TDEE calc seems high?

This topic contains 4 replies, has 3 voices, and was last updated by  SueWR 10 years, 9 months ago.

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  • I’ve just started the 5:2 fast diet, but having looked at the TDEE am eating *waaay* less than my recommended TDEE amount.

    For me (14st4lb, age 41, female, run 2 times per week, 5’8″ tall)
    Your BMI is: 30.4
    Your BMR is: 1621
    Your TDEE is: 2228 calories

    before starting this way of eating, i estimate that on most days, i was eating 1600-1800 cals per day. I enjoy my food, and eat a good range of foods, but not huge amounts of sweets, biscuits or desserts. I drink a couple of glasses of wine in the evening, several times a week, and generally don’t worry about what i eat.

    BUT over the last 2-3 years the weight has piled on, and i need to shift some. So….given that the TDEE says i should be eating 2200 cals on my non-fast days, should i be upping my calorie intake to meet this? Won’t that mean i’ll put on weight, despite the 2 fast days? I honestly would be pigging myself to fill up those extra calories. or have to start having full fat milk in my coffee and taking sugar again. But that seems daft..?!

    So…what should i do here? any advice? It doesn’t seem right to be increasing my calories by 400 cals per day to match the TDEE, then fast on 2 days?

    any ideas?

    cheers
    Kajo

    Hi, kajo – Your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) figure is higher than the average 2000 cal quoted for a female because you are taller. I would say get as near to 2200 cals as possible on your non-fast days or else you run the risk of slowing down your metabolism, making weight loss more difficult. As I understand it, consistently under-eating leads to the body deliberately slowing its metabolism down, specifically to prevent further weight-loss, as it protects itself in the famine it is experiencing. If your intake to date has been regularly too low, in an effort to lose weight, then maybe your metabolism has already slowed and it would need a period of adjustment before being ready to let go of any fat reserves.
    Your max. recommended fast day intake, using the 5:2 approach, would be 25% of 2200 cal, i.e. 550 cal. Working on that basis, just two fast days a week would give you a weekly calorie deficit of about 3300 cals, so, you would be on target to lose roughly 1 pound a week (probably more to start with including fluid loss), as 1pound of fat is about 3500 cals.
    Some people eat less than their max on fast days and some prefer to eat nothing at all throughout the 24 or 36 hour schedule they adopt. Others use a 4:3 programme, i.e. 3 fast days per week. The choice is yours and it can take some time of experimenting to find a pattern that suits your own temperament and needs. However, I would say it would be a mistake to considerably under-eat on a daily basis.
    Also, I think increasing your sugar intake would be a big mistake. Many health advisors now consider sugar – much more so than fat – to be the most harmful ingredient in our modern diet, from both the general health perspective and that of the problem of weight-gain. Sugar has no nutritional value, plays havoc with insulin levels, etc., and any excess converts straight to bodily fat, plus there is so much sugar hidden in many processed foods that one’s intake is likely to be much higher than one thinks.
    As I’ve said to others: Keep in mind that 5:2 is best seen as a relaxed but steady jog rather than a manic sprint – a new way of life rather than a quick-fix. I hope you find your own happy rhythm and succeed in your aims.

    It’s interesting isn’t it? Yesterday – a NF day – I had what I thought was a LOT of calories. For example, I had two chocolate digestives with coffee in the morning, a Magnum mini watching the tennis, gin and tonic before dinner etc etc but I’ve just added up everything I ate and drank and it still comes in at just over 200 calories below my TDEE. Added to that the dogs had a very brisk 30 minute walk, I did 30 minutes on the elliptical trainer and then upper body weights. Be interesting to know whether somehow upping the calorie intake on NF days really will help speed up the metabolism and increase weight loss. Makes me realise how little I have been eating really – and wonder how I’ve got so fat!

    Hi, SueWR – I hope things are still going in the right direction for you, even if slowly. I think not all calories are equal from a weight-loss or health point of view. Your experiment of reducing starchy carbs sounds like a good one but it also sounds like you do like your special treats. Maybe watch out for those nutritionally empty calories? – ‘some, but not lots’ would help, I reckon, with plenty of protein foods and green veg. Your exercise regime looks good. Have great fun with the dogs!

    Yes, yesterday didn’t really fit into my starchy carb experiment! I’m using shocking hay fever and a very sore throat as my excuse!

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