Success with TDEE -20%
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At one point I used MFP's calculations which said I should be taking in somewhere around 2500 calories per day. I don't really recall if that was my TDEE (I'm thinking it might have been), but I arbitrarily lowered my daily goal to 2000 calories and have made it a point to eat at a ~500 surplus each on Saturday/Sunday, go for pretty good deficits Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday (between -300 and -800 daily), and a bit closer on Thursday/Friday (around -100 to -200).
Down 15lbs in five weeks, and I haven't really been at a physique where I've needed to lose a whole lot >__>0 -
So my BMR is 1502. My TDEE IS 1654. If I exercise a lot does that mean I should eat more? Basically never go under 1500?
You used the calculator wrong, there is no TDEE level that is that low over the BMR.
The premise is correct, but if you want your body to actually make improvements that exercise could call, body has to have something to work with, if the exercise by itself just burns off extra calories, what's left?
Use spreadsheet referenced above.
I put in my stats on the scoobyworkshop site and got the following for 1-3hrs/wk of light exercise ( I do 30DS, walk for 20 minutes, and go to the gym every other day for an hour only sometimes. 30DS is my main thing right now. Somedays I do just that and nothing else the entire day. Somedays I do that plus walk, plus the gym, some days I just rest. It depends. )
I got the following:
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) 1503
Daily calories to maintain weight (TDEE) 2067
Daily calories based on goal in step 6 1654
Its set to 20% calorie deduction. Did I do something wrong?
Should I bump it up to moderate exercise? Because someone told me that was too high for the amount of exercise I do, and would give me 1864 calories a day. Which someone just got done telling me was too high for my TDEE and the amount of exercise I do. Im confused all over again!
Ok, you said your TDEE was 1654. Which would imply then taking 20% off.
Your TDEE with deficit, or your eating goal is 1654.
So does all your exercise add up to 1 to 3 hrs a week more often than not? And besides your exercise, a bump on a log?
Or are you actually 3 -5 hrs easily most of the time.
If even 4 hrs easily, right at Mod Active. If 3+, then round down from Mod Active to nearest 100. If usually 3 hrs but may be more, then round up from Lightly Active.
But be honest. No need to shoot your body in the metabolism thinking you are playing it safe. Or use spreadsheet with exact timings.0 -
Your spreadsheet gives me a BMR of 1523 as opposed to MFPs 1616. I put 14 hours a week standing/on feet because of walking around school and walking at work. That's purely walking from class to class, not the time sitting there, obviously. I put 2 hours a week of the second row, moving a lot/lifting things because of a lab class. I didn't put anything in any other box in that section because any exercise I do I plan to log separately.
It gives me a TDEE of 2013 and a calorie goal of 1563. This makes me want to do 1600 a day plus exercise calories like I thought before.
Did I do this right? I don't want to mess myself up by putting too much/little.0 -
Sorry folks, but I am a bit confused with this -20%
I only have 7 lbs until my goal but my weight hasnt moved much for a few months.
I've worked out my calories etc... which is
Estimated BMR 1213 calories
Estimated TDEE 1881 calories
Estimated Daily Caloric needed for weight lose 1381 calories.
I am on 1200 calories a day but eat back roughly 200 calories from exercise.
So advice needed on how many calories I should eat per day and what about calories burnt from exercise.
My diary is open so please have a look, maybe not yesterday as no really exercise and out for lunch.
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So my BMR is 1502. My TDEE IS 1654. If I exercise a lot does that mean I should eat more? Basically never go under 1500?
You used the calculator wrong, there is no TDEE level that is that low over the BMR.
The premise is correct, but if you want your body to actually make improvements that exercise could call, body has to have something to work with, if the exercise by itself just burns off extra calories, what's left?
Use spreadsheet referenced above.
I put in my stats on the scoobyworkshop site and got the following for 1-3hrs/wk of light exercise ( I do 30DS, walk for 20 minutes, and go to the gym every other day for an hour only sometimes. 30DS is my main thing right now. Somedays I do just that and nothing else the entire day. Somedays I do that plus walk, plus the gym, some days I just rest. It depends. )
I got the following:
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) 1503
Daily calories to maintain weight (TDEE) 2067
Daily calories based on goal in step 6 1654
Its set to 20% calorie deduction. Did I do something wrong?
Should I bump it up to moderate exercise? Because someone told me that was too high for the amount of exercise I do, and would give me 1864 calories a day. Which someone just got done telling me was too high for my TDEE and the amount of exercise I do. Im confused all over again!
Ok, you said your TDEE was 1654. Which would imply then taking 20% off.
Your TDEE with deficit, or your eating goal is 1654.
So does all your exercise add up to 1 to 3 hrs a week more often than not? And besides your exercise, a bump on a log?
Or are you actually 3 -5 hrs easily most of the time.
If even 4 hrs easily, right at Mod Active. If 3+, then round down from Mod Active to nearest 100. If usually 3 hrs but may be more, then round up from Lightly Active.
But be honest. No need to shoot your body in the metabolism thinking you are playing it safe. Or use spreadsheet with exact timings.
The 1654 is with the 20% off. The site does it automatically. As for exercise that's why in so confused. Some weeks it's easily over 3 hours some weeks it's barely 1. With the 30ds it'll put me at about maybe 2 hours by default without anything else. Should I up it to the 3 - 5 for the 1800 calories? I have such a hard time eating 1500 in a day. 1800 is so hard and the number itself is scary.
I'm just confused. I guess it's better to start too high than too low?0 -
The 1654 is with the 20% off. The site does it automatically. As for exercise that's why in so confused. Some weeks it's easily over 3 hours some weeks it's barely 1. With the 30ds it'll put me at about maybe 2 hours by default without anything else. Should I up it to the 3 - 5 for the 1800 calories? I have such a hard time eating 1500 in a day. 1800 is so hard and the number itself is scary.
I'm just confused. I guess it's better to start too high than too low?
You do realize you are not limited to selecting between just 2 numbers, right?
There is a 300 cal spread between levels that sounds about right. 1650 of course being in the middle.
If exercise is that variable, or half of it is, again, check out the spreadsheet, fill in the activity calculator with whatever is constant, and then go to the MFP Tweak tab.
Use the Katch BMR shown, use the BMR multiplier from the activity calc shown, then use the goal shown.
Any exercise done beyond what you included is handled in table at bottom of that tab. You eat back calories with deficit taken out of it too.0 -
Your spreadsheet gives me a BMR of 1523 as opposed to MFPs 1616. I put 14 hours a week standing/on feet because of walking around school and walking at work. That's purely walking from class to class, not the time sitting there, obviously. I put 2 hours a week of the second row, moving a lot/lifting things because of a lab class. I didn't put anything in any other box in that section because any exercise I do I plan to log separately.
It gives me a TDEE of 2013 and a calorie goal of 1563. This makes me want to do 1600 a day plus exercise calories like I thought before.
Did I do this right? I don't want to mess myself up by putting too much/little.
You got it right. Honest evaluation of daily activity too.
You might check out the MFP Tweak tab.
Because you can put your exercise calorie burns there, and it'll remove the same deficit and show you the eat back you should log.
That's the way the total TDEE would work, everything gets the deficit.
No need missing out on the deficit on exercise calories.0 -
Your spreadsheet gives me a BMR of 1523 as opposed to MFPs 1616. I put 14 hours a week standing/on feet because of walking around school and walking at work. That's purely walking from class to class, not the time sitting there, obviously. I put 2 hours a week of the second row, moving a lot/lifting things because of a lab class. I didn't put anything in any other box in that section because any exercise I do I plan to log separately.
It gives me a TDEE of 2013 and a calorie goal of 1563. This makes me want to do 1600 a day plus exercise calories like I thought before.
Did I do this right? I don't want to mess myself up by putting too much/little.
You got it right. Honest evaluation of daily activity too.
You might check out the MFP Tweak tab.
Because you can put your exercise calorie burns there, and it'll remove the same deficit and show you the eat back you should log.
That's the way the total TDEE would work, everything gets the deficit.
No need missing out on the deficit on exercise calories.
Great, thank you SO MUCH for all of your help. And for taking what I imagine was quite a bit of time creating that spreadsheet. It's a lot of help!0 -
Sorry folks, but I am a bit confused with this -20%
I only have 7 lbs until my goal but my weight hasnt moved much for a few months.
I've worked out my calories etc... which is
Estimated BMR 1213 calories
Estimated TDEE 1881 calories
Estimated Daily Caloric needed for weight lose 1381 calories.
I am on 1200 calories a day but eat back roughly 200 calories from exercise.
So advice needed on how many calories I should eat per day and what about calories burnt from exercise.
My diary is open so please have a look, maybe not yesterday as no really exercise and out for lunch.
TDEE - TOTAL - didn't you include exercise in this? You selected Moderately Active, so it sounds like you included 3-5 hrs weekly.
500 calorie deficit you took is too much though. That's not 20%.
Even the 20% would put you at 1505.
And since you are so close to goal weight, you should actually be at 10%, 1693.
1693, call it 1700, each and every day. If you miss a planned workout, skip 200 calories that day. If you make it up, 200 more that day.
Since already eating around 1400 calories basically, eat at 1500 for 2 weeks, then 1600 another week, then 1700.
Depending on your exercise, your body may be thrilled to actually get enough calories to improve your body, which while it may be fat loss, is usually not weight loss, but needed water gain.
That should just happen in first 2 weeks, but then nothing if your metabolism gets fired up.0 -
Here's a better option, uses the best BMR estimate if you provide BF%, and you put in actual time in levels for activity calc, based on more recent research.
Explains what to change, and track progress.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/813720-spreadsheet-bmr-tdee-deficit-macro-calcs-hrm-zones
According to that spread sheet, I should be eating 1929 calories (1800 for a -20% deficit). That's a lot! the other sites were about 1500-1600ish calories...1 being almost the same as the spread sheet. That's about 500 calories MORE than I'm eating now! Yikes! If I'm eating this I do NOT eat exercise calories right?
That either means you have a better LBM than other BMR calcs are giving you, or you got something in the TDEE calc entered wrong.
Or you have non-desk job and on your feet more, and the other TDEE calcs don't make it easy to figure out how to do that, so you correctly filled in work time standing/moving on feet.
If not getting the full 20%, you must be within 40 lbs of goal weight and doing no lifting, just cardio.
That's helps not risk losing muscle mass.
Well, I work with kids (I run a day care in my home) so I'm on the move all day pretty much, up and down from standing to being on the floor and then when it's nap time, that is when I do my workout. I am doing the 30 day shred at the moment and then run on my treadmill for 20 minutes or so. I do this at least 3 days/week...sometimes more. It gave me a 12.9% deficit I think it was because I only have about 15 pounds left before reaching my goal. I did the 20% figuration on my own. If this is accurate then I better be upping my calories today! I'll up them slowly (probably 200/week or so) until I get to the right amount. I'm still losing where I'm at now but it's really really slow...about half a pound a week it seems.0 -
This is the stats from the spread sheet you provided...
At a 12.9% deficit...
BMR- 1435
TDEE- 2272
TDEG - 1980
Alternate use box...Eating for future you:
16.7% deficit
TDEE- 2272
TDEG - 18940 -
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I just recently changed my calorie goals to my TDEE -20%. Even though I am a bit wary of it, I feel like it better suits my lifestyle.
Wanting to hear from some of the MFP folks that have had success losing weight with this particular course of action!
Also, did you all eat your exercise calories back or no?
Thanks!
Your TDEE should include your exercise burns, so you don't want to eat them back if you counted them already. I have been doing TDEE -15% and having success.0 -
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How often should one adjust the TDEE -20% when trying to loose weight? I imagine it will get lower the more weight I lose?0
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Well, I work with kids (I run a day care in my home) so I'm on the move all day pretty much, up and down from standing to being on the floor and then when it's nap time, that is when I do my workout. I am doing the 30 day shred at the moment and then run on my treadmill for 20 minutes or so. I do this at least 3 days/week...sometimes more. It gave me a 12.9% deficit I think it was because I only have about 15 pounds left before reaching my goal. I did the 20% figuration on my own. If this is accurate then I better be upping my calories today! I'll up them slowly (probably 200/week or so) until I get to the right amount. I'm still losing where I'm at now but it's really really slow...about half a pound a week it seems.
This is the stats from the spread sheet you provided...
At a 12.9% deficit...
BMR- 1435
TDEE- 2272
TDEG - 1980
Alternate use box...Eating for future you:
16.7% deficit
TDEE- 2272
TDEG - 1894
So indeed, you make it more accurate activity by including your standing walking time during the normal workday, so that starts you off.
If curious where that activity puts you, it's called the BMR multiplier. Yours is 1.58, so slightly above the Moderately Active level, basically because your work jumps you up a level.
And either method is valid to use if you are so close, though since your metabolism isn't shot because of being stalled for months, the bigger deficit may work just as well, and just eat that to the end.0 -
How often should one adjust the TDEE -20% when trying to loose weight? I imagine it will get lower the more weight I lose?
Depends on which BMR you based it on.
If based on Katch BMR that uses bodyfat stat, and you retain your LBM, you might not lower at all.
If based on Mifflin or Harris BMR that uses age, height, weight, then indeed it will lower. Usually 10 lbs is meaningful calorie number.
You can do the math now to see how much it will change at 5 lbs and if that much matters to you.0 -
Well, I work with kids (I run a day care in my home) so I'm on the move all day pretty much, up and down from standing to being on the floor and then when it's nap time, that is when I do my workout. I am doing the 30 day shred at the moment and then run on my treadmill for 20 minutes or so. I do this at least 3 days/week...sometimes more. It gave me a 12.9% deficit I think it was because I only have about 15 pounds left before reaching my goal. I did the 20% figuration on my own. If this is accurate then I better be upping my calories today! I'll up them slowly (probably 200/week or so) until I get to the right amount. I'm still losing where I'm at now but it's really really slow...about half a pound a week it seems.
This is the stats from the spread sheet you provided...
At a 12.9% deficit...
BMR- 1435
TDEE- 2272
TDEG - 1980
Alternate use box...Eating for future you:
16.7% deficit
TDEE- 2272
TDEG - 1894
So indeed, you make it more accurate activity by including your standing walking time during the normal workday, so that starts you off.
If curious where that activity puts you, it's called the BMR multiplier. Yours is 1.58, so slightly above the Moderately Active level, basically because your work jumps you up a level.
And either method is valid to use if you are so close, though since your metabolism isn't shot because of being stalled for months, the bigger deficit may work just as well, and just eat that to the end.
Ok, so I changed my goals...I put my setting at "active" which put my TDEE at 1890. I then went in and changed my daily calories from 1416 up to 1616 (because I want to add in calories slowly...in a couple weeks I'll add in another 200). Now...how will this work for logging in my exercise? I'd like to keep logging it so I can keep a record of my morkout times and calories burnt.0 -
awesome site, thanks0 -
Bumppp!0
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Ok, so I changed my goals...I put my setting at "active" which put my TDEE at 1890. I then went in and changed my daily calories from 1416 up to 1616 (because I want to add in calories slowly...in a couple weeks I'll add in another 200). Now...how will this work for logging in my exercise? I'd like to keep logging it so I can keep a record of my morkout times and calories burnt.
MFP part of that will not work properly.
MFP is not using the same as accurate Katch BMR as start to math.
MFP activity levels are based on NO exercise and do NOT match the TDEE levels, so they multipliers are all wrong (their highest is 1.55).
So forget that part, just manually enter eating goal. Forget MFP's math and comments now.
For logging workouts, log the full calorie burn, that's what posts to your wall. And then correct to 1 calorie. In your food diary notes section, note the exercise calories and time.0 -
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Could someone please help me with this because I'm a bit confused.
My BMR is 1750
My TDEE is 2401
From what I've read and what I can seem to grasp from all this, I am suppose to eat 1750 calories and not east my excersise calories?
so TDEE - 20 % = 2401 - 480 = 1921
so u should be eating 1921 and dont eat ur excersice calories back..
aim for 1750-19000 -
I've been doing essentially the same thing. I got a fitbit a couple of weeks ago and I use that to calculate my TDEE, which is great because it does vary day to day, so I can adjust my cal intake based on that day's cal burn. For the most part, I average a burn of 2700 - 2800 cal per day and I eat ~500 cal less than my burn. I've been doing this for 2 weeks and have lost about 3.5 lbs.
I think this thread is extremely important because so many folks eat so few calories and all you guys are proving that you can lose with more calories. So happy to see this!
i was wondering how it has been oging? are you still doing this ? and still using the fitbit as a measurement tool???0 -
Could someone please help me with this because I'm a bit confused.
My BMR is 1750
My TDEE is 2401
From what I've read and what I can seem to grasp from all this, I am suppose to eat 1750 calories and not east my excersise calories?
so TDEE - 20 % = 2401 - 480 = 1921
yours is the exact same as mine... i'm going to do it too.
so u should be eating 1921 and dont eat ur excersice calories back..
aim for 1750-19000 -
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Hey there!
For everyone who read this, said they were scared about going up to TDEE etc, I would strongly urge you to educate yourselves on the Eat More To Lose Weight group here on MFP. There are some incredibly informative threads on there. I was eating too low, below my BMR at MFP's suggestion of 1200... meaning, below my body's daily requirements!!! And now I've done what's called a 'reset' to help my metabolism heal. Yes, I gained weight doing that, but I went into it knowing I would and wanting to not just lose weight and look better but do this right so I'm healthy for life. Anyway- I finished my "reset" and am starting my "cut" (TDEE -20%) and I've quickly noticed a difference.
The most excellent part to this is that eating more has given me so much energy to work out harder (lift those heavy weights, best thing ever!), I'm not grumpy, I feel great and look even better. I could feel that I was getting stronger, lifting throughout my reset, and now that I started my cut I can see the results. Don't starve yourself! You just pay later with gaining weight the instant your body sabotages you away from eating under your BMR- and it will! Eat well. Figure out your own personal stats.
Go to Eat More To Lose Weight, read everything, educate yourself, do your calculations and lift heavy... you'll see.
Thank you for this post! I agree!
Upping my calories from 1400 to 1800 a day is liberating!0 -
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So I have been doing a lot of research on this whole TDEE -20%. I am very very scared to do this because as all other that have been on diets for most of their adult life, it is ingrained in my mind that I must eat less to weigh less. However, I could never understand why thin people could eat so much and I was eating like a bird.
I have been eating less than the 1370 MFP told me to eat but I tried to eat even less than that... why not?? and then I added in exercise, and of course I wouldn't dare eat the calories I worked so hard to burn.. so why in the heck have I been maintaining my weight within the 2 - 3 pounds for over a year??
I figured my TDEE to be 2216 and my BMR 1564 so my cut - 20 % is 1773 using IIFYM TDEE calculator.
I am scared as heck to do this but I have jumped in, started this Tuesday!!! I went up .2 then finally today went down .6. I hope this continues!!!
Still scared lol:noway:0 -
bump for later0
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