Guide: Properly lose BODY FAT % (For Women)!

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Replies

  • Lukazetta
    Lukazetta Posts: 427 Member
    Helloitsdan is anything but a hater ! .....sheesh

    I am gonna bet he isn't a hater at all and probably gives great advice but that's how he came off as from all of his posts on this thread.

    We are all here to help each other so most of the bashing/hating on each other is just pointless.
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member

    I knew you were agreeing with me, it's just the fact that you try to bash everyone instead of actually giving any sort of advice or RELEVANT information .

    That's why you I believe you fit the description of a hater and why I believe the comment (yes, pop tarts) suits you right.

    Can you show me a post where I bashed anyone?
    Aside from the Broscar I gave you for

    "While cutting body fat, you'll be eating the least amount of calories your body needs. So it's important that you properly portion out your meals throughout the day so you don't starve yourself.
    The reason:
    Our bodies actually panic when we get into a starving mode and it ends up storing more fat later which you obviously don't want to happen. The more consistent your meals are, the more body fat you will actually lose since your body will "think" you don't need to keep it. So that's another reason why you shouldn't jump down to a real low calorie diet to start, gradually progress down and by keeping it close to your BMR."

    This is horrible advice to give anyone who wants to lose just body fat.

    What you meant to say was "Cut 20% off TDEE to lose 99% body fat and very little lean mass."

    See?

    If you were to diet near BMR youll lose 20-50% of your weight as lean mass.
    Thats not proper dieting.

    You saw this as bashing.

    I'm not bashing you at all i'm just saying that this statement is wrong on many aspects.

    It would lead many people down Skinny-Fat boulevard.

    I'm not trying to start anything but if I see a statement that will hinder someones diet i'll call it out.
  • emmatren83
    emmatren83 Posts: 2 Member
    Hi, Can you help me?

    I started a month ago and lost 7lb first week, 8 second week, 4 3rd week and this week only 2.

    My TDEE IS 2936. Bearing in mind I have gone from a sedentry daily life to now doing cardio 1/2 hour to an hour at least 4/5 times a week.

    My BMR is around 1891.

    I'm eating around the 900 net calories range as admittedly I was obviously not understanding it correctly before I read this and wasn't looking at my net and only my gross, now just realising the net means I'm eating far too little.

    I'm not hungry but understand thats probably because I've been training myself to get used to this in the last month. What calorie range should I be eating within?

    Have a very important reason for losing the weight (in addition to normal health issues associated with being obese) and need to be able to understand this.

    Pls help!
  • Lukazetta
    Lukazetta Posts: 427 Member

    I knew you were agreeing with me, it's just the fact that you try to bash everyone instead of actually giving any sort of advice or RELEVANT information .

    That's why you I believe you fit the description of a hater and why I believe the comment (yes, pop tarts) suits you right.

    Can you show me a post where I bashed anyone?
    Aside from the Broscar I gave you for

    "While cutting body fat, you'll be eating the least amount of calories your body needs. So it's important that you properly portion out your meals throughout the day so you don't starve yourself.
    The reason:
    Our bodies actually panic when we get into a starving mode and it ends up storing more fat later which you obviously don't want to happen. The more consistent your meals are, the more body fat you will actually lose since your body will "think" you don't need to keep it. So that's another reason why you shouldn't jump down to a real low calorie diet to start, gradually progress down and by keeping it close to your BMR."

    This is horrible advice to give anyone who wants to lose just body fat.

    What you meant to say was "Cut 20% off TDEE to lose 99% body fat and very little lean mass."

    See?

    If you were to diet near BMR youll lose 20-50% of your weight as lean mass.
    Thats not proper dieting.

    You saw this as bashing.

    I'm not bashing you at all i'm just saying that this statement is wrong on many aspects.

    It would lead many people down Skinny-Fat boulevard.

    I'm not trying to start anything but if I see a statement that will hinder someones diet i'll call it out.

    ^^^This is the post you should have posted before. Thank you finally for proving your point.
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    And apologies for the broscar.
    I should have posted this statement earlier to clear things up.
    =D
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member

    I knew you were agreeing with me, it's just the fact that you try to bash everyone instead of actually giving any sort of advice or RELEVANT information .

    That's why you I believe you fit the description of a hater and why I believe the comment (yes, pop tarts) suits you right.

    Can you show me a post where I bashed anyone?
    Aside from the Broscar I gave you for

    "While cutting body fat, you'll be eating the least amount of calories your body needs. So it's important that you properly portion out your meals throughout the day so you don't starve yourself.
    The reason:
    Our bodies actually panic when we get into a starving mode and it ends up storing more fat later which you obviously don't want to happen. The more consistent your meals are, the more body fat you will actually lose since your body will "think" you don't need to keep it. So that's another reason why you shouldn't jump down to a real low calorie diet to start, gradually progress down and by keeping it close to your BMR."

    This is horrible advice to give anyone who wants to lose just body fat.

    What you meant to say was "Cut 20% off TDEE to lose 99% body fat and very little lean mass."

    See?

    If you were to diet near BMR youll lose 20-50% of your weight as lean mass.
    Thats not proper dieting.

    You saw this as bashing.

    I'm not bashing you at all i'm just saying that this statement is wrong on many aspects.

    It would lead many people down Skinny-Fat boulevard.

    I'm not trying to start anything but if I see a statement that will hinder someones diet i'll call it out.

    ^^^This is the post you should have posted before. Thank you finally for proving your point.

    LOL you beat me to it!
    =D
  • Lukazetta
    Lukazetta Posts: 427 Member
    Hi, Can you help me?

    I started a month ago and lost 7lb first week, 8 second week, 4 3rd week and this week only 2.

    My TDEE IS 2936. Bearing in mind I have gone from a sedentry daily life to now doing cardio 1/2 hour to an hour at least 4/5 times a week.

    My BMR is around 1891.

    I'm eating around the 900 net calories range as admittedly I was obviously not understanding it correctly before I read this and wasn't looking at my net and only my gross, now just realising the net means I'm eating far too little.

    I'm not hungry but understand thats probably because I've been training myself to get used to this in the last month. What calorie range should I be eating within?

    Have a very important reason for losing the weight (in addition to normal health issues associated with being obese) and need to be able to understand this.

    Pls help!


    How much do you need?
    There is therefore a multitude of things that impact a persons MAINTENANCE calorie requirements
    - Age & sex (males generally need > females for any given age)
    - Total weight & lean mass (more lean mass = more needed)
    - Physiological status (eg: sick or injured, pregnant, growth and 'enhancement')
    - Hormones (eg: thyroid hormone levels, growth hormone levels)
    - Exercise level (more activity = more needed)
    - Daily activity level (more activity = more needed)
    - Diet (that is - macronutrient intake)

    Your FAT/CARBS/PROTEIN plays a big part too...
    2. Fats: Generally speaking, although the body can get away with short periods of very low fat, in the long run your body NEEDS fat to maintain general health, satiety, and sanity. Additionally - any form of high intensity training will benefit from a 'fat buffer' in your diet - which acts to control free radical damage and inflammation. General guides:
    Average or lean bodyfat: 1 - 2g fat/ kg body weight [between 0.40 - 1g total weight/ pounds]
    High bodyfat: 1-2g fat/ LEAN weight [between 0.4 - 1g LEAN weight/ pounds]
    IF low calorie dieting - you can decrease further, but as a minimum, I would not suggest LESS than about 0.30g/ pound.
    Note 1: Total fat intake is NOT the same as 'essential fats' (essential fats are specific TYPES of fats that are INCLUDED in your total fat intake)...

    3. Carbs: For carbs there are no specific 'requirements' for your body so - but carbs are important for athletes, HIGHLY ACTIVE individuals, or those trying to GAIN MASS. [carbs help with workout intensity, health, & satiety (+ sanity)].
    If you are an athlete involved in a good volume of training I would suggest you CALCULATE a requirement for carbs as a PRIORITY - then go back and calculate protein / fat:
    Moderately active: 4.5 - 6.5 g/ kg (about 2 - 3g/ pound)
    High active: 6.5 - 8.5 g/ kg (about 3 - 4g/ pound)
    INTENSE activity: + 8.5g / kg (more than 4g/ pound)

    There are ways to also up your metabolism rate...
    Fact #1 A slow or sluggish metabolism is not the major cause of weight gain.

    A caloric imbalance is the cause of weight gain (consuming more calories than you burn in a day). If you have a slow or sluggish metabolism? A brisk 30 minute walk each day would get you started in the right direction to speed it up.

    Fact #2 Lifting weights (or other resistance exercises) and cardio exercise will give you a higher metabolic rate.

    Specifically, a combination of circuit weight training and high intensity interval cardio will get your metabolism “revved up.”

    Fact #3 Sweating is not a gauge of how many calories you are burning.

    This may be bad news for sauna and steam room lovers! Weight loss or gain is a product of calories consumed or burned. If you burn more calories than you consume, you will lose weight and vice-versa.

    Fact #4 The best time to exercise is whenever you have the most energy.

    Working out at any time of the day will increase metabolism for several hours, depending on intensity.

    Fact #5 Your metabolism doesn’t necessarily have to slow down as you get older. Again, a combination of circuit weight training and high intensity interval cardio will keep your metabolism “revved up” throughout your life.

    Fact #6 Eating smaller, frequent meals will keep your metabolism “revved up” during the day. Your metabolism will slow down if there are too many hours between meals.

    Fact #7 There is no significant evidence showing that eating certain foods/drinks such as peppers and green tea will speed your metabolism for a long period of time. Actually, any food will speed your metabolism within the first hour after you eat. A high-protein food might speed metabolism for a longer period of time since protein requires about 25% more energy to digest. Your best bet is to follow Fact #6 when it comes to eating.
    http://www.thefitnesspersonals.com/blog/?p=167
  • mrsmel55
    mrsmel55 Posts: 168
    bump
  • BOLO4Hagtha
    BOLO4Hagtha Posts: 396 Member
    My TDEE is 3188
    My BMR is 1853.6

    According to MFP, to lose 2lbs a week I need 1370cals. Which I try to stick to, sometimes more (since I'm doing P90X). I barely loose 1lb a week. What gives?
  • Lukazetta
    Lukazetta Posts: 427 Member
    My TDEE is 3188
    My BMR is 1853.6

    According to MFP, to lose 2lbs a week I need 1370cals. Which I try to stick to, sometimes more (since I'm doing P90X). I barely loose 1lb a week. What gives?

    Eat above your BMR, especially with what Tony Horton makes you do everyday.
  • emmatren83
    emmatren83 Posts: 2 Member
    Hi, Can you help me?

    I started a month ago and lost 7lb first week, 8 second week, 4 3rd week and this week only 2.

    My TDEE IS 2936. Bearing in mind I have gone from a sedentry daily life to now doing cardio 1/2 hour to an hour at least 4/5 times a week.

    My BMR is around 1891.

    I'm eating around the 900 net calories range as admittedly I was obviously not understanding it correctly before I read this and wasn't looking at my net and only my gross, now just realising the net means I'm eating far too little.

    I'm not hungry but understand thats probably because I've been training myself to get used to this in the last month. What calorie range should I be eating within?

    Have a very important reason for losing the weight (in addition to normal health issues associated with being obese) and need to be able to understand this.

    Pls help!


    How much do you need?
    There is therefore a multitude of things that impact a persons MAINTENANCE calorie requirements
    - Age & sex (males generally need > females for any given age)
    - Total weight & lean mass (more lean mass = more needed)
    - Physiological status (eg: sick or injured, pregnant, growth and 'enhancement')
    - Hormones (eg: thyroid hormone levels, growth hormone levels)
    - Exercise level (more activity = more needed)
    - Daily activity level (more activity = more needed)
    - Diet (that is - macronutrient intake)

    Your FAT/CARBS/PROTEIN plays a big part too...
    2. Fats: Generally speaking, although the body can get away with short periods of very low fat, in the long run your body NEEDS fat to maintain general health, satiety, and sanity. Additionally - any form of high intensity training will benefit from a 'fat buffer' in your diet - which acts to control free radical damage and inflammation. General guides:
    Average or lean bodyfat: 1 - 2g fat/ kg body weight [between 0.40 - 1g total weight/ pounds]
    High bodyfat: 1-2g fat/ LEAN weight [between 0.4 - 1g LEAN weight/ pounds]
    IF low calorie dieting - you can decrease further, but as a minimum, I would not suggest LESS than about 0.30g/ pound.
    Note 1: Total fat intake is NOT the same as 'essential fats' (essential fats are specific TYPES of fats that are INCLUDED in your total fat intake)...

    3. Carbs: For carbs there are no specific 'requirements' for your body so - but carbs are important for athletes, HIGHLY ACTIVE individuals, or those trying to GAIN MASS. [carbs help with workout intensity, health, & satiety (+ sanity)].
    If you are an athlete involved in a good volume of training I would suggest you CALCULATE a requirement for carbs as a PRIORITY - then go back and calculate protein / fat:
    Moderately active: 4.5 - 6.5 g/ kg (about 2 - 3g/ pound)
    High active: 6.5 - 8.5 g/ kg (about 3 - 4g/ pound)
    INTENSE activity: + 8.5g / kg (more than 4g/ pound)

    There are ways to also up your metabolism rate...
    Fact #1 A slow or sluggish metabolism is not the major cause of weight gain.

    A caloric imbalance is the cause of weight gain (consuming more calories than you burn in a day). If you have a slow or sluggish metabolism? A brisk 30 minute walk each day would get you started in the right direction to speed it up.

    Fact #2 Lifting weights (or other resistance exercises) and cardio exercise will give you a higher metabolic rate.

    Specifically, a combination of circuit weight training and high intensity interval cardio will get your metabolism “revved up.”

    Fact #3 Sweating is not a gauge of how many calories you are burning.

    This may be bad news for sauna and steam room lovers! Weight loss or gain is a product of calories consumed or burned. If you burn more calories than you consume, you will lose weight and vice-versa.

    Fact #4 The best time to exercise is whenever you have the most energy.

    Working out at any time of the day will increase metabolism for several hours, depending on intensity.

    Fact #5 Your metabolism doesn’t necessarily have to slow down as you get older. Again, a combination of circuit weight training and high intensity interval cardio will keep your metabolism “revved up” throughout your life.

    Fact #6 Eating smaller, frequent meals will keep your metabolism “revved up” during the day. Your metabolism will slow down if there are too many hours between meals.

    Fact #7 There is no significant evidence showing that eating certain foods/drinks such as peppers and green tea will speed your metabolism for a long period of time. Actually, any food will speed your metabolism within the first hour after you eat. A high-protein food might speed metabolism for a longer period of time since protein requires about 25% more energy to digest. Your best bet is to follow Fact #6 when it comes to eating.
    http://www.thefitnesspersonals.com/blog/?p=167

    Thanks for your help. I'll try and digest (!) all this.
  • BOLO4Hagtha
    BOLO4Hagtha Posts: 396 Member
    My TDEE is 3188
    My BMR is 1853.6

    According to MFP, to lose 2lbs a week I need 1370cals. Which I try to stick to, sometimes more (since I'm doing P90X). I barely loose 1lb a week. What gives?

    Eat above your BMR, especially with what Tony Horton makes you do everyday.

    Thanks. I will try that. I should probably aim for 2000cals/day.
  • lleabrooks
    lleabrooks Posts: 87 Member
    bump- wanna read later
  • Bump
  • NayaP
    NayaP Posts: 46
    bump
  • JaySpice
    JaySpice Posts: 326 Member
    bump
  • kodijhill
    kodijhill Posts: 116 Member
    who would like to calculate mine im totally bad at math
  • versuga
    versuga Posts: 130 Member
    Bump
  • Lukazetta
    Lukazetta Posts: 427 Member
    who would like to calculate mine im totally bad at math


    http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Hi, Can you help me?

    I started a month ago and lost 7lb first week, 8 second week, 4 3rd week and this week only 2.

    My TDEE IS 2936. Bearing in mind I have gone from a sedentry daily life to now doing cardio 1/2 hour to an hour at least 4/5 times a week.

    My BMR is around 1891.

    I'm eating around the 900 net calories range as admittedly I was obviously not understanding it correctly before I read this and wasn't looking at my net and only my gross, now just realising the net means I'm eating far too little.

    I'm not hungry but understand thats probably because I've been training myself to get used to this in the last month. What calorie range should I be eating within?

    Have a very important reason for losing the weight (in addition to normal health issues associated with being obese) and need to be able to understand this.

    Pls help!
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    In response to the question above - you should probably be somewhere around 2,200 but then re-look at your BMR when you have lost a few more lbs you should probably cut the deficit to nearer 500 calories (I.e the amount below your TDEE) when you have a little less to lose.
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    Check this link.
    It makes life much easier!

    >>>>>IMPORTANT!!! To get your numbers right please visit http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/ Do the Military Body Fat Calc first, then the BMR tool. The BMR tool will give exact calories to eat on a daily basis. Add 20% to this number to get your TDEE. For Fat loss plans set up macros at 30% Protein/Fat each.<<<<<<<
  • Lukazetta
    Lukazetta Posts: 427 Member
    Check this link.
    It makes life much easier!

    >>>>>IMPORTANT!!! To get your numbers right please visit http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/ Do the Military Body Fat Calc first, then the BMR tool. The BMR tool will give exact calories to eat on a daily basis. Add 20% to this number to get your TDEE. For Fat loss plans set up macros at 30% Protein/Fat each.<<<<<<<

    Just tried it and it makes more sense than the regular BMR/TDEE and it would help a lot of people on here. You should create a thread about it if you haven't already.
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    This link was the first one I used after my 2 whole days at 1200 cals.
    I love it!

    I think I will start a thread on it now.

    =D
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,428 MFP Moderator


    Seriously bro, eating are your bmr while burning that much daily is horrible advice. She burns as much as me in a day. She will lose muscle mass by eating that little. She needs to be eating 2400-2600 calories a day.

    She already takes 1700 calories a day, I asked her if she was fine with that (which seems very low to me for what she posted) but your BMR and TDEE are both estimates based on a webpage; everyone has different metabolism rates...

    1) Your age. Your metabolism may slow down about 5% per decade after age 40 if you are sedentary.
    2) Gender. Men generally burn more calories at rest than women.
    3) Your proportion of lean muscle mass to fat mass. The more lean muscle mass you have, the higher your metabolic rate will be.
    4) Heredity also plays a part in your body’s rate of metabolism.
    5) Thyroid problems may also cause your metabolism to slow down.
    http://www.thefitnesspersonals.com/blog/?p=167

    I made a suggestion that she needs to up her calorie intake, HOW IS THAT BAD ADVICE? I told her it was ultimately her to decide and that her intake seemed very low to me at the moment.

    Almost everything in fitness has to do with research because YOU have to decide what's good and bad for you, keep an open mind because what may work for me won't always work for you. RESEARCH RESEARCH and RESEARCH, it's not up to me to decide how many calories you need to take in and vice-versa,

    Yes, I understand the variables in metabolic rates. I understand that your metabolism slows down when you age and it does that because your body loses muscle mass as you age. But TDEE is always TDEE. I don't have to exercise or have as active of a lifestyle to burn 3000 calories. And my BMR is 300 calories more than hers. But if she workouts out for 2 hours or has a very active lifestyle, it doesn't take away from the fact that our TDEE's are about the same. Which means, our caloric requirements are very similar.

    Another thing you have to consider is creating large deficits is a equation to maintain body fat and not lean muscle mass. Its good that you said she should increase calories, as I agree, but to the extent is where I disagreed. It's still always better to take 20% off of TDEE (as you or dan noted on the next page). This applies to all ages. I have used this method with 18 year olds and 40 year old women with the same result. They cut body fat and didn't lose any lean muscle mass. A combination of adequate protein and heavy weight lifting along with a 20% reduction from TDEE is a successful key to losing fat and maintaining lean muscle mass. But burning 3000 calories and eat 2000, even if your BMR is 1700, is a key to maintain body fat and lose more muscle. That is what I was trying to say.
  • Lukazetta
    Lukazetta Posts: 427 Member


    Seriously bro, eating are your bmr while burning that much daily is horrible advice. She burns as much as me in a day. She will lose muscle mass by eating that little. She needs to be eating 2400-2600 calories a day.

    She already takes 1700 calories a day, I asked her if she was fine with that (which seems very low to me for what she posted) but your BMR and TDEE are both estimates based on a webpage; everyone has different metabolism rates...

    1) Your age. Your metabolism may slow down about 5% per decade after age 40 if you are sedentary.
    2) Gender. Men generally burn more calories at rest than women.
    3) Your proportion of lean muscle mass to fat mass. The more lean muscle mass you have, the higher your metabolic rate will be.
    4) Heredity also plays a part in your body’s rate of metabolism.
    5) Thyroid problems may also cause your metabolism to slow down.
    http://www.thefitnesspersonals.com/blog/?p=167

    I made a suggestion that she needs to up her calorie intake, HOW IS THAT BAD ADVICE? I told her it was ultimately her to decide and that her intake seemed very low to me at the moment.

    Almost everything in fitness has to do with research because YOU have to decide what's good and bad for you, keep an open mind because what may work for me won't always work for you. RESEARCH RESEARCH and RESEARCH, it's not up to me to decide how many calories you need to take in and vice-versa,

    Yes, I understand the variables in metabolic rates. I understand that your metabolism slows down when you age and it does that because your body loses muscle mass as you age. But TDEE is always TDEE. I don't have to exercise or have as active of a lifestyle to burn 3000 calories. And my BMR is 300 calories more than hers. But if she workouts out for 2 hours or has a very active lifestyle, it doesn't take away from the fact that our TDEE's are about the same. Which means, our caloric requirements are very similar.

    Another thing you have to consider is creating large deficits is a equation to maintain body fat and not lean muscle mass. Its good that you said she should increase calories, as I agree, but to the extent is where I disagreed. It's still always better to take 20% off of TDEE (as you or dan noted on the next page). This applies to all ages. I have used this method with 18 year olds and 40 year old women with the same result. They cut body fat and didn't lose any lean muscle mass. A combination of adequate protein and heavy weight lifting along with a 20% reduction from TDEE is a successful key to losing fat and maintaining lean muscle mass. But burning 3000 calories and eat 2000, even if your BMR is 1700, is a key to maintain body fat and lose more muscle. That is what I was trying to say.

    You're right, I agree with you 100%.

    However, with TDEE you HAVE to exercise the way you set it up. So If you calculated with 0 days of exercising - you have to take calories off from the days you did and if you calculated with 5 days of exercising - you CANNOT just skip a day...you have to be consistent with both your diet (caloric intake) and activity.

    That's the only problem with TDEE.
  • kaitlynnme
    kaitlynnme Posts: 19 Member
    .
  • MommaFuhrer
    MommaFuhrer Posts: 214 Member
    Saving to read later :flowerforyou:
  • kaitlynnme
    kaitlynnme Posts: 19 Member


    Seriously bro, eating are your bmr while burning that much daily is horrible advice. She burns as much as me in a day. She will lose muscle mass by eating that little. She needs to be eating 2400-2600 calories a day.

    She already takes 1700 calories a day, I asked her if she was fine with that (which seems very low to me for what she posted) but your BMR and TDEE are both estimates based on a webpage; everyone has different metabolism rates...

    1) Your age. Your metabolism may slow down about 5% per decade after age 40 if you are sedentary.
    2) Gender. Men generally burn more calories at rest than women.
    3) Your proportion of lean muscle mass to fat mass. The more lean muscle mass you have, the higher your metabolic rate will be.
    4) Heredity also plays a part in your body’s rate of metabolism.
    5) Thyroid problems may also cause your metabolism to slow down.
    http://www.thefitnesspersonals.com/blog/?p=167

    I made a suggestion that she needs to up her calorie intake, HOW IS THAT BAD ADVICE? I told her it was ultimately her to decide and that her intake seemed very low to me at the moment.

    Almost everything in fitness has to do with research because YOU have to decide what's good and bad for you, keep an open mind because what may work for me won't always work for you. RESEARCH RESEARCH and RESEARCH, it's not up to me to decide how many calories you need to take in and vice-versa,

    Yes, I understand the variables in metabolic rates. I understand that your metabolism slows down when you age and it does that because your body loses muscle mass as you age. But TDEE is always TDEE. I don't have to exercise or have as active of a lifestyle to burn 3000 calories. And my BMR is 300 calories more than hers. But if she workouts out for 2 hours or has a very active lifestyle, it doesn't take away from the fact that our TDEE's are about the same. Which means, our caloric requirements are very similar.

    Another thing you have to consider is creating large deficits is a equation to maintain body fat and not lean muscle mass. Its good that you said she should increase calories, as I agree, but to the extent is where I disagreed. It's still always better to take 20% off of TDEE (as you or dan noted on the next page). This applies to all ages. I have used this method with 18 year olds and 40 year old women with the same result. They cut body fat and didn't lose any lean muscle mass. A combination of adequate protein and heavy weight lifting along with a 20% reduction from TDEE is a successful key to losing fat and maintaining lean muscle mass. But burning 3000 calories and eat 2000, even if your BMR is 1700, is a key to maintain body fat and lose more muscle. That is what I was trying to say.


    I would like to add that what psulemon has stated above helped me considerably. I think he may have posted a quote from me somewhere in this thread. I had a hard time wrapping my head around the thought that eating more could help you lose. But he explained to me all that he has shared here and I started applying it to my lifestyle. When I first increased my calories I gained weight. I was at a point were I was so frustrated and it could have been so easy to give up and decrease my calories because that is what made sense in my head. But I stuck it out. It took probably a good 6 months for my body to trust that I was going to feed it and so that it would start letting go of my fat. I was not overweight by the number on the scale but I was completely skinny fat and felt miserable. I began to lift heavy, eat really clean with 40/40/20 ratios and eventually added in hiit a few times a week. In a matter of 12 weeks, I went from 154 at 28% to 153 at 24%. I really couldn't believe it. During those 12 weeks I was frustrated with the number on the scale because it wasn't moving. But this goes to show that it is not all about the number. I think the biggest lesson for me was not to give up. It takes time. For some it might take a few weeks for some it may take months but don't give up because your success may be just around the corner and you don't want to give up just before you get there. I will retest my body fat in another 8 weeks or so and am hoping for more fat loss. If not, then I will reassess, change things up and keep going.
This discussion has been closed.