Which is Preferable?

mommarnurse · February 2016

For experienced maintainers, which is better: Using TDEE which takes into account overall weekly
exercise to calculate daily calorie need or the MFP daily need which doesn't calculate exercise and then to "eat those back"?

sijomial · February 2016

Better for who?

MFP method is better for me as my exercise varies enormously day to day, week to week and even season to season. Winter I'm burning about 3,500 a week and summer about 6,000 or more with my cycling.
Also with very long rides I have to fuel on the day.
I also enjoy the flexibility of eating different amounts day to day depending on social events etc...

If you either do an insignificant amount of exercise or your exercise is very regular then TDEE method is certainly more simple.
Also suits people who like to stick to a similar intake day to day or over course of a week.

Either method may involve some adjustments to your calorie balance based on actual results over time.

Six of one, half a dozen of the other.

cwolfman13 · February 2016

mommarnurse wrote: »

For experienced maintainers, which is better: Using TDEE which takes into account overall weekly
exercise to calculate daily calorie need or the MFP daily need which doesn't calculate exercise and then to "eat those back"?

They are basically 6 of 1...personally, I'm pretty consistent in my exercise and while I do have days with bigger calorie burns, everything has worked out just fine basically using TDEE...I didn't use a calculator or anything, when I went to maintenance I just did the math and added back the calories I needed to as per the amount of weight I was losing per week.

If you're inconsistent in your exercise activities, MFP might work better.

RoxieDawn · February 2016

Preferable? As in recommended or advantageous?

It depends on personal preference. There are lot of MFPer's that use trackers to calculate their exercise and use those calculations to add to their MFP allotment.

But then there are those that simply use TDEE as they have pretty much zoned in to their exercise and activities they do on a daily basis or need to do to maintain their weight. I use MFP as I have a different source for calculating my exercise and activities, but you also find a majority that use TDEE ...

Unclear as to why the question..

amyk0202 · February 2016

I calculate my calorie goal as sedentary & eat back any exercise calories. I don't like to exercise, so my exercise goes in spurts. I start off all enthusiastic about getting healthy, then that eventually wears off & I stop. If I had my baseline calories set to include that exercise, I would eventually be overeating. So for me personally, setting my calories to maintain even if I'm sitting around all day is the way to go.

Francl27 · February 2016

I use TDEE. I had no desire to have to wear a HRM every time I exercised while losing weight, and have to log everything, so just forget it long term, lol.

My exercise is pretty consistent though, but even if it wasn't, I'd just adjust my goal depending on how active I am at the time.

BurnWithBarn2015 · February 2016

Depends

When i did MFP ( so NEAT) i ate my burned calories back for 75%. This because i sometimes couldn't exercise ( medical issues)

Now at maintaining and very consistent with exercising ( every day) i love TDEE. And of course with TDEE you eat also your exercise calories. But now i am pretty sure i exercise everyday. So why should i calculate it separated.

So it is very personal i think.

I find it simple. Try to stick to my 14000 calories a week and train for about 300 burned calories daily.

nxd10 · February 2016

It really depends how regular your schedule is. I use MFP and log my exercise. When I was at a deficit I did that by looking it up. I rewarded myself 3 years ago when I hit my goal with a fitbit and now an Apple watch. It logs my exercise calories automatically. Some days I do a lot, some not so much. I pay attention to my weekly calories religiously, but expect my daily calories to vary. It works well for me.

LivingtheLeanDream · February 2016

Its a matter of preference, I like the TDEE method but then I have a Fitbit to caluculate what my TDEE is so it takes the guess work out of it.
Its about what works best for you

middlehaitch · February 2016

I'm a hybrid.
My MFP sedentary is 1200, however I know I burn 175-200 for each hour of exercise. I tend to exercise 6 times a week so give myself a TDEE of 1400.

If I throw in exercise over and above the norm more than twice a week I will add a couple of hundred calories (glasses of wine) at the weekend.

I have said all this, but to be honest I have been maintaining for 6 years and don't log very often anymore, just carry a few numbers around in my head.

Play with your numbers and find what works for you.

Cheers, h.