Crash and burn yesterday!
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FitChickNC
Posts: 9 Member
So yesterday was day 3 of TDEE minus 15% and I completely fell off the bandwagon. Not sure if I hadn't drank enough water but I was starving mid afternoon which caused a tailspin of snacking and not logging. The first 2 days I was fine and wasn't hungry. So I'm back at it again today and making sure I drink enough water. If I start seeing a pattern I may need to adjust my calorie goal but for now let's see if this is enough. Has anyone else experienced this?
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I make sure that I have a good snack already in my diary at the beginning of the day - that helps me from derailing. I only don't put things in my diary if I PLAN on eating past my numbers and it's a cheat day. What I did discover is that I was at a point when I needed to up my calories as, with lifting, I wasn't getting enough and was hungry all the time.
So - log everything, even if you fall off....it does help in the long run (you can see patterns); drink lots of water; have snacks planned that are high in protein & carbs; and forgive yourself!0 -
Thank you! I lift 30 - 45 minutes 4 - 5 days a week and I do 3 - 4 days of running plus some interval training on the stairclimber. I usually take 1 day off rarely 2. So not really sure what to set myself at amount of activity hours.0
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Oh and I ride my bike to work which is 9 miles round trip a couple of days a week with a little riding with my kids to school as well.0
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with that amount of exercise and still binging I would say your TDEE is too low - what are your numbers?0
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My TDEE is coming at 2570 and right now according to my fitbit (which I put in my exercise for today ) I'm at 4:15pm 2007. I'm going to watch the difference every day I can to see if it's a lot more at the end of the day compared to my TDEE calculation. That's the way to do it correct?0
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I'm not an expert by any means, but I do think the fitbit can underestimate caloric burn especially with weight training and you seem to do quite a bit of that - and of course it will not account for any afterburn. I have a Bodymedia and it underestimates as well so I just can't really count on it the way I would like to. You can wait it out and see how you do at your current calorie level, but chances are if you are getting that ravenous hungry feeling consistently, you will probably need to up your calories!
It takes a bit of tinkering around to figure out your sweet spot, but once you figure it out, it becomes much easier. 0 -
You have a high activity level...what site are you using to calculate your TDEE?0
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I agree with Jennbecca that you have a very high activity level and may need to adjust your calories upwards if you intend to continue at that rate. So what is your previous dieting/eating history? Have you been doing a reset and are not just starting your cut? Let us know a little bit more about your previous history and we can probably give you a more informed answer...0
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I used the scooby calculator initially and then updated to the simple number on the spreadsheet haybales had created.
Previous history is 10 years ago lost about 40lbs on WW, got pregnant, lost weight again on WW, got pregnant again, and with final WW lost all the weight and then some. At that point I was 135lbs. I then was beginning to run marathons and started weight training. At that point I had tried calorie counting with spark people which pute between 1200 - 1550 a day. Most days I could do it but other days I was ravenous.
Up to now I calorie count here and there but was getting frustrated with the fact some days I was so hungry with MFP. So I stopped and then went by how did I feel -- I think then my problem was I was under eating because I kept constantly questioning "am I REALLY hungry or not?" So since then I have basically ate what I wanted, probably more than I should since my weight has gone up several lbs. It was not an official "reset". I started about a year ago lifting heavy.0 -
If you are willing to take the time, I would suggest maybe starting and trying to determine your true TDEE and just verify that your FitBit numbers are correct. I would try to eat at whatever your FitBit average is giving you (say over the past month, or two weeks - whatever data you may have available..) Eat at this level consistently for several weeks, and monitor your weight --- you should be able to tell if you are over, under or at your TDEE.. If you are eating at TDEE and maintaining, then your FitBit is spot on, and at least you have confirmed that.
When you are ready to start your cut, I would recommend trying 10% rather than 15%. It doesn't sound like much, but that little variation can make all the difference in the world ... a lot of it is truly mental, and when your brain thinks it is being deprived, it can be pretty persuasive, especially at 8pm when the munchies strike!! :laugh:0 -
Thanks! I will try that. I'm looking at the spreadsheet and entering in my daily food total to see what I average over the next month and figured let's see what happens. 0
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You are correcting the lifting and cycling calorie burns, right, because Fitbit is badly underestimating those?
And agreed as others mentioned - no point guessing which of 5 rough TDEE levels you are on Scooby when you have a device whose purpose (with some limitations) is to tell you what it is with infinite levels, daily.
Merely correct the stuff it's bad at, and see what TDEE is as reported by Fitbit.
So I think you were going to do that with the spreadsheet Method 2 for Fitbit, right?
Also, have you ever spot checked your distance run and what Fitbit said?
And then cross-checked that with a best estimate calorie burn?
http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/WalkRunMETs.html
Because on my spot checks for running, it was usually 20-30% short on calories. 10-15% on distance.
For a 800 cal run, 200 low is significant if I already have a deficit, about 15% of daily calories. At maintenance not as bad at 8%.0 -
Yes I am correcting. For the running I just adjust to what garmin puts in for me, for my classes what HRM says, and for strength I just use what strength MFP gives me.
Yes I am using method 2 AND also looking at the avg daily calories are at as well. I figure I can take fitbits info and then see where I am avg at gross for calories daily for a month, see loss (if any) and go from there.
I'm not too concerned with the distance and calories fitbit gives since I adjust my run manually into the fitbit app. I honestly am thinking after a month I will see what's really going on since I lift so much. Like for example today I did legs heavy for 70 mins and according to MFP that's 335 cals burned but since its's working the largest muscles in my body, it will definitely be more with EPOC considered. That is where perhaps avg the 30 days may come into play better since I'm trying to mindfully eat with usually one day where I have several alcoholic beverages thrown in. But no more just nibbling here and there, I just eat when I'm hungry.0 -
Yes I am correcting. For the running I just adjust to what garmin puts in for me, for my classes what HRM says, and for strength I just use what strength MFP gives me.
Yes I am using method 2 AND also looking at the avg daily calories are at as well. I figure I can take fitbits info and then see where I am avg at gross for calories daily for a month, see loss (if any) and go from there.
I'm not too concerned with the distance and calories fitbit gives since I adjust my run manually into the fitbit app. I honestly am thinking after a month I will see what's really going on since I lift so much. Like for example today I did legs heavy for 70 mins and according to MFP that's 335 cals burned but since its's working the largest muscles in my body, it will definitely be more with EPOC considered. That is where perhaps avg the 30 days may come into play better since I'm trying to mindfully eat with usually one day where I have several alcoholic beverages thrown in. But no more just nibbling here and there, I just eat when I'm hungry.
Good plan and application of it too then. You are right, give it a month.0
