Confused with BMR, TDEE, MFP, and exercising?

knt217

I hope someone out there can help me understand. I've read through all the announcements, and I feel like the more I read, the more confused I am.

MFP says that I should be eating about 1200 cals/day. I think that sounds ridiculous. I'm 30 years old, 5'6.5", and 190 lbs. I used the Scooby's Workshop calculator, and it says my BMR (working out 3-5 days/week moderately) is 1757 cals, TDEE 2724 cals, 25% reduction goal (which I'm using because it's closer to where I've been eating- meeting with an RD Monday to figure out what I should actually be doing).

So- my BMR is what my body naturally burns while resting. TDEE is what I would have to consume to maintain (please no!), and the suggested amount is what I should eat to lose. Correct?

My next thing I'm wondering about since this is the first time I've really tried tracking calories/activity is how exercise plays into this. Does the suggested 1757 cals already take into account my exercise, or does that amount come off on top of it? I use a Polar FT4 when working out, and have been running or doing zumba (I need to do other stuff, but I'm new and kind of at a loss) 5x a week. According to my monitor, I've been burning about 6-700 cals/workout. I've noticed with MFP that it gives me those calories as extra. I'm not sure what numbers I really should be at.

On top of all that, I'm under my calories- for whatever I use. MFP has me at 1580 right now since I bumped up my activity level just b/c 1200 seemed so low, and after logging my food all day and my workout tonight, I'm still almost 300 cals deficit. I know I've read that this is typically not really the case for people, but I've had a bit of a crappy month and my appetite has been almost non-existent anyway (Not sure if you can view my food log?). I've been tracking everything I've put in my mouth, and weighing with my digital scale. I've read that it's good to have a deficit b/c that adds up to weight loss, but am I not at a deficit on top of my "normal" deficit anyway if I'm going by the calories suggested for weight loss? Is this okay?

I hope that makes sense. I'm just confused and don't know what numbers I should be using or...anything. Thanks for taking the time to answer.

erikgoya

BMR is the amount of calories needed to keep your body alive if you were comatose, TDEE is the amount you need in order to keep your maintain your weight.
So your deficit should be a number in between those two. Its an amount underneath the calories you need to eat in order to maintain your weight, but above the amount your BMR is.

MFP is weird if you use the default settings, so go and edit them yourself.
Go to the Goals tab under Home, and change your goals in the Custom option.
From there you can edit the percentages that your macros are split (carbs, protein, and fat) as well as the amount of calories you consume.

Also, try using a second or third online calculator (iifym . com works) for a second opinion. If they give you similar results for your BMR and TDEE, then you should be fine.

yarwell

knt217 wrote: »

I hope that makes sense. I'm just confused and don't know what numbers I should be using or...anything. Thanks for taking the time to answer.

If you were to set a less aggressive rate of loss then the target MFP gives you would be higher and not offend your sensibilities. You would then eat to the goals it gives you. By visiting muliplte sites and overthinking you've confused yourself. Pick one approach and stick to it.

MFPs goal will have a deficit for weight loss, and if you log or record exercise calories it will increase the food pro-rata to retain that original deficit.

If you hit all MFPs targets you are still in a deficit, red numbers means more of a deficit than planned. Might be better to call that a "shortfall" for clarity.

No we can't see your diary.

FatMoojor

I have just had a quick look at a couple of calculators and plugged in my details.
Hopefully the following will help you.

BMR average - 1771 (this is required to keep you alive)
TDEE average - 2867 (this is to maintain INCLUDING my current exercise+activity level)
15% calorie deficit - 2437 (about 1lb a week loss with my current exercise+activity level)
20% calorie deficit - 2294 (about 1.25lb a week losswith my current exercise+activity level )

So that is using the TDEE calculators. How is this represented in MFP.

I have sedentary set as activity level because I do a desk job and sit on my *kitten* all day.

Normal day - 2,170 (maintain my weight, doing no extra activity)
Daily target - 1610 (lose 0.5kg a week loss. Though this is a 26% calorie deficit!)
Daily exercise - 700/800 calories (which you ADD to your daily target)
New daily target - 2300/2400 calories.

So in the end the actual numbers from both are pretty close. If you use one of the TDEE sites you use that number as your total and DONT eat back any exercise calories because they ARE included in the calculations

If you just use the numbers given by MFP, then you DO eat back your exercise calories because they AREN'T included in the calculations.

knt217

FatMoojor wrote: »

I have just had a quick look at a couple of calculators and plugged in my details.
Hopefully the following will help you.

BMR average - 1771 (this is required to keep you alive)
TDEE average - 2867 (this is to maintain INCLUDING my current exercise+activity level)
15% calorie deficit - 2437 (about 1lb a week loss with my current exercise+activity level)
20% calorie deficit - 2294 (about 1.25lb a week losswith my current exercise+activity level )

So that is using the TDEE calculators. How is this represented in MFP.

I have sedentary set as activity level because I do a desk job and sit on my *kitten* all day.

Normal day - 2,170 (maintain my weight, doing no extra activity)
Daily target - 1610 (lose 0.5kg a week loss. Though this is a 26% calorie deficit!)
Daily exercise - 700/800 calories (which you ADD to your daily target)
New daily target - 2300/2400 calories.

So in the end the actual numbers from both are pretty close. If you use one of the TDEE sites you use that number as your total and DONT eat back any exercise calories because they ARE included in the calculations

If you just use the numbers given by MFP, then you DO eat back your exercise calories because they AREN'T included in the calculations.

Thanks- that cleared up what I was asking, even though I don't think I asked it very well (and I left off what my daily target would actually be above and instead glanced at the BMR for the example....and it looks like I put the numbers in wrong in the first place somehow and they *should* be BMR 1610/1676, TDEE 2495/2451, Target 1996/1961 (20% Scooby/IIFYM). Oops).

The other problem I have is deciding just how active I actually am for MFP since it's a difference of 1200 and 1580 that they want to give me choosing between the two activity levels. I stay home with my toddler, and we are always moving. I don't just sit all day, but I don't really consider playing around the house, doing laundry, or running errands to be all that active, but I guess it is more active than if I were still sitting at a desk.

I also don't know what to choose- on the other calculators- when it says 3-5 hours of moderate exercise or 5-6 hours of strenuous exercise for the choices, or the others just list hours of exercise and don't take into account the level. I've been running 4 1/2-5 miles 3 days a week, and doing zumba for an hour on the opposite days. I have been falling right into that 5 hour category mostly, though sometimes 6, but is it considered strenuous or moderate? Does it matter since cals seem to average about 7-10 per minute with exercise no matter what you're doing?

I think I should probably use the lower 1961. The last two days I have been tracking (I've been working out and watching what I've been eating for the last two weeks, but just now am starting to count, and measure, and try and be very accurate) I have been under MFPs goals by 611 (1580 - 1676 food + 770 exercise) and 230 (1580 -1890 food + 540 exercise) after exercise. So, including my exercise, which the other calculators do automatically, I'm still under my my goals on all calculators.

I am meeting with an RD on Monday, so I'm sure she'll probably help clear all this up and tell me where she wants me to be.

knt217

Also- am I right to assume that for the calculators that put in your exercise amounts and spit out a daily target are taking into account that I work out an hour a day 5 days a week and the target number is the calories I should average throughout the entire week, even on days I'm not working out, whereas MFP gives me a daily allowance and has me under based on exercise and food for each day, and will probably have me over on the weekends when I can't get to the gym- so it would just average out to be about the same as the other calculators still?

FatMoojor

Looking after a little on its own I would consider work. Go for lightly active at the very least.

On the calculators I found I always went with moderate on the activity levels. I believe it is best to err on the side of caution. That way there is less chance of you believing you are burning more than you are.

Looking at the numbers you have put for your TDEE and what you have logged in MFP I would say that your 1800 ish calories eaten is probably correct, when exercising.

I personally always try to be a 150-200 calories under the target numbers after exercise because that gives me some slack in possible under counting of calories in food and over counting of calories burned during exercise.

I believe, and will welcome corrections, that the TDEE calculators work it out based on your exercise over the entire week, as that's how they ask, and give you your calculations based on that.

The MFP daily amount is based on what you should eat with only your activity level taken in to account, no extra exercise. Which means you should try to stick to the MFP number on days you don't work out.

I am personally sticking to my MFP daily + Exercise calories for what I can eat. So if I don't do anything extra I try to be as close to my base daily amount as possible.

I will concentrate on just doing this for a month and then at the end of that re-evaluate what I have lost and how it has gone and possibly make some changes.

knt217

That makes sense. I'll stick with that idea for now and see how it goes. Thanks for your help.

FatMoojor

Good luck.

smpgetsfit

bump for review later

KatiAuchinleck

Wow, this just fried my brain. I suspect my calorie goal may be a little low but then I read this again and my head spins.

deksgrl

MFP does not include exercise in it's calculation. You would lose weight if you did no exercise. When you do exercise, it gives you more to eat.

This is opposite from a TDEE - % which includes exercise.

However, a properly set MFP + exercise calories should be in he same ballpark as a properly set TDEE -% goal.

For example:

TDEE 2000 x 20% = 400 2000-400=1600
Your calorie goal would be 1600 per day.

1300 MFP goal
-300 (amount you exercise)
+300 (amount more you eat for exercise
=1300 NET calories but 1600 Total calories