People who have lost 100+ lbs...

Here is the best advice I can give from my personal experience....

Keep your meals small (300-350 calories) and space them out no more than 4 hours apart. If you space them too far apart and your stomach is churning, and then add a large amount of calories on an empty stomach can cause an insulin surge that will cause your body to store fat.

Also take in your meal with the largest portion of carbs for the day prior to exercise. Carbs = energy for your workouts.

I dont know about reducing TDEE by 30%. My daily calorie allowance is 2100, however I typically stay around 1700-1800 with the exception of a cheat meal once a week. On the day I have a cheat meal I usually meet 2000 calories for that day.

Careful where you read your info, especially on the internet. Make sure your reading it from a reliable source.

Good luck to you!

You've already got some advice that is probably more useful than mine - and technically, I've only lost 93 pounds so far this year - but I'll share what has worked for me - alternate day fasting.

One day I eat 500 calories.

The next day I eat between 2000-3000 calories.

Between the 2 days, I end up eating, more or less, the same TDEE - 20% that others do.

On the 500 calorie days - it's pretty boring. Protein bars, slim fast, salads, giant servings of strawberries, etc.

On the other days, I still get to eat "normal" sized portions of all of the foods I love. Basically, I'm only "on a diet" every other day.

I also run. I started about a month and a half after I started eating like this - with just walking a bit. Now I do 45 minute interval runs 3-5 days a week (about 3.25 miles each).

Will this solve your confusion? No. But like Heronimos said:

There is no "right thing". Find what works for you! That is the main goal.

I could never do this the "right" or "clean" way. But this odd way works for me and with the weight loss - I get all of the same benefits (huge health improvements, feeling great, looking WAY better, etc), but at a lower "cost" to me (in terms of being able to eat pizza, carrot cake, etc).

Good luck to you! You'll find a way to do this that works for you too! (Hint: The simple, non-confusing truth of all of this is: "Calories in < calories out".)

P.S. Take lots of "before" pictures and save some "before" clothes while you can - you'll probably wish you had if you don't. MFP is awesome!

I haven't "quite" lost 100 but that's my goal and I'm getting closer... For me the main thing was to learn to continue to eat the foods I love but in slightly healthier ways - using things like low fat dairy, leaner meats, whole wheat pasta, and adding extra veggies - and portion control. A big part of this is planning. Every weekend I sit down and make up a list of the foods I'd like to eat that week (ALL meals, breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks) and make my grocery list at the same time to make sure I have everything on hand. The more healthy stuff I have in my house and on hand at work, the less likely I'll be grabbing food on the fly or ordering take-out. That said, I do still get take-out but even with that I make the best choices I can and watch my portion sizes.

I'd also encourage you to make some short and long term goals and think about how you'd like to reward yourself. Don't go to food rewards as those can easily lead you back to old eating habits but think of other things like new clothes, a manicure/pedicure, a DVD or book you've wanted or even health/fitness related things like new exercise shoes, a heart rate monitor to help you figure out calorie burns, pedometer, new workout clothes, etc. Also keep in mind that these goals can change as you progress - don't feel like they're set in stone. As others said, what works best for you is the best way to go.

As far as your calories go, try to eat a bit more. While it's true you can handle a larger calorie deficit at this point, you still need to properly fuel your body. The absolutely minimum is 1200 calories a day for an average woman. As you are bigger, I would think a minimum of somewhere closer to 1500 would be more appropriate though. If you feel like you're full enough, maybe switch to more calorie dense foods like full fat dairy, 100% whole wheat bread instead of lite stuff, snack on nuts and seeds and peanut butter, avocado and don't skimp on the olive oil.

Best of luck to you!