Another TDEE Question (Sorry!)

storm15918
storm15918 Posts: 88 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey everyone. I just have a quick question and I can't seem to find an answer in previous threads that fits my situation. Long story short, I've been eating at 1,600 calories for a while now, and also started heavy lifting 2 months ago on top of running which I've been doing for about a year. The 1,600 comes from my TDEE - 20%, including the lifting. I didn't include running in my TDEE and so I just eat those calories back. I did this because my milage varies a lot. My weight loss has been stalled since I started lifting however and I haven't lost any inches that I've measured, though I think my arms, legs, and face may have slimmed down a bit. Just not my belly and hips. Grr!

So my question is should I keep doing what I'm doing, maybe eating back less calories since I'm sure my body has become more efficient by now, and hoping my belly will start to shrink soon, or should I switch to a full TDEE method? The reason I didn't include running in my TDEE is because I do periodic long runs and I didn't know how those would affect using the TDEE method. I also worry about eating like 1,800 or 1,900 calories on days when I'm just lifting and especially on rest days. Do the days just sort of even out? I would love to be able to eat more, but I also don't want to end up making my problem worse. Any suggestions on what I should do? Also, for reference, I'm 5'5", 22 years old, 146 lbs, and I have 16 lbs left to lose. Thanks!

Replies

  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    You should be losing fat, if not weight. What does your training schedule look like? Are you getting sufficient rest time from the lifting? The muscle repair happens on rest days. How much protein/carbs are you getting?
  • storm15918
    storm15918 Posts: 88 Member
    You should be losing fat, if not weight. What does your training schedule look like? Are you getting sufficient rest time from the lifting? The muscle repair happens on rest days. How much protein/carbs are you getting?

    I knew I forgot something! My macros are currently 25% protein (I average 100g a day), 30% fat, 45% carbs. I lift Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and run Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Sunday is a total rest day. Typing that made me realize the silliness of worrying about TDEE on rest days since I only have one...lol.

    I think I lost fat on my limbs and face, but I'm worried that I'm not seeing fat loss anymore now that they've thinned out. Where could it possibly be coming off of? My belly is the only fat part of me left lol. The hope is if I just keep going then it'll have to come off eventually. I just worry that I might have done something to stop the fat loss, though I don't know what. That's why I was considering maybe switching methods. Thanks for responding!
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    The protein sounds like enough. I would just give it more time. The fat will come off where it wants to come off, and not where we want it to, unfortunately. My belly is the last to go. My butt looks amazing though so for now I'm happy with that.

    Is your TDEE - 20% very far off what you are doing now? Actually with only 16 pounds to goal, you might consider 15% deficit. And, as your body continues to recomp with lifting, you might even be happy raising your weight goal.
  • storm15918
    storm15918 Posts: 88 Member
    The protein sounds like enough. I would just give it more time. The fat will come off where it wants to come off, and not where we want it to, unfortunately. My belly is the last to go. My butt looks amazing though so for now I'm happy with that.

    Is your TDEE - 20% very far off what you are doing now? Actually with only 16 pounds to goal, you might consider 15% deficit. And, as your body continues to recomp with lifting, you might even be happy raising your weight goal.

    Yeah, as much as I wish spot reducing was possible, I know it's not. Oh well. I am really happy with my arms and legs. I find myself flexing a lot lol. I try to remember them when I get discouraged about my belly. I think my butt is improving, but I don't have many good mirrors around to check. I'll have to make an effort to look next time I'm able to!

    As for my TDEE -20%, for lightly active it's 1,632 I think. I rounded down because I like even numbers. On running days I eat anywhere from 2,000-2,300 depending on how far and fast I run. It evens out to be nearly the same as if I included running in my TDEE I think. I guess it comes down to whether I want to eat more everyday, or a lot more some days. Maybe I'll move down to TDEE -15% and keep running excluded. I might also only eat back 75% of my exercise calories just to be safe.

    Thanks for your responses! It's really helpful to get someone else's opinion. I've spent so much time worrying about all this lately that I was starting to convince myself that I was doing things wrong. Maybe I'm just impatient lol.

    Edited to add: I agree about my weight goal. If my bf% was in a good place, I wouldn't care at all about the number on the scale. I just use it as a guideline for now. As much as I hate not seeing the scale move, if my body is going through recomp then I don't mind.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    Take pictures, every month or every 6 weeks. You can't always tell the subtle changes just looking in the mirror every day, but pictures monthly you will see the changes. I have been lifting for 6 months and every month I feel better and look a little better, though I'm still wanting to drop about 5% body fat.
  • storm15918
    storm15918 Posts: 88 Member
    Take pictures, every month or every 6 weeks. You can't always tell the subtle changes just looking in the mirror every day, but pictures monthly you will see the changes. I have been lifting for 6 months and every month I feel better and look a little better, though I'm still wanting to drop about 5% body fat.

    You're right. I know I've slacked off with taking pictures, and I know I'll regret it. The only mirror I have to take pictures in is in my living room because my apartment is weird lol. I took pictures a few months ago, I think maybe in April, but I haven't since then. I'll try to do so next time the room mates aren't home. I definitely do feel better though which is nice. I love feeling strong when I do things now. I've also been accidentally throwing and slamming things because I'm not accustomed to my new strength yet lol.

    Thank you again for all your help! I feel a million times better about things :smile:

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