TDEE at 1600 calories a day

gotpita wrote: »

Hi all,

If my TDEE is at about 1600 calories a day. I need a deficit of 500 calories to lose a lb a week (1100). But mfp calculates 1200 min calories, understandably.

If I log a walk every day that burns about 100 calories and NOT eat those calories back, is that still healthy? I am thinking that because I'm getting the nutrients in the 1200 calories it should be ok.

Thanks!!

Where did you get the 1600 number from? If it really is your TDEE, it should already include all your regular exercise activity. MFP calculates your daily energy need before exercise. If the 1600 came from MFP, it is not your TDEE.

Do one or the other. You're making more than 100 calories a day of "mistakes," (food and exercise estimates.) Everyone does.

Track using one way or the other for a month and see how it goes. It is the same experiment for everyone.

gotpita wrote: »

No not from MFP, from other sites with the calculator (I've tried several using my body fat measured by my personal trainer). I work in an office so I'm sitting most of the day.

All I'm saying is if I eat 1200 a day with no additional exercise, it doesn't seem like I'd lose a lb a week. Bc that's a deficit of 400 calories.

Or just not worry about the 100 calories.

I'm looking to lose 20lbs by November. Going from 140 to 120. It should be reasonable and attainable..

1 pound a week may be fine(ish) for perhaps the first 10 pounds; 0.5 pounds a week or less would be less risky for around the last 10 or so. The issue is that the more fat you've lost, the less that remains . . . and one's body can only metabolize a certain amount of fat per day per remaining pound of fat. If loss rate stays higher, it may fill the deficit by burning a relatively larger amount of lean tissue (like muscle). Exercise (fueled properly) mitigates the risk somewhat.

I think it took me about 5.5 months to go from 140 to 120, but that included a brief period where I lost too fast and experienced some fatigue and weakness (I fixed it as soon as i realized, of course).

That said, you probably should be able to add exercise beyond what was calculated in your TDEE in your scenario for the first phase, as long as your nutrition is strictly on point, since you're only talking a small(ish) extra deficit being created that way - just my amateur opinion, though. Do monitor your actual loss rate and adjust if you lose faster than you expect. Extra loss isn't a bonus: It's a risk.

And I agree that 100 calories is such a small number daily that it'll be hard to tweak things for, since the estimating error on food exercise, TDEE, etc., probably exceeds that number.