Beyond frustration
Replies
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I think your most likely culprit is in your metabolic estimate. It's unlikely you burn that many basal calories or that many exercise calories.2
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She's using the fitbit estimate which includes activity. And you can eat 6000 calories and not gain if you're expelling calories rather than metabolizing. Calorie counting only works on the minimum end - because energy cannot be created from nowhere. What happens to energy, however, is a different story. It can go straight down the drain.4 -
I think your most likely culprit is in your metabolic estimate. It's unlikely you burn that many basal calories or that many exercise calories.
How is it likely that a 5'3" woman at her activity level doesn't have an estimated TDEE of ~2300 as per her first post? I know of several women around that height and activity level with TDEEs around there, who are also older and lighter than OP. Seems like a perfectly reasonable estimate to me.3 -
If she is not losing weight and is accurately estimating her calorie intake over a period of a month or more, then it is extremely likely she is not metabolizing calories at her estimated rate.Nony_Mouse wrote: »I think your most likely culprit is in your metabolic estimate. It's unlikely you burn that many basal calories or that many exercise calories.
How is it likely that a 5'3" woman at her activity level doesn't have an estimated TDEE of ~2300 as per her first post? I know of several women around that height and activity level with TDEEs around there, who are also older and lighter than OP. Seems like a perfectly reasonable estimate to me.
You could say it's the only explanation remaining.1 -
If she is not losing weight and is accurately estimating her calorie intake over a period of a month or more, then it is extremely likely she is not metabolizing calories at her estimated rate.Nony_Mouse wrote: »I think your most likely culprit is in your metabolic estimate. It's unlikely you burn that many basal calories or that many exercise calories.
How is it likely that a 5'3" woman at her activity level doesn't have an estimated TDEE of ~2300 as per her first post? I know of several women around that height and activity level with TDEEs around there, who are also older and lighter than OP. Seems like a perfectly reasonable estimate to me.
You could say it's the only explanation remaining.
Taking adaptive thermogenesis into account, and particularly given that she's had bouts of massive deficits and excessive cardio in there, then yes, it's highly likely that her metabolic rate is below what it should be, possibly quite substantially. And I still suspect she has a mighty amount of cortisol-induced water retention going on as part and parcel of that. There's a really simple thing she can try to bring her metabolic rate back up and sort out the water weight, then go back to a sensible deficit. Or she can keep cutting her calories more and more. I know which one I'd pick.6 -
Nony_Mouse wrote: »
If she is not losing weight and is accurately estimating her calorie intake over a period of a month or more, then it is extremely likely she is not metabolizing calories at her estimated rate.Nony_Mouse wrote: »I think your most likely culprit is in your metabolic estimate. It's unlikely you burn that many basal calories or that many exercise calories.
How is it likely that a 5'3" woman at her activity level doesn't have an estimated TDEE of ~2300 as per her first post? I know of several women around that height and activity level with TDEEs around there, who are also older and lighter than OP. Seems like a perfectly reasonable estimate to me.
You could say it's the only explanation remaining.
Taking adaptive thermogenesis into account, and particularly given that she's had bouts of massive deficits and excessive cardio in there, then yes, it's highly likely that her metabolic rate is below what it should be, possibly quite substantially. And I still suspect she has a mighty amount of cortisol-induced water retention going on as part and parcel of that. There's a really simple thing she can try to bring her metabolic rate back up and sort out the water weight, then go back to a sensible deficit. Or she can keep cutting her calories more and more. I know which one I'd pick.I think your most likely culprit is in your metabolic estimate. It's unlikely you burn that many basal calories or that many exercise calories.
*edited because I hit the post button
I only commented on the metabolic estimate. That's it.1 -
lucerorojo wrote: »1. Why the good health insurance comment?
2. It's just that it's difficult to find where I should be at to get results. The whole main point is I'm confused why I'm not losing below TDEE or gaining over maintenance.
3. What would it matter if I get injured? It's not likely in way of exercise or diet unless you're talking about something that would put me out of commission such as a car accident or something. What you meant isn't clear to me.
I understand your number 2. I can't speak for the guy who wrote it, but #1, with the amount and type of exercise you do, without taking some breaks, you could be subject to injury as you get older. The body bounces back easier before 40 and is more flexible. Of course this varies from person to person. I used to dance and had no problems in my 20s (well except for a broken bone in my foot) but 20 years later I sprained my ankle just by walking, resprained it and when actively dancing in mid 40s, had multiple sprains and muscle strains until I finally just had to stop. My life was not going to be about epsom salts, therabands, stretching and a foot massage every day!! If I were making money off of it, okay, but not for a hobby.
Number 3 also matters because at present you are in a situation that you don't know how to control your weight. That is not your fault--something weird is happening it seems and that's going to take time to sort out. But you went from over 200 lbs. to 160s by cardio and barely eating. TMaintaining would not sustainable by just exercising everday especially if you have an injury--even a pulled muscle and can't get to the gym for a few weeks. You would be out of commission for a while and since you haven't yet figured out how to eat in maintenance then it would be a struggle under those circumstances.
as "the guy" who wrote the original, quoting this response for truth of interpretation of why I said what I said ;-)
Only part I would like to amplify re: #1... when eating at a substantial deficit in the presence of exercise the likelihood of injury or illness anecdotally appears to be elevated regardless of age <idea being that you get run down and are more susceptible to anything from stress fractures to the common cold>
ETA: sorry for the messed up quotations and attributions. Unfortunately I spotted this while I'm mobile with only minutes in the edit window and I can't really fix it right now.0 -
I have been reading with interest all of the posts here. This topic certainly has generated interest! I share some similar frustration, but I am 60 (a whole different set of challenges) and haven't been at it all that long. But this isn't about me.
I wonder what would happen if you tried the maintenance calories for a period of time that you are comfortable with making, and cutting back on cardio and amping up weight training, adding lower body exercises, lunges, squats, etc., since the leg and butt muscles are the biggest in the body and presumably use more calories. Maybe even doing yoga or pilates, too?
Anyhow, best of luck to you wading through all the suggestions and figuring out what makes the most sense to you.1 -
lucerorojo wrote: »FWIW, I don't think that 165 lbs. is an ideal weight for someone at 5'3", especially not at 29. But your belly cannot be that big--it may seem big compared to the smaller body you have now. It has to be smaller than when you weighed over 200 right? This photo you posted still doesn't look fat, though.
reposted from above: While I don't know how to manipulate images digitally, it was perhaps just the amazing high waist legging and lighting. That picture is the worst to be referenced in this discussion. My arms are fat and big, pretty much no visible muscle.0 -
tracybear86 wrote: »OP - You mentioned that logging your food on MFP became obsessive for you (which I can understand). I am just curious how logging on paper differs vs logging in an app? Are you logging in the same way? If not maybe there are some inaccuracies that would cause the lack of weight loss?
its the same thing, just one i write down. i dont know, cant explain it1 -
Nony_Mouse wrote: »squatsnotsquat wrote: »Ah I missed where she said that. I need to read slower.
With that being said, OP, we can't see how much you are eating. When you say you are eating 1,200 to 2,200, is that a weekly average or each day?
The reason I ask is because one day I may eat 2,700, but the next only 1,200. I look at my weekly average and it comes out to be about 1,800-1,900. I wonder if that is what is occurring with you. You may fluctuate how many calories you eat each day but weekly you are averaging your TDEE.
It sounded like she was doing one month 1200, the next month 2200, etc. this makes sense because they usually say to eat at maintenance to get your metabolism back up if you're at a plateau.
Yes, some people say this, yet after the OP did this, she didn't "reset" her metabolism or whatever woo, and began to lose weight again. According to her, after this, nothing woo happened to her metabolism at all; she STILL can't lose weight.
Yeah, not woo sorry. Maybe OP wasn't actually hitting maintenance. She has said that her Fitbit often gives her a TDEE of 2700, so 2200 is still a 500 cal deficit on that. Even if her average was 2400, 2200 wouldn't be enough to bring those hormones back in line, because she'd still be at a deficit, and her body would still 'think' there was a food shortage and it needed to keep those protective mechanisms in play.
The only thing I can suggest is that she do a proper, controlled diet break at maintenance. Maybe it won't work for her, but at this point she is spinning her wheels and really has nothing to lose.
I did decide to eat at maintenance for probably until January or February. However, still don't know what that would be without eating too much. Could you please help with the math?2 -
I want to genuinely thank every person who has given their insight and advice. It was really helpful to actually hear from people for once where the answers weren't "eat less, workout more", "oh *kitten* that doesn't work? your're broken" or the ever so popular "you're lying about everything you've said, this doesn't happen to people who try." Once I find what is truly maintenance for me, I will be stay there for a few months then re-access the situation.9
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squatsnotsquat wrote: »It may simply be a problem of being "skinny fat." You look like you've built up your arms quite a bit, but what about the rest of your body? Not having enough muscle is going to make you look like you need to lose weight no matter what you weigh. Try doing very heavy, intense weight exercises on all parts of your body and see if that helps, but don't forget to take days off exercising too. You may not be getting enough protein to see any difference in your muscle tone either-- try eating at least 85% of your body weight in pounds in grams of protein and see if that helps you build more muscle. Cutting carbs may also help you ditch any bloat you have-- you'd be surprised how much skinnier you can look when you do that. Once you get down to a certain weight, there is basically nothing you can do except go keto with a trainer and insanely intense workouts. You say you were "barely eating" while doing lots of cardio and it sounds like you may have already tried eating at maintenance for a month to break your stall? You may have permanently trashed your metabolism-- not sure if that's possible, but it could be. Either way, I think you don't look like you need to lose weight, and once you get down to a certain point that's your natural weight, your body will do everything it can to prevent you from losing weight. Also realize that some looks are only achievable if you have a certain build-- some people put on muscle/lose fat easily, others don't. Some look skinnier because they have big bones/are taller or carry their weight in different areas. My friend and I are both a size 5, but we look drastically different. Be the best YOU can be, not what someone else might be able to be.
Having the amount of fat on a stomach like mine is not the skinny fat situation. I definitely have a lot of work to do with my entire body, that's just the part that needs the most work. Yes, it's diet but I will figure out what amount of calories I need to be at.
I will definitely be getting more protein from now on, that I know I need to do.0 -
jesshali119 wrote: »Nony_Mouse wrote: »squatsnotsquat wrote: »Ah I missed where she said that. I need to read slower.
With that being said, OP, we can't see how much you are eating. When you say you are eating 1,200 to 2,200, is that a weekly average or each day?
The reason I ask is because one day I may eat 2,700, but the next only 1,200. I look at my weekly average and it comes out to be about 1,800-1,900. I wonder if that is what is occurring with you. You may fluctuate how many calories you eat each day but weekly you are averaging your TDEE.
It sounded like she was doing one month 1200, the next month 2200, etc. this makes sense because they usually say to eat at maintenance to get your metabolism back up if you're at a plateau.
Yes, some people say this, yet after the OP did this, she didn't "reset" her metabolism or whatever woo, and began to lose weight again. According to her, after this, nothing woo happened to her metabolism at all; she STILL can't lose weight.
Yeah, not woo sorry. Maybe OP wasn't actually hitting maintenance. She has said that her Fitbit often gives her a TDEE of 2700, so 2200 is still a 500 cal deficit on that. Even if her average was 2400, 2200 wouldn't be enough to bring those hormones back in line, because she'd still be at a deficit, and her body would still 'think' there was a food shortage and it needed to keep those protective mechanisms in play.
The only thing I can suggest is that she do a proper, controlled diet break at maintenance. Maybe it won't work for her, but at this point she is spinning her wheels and really has nothing to lose.
I did decide to eat at maintenance for probably until January or February. However, still don't know what that would be without eating too much. Could you please help with the math?
Do you have a place near you that is reputable and does long-term (AKA, not five minutes) RMR testing? That would at least give you a baseline as to what you burn in a day, and then you could use a spreadsheet like this one to figure out your actual activity factor as opposed to trying to guess one of the categories: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1G7FgNzPq3v5WMjDtH0n93LXSMRY_hjmzNTMJb3aZSxM/edit#gid=0
Or, if you can't do the in-person actual RMR testing, follow that spreadsheet as described, and start from there.0 -
collectingblues wrote: »jesshali119 wrote: »Nony_Mouse wrote: »squatsnotsquat wrote: »Ah I missed where she said that. I need to read slower.
With that being said, OP, we can't see how much you are eating. When you say you are eating 1,200 to 2,200, is that a weekly average or each day?
The reason I ask is because one day I may eat 2,700, but the next only 1,200. I look at my weekly average and it comes out to be about 1,800-1,900. I wonder if that is what is occurring with you. You may fluctuate how many calories you eat each day but weekly you are averaging your TDEE.
It sounded like she was doing one month 1200, the next month 2200, etc. this makes sense because they usually say to eat at maintenance to get your metabolism back up if you're at a plateau.
Yes, some people say this, yet after the OP did this, she didn't "reset" her metabolism or whatever woo, and began to lose weight again. According to her, after this, nothing woo happened to her metabolism at all; she STILL can't lose weight.
Yeah, not woo sorry. Maybe OP wasn't actually hitting maintenance. She has said that her Fitbit often gives her a TDEE of 2700, so 2200 is still a 500 cal deficit on that. Even if her average was 2400, 2200 wouldn't be enough to bring those hormones back in line, because she'd still be at a deficit, and her body would still 'think' there was a food shortage and it needed to keep those protective mechanisms in play.
The only thing I can suggest is that she do a proper, controlled diet break at maintenance. Maybe it won't work for her, but at this point she is spinning her wheels and really has nothing to lose.
I did decide to eat at maintenance for probably until January or February. However, still don't know what that would be without eating too much. Could you please help with the math?
Do you have a place near you that is reputable and does long-term (AKA, not five minutes) RMR testing? That would at least give you a baseline as to what you burn in a day, and then you could use a spreadsheet like this one to figure out your actual activity factor as opposed to trying to guess one of the categories: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1G7FgNzPq3v5WMjDtH0n93LXSMRY_hjmzNTMJb3aZSxM/edit#gid=0
Or, if you can't do the in-person actual RMR testing, follow that spreadsheet as described, and start from there.
I will follow the spreadsheet, because apparently they only do the testing in California and I am in NY. Thank you!0 -
Where in NY? I mean, I live in Pennsylvania, and we have a university-based lab that does it. I'm not saying that I don't believe you -- i'm just saying that there may be more options than you think.0
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jesshali119 wrote: »collectingblues wrote: »jesshali119 wrote: »Nony_Mouse wrote: »squatsnotsquat wrote: »Ah I missed where she said that. I need to read slower.
With that being said, OP, we can't see how much you are eating. When you say you are eating 1,200 to 2,200, is that a weekly average or each day?
The reason I ask is because one day I may eat 2,700, but the next only 1,200. I look at my weekly average and it comes out to be about 1,800-1,900. I wonder if that is what is occurring with you. You may fluctuate how many calories you eat each day but weekly you are averaging your TDEE.
It sounded like she was doing one month 1200, the next month 2200, etc. this makes sense because they usually say to eat at maintenance to get your metabolism back up if you're at a plateau.
Yes, some people say this, yet after the OP did this, she didn't "reset" her metabolism or whatever woo, and began to lose weight again. According to her, after this, nothing woo happened to her metabolism at all; she STILL can't lose weight.
Yeah, not woo sorry. Maybe OP wasn't actually hitting maintenance. She has said that her Fitbit often gives her a TDEE of 2700, so 2200 is still a 500 cal deficit on that. Even if her average was 2400, 2200 wouldn't be enough to bring those hormones back in line, because she'd still be at a deficit, and her body would still 'think' there was a food shortage and it needed to keep those protective mechanisms in play.
The only thing I can suggest is that she do a proper, controlled diet break at maintenance. Maybe it won't work for her, but at this point she is spinning her wheels and really has nothing to lose.
I did decide to eat at maintenance for probably until January or February. However, still don't know what that would be without eating too much. Could you please help with the math?
Do you have a place near you that is reputable and does long-term (AKA, not five minutes) RMR testing? That would at least give you a baseline as to what you burn in a day, and then you could use a spreadsheet like this one to figure out your actual activity factor as opposed to trying to guess one of the categories: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1G7FgNzPq3v5WMjDtH0n93LXSMRY_hjmzNTMJb3aZSxM/edit#gid=0
Or, if you can't do the in-person actual RMR testing, follow that spreadsheet as described, and start from there.
I will follow the spreadsheet, because apparently they only do the testing in California and I am in NY. Thank you!
Try that, and also come join us in the refeeds thread, lots of brains there to help you work out maintenance. I would personally start with your Fitbit average, even if it's a little high, the important thing is to hit maintenance, not under. We should be able to see fairly quickly if you've overshot, and you can scale back a bit. IE, it's normal to see a small upswing initially from glycogen replenishment and more food in your system, if that doesn't level off, then we scale back a bit on cals. But you're allowing a good, long time for this, so we have time to tinker
. 5 -
collectingblues wrote: »Where in NY? I mean, I live in Pennsylvania, and we have a university-based lab that does it. I'm not saying that I don't believe you -- i'm just saying that there may be more options than you think.
Long Island. I did a search for 25 miles out and said no results.0 -
Nony_Mouse wrote: »jesshali119 wrote: »collectingblues wrote: »jesshali119 wrote: »Nony_Mouse wrote: »squatsnotsquat wrote: »Ah I missed where she said that. I need to read slower.
With that being said, OP, we can't see how much you are eating. When you say you are eating 1,200 to 2,200, is that a weekly average or each day?
The reason I ask is because one day I may eat 2,700, but the next only 1,200. I look at my weekly average and it comes out to be about 1,800-1,900. I wonder if that is what is occurring with you. You may fluctuate how many calories you eat each day but weekly you are averaging your TDEE.
It sounded like she was doing one month 1200, the next month 2200, etc. this makes sense because they usually say to eat at maintenance to get your metabolism back up if you're at a plateau.
Yes, some people say this, yet after the OP did this, she didn't "reset" her metabolism or whatever woo, and began to lose weight again. According to her, after this, nothing woo happened to her metabolism at all; she STILL can't lose weight.
Yeah, not woo sorry. Maybe OP wasn't actually hitting maintenance. She has said that her Fitbit often gives her a TDEE of 2700, so 2200 is still a 500 cal deficit on that. Even if her average was 2400, 2200 wouldn't be enough to bring those hormones back in line, because she'd still be at a deficit, and her body would still 'think' there was a food shortage and it needed to keep those protective mechanisms in play.
The only thing I can suggest is that she do a proper, controlled diet break at maintenance. Maybe it won't work for her, but at this point she is spinning her wheels and really has nothing to lose.
I did decide to eat at maintenance for probably until January or February. However, still don't know what that would be without eating too much. Could you please help with the math?
Do you have a place near you that is reputable and does long-term (AKA, not five minutes) RMR testing? That would at least give you a baseline as to what you burn in a day, and then you could use a spreadsheet like this one to figure out your actual activity factor as opposed to trying to guess one of the categories: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1G7FgNzPq3v5WMjDtH0n93LXSMRY_hjmzNTMJb3aZSxM/edit#gid=0
Or, if you can't do the in-person actual RMR testing, follow that spreadsheet as described, and start from there.
I will follow the spreadsheet, because apparently they only do the testing in California and I am in NY. Thank you!
Try that, and also come join us in the refeeds thread, lots of brains there to help you work out maintenance. I would personally start with your Fitbit average, even if it's a little high, the important thing is to hit maintenance, not under. We should be able to see fairly quickly if you've overshot, and you can scale back a bit. IE, it's normal to see a small upswing initially from glycogen replenishment and more food in your system, if that doesn't level off, then we scale back a bit on cals. But you're allowing a good, long time for this, so we have time to tinker.
Thank you for everything:) can I message you when and if I feel things are getting off course?0 -
jesshali119 wrote: »Nony_Mouse wrote: »jesshali119 wrote: »collectingblues wrote: »jesshali119 wrote: »Nony_Mouse wrote: »squatsnotsquat wrote: »Ah I missed where she said that. I need to read slower.
With that being said, OP, we can't see how much you are eating. When you say you are eating 1,200 to 2,200, is that a weekly average or each day?
The reason I ask is because one day I may eat 2,700, but the next only 1,200. I look at my weekly average and it comes out to be about 1,800-1,900. I wonder if that is what is occurring with you. You may fluctuate how many calories you eat each day but weekly you are averaging your TDEE.
It sounded like she was doing one month 1200, the next month 2200, etc. this makes sense because they usually say to eat at maintenance to get your metabolism back up if you're at a plateau.
Yes, some people say this, yet after the OP did this, she didn't "reset" her metabolism or whatever woo, and began to lose weight again. According to her, after this, nothing woo happened to her metabolism at all; she STILL can't lose weight.
Yeah, not woo sorry. Maybe OP wasn't actually hitting maintenance. She has said that her Fitbit often gives her a TDEE of 2700, so 2200 is still a 500 cal deficit on that. Even if her average was 2400, 2200 wouldn't be enough to bring those hormones back in line, because she'd still be at a deficit, and her body would still 'think' there was a food shortage and it needed to keep those protective mechanisms in play.
The only thing I can suggest is that she do a proper, controlled diet break at maintenance. Maybe it won't work for her, but at this point she is spinning her wheels and really has nothing to lose.
I did decide to eat at maintenance for probably until January or February. However, still don't know what that would be without eating too much. Could you please help with the math?
Do you have a place near you that is reputable and does long-term (AKA, not five minutes) RMR testing? That would at least give you a baseline as to what you burn in a day, and then you could use a spreadsheet like this one to figure out your actual activity factor as opposed to trying to guess one of the categories: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1G7FgNzPq3v5WMjDtH0n93LXSMRY_hjmzNTMJb3aZSxM/edit#gid=0
Or, if you can't do the in-person actual RMR testing, follow that spreadsheet as described, and start from there.
I will follow the spreadsheet, because apparently they only do the testing in California and I am in NY. Thank you!
Try that, and also come join us in the refeeds thread, lots of brains there to help you work out maintenance. I would personally start with your Fitbit average, even if it's a little high, the important thing is to hit maintenance, not under. We should be able to see fairly quickly if you've overshot, and you can scale back a bit. IE, it's normal to see a small upswing initially from glycogen replenishment and more food in your system, if that doesn't level off, then we scale back a bit on cals. But you're allowing a good, long time for this, so we have time to tinker.
Thank you for everything:) can I message you when and if I feel things are getting off course?
Of course But I do also recommend posting in the refeeds thread, because the combined brain power in there is pretty awesome, and there are brainier brains than mine in terms of the physiology stuff. Remember, you will almost certainly see an upswing in scale weight those first few days, don't panic. Also take into consideration where you are in your monthly cycle so you can account for any water weight from that. I would also highly recommend using a trending weight app if you don't already - Happy Scale, Libra, or Trendweight (web-based, syncs with your Fitbit, so you just log your weight each day on Fitbit, and can then look at Trendweight for the trend line). 2 -
Nony_Mouse wrote: »Try that, and also come join us in the refeeds thread, lots of brains there to help you work out maintenance. I would personally start with your Fitbit average, even if it's a little high, the important thing is to hit maintenance, not under. We should be able to see fairly quickly if you've overshot, and you can scale back a bit. IE, it's normal to see a small upswing initially from glycogen replenishment and more food in your system, if that doesn't level off, then we scale back a bit on cals. But you're allowing a good, long time for this, so we have time to tinker.
Thank you for everything:) can I message you when and if I feel things are getting off course?
Of course But I do also recommend posting in the refeeds thread, because the combined brain power in there is pretty awesome, and there are brainier brains than mine in terms of the physiology stuff. Remember, you will almost certainly see an upswing in scale weight those first few days, don't panic. Also take into consideration where you are in your monthly cycle so you can account for any water weight from that. I would also highly recommend using a trending weight app if you don't already - Happy Scale, Libra, or Trendweight (web-based, syncs with your Fitbit, so you just log your weight each day on Fitbit, and can then look at Trendweight for the trend line).
I think that the TDEE calculation you posted above is @heybales 's "quick" TDEE calculation and a more complete TDEE calculation can be found in the following spreadsheet he has also posted:
Weight Loss Calculator spreadsheet (updated 1/5/14) for BMR/TDEE deficit methods, HRM info, macro setup, MFP tweaking, all to maximize deficit and benefit of exercise done and retain muscle mass:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Amt7QBR9-c6MdGVTbGswLUUzUHNVVUlNSW9wZWloeUE
Description of spreadsheet:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/813720-spreadsheet-bmr-tdee-deficit-macro-calcs-hrm-zones
However, you DON'T NEED TO DO ALL THAT.
All you need to do is start ramping up with the goal of reaching or surpassing your Fitbit daily calories.
My suggestion for what it's worth is 50% of the spread between where you are today and where your Fitbit TDEE is for the first week. Then go up another 50% of the spread. Until the increments are in the ~100 Cal range at which point you push up at that rate till weight gain is continuous. Then you back off 100 Cal. After you stabilise there for a few weeks (up for discussion how many), you then go on a 15% to 20% cut from where you've stabilised at.
You don't need to ESTIMATE your TDEE. Your food log and (trending weight) scale numbers will tell you where it is.
<when using trending weight apps be aware that there is a lag at the inflection points that someone who uses the apps long term eventually gets a feel for>3 -
Ditto to using the Fitbit for what it is attempting to do. That spreadsheet was started when activity trackers (BodyMedia Fit) just started coming out, and didn't sync with MFP. But not needed if you have one, though the progress tab with measurements is useful. And I've heard the idea of planning a future TDEE with seasonal workout change coming up.
Looking at where Fitbit can have potential inaccuracy and fixing those moving forward makes is much easier then.
The extreme example would be if you swam all the time with a step-based model - you'd obviously have to manually log that workout.
Or if you did almost daily for an hour of some circuit type interval workout with a HR-based model - manually logging to correct HR-based calorie burn if large.
Or you know the stride length is off and your main energy burn daily is getting 20K steps - manually measure once to input a better stride length to correct it going forward.
Just like people learn on the eating side corrections to bad logging estimates - like eating out at restaurants frequently.1
This discussion has been closed.
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