TDEE, BMR, Net Calories, Statistical Analysis

AnnaBellQ14

I made a spreadsheet of my Calories Consumed, Exercise Calories, Net Calories, Calories Left, Calories Burnt, Calories Burnt-Consumed, and Weight. Also I just looked up my BRM which is 1578.12 according to http://www.bmi-calculator.net.

The spreadsheet is from April 1 to today, the day I started exercising. Since the beginning on average I have the following figures:

Calories Consumed: 2171
Exercise Calories: 440
Net Calories: 1731
Calories Left: 189
Calories Burnt: 2600 (from fitbit)
Calories Burnt - Consumed: 429
Weight Loss: 6.4 lbs (that's about 3/4 of a lbs lost per week, close enough to 1/2 lbs)

So, the calories left for the day (189) plus the 250 reduction from MFP pretty much matches the Calories Burnt - Consumed. So on average from the beginning I'm doing well based on this.

For the last two weeks, my Net Calories on average were 1526 and 1564, with Calories Burnt - Consumed being 620 and 583. Yesterdays net calories were 1353 and Calories Burnt - Consumed being 783. I also lost over a lbs each of these weeks.

My Questions Are:

1) Should I try to eat above my BMR every day? Does it matter?
2) Since my TDEE varies every day, what should I aim to eat each day?
3) Is net calories = what my body has to meet BMR, or because I eat 2100 calories, I'm well covered, not matter what my exercise calories are?


Stats:
Age: 42
Female
Starting Weight 206.4 lbs
Current Weight 184.2 lbs
Goal Weight 158 lbs
Wanting to loose 1/2 lbs a week
Height 5' 7"
MFP Calorie Goal: 1920

FitForL1fe

impressive thoroughness on the stat tracking.

I'm sure an expert or two will drop by with some advice

SezxyStef

To answer questions...

1. It doesn't matter if you eat under your BMR...really for as long as you will.
2. If you can't be consistent with exercise TDEE is probably not for you as it should vary very much and it should even out at the end of the week...
3. Net calories =Total calories consumed-calories burned...has nothing to do with BMR.

I am same stats as you but 150lbs...I average 1800 gross calories a day and can lose 1/2lb a week on that so yah you are probably pretty close with 1920 with your current weight.

AnnaBellQ14

draznyth wrote: »

impressive thoroughness on the stat tracking.

I'm sure an expert or two will drop by with some advice

Thanks. I wanted to see how accurate my fitbit was. Plus, I like to see how I'm progressing.

husseycd

Don't over-complicate it. If your total burned calories from Fitbit seem reasonable (which is sounds like they are), use that average as your TDEE. Subtract 500 calories from that and eat to that number (gross), which would be about 2000-2100 cal/day if your TDEE is 2600/day. Be sure to adjust your Fitbit as your weight decreases since the total burn will also decrease.

It looks to me like MFP calorie goal is pretty close too.

AnnaBellQ14

husseycd wrote: »

Don't over-complicate it. If your total burned calories from Fitbit seem reasonable (which is sounds like they are), use that average as your TDEE. Subtract 500 calories from that and eat to that number (gross), which would be about 2000-2100 cal/day if your TDEE is 2600/day. Be sure to adjust your Fitbit as your weight decreases since the total burn will also decrease.

It looks to me like MFP calorie goal is pretty close too.

Thanks, I'll try eating around 2000 to 2100 calories per day. Should I adjust MFP calories to match that? Or just plan on overeating each day, since MFP is set to 1920, and wait for the exercise calorie adjustments. Also, I eat out on the weekends, which would put me above the 2100. I try to walk more those days to cover for it. Eating less the day before or day after would also account for it, I guess.

FitForL1fe

AnnaBellQ14 wrote: »

husseycd wrote: »

Don't over-complicate it. If your total burned calories from Fitbit seem reasonable (which is sounds like they are), use that average as your TDEE. Subtract 500 calories from that and eat to that number (gross), which would be about 2000-2100 cal/day if your TDEE is 2600/day. Be sure to adjust your Fitbit as your weight decreases since the total burn will also decrease.

It looks to me like MFP calorie goal is pretty close too.

Thanks, I'll try eating around 2000 to 2100 calories per day. Should I adjust MFP calories to match that? Or just plan on overeating each day, since MFP is set to 1920, and wait for the exercise calorie adjustments. Also, I eat out on the weekends, which would put me above the 2100. I try to walk more those days to cover for it. Eating less the day before or day after would also account for it, I guess.

it sounds like you may have a pretty easy time just tracking gross calories as your MFP goal since you are doing so much additional tracking on the side already. it looks like you know what you expect to consume already.

editorgrrl

AnnaBellQ14 wrote: »

Calories Burnt: 2600 (from fitbit)

Age: 42
Female
Starting Weight 206.4 lbs
Current Weight 184.2 lbs
Goal Weight 158 lbs
Wanting to loose 1/2 lbs a week
Height 5' 7"
MFP Calorie Goal: 1920

Your Fitbit burn is your TDEE—way more accurate than any online calculator.

• Connect your accounts at http://www.myfitnesspal.com/fitbit
• Enable negative calorie adjustments in your diary settings
• Set your goal to .5 lb. per week for every 25 lbs. you're overweight
• Ignore your Fitbit calorie goal and follow MFP's, eating back your Fitbit adjustments

Your default MFP calorie goal (1,920) is activity level minus deficit. Adjustments are the difference between your Fitbit burn (TDEE) and your activity level. If you follow the above steps, you'll be eating TDEE minus deficit. No math required!

You can learn more in the Fitbit Users group: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1290-fitbit-users

AnnaBellQ14

Thanks, I guess I'm just making it more complicated than it has to be.

galgenstrick

Try this since you have the data.

Take the last 3 weeks of data (assuming you didn't make any major changes in that time period)

1.) chart your scale weight vs. time
2.) fit a linear trendline
3.) use the line equation to give you the weight you were at the start (3 weeks ago), and the weight you are now
4.) take the difference of those two numbers. That's how many pounds you lost in 3 weeks on average
5.) divide that number by 21 to give you how many pounds you're losing a day on average
6.) convert that number into calories by using the conversion 3500calories ~ 1lb.
7.) add together the total number of calories you've eaten for the last 3 weeks (21 days).
8.) divide that by 21 to give you average calories consumed each day.
9.) add the calories you calculated from step 6 to step 8.
10.) The number you got in step 9 is your approximate average TDEE

now just eat x calories below that number to lose weight and keep doing your exercise the same.

TimothyFish

On average, your TDEE is 2550 or 2110 if you take out exercise calories. To lose 1/2 lb per week, you would set MFP to a goal of 1860 and then eat that plus however many calories you burn during exercise. If you exercise the same amount all the time, then you could set it to 2300 and eat that.

AnnaBellQ14

TimothyFish wrote: »

On average, your TDEE is 2550 or 2110 if you take out exercise calories. To lose 1/2 lb per week, you would set MFP to a goal of 1860 and then eat that plus however many calories you burn during exercise. If you exercise the same amount all the time, then you could set it to 2300 and eat that.

Make sense. Thanks