For those who are successful with TDEE method

Hi!

I've been using the TDEE -20% method for quite some time now and it worked at first, but now my weight loss has stalled. I decided to recalculate my TDEE to determine a new calories count for myself.

Previously, I've chosen to choose sedentary as my activity level and then eat back my exercise calories.

Here is what my workouts look like: On Mon, wed and fri, I do a weight training program. On tues and Thurs, I do a one hr spinning class. I dont work out on sat and Sun.

So, given that workout schedule, should I choose sedentary and eat back calories or should I choose another activity level?

For experimental sake, I chose lightly active. I am 67 inches tall, 23 y/o, female, and I currently weigh 180.

So, according to the fat to fit radio website, for lightly active people, they need 2262 calories to maintain 180. And then 2262 minus the 20% is 1809 calories. Currently I am eating slightly above 1700. Does this mean I need to up my calories? Or should I choose sedentary (as before) and eat back calories?

Please help! Thanks in advance!

I would simply take your current intake, reduce it by 10% and move forward.

Before you read any of the below I jumped the gun on this. First and foremost how long have you stalled out? If the answer is a couple of weeks, then I'd actually disregard and give it a couple more weeks. If you've been stalled out for a month or more then proceed.

Is your recommendation to reduce my current 1700ish by 10%? That would bring me down to 1600s. Then do I eat my exercise calories?

My recommendation is to take whatever you are eating now in total and reduce it by 10%.

So for example if you are currently eating back your exercise calories then you would continue to do so such that your total intake of calories, on average is about 10% fewer than you are eating now.

If you are currently not eating back exercise calories then you would continue to not eat back exercise calories.

My point being that your gross intake of calories should be reduced another 10% if your weight loss has stalled.

Finally, I would recommend doubling your protein intake and reducing carbohydrate to accomplish this. Your average protein intake is around 60g over the past 2-3 weeks and you'd likely be better off increasing it to the 100-120g mark.

I'm also seeing some days in your food diary that are around 800 calories and it looks to me like the logging is incomplete.

If you do not own a food scale I'd consider getting one, and focus on logging and measuring things meticulously as that could help you in tracking accuracy, which can become very important in situations where you're not losing.

To me it really seems like you're Moderatly Active. So take that number and deduct 20%. Use that number on MFP and don't eat back exercise calories, becaus fat2fit has already calculated your exercising in the numbers!