I think you should make changes whenever what you are doing isn’t working for you. Another approach is to be just making changes all the time. As for TDEE, I personally disregard it. TDEE is something that you can use for a guide and if it works for you great. I also avoid consuming any calories during my fasts, so I’m not a good rule follower!

Typically I make some change almost every week. Lately I’ve been exploring ways to add more fiber to my diet. So I’ve been playing with different salads and things I can add to food.

So I think a good rule is you don’t have to make changes if your diet is working but when it isn’t it is probably time for a change. In my case I know if I stick in a rut (which I’m prone too) I’ll soon stop making progress.

The reason I don’t worry about TDEE is that personally I find at this point in my life calories are a second order effect. Sure if I were to start consuming 6000 calories a day I would gain weight but it still wouldn’t be anywhere near a pound of fat a day. My body just doesn’t work that way. Likewise sometimes I probably have a 5000 calorie deficit over a week and maybe only lose almost nothing. Calories have impact but not always control

Here is what I consider more impactful short-term
* What I eat (ie NO refined sugar for me … yea my liver doesn’t handle it)
* How often I eat – The 6+ meals a day just keeps me gaining weight.
* How long I don’t eat – fasting … kind of why I’m here
* Intensity of exercise

Important factors but generally longer term
* How much I eat
* How much I exercise

What works for me probably isn’t the same as what works for you. You have to learn how your body responds and take control. I think 5:2 is a great template and it can be very flexible. I hope you are successful with your weight loss.

For a long time I felt compelled to eat every calorie I was “entitled” to. This is a risk of adhering too closely to a TDEE and it’s not really a healthy approach to eating.

For a few months I’ve been roughly estimating calorie intake rather than accurately counting them. I have a low TDEE (1400 calories) so initially I had to monitor to learn how to change my diet to fit my body’s low calorie needs. I feel I now have enough confidence to stop monitoring calories completely and beginning this month I am not going to monitor calories in any way as I now have a good knowledge of appropriate serve sizes and I know that if I actually trust my appetite and only eat when I’m hungry I do actually stay under my TDEE most NF days.

I’d suggest you aim for a healthy diet most of the time, then an occasional indulgence is just part of the ebb and flow of normal eating.