Alternative methods of calculating TDEE?

hamptontom

So, I got curious about whether there were other calculators available for TDEE, and how consistent they were, and I happened upon this site:

http://calorieline.com/tools/tdee

and while the TDEE number I got was only 50 calories removed from the IIFYM calculator, i found some of the reading further down the page to be interesting. for one thing, they give you a full range of TDEE readings based on your age, height, weight, and gender - from sedentary all the way to the other end of the spectrum, rather than having you choose those parameters before making your calculation. i like that because you can see what adjustments you'd have to make if your circumstances change (level of physical activity, work, etc.), but some of what they have to say about why they calculated TDEE differently was interesting to me as well.

Curious to hear the thoughts of folks who've obviously dealt with this information much longer than I have, and whether it makes a difference or not. Like I said, the numbers really aren't drastically different.

cwolfman13

I've always viewed any of these calculators as simply a reasonably good starting point...beyond that, I don't even use them...I have 3 years worth of my own data at my disposal.

when I went to maintenance I didn't need to use a calculator to figure out my TDEE...I had my own data and simply did the math to get where I needed to be.

I also don't log so my calorie intake is variable...I have rough idea of what it is, but it is a range, not a static number...basically if I eat between 2600 - 3000 calories per day depending on what's going on, I'm fine.

I weigh myself regularly and can see if I"m gaining weight...if I am, I examine my diet overall and generally can find where and extra snack here and there has crept in, etc.

mantium999

No calculation is perfect, they are all estimates. I see them as a useful tool for creating a starting point, and then adjusting accordingly over time. One can not perfectly estimate calories eaten, nor perfectly estimate TDEE, but its useful to get a ballpark number of both. More importantly, I find their value in educating people that they often do not need to, nor shouldn't, set a super low calorie goal for themselves to lose weight. Or, on the flip side, do not need to eat extreme amounts of food to gain weight.

Francl27

I can't say one way or another as my activity isn't in their chart, but it seems low.

DeguelloTex

Daily calories - ((Today's Weight - Yesterday's Weight) * 3500) averaged over time works for me.

Kalikel

It's just computers doing math. If you love the minutiae of weight loss and all the different numbers, it could be fun to do all that.

Those numbers aren't carved in stone, they're just nice starting guides. You have to make adjustments as you go.