TDEE / BMR & gaining

misschoppo

Hi, I know that a lot of people seem to regularly ask questions about TDEE / BMR so apologies that this is another one.

I'm 24 year old female, 101lbs, 5 ft 3. Neck 11.5inches, waist 24.5 inches & hips 34inch

I used an online calculator tool that says my TDEE is 1536 and BMR is 1177. This was not factoring in any exercise at all when I used the calculator.

I know I am small but 1177 seems really low so I'm questionning if any of these online calcs are accurate / reliable?

My goal is to gain some weight & get back into a proper lifting routine as I started earlier this year & was really enjoying, gained around 5lbs over a few months but after 2-3months off when I was very ill I didn't start again & have dropped weight again back to where I started (101lbs)

I know a lot of people sem to say TDEE / BMR are good things to work out and use as a basis to calculate how much you need to be eating to reach your goals but I'm just not sure the numbers are accurate?

MityMax96

1177 is just what your body needs for you to lay in bed and do nothing....
So, yeah I would say ~1200 for someone like you would be about right.

MityMax96

The lower your weight is the lower your caloric needs will be.
If you were 115, your BMR would be ~1250

Dr_Gains

BMR is what you would need to maintain your body when you are comatose so yea that is normally fairly accurate and always more accurate than your actual tdee that factors in all activities for day from walking to fridge,breathing,hitting gym etc. I looked yours up at 1180 for your bmr is about right.

Your tdee will be the one you will need to do trial and error on with tracking and see where you land as an average every week because this will be diff for everyone but for me mine actually hit almost dead even with the bw x 15 approach for maint level.

ndj1979

TDEE is going to be trial and error. What you should probably do is pick the number the calculator gave you and then eat at that level for a week or two and weight yourself three times a week and take a weekly average to track any fluctuations. If you gain then you know you need to back off by 100 calories, if you do not gain then you know that the calculator was right and that is your TDEE, if you keep losing then you need to bump up by another 100 calories.

Online calculators are just that, a calculator that take a mathematical formula and then gives you a number, there is no way that they are going to be 100% accurate for 100% of the population, so you just need to use the trial and error method...

dieselbyte

TDEE is going to be trial and error. What you should probably do is pick the number the calculator gave you and then eat at that level for a week or two and weight yourself three times a week and take a weekly average to track any fluctuations. If you gain then you know you need to back off by 100 calories, if you do not gain then you know that the calculator was right and that is your TDEE, if you keep losing then you need to bump up by another 100 calories.

Online calculators are just that, a calculator that take a mathematical formula and then gives you a number, there is no way that they are going to be 100% accurate for 100% of the population, so you just need to use the trial and error method...

^This.

heybales

Hi, I know that a lot of people seem to regularly ask questions about TDEE / BMR so apologies that this is another one.

I'm 24 year old female, 101lbs, 5 ft 3. Neck 11.5inches, waist 24.5 inches & hips 34inch

I used an online calculator tool that says my TDEE is 1536 and BMR is 1177. This was not factoring in any exercise at all when I used the calculator.

I know I am small but 1177 seems really low so I'm questionning if any of these online calcs are accurate / reliable?

My goal is to gain some weight & get back into a proper lifting routine as I started earlier this year & was really enjoying, gained around 5lbs over a few months but after 2-3months off when I was very ill I didn't start again & have dropped weight again back to where I started (101lbs)

I know a lot of people sem to say TDEE / BMR are good things to work out and use as a basis to calculate how much you need to be eating to reach your goals but I'm just not sure the numbers are accurate?

I'm guessing that calc was trying to estimate bodyfat % too with the neck, waist, and hip measurements.

There are some bodyfat calc's that are within 5% accurate for majority of population, but they use many more measuring sites than that. Oh, if you know one of those body parts that is measured is always out of proportion to others, then they won't work well.

So the BMR is based on that, and may or may not be close, depending on BF% accuracy.

The TDEE you must have just entered in non-sedentary work time, like standing on feet or such? Because that BMR x 1.31 is more than sedentary, but less than Lightly active, in the simple 5 level TDEE charts, so I'm guessing you used a radio dial type site with different activities, to describe one day.
But is that day equal to other days?

And it's not really TDEE if no exercise is included, so you'd want to log that calorie burn and eat it back when actually done, to get the most out of the lifting.

Sounds very reasonable.

mary9092

i dont really understand the TDEE/BMR thing, but i can talk all day about gaining weight or loosing it. im 21 with 3 kids, and the only time in my life that i was over 100 pounds was when i was pregnant. i eat healthy, and i eat plenty. i actually went to see my doctor a few months ago and told her that my weight is finally affecting my life. im getting depressed and very self consious. like to the point where i dont even hug my fiance anymore because i dont want him to feel like he is hugging a skelaton. anyways at that appointment my dr weighed me at 90 pounds and that was fully clothed with a heavy sweater and boots. and after everything i explained to her she just told me to eat more calories. so i tracked what i usually ate for 1 week and i averaged 2300 calories a day. now im eating 4000-5000 calories a day (not easy). and my weight has not changed. any ideas what could be causing this or what i can do to actually gain weight?

heybales

i dont really understand the TDEE/BMR thing, but i can talk all day about gaining weight or loosing it. im 21 with 3 kids, and the only time in my life that i was over 100 pounds was when i was pregnant. i eat healthy, and i eat plenty. i actually went to see my doctor a few months ago and told her that my weight is finally affecting my life. im getting depressed and very self consious. like to the point where i dont even hug my fiance anymore because i dont want him to feel like he is hugging a skelaton. anyways at that appointment my dr weighed me at 90 pounds and that was fully clothed with a heavy sweater and boots. and after everything i explained to her she just told me to eat more calories. so i tracked what i usually ate for 1 week and i averaged 2300 calories a day. now im eating 4000-5000 calories a day (not easy). and my weight has not changed. any ideas what could be causing this or what i can do to actually gain weight?

Tape worm.

Get blood workup done on that visit or another, thyroid issues aren't always about slowing down, many are about speeding up, and may indicate something else bad going on.

And a new topic posted to get ideas where it'll be seen. Examples provided on existing topics are useful, but answers to your own questions will be seen better in a new topic posting.

Logging accuracy could be way off too, you weigh foods, you measure liquids, for accurate calorie counts.

BobinNC66

OK guys, I just read something else about weight loss regarding TDEE and BMR, acronyms for which I knew nothing about. So after reading that MFP goal calories might not be the best thing and that better would be 20% less of your TDEE I kind of find that hard to believe.

I have about 70 lbs to loose total.

My MFP daily calorie goal is 1600

My BMR is 2093

My TDEE is 2511 (Sedentary job)

My TDEE - 20% 2009

Difference between MFP and TDEE calorie goal is 409 calories and I know if I ate that would not loose any weight.

Am I missing something here. And yes I do eat my exercise calories on MFP and still loose fairly well when I do.

My main issue with only showing 5 lbs lost right now is sticking with it and yo yoing back up after loosing 25-30 lbs

MityMax96

Try going for a a 2100 - 2200 daily goal then.

MityMax96

Also make sure you exercise.

salladeve

i dont really understand the TDEE/BMR thing, but i can talk all day about gaining weight or loosing it. im 21 with 3 kids, and the only time in my life that i was over 100 pounds was when i was pregnant. i eat healthy, and i eat plenty. i actually went to see my doctor a few months ago and told her that my weight is finally affecting my life. im getting depressed and very self consious. like to the point where i dont even hug my fiance anymore because i dont want him to feel like he is hugging a skelaton. anyways at that appointment my dr weighed me at 90 pounds and that was fully clothed with a heavy sweater and boots. and after everything i explained to her she just told me to eat more calories. so i tracked what i usually ate for 1 week and i averaged 2300 calories a day. now im eating 4000-5000 calories a day (not easy). and my weight has not changed. any ideas what could be causing this or what i can do to actually gain weight?

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

This is so funny it makes me laugh!

heybales

OK guys, I just read something else about weight loss regarding TDEE and BMR, acronyms for which I knew nothing about. So after reading that MFP goal calories might not be the best thing and that better would be 20% less of your TDEE I kind of find that hard to believe.

I have about 70 lbs to loose total.

My MFP daily calorie goal is 1600

My BMR is 2093

My TDEE is 2511 (Sedentary job)

My TDEE - 20% 2009

Difference between MFP and TDEE calorie goal is 409 calories and I know if I ate that would not loose any weight.

Am I missing something here. And yes I do eat my exercise calories on MFP and still loose fairly well when I do.

My main issue with only showing 5 lbs lost right now is sticking with it and yo yoing back up after loosing 25-30 lbs

Let's assume your numbers are correct, and I mean not the math, but to reality.

You would lose fat and weight eating under your TDEE - fact.

Eating a smaller deficit under your TDEE (2009 compared to 1600) would not make you gain weight, it would merely have you losing slower.

When you guesstimate your TDEE level to use, you are supposed to include exercise. So yes the number is bigger, but with exercise included and given the same 20% deficit, you would NOT eat back exercise calories then.

How much do you eat in total right now, the 1600 + exercise? Is it approaching 2000 already on exercise days?

That's the difference. If exercise is iffy or not done as planned, MFP method gives you a deficit already, exercise or not. You keep that same deficit when you eat back exercise calories.

TDEE Deficit method would likely end up about the same, but on average looked at for the week. If you held to your workout plan than caused your TDEE level to be selected, the results would be the same. But if you missed workouts, no.

Now, the aspect of math with numbers on paper compared to reality.
Your best BMR to start the math is based on bodyfat %, and Katch BMR.
If you used Harris BMR on the online site, and MFP is using Mifflin BMR which is 5% more accurate, and more so when over-fat, then you used inflated figures for the online site, so no wonder it ended up much bigger.

MFP method is also tweaked for weight loss, whether that be fat or muscle doesn't matter. Reasonable deficit is left in your hands, and if you have no clue - goodbye muscle mass. You'll want that later to prevent yo-yo dieting.

TDEE Deficit method is best for retaining muscle mass, only losing fat mass, and getting the most out of your workouts. Since exercise is for improving the body, seems silly to ask it to improve but not provide the resources to do so to the best of its ability.

Also, if you attempt to do the TDEE Deficit method without including exercise, but eating it back like MFP style, then you'd take the same 20% off the calories you log to eat back. So that relies more on getting the calorie burn right. Whereas if included, doesn't matter, it's averaged out over the week anyway.

Might try the spreadsheet on my profile page for best estimates of everything.

BobinNC66

OK guys, I just read something else about weight loss regarding TDEE and BMR, acronyms for which I knew nothing about. So after reading that MFP goal calories might not be the best thing and that better would be 20% less of your TDEE I kind of find that hard to believe.

I have about 70 lbs to loose total.

My MFP daily calorie goal is 1600

My BMR is 2093

My TDEE is 2511 (Sedentary job)

My TDEE - 20% 2009

Difference between MFP and TDEE calorie goal is 409 calories and I know if I ate that would not loose any weight.

Am I missing something here. And yes I do eat my exercise calories on MFP and still loose fairly well when I do.

My main issue with only showing 5 lbs lost right now is sticking with it and yo yoing back up after loosing 25-30 lbs

Let's assume your numbers are correct, and I mean not the math, but to reality.

You would lose fat and weight eating under your TDEE - fact.

Eating a smaller deficit under your TDEE (2009 compared to 1600) would not make you gain weight, it would merely have you losing slower.

When you guesstimate your TDEE level to use, you are supposed to include exercise. So yes the number is bigger, but with exercise included and given the same 20% deficit, you would NOT eat back exercise calories then.

How much do you eat in total right now, the 1600 + exercise? Is it approaching 2000 already on exercise days?

That's the difference. If exercise is iffy or not done as planned, MFP method gives you a deficit already, exercise or not. You keep that same deficit when you eat back exercise calories.

TDEE Deficit method would likely end up about the same, but on average looked at for the week. If you held to your workout plan than caused your TDEE level to be selected, the results would be the same. But if you missed workouts, no.

Now, the aspect of math with numbers on paper compared to reality.
Your best BMR to start the math is based on bodyfat %, and Katch BMR.
If you used Harris BMR on the online site, and MFP is using Mifflin BMR which is 5% more accurate, and more so when over-fat, then you used inflated figures for the online site, so no wonder it ended up much bigger.

MFP method is also tweaked for weight loss, whether that be fat or muscle doesn't matter. Reasonable deficit is left in your hands, and if you have no clue - goodbye muscle mass. You'll want that later to prevent yo-yo dieting.

TDEE Deficit method is best for retaining muscle mass, only losing fat mass, and getting the most out of your workouts. Since exercise is for improving the body, seems silly to ask it to improve but not provide the resources to do so to the best of its ability.

Also, if you attempt to do the TDEE Deficit method without including exercise, but eating it back like MFP style, then you'd take the same 20% off the calories you log to eat back. So that relies more on getting the calorie burn right. Whereas if included, doesn't matter, it's averaged out over the week anyway.

Might try the spreadsheet on my profile page for best estimates of everything.

Thanks that makes more sense than what I have read already. I typically walk right now for exercise, and that can be anywhere from 300 calories to 600 depending on time and distance of my walks, so yes I guess then I would eat a total of closer to 2000 calories. I assumed though since I put in "sedentary" when calculating TDEE that I would probably have to eat calories with that method as well, but if not then it all washes out.

Thanks for the info!

heybales

Thanks that makes more sense than what I have read already. I typically walk right now for exercise, and that can be anywhere from 300 calories to 600 depending on time and distance of my walks, so yes I guess then I would eat a total of closer to 2000 calories. I assumed though since I put in "sedentary" when calculating TDEE that I would probably have to eat calories with that method as well, but if not then it all washes out.

Thanks for the info!

Correct, if just walking, then Lightly Active would be the level used, and you would not eat back exercise calories using the TDEE deficit method.

But I'm still betting it's higher than reality because you likely don't have as much LBM the BMR value you used was assuming. Meaning your BMR really isn't that high, meaning the TDEE isn't really that high.

See if calculator lets you use Mifflin BMR that MFP uses for at least comparison there.

But if you go for the TDEE method, get bodyfat estimate, and use Katch BMR with Lightly Active level.