Metabolic Reset or -15% TDEE Cut?
attackcat64
Posts: 11 Member
Hi everyone. I heard about EM2WL through Go Kaleo and after doing some research, I'd really like to give it a try. However, I'm trying to decide whether I should do a metabolic reset or cut -15% TDEE.
I started logging food and cutting calories around the first of the year. According to the Scooby calculator, my BMR is about 1800. On average, I've been eating close to BMR for the past 2 months.
- 1st month, almost no activity - just healthier food and tracking calories (1600-1800). I dropped 7 pounds the first week, then either a slow gain or no movement for the next 3 weeks. I felt like I had more energy, wanted to work out, and didn't feel really hungry.
- 2nd month, more activity (hiking, walking, recumbent bike, resistance band ST), slightly higher calorie range (1800-2000) I've dropped the pound I gained and lost another .5 pound. However, I feel hungry and tired all the time.
So while weight loss is happening (about 7.5 pounds in 7 weeks), I am feeling lousy during it and I feel like I'll just burn out if I keep feeling like this. I had mono last year, which left me completely useless on the couch for 3 1/2 months. I don't know how long that hangs around or if that would have any effect on my BMR.
So I haven't done a drastic cut of calories over a long period of time...but to be honest, I don't really know how much I was eating before I started tracking last month. I'm at 237 and based on the light exercise category (1-3 times a week), my TDEE is showing as 2500.
Any thoughts? If I do a -15% cut, then my daily calories would be around 2150. It wouldn't be a huge jump from where I'm at now, but if my BMR/TDEE is suppressed due to mono, I'm OK with going higher to reset my metabolic rate.
I started logging food and cutting calories around the first of the year. According to the Scooby calculator, my BMR is about 1800. On average, I've been eating close to BMR for the past 2 months.
- 1st month, almost no activity - just healthier food and tracking calories (1600-1800). I dropped 7 pounds the first week, then either a slow gain or no movement for the next 3 weeks. I felt like I had more energy, wanted to work out, and didn't feel really hungry.
- 2nd month, more activity (hiking, walking, recumbent bike, resistance band ST), slightly higher calorie range (1800-2000) I've dropped the pound I gained and lost another .5 pound. However, I feel hungry and tired all the time.
So while weight loss is happening (about 7.5 pounds in 7 weeks), I am feeling lousy during it and I feel like I'll just burn out if I keep feeling like this. I had mono last year, which left me completely useless on the couch for 3 1/2 months. I don't know how long that hangs around or if that would have any effect on my BMR.
So I haven't done a drastic cut of calories over a long period of time...but to be honest, I don't really know how much I was eating before I started tracking last month. I'm at 237 and based on the light exercise category (1-3 times a week), my TDEE is showing as 2500.
Any thoughts? If I do a -15% cut, then my daily calories would be around 2150. It wouldn't be a huge jump from where I'm at now, but if my BMR/TDEE is suppressed due to mono, I'm OK with going higher to reset my metabolic rate.
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Replies
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I think it would be worth testing out what your true TDEE actually is at this time. Then you will understand exactly how much you need to have as a deficit. I don't think you NEED to do this, but it probably will be very useful information, especially if you don't feel like you have to rush toward weight loss. I thought my TDEE was 2100 and it turned out to be higher.0
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Thanks! How do you get that tested? I do want to lose weight, but I am so tired of the cycle of cutting calories, losing weight, trying to work out, and feeling exhausted and irritable and not able to increase my workout performances. I'm almost to the point I'd rather figure out what I need to eat to have energy and feel good instead of focusing on weight loss. I feel like if I can focus increasing my workouts and build some muscle, then the weight loss will come.
One thing I'm curious about. I wear a Misfit Shine (similar to a Fitbit) and I wear it 24/7. It has a total calorie burn for the day. I took the reports for the past month and got an average calorie burn of 2720. Since that's a little higher than what the Scooby calculator is giving me, could that mean I'm underestimating my activity level? Might it be worth using number instead and cut 15% of the average?0 -
Ya, don't try to pick from 5 rough levels when you have a device telling you infinite levels.
Additionally, it probably underestimates like most of them, due to the fact they don't include the calorie burn from digesting/processing food (about 10% of calories eaten).
The only thing that could foul up the TDEE it's giving you is if you did not correctly manually log workouts it's going to underestimate.
Like lifting. If HR based device, it's inflated calorie burn, if step based device, it's under-estimated.
Same with several other exercises. If all you do is walk and gym classes, should be fine.
Oh, how tested TDEE?
By results. You eat at estimated TDEE for a 4 weeks, should be no change in weight.0 -
Just what heybales said - I took 4 months to keep upping my calories and once I didn't have a change for 4 weeks, that was my TDEE. It's just an experiment in eating. Yay for eating!0
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Awesome. Thanks so much! I read a little more on "testing" your TDEE by upping calories and I think I'm going to focus on that first. I can use the Shine's average as a starting point.0
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