I have the same issue. I have stuck with 500 calories and have lost 4.8 lbs. in the first 3 weeks, which I am thrilled with. There doesn’t seem to be any magic to getting down to 25% of maintenance calories, it’s a little bit arbitrary, the 2-day diet allows 650 calories, it just needs to be a really significant reduction. As far as I can tell, at least.

I didn’t know anything about the TDEE until a couple of months ago when I finally found this forum. I was just going by the 500 quoted in the documentary and I already knew that an ‘average’ woman should try to stay on or under 2000 on non fastdays. As it turns out my TDEE is slightly more than that, even now after a full year and 44lbs of weight loss.

I guess I could have been still losing on more calories throughout the year but it really doesn’t matter. It was doable and I never felt deprived. I’d never go less than 500 for a fastday though and I’d always try to stay under 2000 on a non-fastday. It’s not a chore to do it and it may affect the rate at which you lose but at the end of the day I don’t care how long it takes, as long as that scale and/or my clothes size is constantly heading in the right direction.

I always think it’s more useful to think about your calorie intake throughout the whole week. If you work out what your weekly total for your TDEE should be and then what your actual intake is then you’ll probably still see a good percentage drop between the 2, even if it’s not a full 20-25% and it’s important to remember that the calories are not the most important bit when it comes to the health benefits. For those it is the fasting aspect itself that is doing most of the work.

Hi
I’m pretty sure I read elsewhere on the site that Michael recommends not going below 500 calories on a fast day regardless of your TDEE.