Need help with TDEE...

mfoster1019
mfoster1019 Posts: 152 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I might be overthinking this, but I'm wondering if anyone knows how to solve my little dilemma.

I am finishing up Les Mills Combat and will be doing Insanity again when I'm done with LMC.

I've been seeing alot about TDEE lately and thought of giving it a try. I'm hesitant because I upped my calories the last time I did Insanity (did the calculation in the book that came with the program) and it didn't do me any favors at all. And, I still can't wrap my head around eating more to lose weight.

Here is where I might be overthinking. I am 5'4, 156 lbs, 28 year old female. Ultimately, I'd like to shed a few pounds and inches. Unfortunately, I have alot of excess skin/fat deposits from losing alot of weight. It really is excess skin - I'm not just making excuses. These are areas that have NOT changed during my entire process. They are areas that I would have to have surgery (i.e. tummy tuck) to get rid of. Although I have the excess skin, I know there is still some weight I could afford to lose.

TDEE is calculated off of weight, age, height and activity level. I plan to set my activity level to moderate (per Scooby's TDEE calculator) and do TDEE -20%. However that calculation will be taking my excess skin into account as part of my weight. The problem is, I CAN'T lose that "weight". So I feel the calorie amount I am given will be higher than it should be. Should I put a lower weight into the calculator, say 5-10lbs less than what I weigh right now? I hope someone out there has made sense of this post and has some idea on what I should do. If you made it through this post, thanks for reading!

Replies

  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    You only have like 8 lbs to lose? TDEE-20% is probably not enough calories for you. You should probably try TDEE-10% You can't eat at a huge deficit and expect to be successful if you're close to your goal weight. Is TDEE-20% higher than your BMR?

    EDIT TO ADD: That skin as it exists right now still requires water and blood to live. When calculating your BMR and TDEE you should most definitely take it into account.
  • Mischievous_Rascal
    Mischievous_Rascal Posts: 1,791 Member
    You only have like 8 lbs to lose? TDEE-20% is probably not enough calories for you. You should probably try TDEE-10% You can't eat at a huge deficit and expect to be successful if you're close to your goal weight. Is TDEE-20% higher than your BMR?

    EDIT TO ADD: That skin as it exists right now still requires water and blood to live. When calculating your BMR and TDEE you should most definitely take it into account.

    Great reply.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    A properly set TDEE - % calorie goal should be about the same as a properly set MFP + exercise calories goal.

    So I'm not sure what your alternatives, doing TDEE - % OR what else? The only difference should be that you don't have to log exercise if you do the TDEE method.
  • mfoster1019
    mfoster1019 Posts: 152 Member
    You only have like 8 lbs to lose? TDEE-20% is probably not enough calories for you. You should probably try TDEE-10% You can't eat at a huge deficit and expect to be successful if you're close to your goal weight. Is TDEE-20% higher than your BMR?

    EDIT TO ADD: That skin as it exists right now still requires water and blood to live. When calculating your BMR and TDEE you should most definitely take it into account.

    My first goal is 150lbs. I will re-evaluate after that. According to the Scooby calculator my BMR is 1496 and my TDEE is 2319. TDEE -20% would be 1855.
  • mfoster1019
    mfoster1019 Posts: 152 Member
    A properly set TDEE - % calorie goal should be about the same as a properly set MFP + exercise calories goal.

    Makes sense. Based on my calories now and the exercise program I am doing, they MFP + exercise and TDEE numbers) are reasonably close. However, I have not been eating back my exercise calories...just my MFP allotted calories.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    A properly set TDEE - % calorie goal should be about the same as a properly set MFP + exercise calories goal.

    Makes sense. Based on my calories now and the exercise program I am doing, they MFP + exercise and TDEE numbers) are reasonably close. However, I have not been eating back my exercise calories...just my MFP allotted calories.

    As you are approaching your goal, you should be slowly increasing calories up to maintenance level.
  • Shaky44
    Shaky44 Posts: 214 Member
    You only have like 8 lbs to lose? TDEE-20% is probably not enough calories for you. You should probably try TDEE-10% You can't eat at a huge deficit and expect to be successful if you're close to your goal weight. Is TDEE-20% higher than your BMR?

    EDIT TO ADD: That skin as it exists right now still requires water and blood to live. When calculating your BMR and TDEE you should most definitely take it into account.

    Great reply.
    +1
  • mfoster1019
    mfoster1019 Posts: 152 Member
    Thank you everyone for your replies. I think I'll give some form of TDEE calculations a shot this time. I'm just nervous to up my calories so much :ohwell:

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