Tdee help please.

[StinkingNorthener]

I really need to lose weight and want to do it using the tdee method but am a little stuck. What is the best site to use to calculate it and what is my activity level. I'm female, 32 years old five foot three and weigh 77kg. I work 4 days a week in a coffee shop, sometimes I'll be on the till and others I will be waitresses and clearing tables etc. I walk a mile 3 times a day on school days doing the school run and I plan to go to the gym about 4 times a week for a hour a time.

Tia

[StinkingNorthener]

Oh and my shifts are 4 hours long at work.

[Ta1kinPeace]

The TDEE site I like is this one
www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html
Your best bet is to set it as sedentary and then stay within that across the week so that you have a deficit to let the weight fall away

[StinkingNorthener]

Thanks, putting my numbers into the calculator and choosing the little to no exercise option I get 1838 as my tdee so in theory as long as I eat below this I should lose weight? I've been using MyFitnessPal for the last 2 days and set it to 1650 a day and don't eat any exercise calories back does this sound right?

[Ta1kinPeace]

Yup.
If you aim for an average across the week, with a bit of a deficit Monday to Thursday, allowing relaxation at the weekend
that will make it sustainable

[StinkingNorthener]

That's a good idea. I don't want to start a faddy diet as it wouldn't be sustainable for me long term. I have 3 children and want to teach them to make better food choices and better portion control. Especially my 10 year old dd who would happily eat a man's size portion of food and go back for more if I let her. This way we can do it as a family eating better and they will benefit as well by learning good habits.

[Ta1kinPeace]

Portion control can be adjusted by increasing the protein and fat in meals and reducing the carbs

eg in a spag bol, bulk the sauce up with veg and cheese on top and cut back on the spag

and one of the best snack is chucks of raw carrot : you get all the mental fix of snacking but do not damage appetites for meals

the best thing to teach children is to never snack and to treat fizzy drinks as if they were booze

but yes, eating smaller amounts during the week, leaving space for big weekend meals is a decent long term plan

[StinkingNorthener]

The kids don't really tend to snack, if they do which is rare they will get a bit of cucumber or carrot sticks or a bit of fruit. They also prefer just plain water to cordial and pop. Their main issue is the size of the meals which I have been cutting down to an appropriate size for them. We eat 90 percent home made from scratch meals, rarely have takeaway as as a single parent I can't justify the cost of it ( it's like half a weeks shop for us for takeaways round here) and I don't buy chocolate, crisp etc for in the house. Our "treats" are fruit, yoghurts and on the odd occasion we will make our own popcorn from kernels for a film night but they prefer them plain as well. I've only put weight on over the past two years as I was unable to walk or exercise due to a severe slipped disc in my back which I had surgery on earlier this year. Before that I was very active and had no problems.

[Ta1kinPeace]

sounds like you'll be fine once you are fit again - pilates is good to protect your back :-)