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MyFitnessPal Community

I don't understand TDEE

CaliforniaRower

Hello,

My first weeks on MFP, I lost 6 lbs. I regained 1.5 and have not budged more than .6-.8 oz since, in 18 days! (((SO SAD!)))

So ~10 days ago, I lowered my calories from MFP's 1370 to 1200. I've been pretty good - I'd say 1200-1300 daily.

Nothing's changing! So I looked back on what was working when I lost the 6 lbs. One day, I did no carbs of any kind, only 1K calories all day. But I was STARVING that day, and grouchy. (Not good for clients!)

Some dear woman here told me about TDEE and I looked it up. It said, "2000 calories/day." ARE YOU KIDDING ME? And I've stopped exercising 4 days a week anyway, because I had a cold and am not fully recovered yet. I don't understand -- if CICO is true, then eating only 1200 SHOULD have made me lose weight. How can I LOSE if I eat 2000/day?!

I think I'd be a blimp in 48 hours. I'm capable of forcing myself to eat fewer than 1000 cal/day for about 3 days. Maybe I should just do that 3 days/wk? Ugh!

Replies

nosebag1212

TDEE = total daily energy expenditure i.e. maintenance calories, you're not supposed to eat your TDEE you eat a deficit from it

TDEE is only an estimate too you will need to adjust caloric intake depending on how your weight changes week to week

CaliforniaRower

nosebag1212 wrote: »

you don't eat your TDEE you eat a deficit from it

Oh! But my TDEE is FAR more than my allotment on MFP. So if TDEE = 2000 and MFP = 1200, I'm at a theoretical 800 deficit. How can I not be losing?

cwolfman13

CaliforniaRower wrote: »

Hello,

My first weeks on MFP, I lost 6 lbs. I regained 1.5 and have not budge more than .6-.8 oz since, in 18 days! So ~10 days ago, I lowered my calories to 1200. I've been pretty good - I'd say 1200-1300 daily.

Nothing's changing! So I looked back on what I did to lose the 6 lbs - no carbs of any kind, only 1K calories a day. But I was STARVING that day, and grouchy. (Not good for clients!)

Some dear woman here told me about TDEE and I looked it up. It said, "2000 calories/day." ARE YOU KIDDING ME? And I've stopped exercising 4 days a week anyway, because I had a cold and am not fully recovered yet. I don't understand -- if CICO is true, then eating only 1200 SHOULD have made me lose weight. How can I LOSE if I eat 2000/day?!

I think I'd be a blimp in 48 hours. I'm capable of forcing myself to eat fewer than 1000 cal/day for about 3 days. Maybe I should just do that 3 days/wk? Ugh!

TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is your maintenance level of calories...so 2000 sounds right as that is pretty typical for most women. When utilizing the TDEE method, you simply cut from your TDEE...so TDEE - X% or whatever.

I would suggest that if you weren't losing any weight on 1200 calories then you are likely underestimating your intake...1200 calories is just a little more than nothing really. Either that or you need to pay a visit to your doctor to see if you have a metabolic disorder of some kind or have some other deficiency that is causing metabolic issues.

CICO always hold true...it is science and math.

TeaBea

CaliforniaRower wrote: »

Hello,

My first weeks on MFP, I lost 6 lbs. I regained 1.5 and have not budged more than .6-.8 oz since, in 18 days! (((SO SAD!)))

So ~10 days ago, I lowered my calories from MFP's 1370 to 1200. I've been pretty good - I'd say 1200-1300 daily.

Nothing's changing! So I looked back on what was working when I lost the 6 lbs. One day, I did no carbs of any kind, only 1K calories all day. But I was STARVING that day, and grouchy. (Not good for clients!)

Some dear woman here told me about TDEE and I looked it up. It said, "2000 calories/day." ARE YOU KIDDING ME? And I've stopped exercising 4 days a week anyway, because I had a cold and am not fully recovered yet. I don't understand -- if CICO is true, then eating only 1200 SHOULD have made me lose weight. How can I LOSE if I eat 2000/day?!

I think I'd be a blimp in 48 hours. I'm capable of forcing myself to eat fewer than 1000 cal/day for about 3 days. Maybe I should just do that 3 days/wk? Ugh!

6 pounds of water lost from low carb. Started eating "regular" food again....gained water back (glycogen stores).

TDEE is maintenance. If yours is 2000 (with exercise) then you can lose 1 pound a week by eating 1500 calories.

No one (unless you are 4'5" or something) should be netting less than 1200. Less than this makes it extremely difficult to get adequate nutrition.

ew_david

TDEE is not giving you a deficit; it's your TOTAL daily energy expenditure. You have to shave a percentage (10, 20, whatever) off of that total number to give you a deficit. When you use MFP stats, it automatically gives you a deficit.

PAV8888

CaliforniaRower wrote: »

So ~10 days ago, I lowered my calories from MFP's 1370 to 1200. I've been pretty good - I'd say 1200-1300 daily. Nothing's changing! So I looked back on what was working when I lost the 6 lbs. One day, I did no carbs of any kind, only 1K calories all day. But I was STARVING that day, and grouchy. (Not good for clients!)
And I've stopped exercising 4 days a week anyway, because I had a cold and am not fully recovered yet. I don't understand -- if CICO is true, then eating only 1200 SHOULD have made me lose weight. How can I LOSE if I eat 2000/day?!
I think I'd be a blimp in 48 hours. I'm capable of forcing myself to eat fewer than 1000 cal/day for about 3 days. Maybe I should just do that 3 days/wk? Ugh!

50 yo, F, Height, Current Weight, Goal Weight, Diary, MFP settings (activity level? deficit size?), actual activity? How long has it been since you last saw any movement on your scale?

Muddy_Yogi

Are you weighing your food? Are you logging accurately? Because all these numbers mean nothing if not calculated correctly and then logged accurately.

verymissk

It can easily take up to eight weeks before you'll start to see losses on a reasonable deficit. Ten days is not long enough to proclaim it's not working. The first six pounds was probably mostly water weight... so try TDEE-20% for six weeks (accurately - weighing and measuring everything!) and then see how you're doing.

ngagne

I probably will be a raving lunatic, but...
I've had really good results when I stuck to my macros (and calories). Instead of listening to MFP (which tells me 1300 cal/day + eat back for exercise), I went to iifym.com. It gave me grams of protein, carbs, and fat (and calories) to stick to in order to lose 1 pound/week (& lower body fat percentage). Working out 4 days/week, it gave me 1600 calories (no eat back, but still probably more calories/week than what MFP gave me). Sticking to the macros, I never felt drained; always had energy, and did feel full. And I did lose 1 pound/week. Over the course of 6 weeks I also lost 3% body fat (which is also what is intended).
Use the "suggested" weight loss setting. And of course, track everything in here, just edit your goals to match the calculator.
I just rave as I thought it worked so incredible well for me! What works for some, doesn't work for all though.

CaliforniaRower

@ngagne - thank you! Great idea! And everyone else, thank you too.

kk_inprogress

Keep in mind too that if you UNDER eat (1200c a day is a strict minimum for caloric needs), your body will compensate by storing the fat from simple sugars and carbs that you do eat. Under eating can make you gain weight too! Your deficit has to be HEALTHY.

futuremanda

kkenseth wrote: »

Keep in mind too that if you UNDER eat (1200c a day is a strict minimum for caloric needs), your body will compensate by storing the fat from simple sugars and carbs that you do eat. Under eating can make you gain weight too! Your deficit has to be HEALTHY.

Nope, your body can't do that. If you undereat, you are by definition underfuelled. Your body can't live on no fuel -- it will burn body tissue to keep your heart beating. Even if it stored every calorie, it would have to just burn it right after to keep you alive. And it certainly can't store it all, then somehow... store more, when it isn't being given more, and somehow still stay alive, burning off ... nothing, because you gave it nothing. So you absolutely cannot gain lbs of fat while in a deficit.

Myth.

That said, yes, netting under 1200 regularly is bad for your health.

nosebag1212

kkenseth wrote: »

Keep in mind too that if you UNDER eat (1200c a day is a strict minimum for caloric needs), your body will compensate by storing the fat from simple sugars and carbs that you do eat. Under eating can make you gain weight too! Your deficit has to be HEALTHY.

yeah no, this is broscience

ladoi

ngagne wrote: »

I probably will be a raving lunatic, but...
I've had really good results when I stuck to my macros (and calories). Instead of listening to MFP (which tells me 1300 cal/day + eat back for exercise), I went to iifym.com. It gave me grams of protein, carbs, and fat (and calories) to stick to in order to lose 1 pound/week (& lower body fat percentage). Working out 4 days/week, it gave me 1600 calories (no eat back, but still probably more calories/week than what MFP gave me). Sticking to the macros, I never felt drained; always had energy, and did feel full. And I did lose 1 pound/week. Over the course of 6 weeks I also lost 3% body fat (which is also what is intended).
Use the "suggested" weight loss setting. And of course, track everything in here, just edit your goals to match the calculator.
I just rave as I thought it worked so incredible well for me! What works for some, doesn't work for all though.

This is what I do and it works very well. Use the IIFYM calculator and CAREFULLY measure/weigh everything. Make sure you are being accurate with your macros/calories every day.

peleroja

Are you weighing and measuring all your food accurately (weighing all solids, especially stuff like nut butters that's very calorie dense, and measuring all liquids, including stuff like coffee cream and cooking oil)? If you're not, it's amazingly easy to wipe out a calorie deficit by "eyeballing" stuff. Your 3oz of chicken could be 7oz and your tablespoon of peanut butter might be 2.5tbsp, and a couple of unlogged cups of coffee with cream and sugar can throw a couple hundred extra calories at you easily...it sounds unlikely but it is SO EASY to be eating way more than you think if you're not weighing your food accurately.