I could get a pretty accurate estimate of my Total Daily Energy Expenditure because I knew my body fat % before I started losing fat. My question is, how much can I expect that to change after losing fat? I get practically no exercise (just sitting all day). My own assumption is that the change should be negligible because I’m not losing anything that uses a lot of energy for upkeep.
Hey Dia!
I’m not sure I follow your question entirely. If you’ve lost body fat and have a sedentary lifestyle, your daily calorie requirements will increase slightly, but this will depend on a variety of factors, including your age, physiology, and habits. The amount of calories you’ll need to maintain your weight will differ depending on how much fat you’ve reduced.
You link to this calculator in your fat loss guide: https://tdeecalculator.net/. Basically what I’m asking is, should I assume all the weight I lose is fat for the purpose of recalculating my TDEE (assuming my lifestyle doesn’t change). I noticed that when I did that, my TDEE didn’t change even as I lost weight.
If you live a sedentary lifestyle and reduce your calorie consumption, you may be burning fat, but this relies on a variety of factors unique to you. If you lose weight while also lowering your body fat percentage, the number of calories you consume may remain constant, which is ok. In this instance, the best course of action is to take another body fat measurement to be sure how your body is reacting to the weight loss.
I better recommend also adding some sport to your life. Something ordinary, like riding a bike. Buy something simple for beginners https://www.bikethesites.com/best-beginner-road-bikes/ and use it every day for 30 min, cardio helps people to get rid of some fat.
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Use dumbbells for full body weight lifting at home (follow YT videos) to ensure you only lose fat and as little muscle as possible. But you need a lot of protein too. Sorry if this has nothing to do with your question.
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Apparently you do lose fat too when dieting: Semaglutide and GLP-1: Effects on lean body mass still unclear
Some exercise would be crucial, if only cardio. 200-300 calories spent on exercise daily should be enough.
This is why: if you’re in calorie deficit (which I’m guessing you are) the body will start using body materials for energy, and it prioritises protein over fat. The bulk of protein in your body is contained in muscle tissue, So if you’re only doing a calorie deficit, then in the long run not only will you not lose as much fat as you could, but also lose muscle mass. On the scale this will seem good at first because muscle weighs more than fat, but ultimately you will not reach your goal.
So my advice is, do at least the minimum of exercise, in order to signal your body that it needs muscles, It should turn to fat for energy then.
Cycling 30 minutes a day should do the trick. Or any bodyweight stuff at home, probably easiest.
I use chatgpt for a lot of advice and calculations in regards to this (I know some members will probably crucify me for this) but for now it has worked. Lost 15 kg in one year with no cycling in winter, easy to moderate in cold months, more intense in summer. Use JJ for 70 percent food intake (1600 to 2000 daily on a 2500 expenditure at rest) and mostly eggs or chicken for added protein. Good luck!
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