because they were already included in your daily amount. If not, then do eat them back.

    Maybe I'm doing a hybrid of the mfp and TDEE...I have a very sedentary desk job so when calculating my TDEE I chose the sedentary category. I entered that calorie goal -5% into MFP. When I do exercise, I enter those calories burned jinto MFP and eat them back on top of the TDEE (sedentary) -5%. I've been exercising consistently but it can vary when things get crazy at work so that's why I chose the sedentary + eat back exercise calories.
  • ngressman
    ngressman Posts: 229 Member
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    TDEE -20% didn't work for me. I gained weight for 2 weeks, before I went back to the 1200 calorie diet. Don't know what I did wrong.
  • ajcmoran2005
    ajcmoran2005 Posts: 173 Member
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    Well I hope I have better luck. After plateauing for several weeks after eating 1200 calories I tried TDEE -20%. I plateaued again after losing six pounds so I upped my calories from 1550 calories a day to 1700 since I am closer to my goal. I still run everyday and eat the same but now I'm gaining :(.
  • SrJoben
    SrJoben Posts: 484 Member
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    TDEE works pretty well for me. It may slightly over-estimate my calorie needs. But that's not surprising, it's a rough estimate and needs to be tried for a while then adjusted.

    Overall i just find it much easier than the eat back method, which i found a pain to enter, and I didn't like the fluctuating amount of food. With TDEE I can eat about the same amount ever day.

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