I am rubbish at maths. Help me work out my actual TDEE based on MFP data?
Pootler74
Posts: 223 Member
I've always thought I could eat WAY more than the calculators say. For example, currently MFP tells me I can eat 1390 calories a day (before exercise) to lose half a kilo a week. Scooby says 1408 calories a day before exercise to lose 0.4 kilos per week, and 1939 if I do 3-5 moderate work outs a week (which is roughly what I do.)
I eat about 2000 calories a day and lose 0.75 kilos a week.
I want to switch from using NEAT to TDEE, but suspect that the numbers Scooby and IIFYM spit out are going to be way too low for me. So I'm trying to work out my TDEE based on MFP data. But seriously, I suck at maths, and I'm getting confused. Can anyone do this for me in a way that makes sense?
This is what I have so far.
I must be doing something wrong, because 2902 seems like a really high TDEE for maintenance to me!
I don't know how many actual calories my workouts burn. The machines at the gym say about 600 per session, 4 times a week. I usually enter half this amount in MFP and eat that much back.
I also burn about 300-400 a week taking walks - which is a more accurate number based on a fitness band that gives me much lower burn calculations than MFP, so I enter the full amount of calories in MFP and eat them all if I need them. Using this method, I've aimed for a net of 1650, but of course I've overshot it plenty of times and ended up with a net somewhere nearer 1850. But with the screwy exercise burn estimations, who knows what it really is?
I've checked the number of calories eaten over the 28 days and it's right. So do I really currently have a TDEE of about 2400 to lose a pound a week if I carry on exercising as much I as do now? Or do I really really suck at maths? :-) Help?
Useful stats:
Age: 41
Height: 175cm
Current weight: 82 kilos
Female
Edited to add: I am neurotic about logging. Unless I'm having a rare weekend off, or a meal that's just going to be an enormous PITA to log (happened twice in 6 months) I log to the gram.
I eat about 2000 calories a day and lose 0.75 kilos a week.
I want to switch from using NEAT to TDEE, but suspect that the numbers Scooby and IIFYM spit out are going to be way too low for me. So I'm trying to work out my TDEE based on MFP data. But seriously, I suck at maths, and I'm getting confused. Can anyone do this for me in a way that makes sense?
This is what I have so far.
- In the period from 26 March to 23 April I went from 85 kilos to 82 kilos. That's 6.6 pounds
- From 26 March to 23 April I ate 58176 calories in total
- 58176 / 28 = 2077 calories per day eaten. This is before exercise burns are taken into account. That number seems about right - I had some pretty bad days that month. But I do every month and always lose 3 kilos.
- 6.6 x 3500 (calories in 1 pound of fat) = 23100 calories
- 23100 / 28 = 825 calories per day lost in fat
- If I add the number of calories eaten that month to the number of calories lost in fat that month I get: 2077 + 825 = 2902
I must be doing something wrong, because 2902 seems like a really high TDEE for maintenance to me!
I don't know how many actual calories my workouts burn. The machines at the gym say about 600 per session, 4 times a week. I usually enter half this amount in MFP and eat that much back.
I also burn about 300-400 a week taking walks - which is a more accurate number based on a fitness band that gives me much lower burn calculations than MFP, so I enter the full amount of calories in MFP and eat them all if I need them. Using this method, I've aimed for a net of 1650, but of course I've overshot it plenty of times and ended up with a net somewhere nearer 1850. But with the screwy exercise burn estimations, who knows what it really is?
I've checked the number of calories eaten over the 28 days and it's right. So do I really currently have a TDEE of about 2400 to lose a pound a week if I carry on exercising as much I as do now? Or do I really really suck at maths? :-) Help?
Useful stats:
Age: 41
Height: 175cm
Current weight: 82 kilos
Female
Edited to add: I am neurotic about logging. Unless I'm having a rare weekend off, or a meal that's just going to be an enormous PITA to log (happened twice in 6 months) I log to the gram.
0
Replies
-
**0
-
Your logic is sound and your math is correct.
But remember that the number will fluctuate based on the dates you pick as your start and end date. If you've lost some water weight in there, it could make your TDEE average seem higher than it is. Especially if you're just starting out.
What I do is I keep a running 30-day TDEE average, which shows it fluctuating up and down around a range:
Why 30 days? It's arbitrary. My thinking is, 7 days shows too much fluctuation, and 60 days takes weights into account that were too long ago. But really, I could use another time period; I just picked 30 days for convenience.
I also track results by month, so I can see how it's changed over time. As you can see, my observed TDEE fluctuates a lot but it seems to have started off around ~2000 and is currently hovering in the ~1800 range. (I'm small and short, by the way):
Remember that you move a different amount each day, so your TDEE is a different number each day. Over time, you'll start to see patterns and ranges.
0 -
Where is your calories burned in exercise to get an estimated TDEE for these 28 days.
You don't factor that into a TDEE calculation. The way OP has calculated it is correct. TDEE is essentially deriving the calories burned by observing actual calories consumed and weight lost in a given time period.0 -
My advice is to test it yourself and find your maintenance. Doing all the math will give you an estimate, and I've never seen someone determine their deficit like you did via calories in a lb of fat. For one, you're likely not limited to fat loss if you're losing 3 kilos per month (or 6.6lbs as you've mentioned).
I was in the same position after a bulk, didn't know what my maintenance was and I slowly reversed to 2750-2850 cals. After losing 5lbs (mostly water weight) I leveled out for a 2 week period and then went into my deficit. Even though your goal is to lose weight, it may be more worthwhile for you to play with your maintenance levels (OR) eat at what you believe to be your desired deficit, and watch how you respond. (500cals/day x 7 days = 3500 cal deficit which should result in about 1lb of fat loss per week).
Just some suggestions!0 -
Hi there. With TDEE you just eat that number everyday and don't worry about your exercise burns, because they are included.
Here's a good calculator:
http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/
According to your stats (and based on what you say you do for exercise I chose 3-5 hours/week moderate):
BMR: 1550
TDEE: 2402
TDEE -20% (for 1 lb/week loss): 1922.
These seem like reasonable numbers to me. Your 6.6 pounds lost will include fat, water, and LBM, so that would affect the 3500 = 1 pound in your equation.
0 -
Hi there. With TDEE you just eat that number everyday and don't worry about your exercise burns, because they are included.
Here's a good calculator:
http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/
According to your stats (and based on what you say you do for exercise I chose 3-5 hours/week moderate):
BMR: 1550
TDEE: 2402
TDEE -20% (for 1 lb/week loss): 1922.
These seem like reasonable numbers to me. Your 6.6 pounds lost will include fat, water, and LBM, so that would affect the 3500 = 1 pound in your equation.
Those calculators just provide estimates based on average population sample data. What OP is trying to do is much more accurate -- she's calibrating it to her actual real-world results.0 -
TDEE is very useful, but be mindful that activity level should be regular. It doesn't have to be daily, but if your average activity level increases or decreases from where you were when you came up with your TDEE, then you will likely need to slightly adjust your caloric intake also. This is best done through self-regulation, I wouldn't stress so much about how much you burn each workout, rather how much effort and volume you're putting in!0
-
By the way, OP, if you feel like using the Excel template I created, PM me your email addy and I'll happily send you a copy.0
-
Hi there. With TDEE you just eat that number everyday and don't worry about your exercise burns, because they are included.
Here's a good calculator:
http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/
According to your stats (and based on what you say you do for exercise I chose 3-5 hours/week moderate):
BMR: 1550
TDEE: 2402
TDEE -20% (for 1 lb/week loss): 1922.
These seem like reasonable numbers to me. Your 6.6 pounds lost will include fat, water, and LBM, so that would affect the 3500 = 1 pound in your equation.
Those calculators just provide estimates based on average population sample data. What OP is trying to do is much more accurate -- she's calibrating it to her actual real-world results.
I realize that, but the numbers I posted are pretty close to her daily intake currently. And 6.6 pounds over 5 weeks (taking into account some water weight loss) comes out to about a pound a week. So I think, in this case, the calculator is fairly accurate.0 -
Where is your calories burned in exercise to get an estimated TDEE for these 28 days.
You don't factor that into a TDEE calculation. The way OP has calculated it is correct. TDEE is essentially deriving the calories burned by observing actual calories consumed and weight lost in a given time period.
I backed out this conversation..0 -
There is a lot estimations for the exercise you say you will burn... DO you have the exercise calorie burn from MFP for an actual number for the 28 days? From you diary or logs...
I am still pondering.. sorry about being a bit confused because I am trying to work on what you say you think you burned in these days and what you think you will in the future...
I think you need to base the numbers on your previous (real) data .. or was all this estimations from the start?
I am still pondering...
My numbers above are based on my real data.
I generally don't use MFP to enter my calorie burns because it just gives silly numbers. But that's irrelevant to my calculations anyway. Because:- it's impossible to get an accurate exercise burn number from any app, machine or website anyway
- I seem to burn calories faster than other people with my stats
- I want to uncouple exercise from food for emotional reasons
I want to find a daily calorie number based on the weight I've lost and the gross calories I've eaten, so that I don't 'earn' extra food by exercising.
0 -
I generally don't use MFP to enter my calorie burns because it just gives silly numbers. But that's irrelevant to my calculations anyway. Because:
- it's impossible to get an accurate exercise burn number from any app, machine or website anyway
- I seem to burn calories faster than other people with my stats
- I want to uncouple exercise from food for emotional reasons
I want to find a daily calorie number based on the weight I've lost and the gross calories I've eaten, so that I don't 'earn' extra food by exercising.
All the same reasons as I do it. Makes perfect sense to me.
You say you've been at this for 6 months. Can you calculate your TDEE in the same way at multiple start and end dates, and see what the range is? That will help smooth out fluctuations, and you should start to see numbers in a certain range. Then deduct 500 calories or 20% or whatever deficit you're aiming for, and you should be good to go.0 -
You say you've been at this for 6 months. Can you calculate your TDEE in the same way at multiple start and end dates, and see what the range is? That will help smooth out fluctuations, and you should start to see numbers in a certain range. Then deduct 500 calories or 20% or whatever deficit you're aiming for, and you should be good to go.
I've done the same thing over the last few months and come up with the same sort of numbers, relative to my weight at the time of course. It just seems like a completely mad number, so I assumed I was working it out incorrectly.
0 -
I've done the same thing over the last few months and come up with the same sort of numbers, relative to my weight at the time of course. It just seems like a completely mad number, so I assumed I was working it out incorrectly.
Nope, you're quite right.
Now, the only thing I'd caution is that the equation above assumes 100% of the weight lost is fat. Some of it will be water and/or lean muscle mass, so your true TDEE might be slightly lower. So I wouldn't suggest increasing your calories quite as much as you think. But up a bit should do you fine.
If your exercise routine changes drastically, then change your intake.0 -
sjohnson__1 wrote: »My advice is to test it yourself and find your maintenance. Doing all the math will give you an estimate, and I've never seen someone determine their deficit like you did via calories in a lb of fat. For one, you're likely not limited to fat loss if you're losing 3 kilos per month (or 6.6lbs as you've mentioned)... Even though your goal is to lose weight, it may be more worthwhile for you to play with your maintenance levels (OR) eat at what you believe to be your desired deficit, and watch how you respond. (500cals/day x 7 days = 3500 cal deficit which should result in about 1lb of fat loss per week).
Saw it done that way in another post somewhere on TDEE, which reminded me to sit and work it all out again. I really, really don't want to maintain for a couple of weeks to test my maths out though. I'm doing so well and am a bit scared of what not losing for a while will do to me psychologically. But I know my current allowance of 1800 is probably too low if my maths is right.
0 -
I've done the same thing over the last few months and come up with the same sort of numbers, relative to my weight at the time of course. It just seems like a completely mad number, so I assumed I was working it out incorrectly.
Nope, you're quite right.
Now, the only thing I'd caution is that the equation above assumes 100% of the weight lost is fat. Some of it will be water and/or lean muscle mass, so your true TDEE might be slightly lower. So I wouldn't suggest increasing your calories quite as much as you think. But up a bit should do you fine.
If your exercise routine changes drastically, then change your intake.
Good point. I have them set at 1800 now. Way too low, right? I'm pretty consistent in my exercise routine, which is why I'm thinking of switching to TDEE. I could try 2000 for few weeks and see what happens. At that level it's not going to either make me lose too fast, or put weight back on, I should think.
0 -
OP your calculation is correct....over complicated but correct
Total calories consumed+(total lbs lost x 3500)/#days is an easier way.0 -
I actually enjoy numbers, but I'm going to propose something to you. Your calculated TDEE doesn't really matter.
Are you happy with the rate of weight loss you've been experiencing? (You said this was 3 kilos over the course of a month.)
Is your current exercise routine working well for your lifestyle?
Are you satisfied with the amount of food you've been eating? (You said this averaged to around 2077 per day.)
If the answer to all of those questions is yes, then just carry on doing what you've been doing. You're already doing it right.
Eat around 2000 to 2100 kcal per day, stick with your current exercise routine, and you will likely carry on losing at around 3 kilos per month.
Try it out. If it doesn't continue to work, then reassess later.
0 -
I actually enjoy numbers, but I'm going to propose something to you. Your calculated TDEE doesn't really matter.
Are you happy with the rate of weight loss you've been experiencing? (You said this was 3 kilos over the course of a month.)
Is your current exercise routine working well for your lifestyle?
Are you satisfied with the amount of food you've been eating? (You said this averaged to around 2077 per day.)
If the answer to all of those questions is yes, then just carry on doing what you've been doing. You're already doing it right.
Eat around 2000 to 2100 kcal per day, stick with your current exercise routine, and you will likely carry on losing at around 3 kilos per month.
Try it out. If it doesn't continue to work, then reassess later.
Ha! Brilliant response. You're absolutely right of course, but I love metrics. Yes. Even though I suck at maths.
I'm happy with my rate of loss, and with my exercise routine, and with the amount of food I've been eating. What I've not been happy with is the way that food has become a reward for going to the gym, when actually I already enjoy going to the gym for what it is. Not for the chocolate it means I can eat.
The only problem I can see is that the lower daily net calorie goal I had was compensating for the days when I went over my calories egregiously. Using TDEE there isn't any room for screwing up. But maybe the more generous calorie allowance will make it less likely that I *kitten* up once or twice a month.
0 -
I actually enjoy numbers, but I'm going to propose something to you. Your calculated TDEE doesn't really matter.
Are you happy with the rate of weight loss you've been experiencing? (You said this was 3 kilos over the course of a month.)
Is your current exercise routine working well for your lifestyle?
Are you satisfied with the amount of food you've been eating? (You said this averaged to around 2077 per day.)
If the answer to all of those questions is yes, then just carry on doing what you've been doing. You're already doing it right.
Eat around 2000 to 2100 kcal per day, stick with your current exercise routine, and you will likely carry on losing at around 3 kilos per month.
Try it out. If it doesn't continue to work, then reassess later.
Ha! Brilliant response. You're absolutely right of course, but I love metrics. Yes. Even though I suck at maths. I'm happy with my rate of loss, and with my exercise routine, and with the amount of food I've been eating. What I've not been happy with is the way that food has become a reward for going to the gym, when actually I already enjoy going to the gym for what it is. Not for the chocolate it means I can eat.
The only problem I can see is that the lower daily net calorie goal I had was compensating for the days when I went over my calories egregiously. Using TDEE there isn't any room for screwing up. But maybe the more generous calorie allowance will make it less likely that I *kitten* up once or twice a month.
To clarify, yes, this will be a change. Instead of having days of say 1400 kcal and other days of perhaps 2800 kcal you will be aiming for 2100 every day. The only way for you to know if this new way of eating will work for you is to try it out.
You may find that eating the same amount every day makes it easier for you to plan your meals. Or, you may find that you actually preferred the MFP/NEAT + exercise way (with low calorie non-exercise days and higher calorie exercise days).
You won't know until you experiment.0 -
I don't see why you have a problem with the 2902 number. If that's what it is, that's what it is. Just because it doesn't match what your fitness watch is telling you and is closer to what MFP says doesn't mean it is wrong. It just means that MFP is closer to right than what you think.0
-
What happens if I have to miss a workout day? Would I just reduce my calories for that day by what I think I would usually have really burned?0
-
Whatever you're doing seems to be working quite well. Why not just add up the calories you've eaten over the past 14 days - all of them, including exercise eat-back - and divide by 14? There's your daily exercise-decoupled average.0
-
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 394.2K Introduce Yourself
- 43.9K Getting Started
- 260.4K Health and Weight Loss
- 176.1K Food and Nutrition
- 47.5K Recipes
- 232.6K Fitness and Exercise
- 438 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.6K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153.1K Motivation and Support
- 8.1K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.4K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.9K MyFitnessPal Information
- 15 News and Announcements
- 1.2K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.7K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions