Better rough TDEE estimate than 5 level chart
heybales
Posts: 18,842 Member
So TDEE levels chart, Sedentary, Moderately Active, ect.
Many really have trouble estimating what level they are at, when some charts says days of exercise a week, some saying hrs weekly, ect. And then they only speak of exercise time, what about active jobs on your feet?
So I do 3 hrs of gym classes, what level am I, Lightly or Moderately Active?
I do 3 hrs of lifting weekly, before my waitress job on my feet moving for 6 hrs daily x 4 days, is that Lightly Active?
I do 4 hrs weekly walking, 3 hrs gym classes weekly, is that Very Active?
So of course I'd recommend using my spreadsheet with better Activity Calculator to nail that down.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/813720
But some people want the rough estimate and adjust from there, or their activity changes enough they don't want to try to nail down too specific of a routine.
So that normal TDEE chart is based on a straight line formula (0 hrs - 1.2 factor, 2 - 1.375, 4 - 1.55, 6 - 1.725) from a 1919 study by Harris. The chart is merely to make it easier to rough guess fast.
---
So if you have an active job on your feet but not walking constantly, consider those hrs as 1/8 the actual time (40 hrs nurse feet time is 5 hrs).
If you walk as exercise or job, consider that time as 1/2 the actual time (4 hrs weekly walking is 2 hrs).
Other exercise like higher cardio or lifting is straight time.
(Weekly movement hrs x 0.0875) + 1.2 = Activity Factor you multiply your BMR by.
---
So to the examples mentioned above:
(3 hr gym time x 0.0875) + 1.2 = 1.4625 Activity Factor x BMR say 1500 = 2194 TDEE
(3 hr lifting + 1/8 of 24 hrs work x 0.0875) + 1.2 = 1.725 x 1500 = 2588
(3 hr gym + 1/2 of 4 hrs walking x 0.0875) + 1.2 = 1.6375 x 1500 = 2556
BMR is of course best estimated with Katch and bodyfat %, next best is Mifflin BMR that MFP uses.
Why not a better estimate than 5 rough levels, for those that don't want a best estimate, but at least better.
More info on the formula.
The standard Harris TDEE chart is based on a straight line formula that I gave above.
Some have asked how I made the formula up. I didn't, it's what they used.
They could have made the table with 7 or 8 levels, having an Activity Factor for each hour.
Activity Level - Hours - Activity Factor (BMR Multiplier)
Sedentary - __0___ - 1.2
Lightly Act - __1 - 3_ - 1.375
Mod Act__ - __3 - 5_ - 1.55
Very Act__ - __6 - 7_ - 1.725
Extreme_ - __2 x___ - 1.9
If you plot out the following data points they use.
Hrs - Factor
0 - 1.2
2 - 1.375
4 - 1.55
6 - 1.725
You get a straight line formula - (hrs x 0.0875) + 1.2 = TDEE
The only question remaining is, how do you count your hours of increased daily activity or exercise between couple different types?
That's what the first part is discussing, how to count your time so you don't get inflated TDEE, but do include increased daily activity perhaps.
If you did convert your daily and exercise time to hours to use, here is the hourly chart that could have been created instead of 5 level chart. I didn't make up names for all the between levels.
Take BMR x this activity factor.
Hrs - Activity Factor - Name
0 - 1.2 - Sedentary
1 - 1.2875
2 - 1.375 - Lightly Active
3 - 1.4625
4 - 1.55 - Moderately Active
5 - 1.6375
6 - 1.725 - Very Active
7 - 1.8125
8 - 1.9 - Extremely Active
9 - 1.9875
10 - 2.075
Many really have trouble estimating what level they are at, when some charts says days of exercise a week, some saying hrs weekly, ect. And then they only speak of exercise time, what about active jobs on your feet?
So I do 3 hrs of gym classes, what level am I, Lightly or Moderately Active?
I do 3 hrs of lifting weekly, before my waitress job on my feet moving for 6 hrs daily x 4 days, is that Lightly Active?
I do 4 hrs weekly walking, 3 hrs gym classes weekly, is that Very Active?
So of course I'd recommend using my spreadsheet with better Activity Calculator to nail that down.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/813720
But some people want the rough estimate and adjust from there, or their activity changes enough they don't want to try to nail down too specific of a routine.
So that normal TDEE chart is based on a straight line formula (0 hrs - 1.2 factor, 2 - 1.375, 4 - 1.55, 6 - 1.725) from a 1919 study by Harris. The chart is merely to make it easier to rough guess fast.
---
So if you have an active job on your feet but not walking constantly, consider those hrs as 1/8 the actual time (40 hrs nurse feet time is 5 hrs).
If you walk as exercise or job, consider that time as 1/2 the actual time (4 hrs weekly walking is 2 hrs).
Other exercise like higher cardio or lifting is straight time.
(Weekly movement hrs x 0.0875) + 1.2 = Activity Factor you multiply your BMR by.
---
So to the examples mentioned above:
(3 hr gym time x 0.0875) + 1.2 = 1.4625 Activity Factor x BMR say 1500 = 2194 TDEE
(3 hr lifting + 1/8 of 24 hrs work x 0.0875) + 1.2 = 1.725 x 1500 = 2588
(3 hr gym + 1/2 of 4 hrs walking x 0.0875) + 1.2 = 1.6375 x 1500 = 2556
BMR is of course best estimated with Katch and bodyfat %, next best is Mifflin BMR that MFP uses.
Why not a better estimate than 5 rough levels, for those that don't want a best estimate, but at least better.
More info on the formula.
The standard Harris TDEE chart is based on a straight line formula that I gave above.
Some have asked how I made the formula up. I didn't, it's what they used.
They could have made the table with 7 or 8 levels, having an Activity Factor for each hour.
Activity Level - Hours - Activity Factor (BMR Multiplier)
Sedentary - __0___ - 1.2
Lightly Act - __1 - 3_ - 1.375
Mod Act__ - __3 - 5_ - 1.55
Very Act__ - __6 - 7_ - 1.725
Extreme_ - __2 x___ - 1.9
If you plot out the following data points they use.
Hrs - Factor
0 - 1.2
2 - 1.375
4 - 1.55
6 - 1.725
You get a straight line formula - (hrs x 0.0875) + 1.2 = TDEE
The only question remaining is, how do you count your hours of increased daily activity or exercise between couple different types?
That's what the first part is discussing, how to count your time so you don't get inflated TDEE, but do include increased daily activity perhaps.
If you did convert your daily and exercise time to hours to use, here is the hourly chart that could have been created instead of 5 level chart. I didn't make up names for all the between levels.
Take BMR x this activity factor.
Hrs - Activity Factor - Name
0 - 1.2 - Sedentary
1 - 1.2875
2 - 1.375 - Lightly Active
3 - 1.4625
4 - 1.55 - Moderately Active
5 - 1.6375
6 - 1.725 - Very Active
7 - 1.8125
8 - 1.9 - Extremely Active
9 - 1.9875
10 - 2.075
0
This discussion has been closed.