Hi Everyone

I have been dong EM2WL for a while now. I think I started with a 20% cut. I lost a little bit of inches at first and then I stayed the same for quite a while. I changed to a 15% cut and changed my exercise routine to less cardio and more lifting. I started to lose slowly lose inches. I hadn't weighed or measured myself for a month. I now find that I have gained weight and my body fat percentage went up and my LBM went down.

I have been using Heybale's spreadsheet, which I like but I am wondering if I should go with a 20% cut again?

Here are my stats
Female
39 years old
217 pounds
Body Fat % 31.49
LBM 148.7

Thanks!

Is that the spreadsheet bodyfat calculator telling you gain of fat and loss of LBM?

What is the spread between the Navy and Covert calculations?

Most with a wide spread find that after inches drop it starts becoming more accurate - which means it was already higher.

So your TDEG just dropped, because you have less LBM. You didn't lose any, it's just reflecting the fact you actually had more to start with and becoming more accurate.

With less LBM, you may actually have a bigger deficit too.

And are you using the Simple Setup tab TDEG given, which sees the lifting? Or you are using the TDEE and taking your own 15% cut?

Hi Heybales

Now I think I am confused. I was just using the Simple Set up Tab and taking 15%-20% off my TDEE. I would get a value of 2300-2400 calories. So that is what I was trying to eat.

Should I be eating less?

The two body fat percentages are pretty close. So I think it is pretty accurate.

So it says your body measures well for BF% estimate?
Or it does not?
Pretty close is in the eye of the beholder, not really objective.

Still only going to be 5% accurate even if both the same, and you may be moving from one end of the range to the other end for accuracy, so it may appear to be gaining BF, but it's just becoming more accurate.

What's the TDEG say though?
That's a recommendation based on the amount to lose, and what your workout time and type actually is. It's based on maintaining muscle mass, but indeed losing fat.
Macros should be followed too.

You can go for straight 15-20%, but you may safely be able to get more than that, or it could be you should have less than that.

Have you entered your own GW and didn't leave the sample data there?

26 lbs to go according to your ticker, but only lifting and no high cardio, may indeed mean your TDEE doesn't go up much, so your max deficit is to your BMR.
And that is minimum amount to lose weight.
Obviously could eat anywhere from there to TDEE and lose weight, if body isn't stressed out from other problems in life.

As it says under Your Results, if the TDEG is your BMR for right now, eat one day a week at TDEE, a lifting day if possible. Lets your hormones reset.
Also need to hit your macro goals, which is enough protein to maintain muscle mass.

Your Results gives all kinds of info there that would be useful.
What is your BMR multiplier for your TDEE? Did you really include all exercise, and increase to daily activity beyond sedentary desk job?
What is the deficit % being taken, your lbs to lose amount shown, and what ratio of cardio to lifting?
What is the deficit calories actually?