TDEE - 20% - how on earth!!!

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scdsuccess1985
scdsuccess1985 Posts: 8
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone. I am such a panic state. After 3 weeks on MFP, and eating the 1400 cal MFP advised, I am not loosing anything.

Then I read that one should actually work out your TDEE and then minus 20-30% from it. So you must consume that amount of calories per day to loose weight.

O my word - after calculations, My TDEE is 2962 - 20% = 2369 calories per day!!! Have checked several TDEE online calculators.

Could this be right??? How on earth am I going to consume so much calories a day. I never eat that much a day!
I will surely gain weight by eating that much calories per day - well in my logical world.

I am replacing 2 meals (Breakfast & Lunch) with Ultima 1 Weightloss shake. This is most suitable for me, because I work so hard - I don't have time to make something or most of the time I totally forget to eat. So shaking is a great solution for me.

Is it true - eating more will make you loose more?

I am really in a PANIC state. What if I consume that 2369 calories per day and I gain more weight?

I cannot afford to gain more weight!!!!

Any advice will be much appreciated.
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Replies

  • iceqieen
    iceqieen Posts: 897 Member
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    If you doubt your numbers, then post your height, weight, and activities so someone can double check.

    In general, yes you will lose weight at TDEE -20%. Doesnt matter if its 2000 or 4000 as long as its correctly calculated. Over the summer I was losing while eating ca 3000 calories a day.. but over the winter I need to keep just under 2000.. all dependant on activity levels.

    So:
    * get your numbers double checked ( http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/3834-eat-more-to-weigh-less or http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/7965-in-place-of-a-road-map are a good place to ask if you dont get help through this thread )
    * log everything you eat correctly
    * log your activities correctly
    * drink plenty of water
  • Hildy_J
    Hildy_J Posts: 1,050 Member
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    Hi there,

    Agree with above poster 100% - just let people know your height weight etc and someone can double check those figures for you.

    Is it true - eating more will make you loose more?

    That phrase is so vague. Eating LESS than you need will make you lose more. Eating a LOT less than you need will mean you'll either quit early or become ill. Eating a LITTLE less than you actually need will enable you to keep losing over the longer term and feel happy doing it too!

    Hope that helps and don't panic - there's plenty of support on here for you! :smile:
  • scdsuccess1985
    scdsuccess1985 Posts: 8
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    Thanks for all the replies.

    My height is 5.5 and my weight is 273lbs. :-(

    I am not so active during the day. Sitting at desk most of the day working. I try to do treadmill or zumba 30 minutes a day. Sometimes I do treadmill and zumba. But mostly only one per day.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    Any advice will be much appreciated.
    The only thing we know about you is that you are 28 and female.

    Your TDEE estimate suggests you are either tall and muscular or intensely active, or both ?
  • Symonep
    Symonep Posts: 181 Member
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    O my word - after calculations, My TDEE is 2962 - 20% = 2369 calories per day!!! Have checked several TDEE online calculators.

    Could this be right??? How on earth am I going to consume so much calories a day. I never eat that much a day!
    I will surely gain weight by eating that much calories per day - well in my logical world.

    Now I'm not trying to be nasty....but you obviously have been eating more than 2369 calories a day or you wouldn't be 273lbs
  • snazzyjazzy21
    snazzyjazzy21 Posts: 1,298 Member
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    I'd say around 2200 cals is right. And you CAN eat that much, that's how 99% of us got here in the first place. If you're struggling I'd opt for dropping the shakes, or using oils, butter, cheese or nuts in your cooking. All of those are calorie dense, so a little will go a long way. Also stay away from low fat or fat free versions of foods, there is no need for them if you're struggling to meet your goal.

    Just remember, every 5-10bs, recalculate your TDEE to keep it accurate.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    What did you choose for an activity level?
    What do you do for activity?
    You are also in a position where you can go for a more aggressive cut, like 25%.

    Forget the shakes. You aren't going to eat shakes at meals for the rest of your life. Since you have a lot of calories to play with you don't need two low calorie meals a day


    ETA - I ran your numbers (I think) and got around 2800 with light exercise. A 25% cut will put you just over 2000 which is pretty reasonable.
  • scdsuccess1985
    scdsuccess1985 Posts: 8
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    Natural reply Symonep. I would also have replied that.

    I have medical conditions from teenage years which caused me to be obese most of my life. Under active thyroid with it :-(
    Been from one doctor to another. :-(

    There is days that I go by just eating dinner on a small plate. And that is no lie. Doctor recommended a healthy shake to solve the problem. (landed in hospital).

    After replacing 2 meals (which i didn't had in the first place), I am so full. I am struggling to eat an apple in between meals to keep metabolism up. I am trying my best to eat something every 2-3 hours - but gosh, my tummy ache when eating so much.

    I know everyone has given up on me, but I will not give up....

    Doctor said that he thinks that I have damaged my metabolism really bad due to not eating enough.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    Thanks for all the replies.

    My height is 5.5 and my weight is 273lbs. :-(

    I am not so active during the day. Sitting at desk most of the day working. I try to do treadmill or zumba 30 minutes a day. Sometimes I do treadmill and zumba. But mostly only one per day.

    I would estimate your TDEE at 2150 calories - lightly active using Katch-McArdle formula, 55 % body fat BMR = 1560. Some of the equations are not really applicable to people of 45 BMI as they were developed from data on much less overweight subjects.

    20% of 2150 is 1720 - give that a run for a month.

    Edit to add "Under active thyroid" could depress BMR below above numbers too.
  • Hildy_J
    Hildy_J Posts: 1,050 Member
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    Yeah, your calculation was a little high, actually. Your calorie goal is 2,156 (on TDEE - 20%, lightly active). Or if you have more than a 100lb to lose then you can take off 30%.

    As the above poster said - keep recalculating it as you lose the weight - the smaller you are, the less calories you need to fuel your body.

    Good luck! x
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    If you have a medical condition you cannot rely on the TDEE calculators. They are averages for people with normal functioning metabolisms. I would suggest asking for a referral to a dietician to figure out what is right for you in your specific case.

    Edited to change can to cannot.
  • Hildy_J
    Hildy_J Posts: 1,050 Member
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    I would estimate your TDEE at 2150 calories - lightly active using Katch-McArdle formula, 55 % body fat BMR = 1560. Some of the equations are not really applicable to people of 45 BMI as they were developed from data on much less overweight subjects.

    20% of 2150 is 1720 - give that a run for a month.

    Hmmm that doesn't look correct to me... Did you take the 20% off twice?
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    I would estimate your TDEE at 2150 calories - lightly active using Katch-McArdle formula, 55 % body fat BMR = 1560. Some of the equations are not really applicable to people of 45 BMI as they were developed from data on much less overweight subjects.

    20% of 2150 is 1720 - give that a run for a month.

    Hmmm that doesn't look correct to me... Did you take the 20% off twice?

    Don't be silly, 0.8 * 2150 = 1720
  • scdsuccess1985
    scdsuccess1985 Posts: 8
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    Thanks Hildy_J.

    That is number I can try to get to a day. I am going to try it.

    Will keep everyone posted.

    Thanks for all the help and replies
  • Hildy_J
    Hildy_J Posts: 1,050 Member
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    Don't be silly, 0.8 * 2150 = 1720

    Yeah but how on earth did you arrive at 2,150 for TDEE? I got it at 2,772. She's 28, 273 lb, 5ft 5, setting 'lightly active'.

    You're asking the poor girl to have a 1,000 calorie per day deficit! It's really important that the advice you give on here is correct.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    Katch McArdle formula - works on lean mass, ignores fat which has low metabolic activity.

    A 273lb 5ft5 woman is a 125 lb woman in a fat suit, not a 273 lb weightlifter.

    The medically approved regime for that BMI is a lot less calories than I proposed. I think your emotions are clouding your judgment - "the poor girl" has reduced thyroid activity too.
  • Hildy_J
    Hildy_J Posts: 1,050 Member
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    I have no idea about that... I've been using the fat2fitradio TDEE calculator as advised by the 'road map' post.

    As far as I'm concerned the 'road map' is the font of all weight loss knowledge.
  • gigglesinthesun
    gigglesinthesun Posts: 860 Member
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    I am sorry to say this, but you need to learn how to eat properly. Shakes aren't going to help in the long run. You said that you have been obese since you were a teenager due to medical reasons and that those reasons are still there. If there is a chance that you will struggle getting to normal weight due to that alone, you are much better off doing it the healthiest way possible. Learn what food is good for you, learn about portion sizes, ease into exercise, learn as much as you can and believe in yourself that you can do it. It might take you 5 years, but if at the end you have the best and healthiest body you can have, it'll be all worth it. The more diet fads you try, the less likely you are going to succeed in keeping the weight off.

    You didn't get to your weight with just a small plate of dinner. Either your small plate is actually large by comparison to other people, the food on the plate can still contain quite a few calories, you instead drink your calories, or after having several small dinner days you binge. One issue with medications could be water weight as well ... anyway, I found the following link quite illuminating for myself in a 'yep, I am eating more then I think and it's not starvation myself that makes me gain weight' kinda way.

    http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    As far as I'm concerned the 'road map' is the font of all weight loss knowledge.
    I got as far as the word "coma"

    Try actual science like http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11716286 with 1555 calories a day giving good fat loss and preservation of lean body mass.

    If you put a body fat figure into the fat2fit calculator it gives you the Katch McArdle value, and says

    "Katch-McArdle Forumla
    The numbers above are fairly accurate, however they don't take into account your lean body mass. A more accurate formula that does take your lean body mass into account is the Katch-McArdle formula. Since many of us have scales that will tell us our current body fat, this formula may yield more accurate results."

    Try it with 50% BF and you'll see the effect I'm referring to.
  • Hildy_J
    Hildy_J Posts: 1,050 Member
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    Yeah I get it.

    Only you're 'guessing' at the body fat value in your Katch-McThingy calculation - always better to use known values.

    Anyway, we're hijacking the OP's thread which isn't good form, so.... enough!

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