Am I really at TDEE? Advice appreciated!
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janemcd67
Posts: 35 Member
So I am trying to maintain a bit longer before going for weight loss. I recently gained 10 pounds (on scale - inchwise not quite that much) by overeating at closer to 2900 a day for about a month. Then I started eating to appetite, which is around 2400. I just recorde what I feel like eating on MFP.
Then I filled out the spreadsheet and I am following TDEE, which puts me at 2407 calories per day as my TDEE. So that seemed about right, but I have slowly lost 4.4 lb on the scales in the last two weeks. Could my TDEE be that far off? I am "active" on my activity level with
* once/week repetition to failure type weight lifting and
* the odd zumba class (1/week) and
* yoga class (2 - 3 /week) and
* run (1/week of ~45 minutes at 9.5 min/mile).
Could I be that far off with the calculations? One additional factor is that my belly is big because of a benign tumor but really has a .5 " layer of fat, so I pretended it was 32 instead of 38 inches in the spreadsheet so it did not throw off my body fat percentage so far.
BTW my ticker shows 0 lb weight loss because I am still 0.2 lb above my pre-reset weight.
Thanks!
Then I filled out the spreadsheet and I am following TDEE, which puts me at 2407 calories per day as my TDEE. So that seemed about right, but I have slowly lost 4.4 lb on the scales in the last two weeks. Could my TDEE be that far off? I am "active" on my activity level with
* once/week repetition to failure type weight lifting and
* the odd zumba class (1/week) and
* yoga class (2 - 3 /week) and
* run (1/week of ~45 minutes at 9.5 min/mile).
Could I be that far off with the calculations? One additional factor is that my belly is big because of a benign tumor but really has a .5 " layer of fat, so I pretended it was 32 instead of 38 inches in the spreadsheet so it did not throw off my body fat percentage so far.
BTW my ticker shows 0 lb weight loss because I am still 0.2 lb above my pre-reset weight.
Thanks!
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Replies
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You could be pretty far off, yes, in my opinion. When I did my reset in late 2012, it drove me crazy not really "knowing" my TDEE but I managed to get through two plus months of reset and not gain more than four pounds. I went from eating about 1200 calories to about 1900 calories. What helped me tremendously (and is still helping me to recomp) was getting a Fitbit to establish my baseline activity level and then adding to that my true exercise calories burned as recorded via heart rate monitor. I found that my burns per my HRM were MUCH higher than MFP estimates, and when I eat to fully refuel for my workouts, I maintain.
Now I am totally in control of my numbers, and as long as I'm logging my intake accurately, I can drop weight easily with a 10% cut (but right now I'm not interested in that, I'm more into gaining muscle). It is such a relief!0 -
It could be, but not likely all fat was lost.
Always do the math for loss and gain to confirm if it's even possible for it to be fat, or if some or all must be water weight.
4.4 lbs x 3500 = 15400 implied deficit if really fat / 14 days = 1100 daily deficit if fat loss
1100 + 2400 = 3500 implied TDEE
I think you would have had a problem with a 1100 deficit first of all, and second, think your TDEE is really that high?
No.
With that flakiness you have to deal with on the BF calc's, you could have more LBM than you are getting credit for.
But good news, depending on where's it at, abdomen isn't used for women. Go ahead, change it, no effect.
Now, if it effects the minimum waist or max hip measurements, ya, those count.
2 weeks could also be the time of the month your BMR is higher. As a woman, it really does change through the month, along with TDEE.
But also could have last water weight.
Your exercise could also be more intense than the Activity Calc on high cardio or weight lifting is estimating.
Or you left out time during the day on your feet with the kids - if that applies.
Also, the closer you are to maintenance, the harder you can make your lifting, the better your body can improve, and the more energy spent on recovery.
But all those reasons aren't enough to cause a 1100 cal daily deficit.
I'd say weight out the month, confirm the first weigh-in wasn't proceeded by a change in workout or false water weight gain from being sore, and make sure the last day doesn't either.
Valid weigh-in, morning after rest day eating normal sodium levels, not sore from last workout.
After a month of coming in from the high side like you are doing, you can use the Progress tab far right TDEE calculator based on results.
Need decent logging of food daily for 28 days, and how much lost in that time.
It'll tell you what to change in the Activity Calc to make Your Results TDEE match what your body shows.
If indeed more, then you can move on up.0 -
Well it seems like it was random fluctuation - I was at an even higher weight a few days later. For all I know I could be slightly gaining at this level. I will have to wait it out longer to know for sure. Thanks for your responses.0
