Hello, need your advice please

If you eat your TDEE exactly, you won't lose weight. You'll just maintain. If you're asking if you should use your TDEE to determine your deficit, you can do that or you can use MFP's method (eating your goal calories plus at least some of the calories burnt through exercise).

It's not "bad" to go over calories twice in a week. You may find -- depending on how much you go over -- that it keeps you from meeting your goals.

Some people do find it normal to go over at the beginning of a plan.

The only person who can know if you will be able to consistently meet your calorie goal is you. But even if you go over, I would keep logging.

Here's a thought ... why don't you see what MFP suggests you eat to maintain your current weight .... that would be without any additional exercise, but with normal living based on the kind of work you do (the majority of our active day is spent at 'work') .... Then you would have a ball park figure to see if your weight actually does stay the same when you eat at that rate. You would still need to tweak the numbers based on if you do any true exercise outside of the normal day-to-day activities ... MFP expects you to eat those calories, or most of them, back anyway. After a couple of weeks you will know if your own metabolism is lower or higher and can use that to help set your calorie goal. If you stay with the MFP recommendations, plug in your exercise and eat at least some of those calories back.

Kullerva wrote: »

First, 13 stone 10 is 153 lbs--hardly obese for 5'4", and scarcely overweight (8 lbs). Your deficit is set waaaay too high. Eat 1600-1800, exercise a bit more and don't starve.

I'm also 5'4", 148 lb (13 stone 5) and don't consider myself obese at all. Most don't even think I'm overweight. I think you're being too aggressive with yourself.

13 stone 10 is 192lbs...

First, you didn't mention your age but if your picture is current I'm guessing you are actually running too high a deficit. I'm guessing I'm 8-15 years older than you are and 12 lbs heavier. We are the same height and I can lose on 1800. I fall between sedentary and lightly active without structured exercise.

There are all sorts of reasons that MFP (or any other calculator) needs some personal adjustment. It could be that you assumed sedentary and you may not be, etc.

Anyway, too high of a deficit, especially early on means you are more likely to go over goal more often and/or binge. Try a smaller deficit (1/2 lb loss instead of 1 lb loss per week) at first, should put you closer to 1600-1700 cals/day. See if you can stick to that before you increase your deficit.

Every one has off days but the degree of overage (100 cals vs. 600 cals) and how often makes the different. Personally I try to stay within 10% of target 5/7 days AND I try not to ever go over my maintenance cals. If I'm consistently missing those goals I know I need to reevaluate and adjust to something more sustainable, including looking at my macros.

Keep in mind that if you aren't weighing your food the margin for error is smaller.

Weight loss is all about the long game. If you're struggling with adherence, it's more beneficial to stay at a small deficit for a long time than it is to aim for a big deficit (but not be able to maintain that for very long).

If you set MFP to lose 0.5 pounds a week, how many calories does that give you? Could you stay at that intake for the next 4-8 weeks? I'd rather start there, log some downward motion on the scale and get used to the deficit first, then go more aggressive on the deficit once I'd adjusted.

hello8642 wrote: »

Kullerva wrote: »

First, 13 stone 10 is 153 lbs--hardly obese for 5'4", and scarcely overweight (8 lbs). Your deficit is set waaaay too high. Eat 1600-1800, exercise a bit more and don't starve.

I'm also 5'4", 148 lb (13 stone 5) and don't consider myself obese at all. Most don't even think I'm overweight. I think you're being too aggressive with yourself.

1st = 14lbs, for reference : )

Darned internet calculators lied to me. Sorry, OP.