TDEE, Weight Watchers, and Cheat Days

honeylissabee
honeylissabee Posts: 217 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been struggling with finding a method of dieting that works for me. Right now, I am using MFP to follow Weight Watchers, and once a week (Mondays) I have a free day. Now, nothing is off limits (I had ribs and gelato last night), but I mentally need one day (or at least one night) where I don't worry about how many calories I am consuming.

Right now, without counting fruit and veggies (based on Weight Watchers) I am netting under 1,000 calories most days, but I make up for it with my day off and the uncounted produce.

I am aware, however, that the TDEE-20 method might be a better option in the future. In the past, because my activity is sporadic, my approach to the TDEE method is to use the sedentary calculations and my FitBit to make up the difference. It stressed me out to have an ever adjusting calorie target, but it was the best method for my calculations overall.

I think if I do move into the TDEE-20% method, I will continue to set it to sedentary calculations, and that is how I will eat 6 days per week. Then, once per week, I will have a free day. Is this a bad idea? What do you think about taking one day off from tracking a week? I figure I will be banking calories over the course of the week towards my free day, but I'm wondering if that concept only works in theory.

I am not making any major changes to my approach at this moment, but I am just considering that I may not be doing the best thing for the long term by following Weight Watchers- even if it does work for me right now,

Replies

  • JcMey3r
    JcMey3r Posts: 431 Member
    don't have to follow weight watchers

    Here is all you need to know to loose weight successfully

    1. use MFP
    2. Weigh everything to accurately record what you are consuming
    3. Do/Add weight training (gym or just body weight training at home)


    As for bingeing, yes its fine to binge now and again but maybe dont do it as often. Maybe just ever 2 weeks and instead of the day/night just do one meal

    I realized that I dont want to binge too much as Im working so hard and then I go and mess it up with bingeing. So when I do binge I still do portion control or I make sure it fits into my calories.
  • Hildy_J
    Hildy_J Posts: 1,050 Member
    I tried 'sedentary' and it didn't give me enough calories - changed it to 'lightly active' and I'm happier now on the increased calories (1700 ish).

    Yes to a day off every week or every two weeks, absolutely fine, eat what you want but still log everything. :smile:
  • JennOnTheRocks
    JennOnTheRocks Posts: 112
    Totally agree. I think people over-think this journey. It is really pretty simple. Eat well, exercise 5-6 days a week, drink lots of water, and get 8 hours of sleep. :)
  • honeylissabee
    honeylissabee Posts: 217 Member
    Who said anything about a binge?

    I just need a day off from tracking calories for my MENTAL sanity, but that doesn't mean that day is an all-out binge, this morning, I made a peanut butter and jelly roll on an Aldi multigrain and flax flatbread (100 calorie bread). I don't typically do pb&j because it can be tricky fitting it into my calorie allowance. I prefer chunky peanut butter, which does not spread like the smooth, so I need more to cover the same surface area. Still, I wouldn't call natural chunky peanut butter and all-fruit spread a binge. I didn't eat 2 or 3 sandwiches. I had ONE. Monday is the day I give myself permission to split dessert with my best friend at the restaurant instead of eating a That's It! Fruit bar or a yogurt later on,

    Mental sanity is why I am loosely following Weight Watchers. It gives me a chance to have a little freedom to not count every little morsel of food I put in my mouth. I need that freedom right now.

    I have considered using the lightly active TDEE, even though my activity level based on my FitBit steps has me as being more active than that (I get a minimum of 11,000 steps a day and in 2 weeks, I am starting a 4 week walking challenge).

    Just for curiosity, I put in the information in Fat 2 Fit as described in IPOARM, and my FitBit burn is closer to the moderately active state, so if I want to have my day off from tracking, do I just stick to moderately active, or do I take a step down to lightly active to create more of a buffer?
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
    Many intermittent fasters use a weekly goal rather than a daily like you are planning. Works fine.
  • glreim21
    glreim21 Posts: 206 Member
    If you want to still have a free day where you don't track, I would put lightly active, that gives you a bit of a buffer. Remember with the TDEE method, you don't eat back your exercise calories. It might be a good idea tho to track a couple of your free days, just to see how many calories you are eating, you might be surprised.
  • kimmyt4
    kimmyt4 Posts: 18
    How do you figure out how many calories to eat per day? I have looked at a whole bunch of TDEE calculators and I am so confused. I have also used the spreadsheet on from one group. I am so lost

    I have been doing TDEE for about 3 months and I have only lost 3 pounds, however I have gone down 10.25 inches. I know the inches is good but the pounds are just not moving and I am feeling like I'm going off the tracks.

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