Cannot decide if my calories are too much/ not enough!

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Hi everyone,

I can't decide if the TDEE-20% calories are enough for the level of activity I'm doing. I love going to the gym/ running/body pump and currently do 7-8 hours a week compromising of:

5 x 30 min on the elliptical (at the highest resistence/steeepness)
3 x 60 mins body pump (not the heaviest weights but im working on it :)
2 x 35-40 minute runs a week
1 x 60 min badminton (doubles- not too much running around!)

The rest of the time I have a desk job. I'm 5ft 2 and 137 pounds, ideally like to get to 120 but I'd be happy to just maintain on 125.

Scooby's calculator gave me a TDEE- 20% of 1770 calories a day for 5-6 hours moderate exercise ( as I can't really describe it as strenuous!) . I've been eating around 1750 calories a day which feels right, but some days where I do 2 hours exercise I am STARVING!

Anyone like to shed some light on whether 1750 cals is enough for 1lb a week weight loss? Or too much?!

Replies

  • Jennbecca33
    Jennbecca33 Posts: 321 Member
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    Hi fitspace25! :)

    So firstly, EM2WL does not recommend any more than a 15% cut, so right there we are going to say you should be eating a bit more!! You really do not have much more to lose, so a 15% cut would be better for you to aim for. You also are participating in A LOT of activity! I'm not sure your age, so I can't calculate it for you on Scooby, but I would recalculate with a 15% cut which will allow you to eat more. Also I would almost put you at the next activity level up if you want to stay at that high level of activity (7-8 hrs a week is a lot!!) or better yet, why don't you consider cutting back on some of that cardio and keeping your weight training in place. Maybe take out some of the elliptical or running. Exercise is a big stressor on the body, and so is cutting calories, so combining too large of a deficit (20%) and over exercising, especially too much cardio, can really work against you in losing fat. You will probably have even better results if you scale back on your cardio a bit and adjust your calculations to -15%. I hope this helps! Let us know how you do!
  • AnitraSoto
    AnitraSoto Posts: 725 Member
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    Hi fitspace25! :)

    So firstly, EM2WL does not recommend any more than a 15% cut, so right there we are going to say you should be eating a bit more!! You really do not have much more to lose, so a 15% cut would be better for you to aim for. You also are participating in A LOT of activity! I'm not sure your age, so I can't calculate it for you on Scooby, but I would recalculate with a 15% cut which will allow you to eat more. Also I would almost put you at the next activity level up if you want to stay at that high level of activity (7-8 hrs a week is a lot!!) or better yet, why don't you consider cutting back on some of that cardio and keeping your weight training in place. Maybe take out some of the elliptical or running. Exercise is a big stressor on the body, and so is cutting calories, so combining too large of a deficit (20%) and over exercising, especially too much cardio, can really work against you in losing fat. You will probably have even better results if you scale back on your cardio a bit and adjust your calculations to -15%. I hope this helps! Let us know how you do!

    ^^ Awesome advice ^^ I could not agree more.

    Unless you are doing all that cardio with a specific goal in mind, I would cut at least some of it out and remove some of that stress on your body. Also, like Jennbecca33 said, EM2WL generally recommends no more than a 15% cut, and being so close to your goal, even cutting down to a 10% deficit might be preferred.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    Curious - are you doing all that exercise for weight loss, or actually hoping to see some body improvements from it?

    I only ask because many are confused about the 2, exercise and weight loss. Improvements from exercise are NOT weight loss, usually weight gain actually, mostly water weight related.
    Only thing exercise helps with diet is to make you burn more daily, so that when you eat less than you burn, you get to eat more compared to not working out.

    You might think of an important fact regarding exercise if you think you are doing it for body improvement.

    Exercise if done right tears the body down.
    Rest for recovery and repair is what actually builds it back up, stronger if diet allows.
    And in a diet, repair is impaired, bigger diet, bigger that effect.

    Where is your rest?

    Be aware, a proper lifting and interval workout takes 36-48 hrs to repair.

    So you could indeed space those workouts out correctly that you are getting the best from each workout. But the best does NOT mean the hardest workout.

    In fact, if daily it cannot mean the hardest.
    Because day after day, eventually you can't workout as hard with tired muscles. Oh, it may feel like it, but pushing as hard as you can without quantifiable numbers is meaningless, because being out of breath and heart rate skyrocketing and muscles feeling worn out is all going to feel exactly the same if you do it on tired muscles or fresh muscles.
    But it's not an exercise done right on tired muscles, and there is no need for repair if you didn't break it down.

    So just to think about your workout.
    Like - could you imagine doing as much weight in the bodypump class if you ran 40 min as hard as you could right before class?
    How about the day before, think that could effect the leg lifts? Guess what, it can if your week is packed. It usually will anyway in a diet, even at maintenance.

    Only commenting because of the full program, and the way you described the elliptical daily. Your running may not be to that level though, but an easy jog. And the order you do it could make it not as unreasonable. But it's been rare to find someone that planned their week well when they attempted to do everything under the sun.
  • fitspace25
    fitspace25 Posts: 6 Member
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    Thanks for the advice- @ Jennbecca33 I'm 23.

    I all the exercise for various reasons-

    Cross trainer for 30 minutes at lunch time, purely because I've been sitting at my desk all day and on the sofa most of the evening so feel like I should really do something to get myself moving.

    The running I'm training for a 10k, but baring in mind that my current pace is 10.30 mins per mile, I would describe it more as a jog on a Wednesday evening and Saturday morning!

    The body pump classes are to up my strength training and are done on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

    I normally have Sunday off and Monday (bar the cross trainer).

    I've recalculated according to 15% so it suggests upping to 1870 calories a day.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    Don't compare your running pace with others to decide hard / easy or fast / slow.
    If that's hard for you to do that pace, meaning your HR is up there and tired afterwards - it was an intense effort.
    If done before your Body pump classes - you aren't not getting all you could from the class on the lower body - wasted effort really.
    If done afterwards with whatever strength you got left - that's just fine and perfect time for run. Probably makes it almost recovery run since you should have tired muscles if you did class right.

    Now that Wed night run could impact both classes, depending like I said if it is actually intense for you.

    And don't count yourself short, I'd say if you are purposely holding your pace back to go slow for a reason, that's jogging.
    If you are doing what you can and it's an effort, that's running.
    You are a runner no matter what!