Eat more to weigh less advice please!

Read the thread Eat more to weigh less. From my understanding you should always eat your TDEE-15% everyday, dont go below your BMR. Hope this helps

For most TDEE calculations, exercise is factored in already, so you should just eat 2131. That gives you a 500 calorie deficit per day which should work out to 1 lb per week loss.

If it doesn't, look up tips on breaking through plateaus, there are some good posts here about that.

MFP doesn't factor in exercise for its TDEE value because it wants you to track the calories burned and eat them back, which is confusing.

COPIED AND PASTED FROM Anewlucia Eat More To Weigh Less

"Lose Fat - 15% caloric reduction.

So now, you should have your BMR, TDEE, and Cut Value (TDEE - 15%)

Here is a video that talks about this in great detail that hopefully will clear up any questions you may have:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYi9xjIRvbY&feature=g-all-u

If TDEE is figured out correctly, then exercise cals don't *have* to be eaten back because, technically, TDEE figures them in. The underlying factor here, is that most people underestimate their activity levels, (for fear of being told to eat "too much") and then proceed to under eat. If a person is burning 1000 cals/day in exercise, then that should be figured into their TDEE, meaning their TDEE should be AT LEAST 1000 cals more than their BMR. If this is not the case then they are undercutting themselves on the cals. So a person w/a BMR of 1300, that puts up 1000 cal burns should have come up w/a TDEE calculation of 2400 or more. So any situation where a person is not getting those calculations, they should be eating back some of those exercise cals.

So if you come up w/BMR=1300, TDEE=1800, you need to either A) eat back some cals, or recalculate your TDEE to include the *actual* burns that you're getting.

So to cut using *true* TDEE figures, you'd just eat a flat TDEE (-15%), as long as TDEE is correct. It should be fine. But if you are using MFP's calculations, or are not getting a TDEE that includes the amount you burn each day *plus* BMR, you need to eat back some exercise cals.

Eat TDEE less about 15%. That's it. Easy.

For most TDEE calculations, exercise is factored in already, so you should just eat 2131. That gives you a 500 calorie deficit per day which should work out to 1 lb per week loss.

If it doesn't, look up tips on breaking through plateaus, there are some good posts here about that.

MFP doesn't factor in exercise for its TDEE value because it wants you to track the calories burned and eat them back, which is confusing.

Yeah, I have found that slightly confusing - I've been busy paying attention to my net but from what you're saying I just need to carry on doing what I am doing exercise wise and make sure I consume 2131 cals a day. Thats fab! Thank you for making it clear!

2131 is scary when everyone I know on here has been given 1200 cals a day to eat and that is what MFP tried to put me on but I workout a lot so time will tell!

It might take some time and you might gain a few pounds at first. But, then you will start to lose. Don't panic if your weight goes up in the first couple weeks.

just subbing as i am having to increase calories...quite scary to go from 1200 (plus burned calories) to 2200!

Bumping for info

If you regularly net below bmr go up to next activity level.

What's your average burn over the week? If you burn 600 or more every day I would reduce the amount of exercise, there is no need to do that much.

I have high burns (8-900) two days a week when I do spin and boxing, so on those days am below bmr, but over the week including average my net comes in around bmr.

If you regularly net below bmr go up to next activity level.

What's your average burn over the week? If you burn 600 or more every day I would reduce the amount of exercise, there is no need to do that much.

I have high burns (8-900) two days a week when I do spin and boxing, so on those days am below bmr, but over the week including average my net comes in around bmr.

I've listed myself as very active, 5-6 hours of strenuous exercise a week... My exercise levels are:

Netball twice a week (both an hour a time)
Swimming 3 times a week (at least an hour of solid lengths each time)
30DS roughly 4 days a week (half an hour a time)
Squash twice a week (45 minutes a time)
I've also started running as well but I don't enjoy it so I don't see that one staying, we will see!

I'm not really prepared to drop the activity level - I enjoy it and I am committed to the other people doing it with me..... I understand I may build muscle but I would be happy with this, I don't actually care in the long run what the scales say, I want to drop 2-3 dress sizes and be toned.....but i don't seem to be shifting the fat atm

That all seems to be cardio so there is no chance of building muscle, you are more than likely losing muscle which is why you aren't seeing much in the way of results.

To build muscle you need to eat at maintenance or a calorie surplus with high protein. While in a calorie deficit, the best you can do is maintain the muscle you have which will help to burn fat and lose inches.

I would replace the 30ds with heavy weight training, and keep up the other stuff for your cardio.