TDEE/basic caloric math post AKA the numbers behind weight loss.

nineteentwenty

Calculating your average TDEE is mind blowing. This is your Total Daily Energy Expenditure, or how many calories your body burns every day just keeping all systems go. Being aware of your TDEE is super nice when planning your own diet without outside help. Once you know how many calories you burn by simply being alive, planning to eat under that is pretty easy. Even if you're not the type to make up a strict plan,if you're eating less than your burn, that's an automatic win for your weight loss journey. No consistency needed so far as you're roughly under that number.

For the type of person that DOES wanna plan, it's plain math. One pound of fat is equal to 3500 calories, so that's what you're up against. If you're trying to plan your weight loss as losing [X] amount of weight per week, you can plan that around your TDEE as well. For example, my TDEE is 1745. I eat at 1200. That means in one week of sticking to my diet (1200x7), I am at a total caloric intake 3794 less than my TDEE for the week (1745x7), meaning I will lose roughly one pound of fat per week. This fluctuates depending on sodium, hormones, illness, etc, but math won't lie to you about weight loss. Even if I read as heavier for environmental reasons, my body will be rid of one pound of fat.

My advice is this: use the calculator below and choose "sedentary" as your activity level. That'll give you a solid base, you can add workouts later on. If your TDEE seems a bit high, that's because it's a statistical average. people in worse health than you (genetic disorders, gastric problems, etc) are going to need more calories to stay healthy, that that tips things a bit. Round your TDEE to the nearest hundreds place (I use 1700 for mine) and go from there.

http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html

CalorieCountChocula

Kkallisti wrote: »

This fluctuates depending on sodium, hormones, illness, etc, but math won't lie to you about weight loss. Even if I read as heavier for environmental reasons, my body will be rid of one pound of fat.l

So how long can this go on or will you eventually actually lose weight? Because that's the eventual goal right? If you're just holding on to pounds and pounds of extra water randomly that seems kind of pointless. If you lose 10lbs of fat but gain 10lbs of water you still have to lug that 10lbs of water up a hill on bike or carry it when you run or try to do pull-ups. Sure, maybe you lost a belt loop but probably not a pants size even. Put simply, to lose weight you actually have to eventually lose weight.

CalorieCountChocula

And I've been eating a whopping 1100 calories less than this calculator says and I've only lost 11lbs in three months. That's counting a 2 week random stall where I've been exactly the same weight (up down every day for no reason). It's maddening and I'm trying 1500 now. Either way by the measure of this calculator the weight should be oozing out of me like cooking oil.

MelaniaTrump

My advice is this: use the calculator below and choose "sedentary" as your activity level...
^^ I follow this too.

blues4miles

CalorieCountChocula wrote: »

And I've been eating a whopping 1100 calories less than this calculator says and I've only lost 11lbs in three months. That's counting a 2 week random stall where I've been exactly the same weight (up down every day for no reason). It's maddening and I'm trying 1500 now. Either way by the measure of this calculator the weight should be oozing out of me like cooking oil.

How do you log? Do you have a food scale where you weigh and measure everything you eat? How often do you eat fast food (because their calorie counts aren't very accurate, not b/c anything wrong with fast food)? How are you calculating calorie burn from exercise?

I used Scooby's Calculator and it gives me a TDEE of 1994. I aim for about 1520 a day.

I log/weigh everything. Then I go back and take down the calories I ATE from my logs and the calories I burned from exercise. Even though I'm aiming for 1520, my actual calories eaten over the last 21 days have averaged 1700. That would make a big difference over 2 weeks. I find most people who are 'not losing' are either doing a poor job at logging, are forgetting about binge days, or have medical issues.

Also, 11 lbs in 3 months is actually good. Sometimes you lose really fast in the beginning and then it slows down and evens out. That can make it seem like you are 'not losing' when really you just lost a bunch of weight the week before. Your body doesn't start over every week like the calendar does.

CalorieCountChocula

blues4miles wrote: »

CalorieCountChocula wrote: »

And I've been eating a whopping 1100 calories less than this calculator says and I've only lost 11lbs in three months. That's counting a 2 week random stall where I've been exactly the same weight (up down every day for no reason). It's maddening and I'm trying 1500 now. Either way by the measure of this calculator the weight should be oozing out of me like cooking oil.

How do you log? Do you have a food scale where you weigh and measure everything you eat? How often do you eat fast food (because their calorie counts aren't very accurate, not b/c anything wrong with fast food)? How are you calculating calorie burn from exercise?

I used Scooby's Calculator and it gives me a TDEE of 1994. I aim for about 1520 a day.

I log/weigh everything. Then I go back and take down the calories I ATE from my logs and the calories I burned from exercise. Even though I'm aiming for 1520, my actual calories eaten over the last 21 days have averaged 1700. That would make a big difference over 2 weeks. I find most people who are 'not losing' are either doing a poor job at logging, are forgetting about binge days, or have medical issues.

Also, 11 lbs in 3 months is actually good. Sometimes you lose really fast in the beginning and then it slows down and evens out. That can make it seem like you are 'not losing' when really you just lost a bunch of weight the week before. Your body doesn't start over every week like the calendar does.

I weigh and measure. I don't eat fast food. The food for fun does don't exist in any form anymore. It's just a miserable existence of chicken and fish for the most part. The most thrilling thing I get is a protein bar. Yay. A hint of chocolate. Pretty soon that will go. I'm trying to do a new thing where I eat only chicken, fish, and eggs. Yes really. This is to eliminate all possibility of "you're logging it wrong. you didn't weigh your yogurt! those potential 8 extra calories are killing your success!" And at my weight every calculator under the sun says my TDEE is at least 2500. Unless I'm secretly eating pizzas in my sleep I should be losing SOMETHING.

erinc5

CalorieCountChocula wrote: »

I weigh and measure. I don't eat fast food. The food for fun does don't exist in any form anymore. It's just a miserable existence of chicken and fish for the most part. The most thrilling thing I get is a protein bar. Yay. A hint of chocolate. Pretty soon that will go. I'm trying to do a new thing where I eat only chicken, fish, and eggs. Yes really. This is to eliminate all possibility of "you're logging it wrong. you didn't weigh your yogurt! those potential 8 extra calories are killing your success!" And at my weight every calculator under the sun says my TDEE is at least 2500. Unless I'm secretly eating pizzas in my sleep I should be losing SOMETHING.

Do you log oil, butter, etc? You have a lot of eggs, fish, shrimp, greens, etc.. I would usually expect to see some sort of oil, butter, or something to go with these entries. Are you steaming everything with no oil or butter? Those calories can add up quickly if you aren't accounting for them.

If you really are eating so low with no loss, then it may be time to visit a doctor.

mrsb461

Sorry i dont follow. Is your TDEE what we should be losing to lose weight? ? According to that calculator my TDEE is 1900.....

janejellyroll

mrsb461 wrote: »

Sorry i dont follow. Is your TDEE what we should be losing to lose weight? ? According to that calculator my TDEE is 1900.....

Your TDEE is what you would eat to maintain your weight. You would remove calories from your TDEE to reach a deficit.

If your TDEE is 1,900 (and that is just an estimate), then you would eat 1,400 to have a deficit of 500 calories.