Are you discouraged by your TDEE
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Christine_72 wrote: »I never know what to set my activity level to on those TDEE sites.. The only exercise I do is walking, and I "try" to aim for 15kms (9.3m) 7 days a week, not always successful though. So I usually pick lightly active.
I fall somewhere between lightly active and moderately active. If only there were TDEE calculators for people who do a ton of walking.
I'm disappointed at my TDEE because I enjoy eating and cooking. I *can* do both within my calorie goals, but that's using substitutes and measuring everything. I've been watching a marathon of The French Chef and watching Julia fry up omelettes in 125 mL of olive oil and .25 cups of butter is killing me. I miss being able to cook like that.0 -
I'm not quite to maintenance yet, but I've looked at it for sure. I've thought about maintenance constantly since I started 21 months ago. Whatever my TDEE is I have to find ways to make it work. I decided I would have to make changes permanently, for life. I know from experience that this is real, and if I don't, I'll end up fat and miserable again. So if TDEE is a little less than I "like ", it doesn't matter. This is a fact of my life and I must --and will--make it work!
Sw 301
CW 167
GW 1500 -
My TDEE sits between 1950-2400 depending on how active I am. This is more than enough calories to satisfy me.
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The wonderful thing about a fitbit is it figures out your TDEE every single day. They are also reasonably accurate. I love the fact that I know on days when I am driving a lto and in meetings I know I can't snack much because my TDEE will end up being about 2200, yet other days where I am on my feet all day I could end up with a TDEE of 3100...After awhile I have started to realize things balance out on their own. One day I might only burn 2400 calories and eat 2600 and the next day I might burn 3200 and only eat 2800.0
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jeepinshawn wrote: »The wonderful thing about a fitbit is it figures out your TDEE every single day. They are also reasonably accurate. I love the fact that I know on days when I am driving a lto and in meetings I know I can't snack much because my TDEE will end up being about 2200, yet other days where I am on my feet all day I could end up with a TDEE of 3100...After awhile I have started to realize things balance out on their own. One day I might only burn 2400 calories and eat 2600 and the next day I might burn 3200 and only eat 2800.
Yep, having a fitbit makes life so much easier.0 -
Yes, tbh. Discouraged might not be the right word, though. I can honestly say I would LIKE to eat (and drink) more than I do just about every day, but I like my CW more, so I consume TDEE for my CW. It's a conscious choice, and I'm ok with it. I eat foods and drink wines I truly enjoy, and much of the time, consuming more <> enjoying more. Much of the time consuming less = enjoying more because I feel better. But a lot of days, I would like to have more.
I received a Fitbit in December, and I haven't used it to adjust eating. I bank calories for the weekend, so I look at it weekly vs. daily. Fitbit often says my TDEE is 50-100 kcal more than I think. Years of tracking with a consistent exercise pattern lead me to believe my TDEE is ~1740. It's close, and I wonder if the difference is intake inaccuracy on my part (I.e. I'm actually eating 1800-1850 but I've been logging it as 1750).0 -
Yes, tbh. Discouraged might not be the right word, though. I can honestly say I would LIKE to eat (and drink) more than I do just about every day, but I like my CW more, so I consume TDEE for my CW. It's a conscious choice, and I'm ok with it. I eat foods and drink wines I truly enjoy, and much of the time, consuming more <> enjoying more. Much of the time consuming less = enjoying more because I feel better. But a lot of days, I would like to have more.
I received a Fitbit in December, and I haven't used it to adjust eating. I bank calories for the weekend, so I look at it weekly vs. daily. Fitbit often says my TDEE is 50-100 kcal more than I think. Years of tracking with a consistent exercise pattern lead me to believe my TDEE is ~1740. It's close, and I wonder if the difference is intake inaccuracy on my part (I.e. I'm actually eating 1800-1850 but I've been logging it as 1750).
The important thing is that if you are consistent with the way you log, then, for you, the way you log, you've been eating 1750. And, if you are maintaining your weight with a consistent eating pattern and exercise pattern, then your TDEE is 1750, for all intents and purposes. It doesn't really matter what Fitbit says that it should be, if you are not actually using the Fitbit to adjust the way that you eat.
It is possible that the way you log your calories you are "actually eating 1800-1850", but it doesn't really matter.
And, good for you, by the way for finding maintenance and, well, maintaining, haha. Bravo!
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ForecasterJason wrote: »I don't have the appetite to eat much more than my current TDEE of ~2500 (assuming a nutritious diet), so I can't say that I'm disappointed.
A daily step count of 10,000 steps is widely considered as "active". While it's true it doesn't say anything about the intensity of those steps, one can burn significantly more calories doing low intensity exercises that add up to 10,000 steps in a day. Last summer I had a job that kept me on my feet all day and was getting about 8000 steps on the days that I worked. My calorie burn was substantially higher than if I was sedentary (500-600 more according to my Fitbit), even though I was only getting a very small number of active minutes a day.BikeTourer wrote: »
What is your height and current weight? What parameters are you giving the calculator to result in the 1400 kcal TDEE estimate? If you are biking and walking "for miles and miles", then you are likely underestimating your activity level for the calculator.
Since you are still several pounds away from your goal, start keeping a trend line of your weight now, using an app like Happy Scales or trendweight.com for the next 8 weeks or so.
Then at the end of that period you can do the backend calculation of your estimated TDEE, like the previous poster suggested.
5'0" 106.5lbs, I put in lightly active with no workout setting because I wanted to get a baseline. I walk everyday for my job but it isn't too much walking, I don't drive everywhere. On the weekends I'm far more active where I walk sometimes 7miles or bike 16-30miles and I exercise on machines at least 3 times a week.. But I add those as eat back calories most of the time, I eat back half half the time and all the other half.
Anyway I downloaded the happy scales app! Will do! I'm also going to try to use my fit bit again. I'm just confused by it really.
The thing is, sedentary is not an appropriate choice for you, even as a baseline. The "sedentary" physical activity level (1.2 x BMR) should only be used by someone who is truly not moving much at all. You sound like a fairly active young person, who walks places instead of driving to them, and does other activities, so "lightly active" (1.375) is a more appropriate selection for you.
Even at your goal weight of 100 pounds (which, at 5', would put you at a 19.6 BMI), your estimated TDEE would be on the order of 1520 (BMR of 1106 x 1.375).
But again, this is just an estimate. As suggested, using your own real-world data (weight fluctuations and actual calories eaten over a period of weeks) will yield an "observed TDEE".
Your Fitbit may help you to see how active you really are, if you start using it again. There are some Fitbit related threads and groups on MFP that should help you to sort through your confusion about it.
Disagree many people who are not consistently active choose to set a baseline based on their normal daily routine and eat back their exercise calories. I don't like to eat an average amount daily because I don't want it when I'm not active and want a lot more when I do a century ride or a fifteen mile hike. Yes I'm active enough often enough to do these things without killing myself but I also have days that I don't register as active at all. Sometimes more than a few days in a row.
Steps are not a good measure of activeness it is 100% possible to reach 10,000 steps and have your Fitbit show 0 active minutes. I did so last weekend. Yes, I burnt some extra calories because I wasn't sitting but never raised my HR into the active range so I don't confuse busy or simply moving with active.
10,000 steps are widely recommended for the average person to strive for health benefits. If that is asking the average person to do that implies the middle not the high end of the activity scale. All I am pointing out is there is WORLD of difference between 10,000 steps at 2 mph vs. 4+ mph and the average healthy person with no medical issues can do that at 3.5 mph. This not breaking activity standards by any means. Me at office pace speed that isn't considered rude for 5,000 steps will earn me at my age, weight and gender a whopping 140 to maybe 150 extra calories over the sendentary setting. That is an apple plus a light cheese stick worth of calories, whoopee freaking do. I start doing this at 4.5 mph over hilly terrain then I start earning extra calories that move the needle, raise the heart rate and result is measurable health benefits. The quality of those 10,000 steps make all the difference. 10,000 are useful for challenges and bragging rights but unless they are truly in the basement they are NOT a measure of activity or fitness.0 -
jeepinshawn wrote: »The wonderful thing about a fitbit is it figures out your TDEE every single day. They are also reasonably accurate. I love the fact that I know on days when I am driving a lto and in meetings I know I can't snack much because my TDEE will end up being about 2200, yet other days where I am on my feet all day I could end up with a TDEE of 3100...After awhile I have started to realize things balance out on their own. One day I might only burn 2400 calories and eat 2600 and the next day I might burn 3200 and only eat 2800.
I just started using my Fitbit again this weekend and I'm excited!0 -
This thread is funny because let's be honest, if I was satisfied with my 2100-2200 TDEE (I don't know anymore, tbh), I would never have reached 213 pounds in the first place. Bottom line, I will ALWAYS feel deprived if I want to maintain a normal weight.0
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This thread is funny because let's be honest, if I was satisfied with my 2100-2200 TDEE (I don't know anymore, tbh), I would never have reached 213 pounds in the first place. Bottom line, I will ALWAYS feel deprived if I want to maintain a normal weight.
:] I asked because I wanted to get a better perspective and outlook on maintenance and how people emotionally deal with tdee. Although now I'd probably be pretty merry with 2100 calories but I'm pretty sure I couldn't actually eat that anymore. Now 1400/1600 ehh could be better 0 -
This thread is funny because let's be honest, if I was satisfied with my 2100-2200 TDEE (I don't know anymore, tbh), I would never have reached 213 pounds in the first place. Bottom line, I will ALWAYS feel deprived if I want to maintain a normal weight.
I don't know, I'm pretty sure my TDEE is higher now and I eat more food than before I lost weight, because I'm far more active. Plus I think many people learn how to focus on eating more satiating foods in this process, so yeah, I'm satisfied with my TDEE.
Constantly being unhappy with how you have to eat in order to lose or maintain weight seems like a recipe for failure and why people give up and JSF.1 -
WinoGelato wrote: »This thread is funny because let's be honest, if I was satisfied with my 2100-2200 TDEE (I don't know anymore, tbh), I would never have reached 213 pounds in the first place. Bottom line, I will ALWAYS feel deprived if I want to maintain a normal weight.
I don't know, I'm pretty sure my TDEE is higher now and I eat more food than before I lost weight, because I'm far more active. Plus I think many people learn how to focus on eating more satiating foods in this process, so yeah, I'm satisfied with my TDEE.
Constantly being unhappy with how you have to eat in order to lose or maintain weight seems like a recipe for failure and why people give up and JSF.
Well, obviously, but if you have a pill or a tip to make me magically happy with being able to eat 500 less calories than I used to while being hungrier, please share!0 -
I get what you're saying, but I think there is a difference though between overall activity level and fitness level. I would suggest taking a look at this thread, as it was explained there by multiple people.BikeTourer wrote: »ForecasterJason wrote: »I don't have the appetite to eat much more than my current TDEE of ~2500 (assuming a nutritious diet), so I can't say that I'm disappointed.
A daily step count of 10,000 steps is widely considered as "active". While it's true it doesn't say anything about the intensity of those steps, one can burn significantly more calories doing low intensity exercises that add up to 10,000 steps in a day. Last summer I had a job that kept me on my feet all day and was getting about 8000 steps on the days that I worked. My calorie burn was substantially higher than if I was sedentary (500-600 more according to my Fitbit), even though I was only getting a very small number of active minutes a day.BikeTourer wrote: »
What is your height and current weight? What parameters are you giving the calculator to result in the 1400 kcal TDEE estimate? If you are biking and walking "for miles and miles", then you are likely underestimating your activity level for the calculator.
Since you are still several pounds away from your goal, start keeping a trend line of your weight now, using an app like Happy Scales or trendweight.com for the next 8 weeks or so.
Then at the end of that period you can do the backend calculation of your estimated TDEE, like the previous poster suggested.
5'0" 106.5lbs, I put in lightly active with no workout setting because I wanted to get a baseline. I walk everyday for my job but it isn't too much walking, I don't drive everywhere. On the weekends I'm far more active where I walk sometimes 7miles or bike 16-30miles and I exercise on machines at least 3 times a week.. But I add those as eat back calories most of the time, I eat back half half the time and all the other half.
Anyway I downloaded the happy scales app! Will do! I'm also going to try to use my fit bit again. I'm just confused by it really.
The thing is, sedentary is not an appropriate choice for you, even as a baseline. The "sedentary" physical activity level (1.2 x BMR) should only be used by someone who is truly not moving much at all. You sound like a fairly active young person, who walks places instead of driving to them, and does other activities, so "lightly active" (1.375) is a more appropriate selection for you.
Even at your goal weight of 100 pounds (which, at 5', would put you at a 19.6 BMI), your estimated TDEE would be on the order of 1520 (BMR of 1106 x 1.375).
But again, this is just an estimate. As suggested, using your own real-world data (weight fluctuations and actual calories eaten over a period of weeks) will yield an "observed TDEE".
Your Fitbit may help you to see how active you really are, if you start using it again. There are some Fitbit related threads and groups on MFP that should help you to sort through your confusion about it.
Disagree many people who are not consistently active choose to set a baseline based on their normal daily routine and eat back their exercise calories. I don't like to eat an average amount daily because I don't want it when I'm not active and want a lot more when I do a century ride or a fifteen mile hike. Yes I'm active enough often enough to do these things without killing myself but I also have days that I don't register as active at all. Sometimes more than a few days in a row.
Steps are not a good measure of activeness it is 100% possible to reach 10,000 steps and have your Fitbit show 0 active minutes. I did so last weekend. Yes, I burnt some extra calories because I wasn't sitting but never raised my HR into the active range so I don't confuse busy or simply moving with active.
10,000 steps are widely recommended for the average person to strive for health benefits. If that is asking the average person to do that implies the middle not the high end of the activity scale. All I am pointing out is there is WORLD of difference between 10,000 steps at 2 mph vs. 4+ mph and the average healthy person with no medical issues can do that at 3.5 mph. This not breaking activity standards by any means. Me at office pace speed that isn't considered rude for 5,000 steps will earn me at my age, weight and gender a whopping 140 to maybe 150 extra calories over the sendentary setting. That is an apple plus a light cheese stick worth of calories, whoopee freaking do. I start doing this at 4.5 mph over hilly terrain then I start earning extra calories that move the needle, raise the heart rate and result is measurable health benefits. The quality of those 10,000 steps make all the difference. 10,000 are useful for challenges and bragging rights but unless they are truly in the basement they are NOT a measure of activity or fitness.
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WinoGelato wrote: »This thread is funny because let's be honest, if I was satisfied with my 2100-2200 TDEE (I don't know anymore, tbh), I would never have reached 213 pounds in the first place. Bottom line, I will ALWAYS feel deprived if I want to maintain a normal weight.
I don't know, I'm pretty sure my TDEE is higher now and I eat more food than before I lost weight, because I'm far more active. Plus I think many people learn how to focus on eating more satiating foods in this process, so yeah, I'm satisfied with my TDEE.
Constantly being unhappy with how you have to eat in order to lose or maintain weight seems like a recipe for failure and why people give up and JSF.
Well, obviously, but if you have a pill or a tip to make me magically happy with being able to eat 500 less calories than I used to while being hungrier, please share!
Prozac? 1 -
CalorieCountChocula wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »CalorieCountChocula wrote: »AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMEN.
I'm a 5'11" male. 224lbs. I shoot for about 1800 calories a day. Been coming down from about 250lbs. My trend app says at my current rate of loss (.8lbs a week) I'm eating 422 calories below my TDEE. Let's do the math on that. So my TDEE is 2222. That's insanely low. "Oh but you're probably sedentary and practically move as much as someone in a coma." Nope. I work out 4 days a week. It's total crap. The whole "you get to have pizza and ice cream and still lose weight" thing is out the window. None of that for me. Salmon. Broccoli. Chicken. Broccoli. More chicken. Yawn.
I'd say, you are probably eating more than you think.
Probably, or go to the doctor and show the doctor the logs.
Also, I eat 1700 calories and have been known to have ice cream and pizza.
Been to the doctor. Literally no problems other than highish cholesterol and obesity. I just don't lose weight at the same rate as most people. It's crap.CalorieCountChocula wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »CalorieCountChocula wrote: »AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMEN.
I'm a 5'11" male. 224lbs. I shoot for about 1800 calories a day. Been coming down from about 250lbs. My trend app says at my current rate of loss (.8lbs a week) I'm eating 422 calories below my TDEE. Let's do the math on that. So my TDEE is 2222. That's insanely low. "Oh but you're probably sedentary and practically move as much as someone in a coma." Nope. I work out 4 days a week. It's total crap. The whole "you get to have pizza and ice cream and still lose weight" thing is out the window. None of that for me. Salmon. Broccoli. Chicken. Broccoli. More chicken. Yawn.
I'd say, you are probably eating more than you think.
Probably, or go to the doctor and show the doctor the logs.
Also, I eat 1700 calories and have been known to have ice cream and pizza.
Been to the doctor. Literally no problems other than highish cholesterol and obesity. I just don't lose weight at the same rate as most people. It's crap.
I think you sound like a realistic person determined to meet his goal. I'm impressed!0 -
WinoGelato wrote: »JeromeBarry1 wrote: »Try multiplying your weight (that you want to maintain) by 11.1 and see what you think of the product as your maintenance calories in a sedentary life. At my weight this morning 254, the product is 2819.4. On my good days, I consume 1200-1300 calories. My average weight loss since Jan 25 is nearly .5 lb per day. Look at the math. My daily calorie intake is 1600 less than my sedentary needs. 1600 is a little less than half of 3500. 3500 is the calorie loss that loses 1 lb. My avg daily weight loss is a little less than 1/2 lb per day. It certainly seems to me that the 11.1 number is a darn good number to use.
Are these numbers accurate? You are running a 1600 cal/day deficit and losing about 0.5 lb/day? This is far too aggressive, unhealthy, and not something you should be advocating on these boards.
Your 11.1 number gives me a target of 1210 calories which is below my BMR, so no, this is not a darn good number to use...
I've been chastised for putting my speculative nonsense up, so using an earlier link I went to the government's web site to figure out some stuff.
In order to maintain
your current weight, (Which is 250.2)
you should eat:
2,785
Calories/day (Which I am way below)
To reach your goal of
160 lbs in 365 days, (Which is in the middle of the healthy BMI range for my height.)
you should eat:
1,490
Calories/day (Which really is more than I eat most days.)
To maintain your goal
of 160 lbs,
you should eat:
2,180
Calories/day (Which I think I can manage by adding to my food plan.)
Previous Step Expert Mode
And these are my accurate macros for today after a good breakfast and a good lunch:
631Calories 44 Carbs 29 Fat 45 Protein 1,053 Sodium 10 sugar.
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JeromeBarry1 wrote: »WinoGelato wrote: »JeromeBarry1 wrote: »Try multiplying your weight (that you want to maintain) by 11.1 and see what you think of the product as your maintenance calories in a sedentary life. At my weight this morning 254, the product is 2819.4. On my good days, I consume 1200-1300 calories. My average weight loss since Jan 25 is nearly .5 lb per day. Look at the math. My daily calorie intake is 1600 less than my sedentary needs. 1600 is a little less than half of 3500. 3500 is the calorie loss that loses 1 lb. My avg daily weight loss is a little less than 1/2 lb per day. It certainly seems to me that the 11.1 number is a darn good number to use.
Are these numbers accurate? You are running a 1600 cal/day deficit and losing about 0.5 lb/day? This is far too aggressive, unhealthy, and not something you should be advocating on these boards.
Your 11.1 number gives me a target of 1210 calories which is below my BMR, so no, this is not a darn good number to use...
I've been chastised for putting my speculative nonsense up, so using an earlier link I went to the government's web site to figure out some stuff.
In order to maintain
your current weight, (Which is 250.2)
you should eat:
2,785
Calories/day (Which I am way below)
To reach your goal of
160 lbs in 365 days, (Which is in the middle of the healthy BMI range for my height.)
you should eat:
1,490
Calories/day (Which really is more than I eat most days.)
To maintain your goal
of 160 lbs,
you should eat:
2,180
Calories/day (Which I think I can manage by adding to my food plan.)
Previous Step Expert Mode
And these are my accurate macros for today after a good breakfast and a good lunch:
631Calories 44 Carbs 29 Fat 45 Protein 1,053 Sodium 10 sugar.
I still don't understand. Why are you eating so little? You have around 100 lbs to lose. Losing 2 lbs/week would be an appropriate goal for you. That would be ~1000 cal deficit or around 1800 cals/day to lose. Why are you eating so much less than this?
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Not disappointed at all; kind of the reverse.
When I started on this process at 183 pounds (last April), various calculators estimated my sedentary TDEE at around 1500/day, for my then-goal weight (130 at 5'5", age 59 at the time). So, my first weight-loss effort was simply trying to eat at 1500, while estimating calories. Around July, loss slowed & I joined MFP to track more meticulously.
Now, I'm working on pinning down my maintenance calories by adding a hundred or so per day, then monitoring for a couple of weeks. Outside of intentional exercise, I truly am sedentary (retired, sedentary hobbies outside of the exercise-y ones, etc.), menopausal of course at age 60, and hypothyroid besides (medication-controlled). Right now, I weigh 118 pounds - not crazy given my body configuration - but would eventually like to gain back a couple.
I seemed to have been still losing very slowly at 1700 calories/day, so I recently went to 1800 as my daily goal. And this is net calories - gross is often over 2000! (I'm pretty active for a l'il ol' lady, and eat back all of my conservatively-estimated exercise calories).
Disappointed? Uh, no way. I know it may not last forever - things change - but for now I'm pretty close to ecstatic.0 -
Wow.. this is so hard. Different calculators give me wildly different answers when I put in the same things. I tried another calculator which told me 1400 to maintain, another said 1500, this one says 1600. I guess I'll have to "just see". I mean how do I go about figuring out whats right? Eat at the lowest answer and see if I lose weight, then up the calories?
All a calculator does is give you a starting point, and everything you do calorie-wise is just an approximation anyway.
Start at 1500. Try it consistently for a few weeks. Adjust as needed. In a few months you'll know exactly how much to eat to reach your goals.0
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