TDEE method vs MFP

christinev297 wrote: »

Thanks guys. I'm probably waaay over thinking it...

Yeah, sounds to me like you're over thinking it. For one, if you're cutting at around 1/lb of fat loss per week, you're somewhere around 500 calories in a deficit each day. Therefore, one week isn't going to derail you, at all. You may plateau for the week or lose at a slower rate but in most cases, one/two weeks won't hurt you. I take a 1 week break from resistance training every 12-15 weeks, and haven't seen any issues.

cld111 wrote: »

Hm, you guys (and gals) are making me think about this. I may try the TDEE method... According to Fitbit, my TDEE at this point is 2400, so I would just eat 2000 (or a little less) daily for a reduction of about 20%. And I can keep track of my TDEE from Fitbit and adjust as necessary. Right? I would do a 20% reduction no matter how much weight I have to lose, correct?

Yes go by your Fitbit, its an accurate little device anywhere between 5% to 20% deficit of that figure will see you losing.
20% deficit is considered too much when you have less than 20lbs to lose.

christinev297 wrote: »

To those of you who follow the TDEE method. What happens if you have a lazy week or are sick and can't exercise, do you lower your calories or still eat the same?

My impression of tdee is there would be immense pressure to keep to the same exercise levels each and every day.
It's giving me nervous hives just thinking about it lol

Think weekly, not daily, averages.

leahcollett1 wrote: »

hi everyone

i just wondered what the ratio of people on the above methods and the success theyve had? do people find the TDEE method easier/more straight forward? more successful?

the two methods are six of one, half dozen of the other when done correctly and when comparing apples to apples rate of loss goals. The only difference between the two methods is where you account for exercise...with TDEE you account for exercise in your activity level...thus some estimate of those calories are included in your target...with MFP you account for exercise when you log it and that's why you get calories to "eat back"...you're really not eating them back, you're just accounting for that activity.

Pros TDEE:
- eating a consistent amount day to day...you eat the same on a rest day as you do a very active day...it all comes out in the wash at the end of the week
- more representative of how the general population eats
- You don't have to figure out calorie burn estimates which can be difficult

Cons TDEE:
- if you are inconsistent with your exercise and general activity level then your target becomes invalid.

Pros MFP (NEAT):
- can teach you how to properly fuel your fitness endeavors
- very good for people who are inconsistent with their exercise

Cons MFP:
- estimating calorie burns is tough, particularly outside of aerobic activities; many people vastly overestimate their exercise calorie burns
- in my experience it can lead to a lot of disordered thinking in RE to food and fitness...compulsive exercise because you had some cake for example...or exercise bulimia, etc.

I used both methods at one time or the other and both work exactly the same...again, six of one.

Apud85 wrote: »

RunRutheeRun wrote: »

cld111 wrote: »

Hm, you guys (and gals) are making me think about this. I may try the TDEE method... According to Fitbit, my TDEE at this point is 2400, so I would just eat 2000 (or a little less) daily for a reduction of about 20%. And I can keep track of my TDEE from Fitbit and adjust as necessary. Right? I would do a 20% reduction no matter how much weight I have to lose, correct?

Yes go by your Fitbit, its an accurate little device anywhere between 5% to 20% deficit of that figure will see you losing.
20% deficit is considered too much when you have less than 20lbs to lose.

I haven't heard this before! Do you mind me asking what your source is? I'd like to read more about the reasoning. Is this other people's experience also? When someone gets down to only having 20lbs left, it's typical to reduce the % deficit?

Most, if not all, of the reason is that you have less fat available to provide the missing calories.

RunRutheeRun wrote: »

FatMoojor wrote: »

When using tdee is exercise based on one hour a day. As most say 3-5 day or some such.
So a 3 hour training run on a Sunday is 3 days worth?

If you're using an online calculator it will ask for how many days exercise you do and that will be accounted for in the TDEE figure it gives you.

But what does 1 day equate to? If I do 1 hour in the gym 5 days a week but run for a total of 7 hours at the weekend is that just 7 days, even though 2 days exercise is greater then the total of 5?

Or do I go by hours of excise and say I do 12 hours a week, if so what activity level does that equate to?

RunRutheeRun wrote: »

@deguelloTex I have no source, I'm just quoting a generalisation from past forum posts on the subject, its to do with losing too much muscle rather than fat if deficit is too big, thats how I perceived it anyway.....*shrugs*.

Right. If you don't have enough fat to provide the calories missing from your diet, your body will get those calories from elsewhere: bone, muscle, organs, etc. You don't want your deficit to be greater than the amount that your fat can provide. That's why it is typically recommended to reduce your deficit as you get closer to goal: you have less fat and risk the calories being scavenged from elsewhere. No bueno.

Apud85 wrote: »

DeguelloTex wrote: »

RunRutheeRun wrote: »

@deguelloTex I have no source, I'm just quoting a generalisation from past forum posts on the subject, its to do with losing too much muscle rather than fat if deficit is too big, thats how I perceived it anyway.....*shrugs*.

Right. If you don't have enough fat to provide the calories missing from your diet, your body will get those calories from elsewhere: bone, muscle, organs, etc. You don't want your deficit to be greater than the amount that your fat can provide. That's why it is typically recommended to reduce your deficit as you get closer to goal: you have less fat and risk the calories being scavenged from elsewhere. No bueno.

Y'all just made my Friday! That makes perfect sense. I adjusted my deficit to 10% from 20% since I have 8lbs to lose, so I'll see how that works for a couple of weeks.

Sorry to hijack the thread!

To be fair, the body isn't a perfect 100% fat-burning machine, so we also lose LBM when we lose fat, but the idea is to minimize that negative aspect of losing weight.

christinev297 wrote: »

To those of you who follow the TDEE method. What happens if you have a lazy week or are sick and can't exercise, do you lower your calories or still eat the same?

My impression of tdee is there would be immense pressure to keep to the same exercise levels each and every day.
It's giving me nervous hives just thinking about it lol

too much minutia here...get out of the mindset of day to day or even week to week. yes, you do have to be consistent and get in regular exercise...but the world doesn't go to *kitten* because you had a bad day or a bad week or whatever...look at the bigger picture...your health, fitness, weight, etc is predicated on your overall lifestyle...not a week here or there or a special occasion, etc. Stop drowning yourself in minutia and look at the much bigger picture.

I usually ride about 60 - 80 miles per week and get in a 5K or two and lift 2-3x per week...I haven't done *kitten* this week because I've been in budget committee hearings at work all week from about 9 AM - 9PM. I'm no worse for the wear (other than my brain fecking hurts)...this week would really be a statistical outlier for me...it's not how I live my life overall.

@FatMoojor check out a TDEE calculator and you'll see the exercise variations...try scoobyworkshop..you can play around with it, choose less, then choose more exercise and see the difference in calories it gives you.
Its not complicated