Confused: TDEE and Where to set calories

Dennis4766

I calculated my BMR - It is 1500 calories. My TDEE (based on desk job with no activity) is 1795 calories. But despite my sedentary desk job, I also run 55-65 miles a week.

So what go I set my daily calorie goals at? Obviously when I run 10 mile or more a day, I need more than 1795 calories.

Im not smart about this so thanks for help. I appreciate it.

Anonycatgirl

If you're running a certain number of miles every day, you should base your TDEE on a higher activity level than the desk job. If it's not even--if, say, you're doing short sprints some days and 15 miles others--you might be better off having MFP figure out your base calories maintenance and "eating back" the exercise calories. (That's what I decided to do, since some days I'm at the desk all days and some days might involve a five-hour hike.)

FitPhillygirl

I would set your calorie goal at 1795 and eat back some or all of the calories that you burn on the days that you run.

MinnieInMaine

A true TDEE should include your exercise as well. With that amount of running, I'd say you're at least moderately, if not very, active so somewhere between 2800 and 3000 calories per day would be a good start. Sometimes there's some trial and error involved so set it wherever you feel is more suitable and see how your weight does over the next 4-6 weeks. If you gain a bit, reduce your calories by 50-100 per day. If you lose a bit, increase them by 50-100 per day. Give it another 4-6 weeks, etc etc.

kshadows

Your TDEE should not be calculated as sedentary if you run that much... include your running in your calculation and it should give you a relatively accurate picture. OR, take your TDEE without the running, eat a cut of that, and then use a HRM to calculate calories burned on runs and eat them back.

williams969

If you're going to do the TDEE method, you don't want to complicate it by eating different numbers based on day-to-day activity level (might as well just stick to the MFP way--eat back exercise calories).

Use a TDEE calculator (this one right here: scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/#results), select the category the best suits the total number of hours a week of all workouts (55-65 miles? I'm guessing at MINIMUM you're at 5-6 hours/week, probably more). Eat that. Every day. Even rest days.

Trust the process, be consistent for 4 weeks, then reevaluate and tweak calories as needed (more or less based on performance/measurements/weight).

Dennis4766

Thanks for feedback, very helpful. I understand now. Because I run in the evening, and the miles and intensity varies, I am going to have a TDEE recalculated based on higher degree of activity. ANd that way it averages out over the week. Thanks!

Always_Smiling_D

I would set it as sedentary - keep logging here track your exercise and on the days that you do exercise eat the calories back - this will keep you on track on the days you don't.

MinimalistShoeAddict

Dennis4766 wrote: »

Thanks for feedback, very helpful. I understand now. Because I run in the evening, and the miles and intensity varies, I am going to have a TDEE recalculated based on higher degree of activity. ANd that way it averages out over the week. Thanks!

Good idea. For the record I run a similar amount and use a TDEE of 2800.

paradi3s

i think you should either set it at sedentary and "eat back" the calories you lost, or set your activity level to moderately active/working out x times a week.

misskarihari

I find TDEE - 20% much easier to follow than "1200 cal and eat back exercise calories", because then I actually ate way more than I needed and didn't realise it... So good luck!

362233

Dennis4766 wrote: »

I calculated my BMR - It is 1500 calories. My TDEE (based on desk job with no activity) is 1795 calories. But despite my sedentary desk job, I also run 55-65 miles a week.

So what go I set my daily calorie goals at? Obviously when I run 10 mile or more a day, I need more than 1795 calories.

Im not smart about this so thanks for help. I appreciate it.

I thought 2000 calories was the proper intake

fire_under_ice

I only run 20-25 miles a week (plus usually one bike ride (~50km) + 2hr bouldering session and some bodyweight exercises) but 50 yrs old, 6' and 78kg I've maintained for 15 months on a TDEE of around 3500.

You probably need to eat more than 1795!

queenbea77

Just a note - if you decide to up your calories and not eat back your exercise calories and want to log your exercise to get credit for it toward your workouts MFP won't let you log "zero" calories so you will have to enter "1" calorie burned. I agree with the posts that say to change your TDEE to something more than "sedentary" if you are running that much. And subtract 15-20%

crystalflame

362233 wrote: »

Dennis4766 wrote: »

I calculated my BMR - It is 1500 calories. My TDEE (based on desk job with no activity) is 1795 calories. But despite my sedentary desk job, I also run 55-65 miles a week.

So what go I set my daily calorie goals at? Obviously when I run 10 mile or more a day, I need more than 1795 calories.

Im not smart about this so thanks for help. I appreciate it.

I thought 2000 calories was the proper intake

2000 calories is just a number the FDA uses for food labels. They recommend 2000 for a moderately active woman of average height at a healthy weight, and 2500 for a man with the same features. Obviously, not everyone is moderately active, at a healthy weight, of average height, the same age, striving to achieve the same things fitness-wise, etc etc. Individually, we have widely varying calorie needs based on our levels of activity and our weight/fitness goals. That's why the OP is trying to figure out how to estimate how many calories he should be consuming to support his lifestyle.

nxd10

Set your base activity and log your running. You'll have to adjusy as you find out what your body does.

Have you tried the MFP calculator? I find it works well with logging exercise.

bwogilvie

Dennis4766 wrote: »

Thanks for feedback, very helpful. I understand now. Because I run in the evening, and the miles and intensity varies, I am going to have a TDEE recalculated based on higher degree of activity. ANd that way it averages out over the week. Thanks!

Just remember that all those calculators produce are estimates. You'll probably have to tweak your number once you have a month's worth of data. I've transitioned to maintenance and am using the method described by John Walker in the "Perfect Weight Forever" chapter of The Hacker's Diet.