Another TDEE/BMR question

cassienoe

Sorry for ANOTHER TDEE/BMR question. I'm sure you guys are getting tired of answering the same thing over and over. I just want some confirmation on my thinking here. Last month I joined a challenge and lost a few lbs the 1st two weeks, and the last 2 weeks it came to a SCREECHING halt. I did figure out that I was not eating enough, so I started eating more. Now my scale is actually moving the wrong direction. Here are my stats/info

Female
27 yr old
5'5"
SW:150 lbs
CW:137 lbs (this AM)
GW:125-130 (depending on how I look/feel etc...my body will be my guide)

Work at a desk job for 8 hours, after work I spend 3 hours in a class room, then a few more hours after that doing homework, so it is safe to say I am sedentary! (Life?? What is this life you speak of??) I do work out (run 2-3 miles and youtube videos) in the mornings. Usually equates to 30-45 mins.

Using the Scooby calculator as my guide:
BMR: 1423
TDEE: 1708
TDEE- 20%: 1366

I have been netting around 1350 based off of this calculation. But now I am wondering if my struggle is because I am not even eating at my BMR??? So I am thinking I should do -10% instead? Doing that changes my calories to 1537. I should eat closer to that number then? Right?
Thanks in advance This should be easier than it is!

jzammetti

Yes, with that little weight still left to lose you should be around a 10% deficit.

cassienoe

Ok thank you!

husseycd

Yeah, I probably wouldn't drop below 1600-which is TDEE-10% -ish. Even then, your running might make you a little more active and raise your TDEE. Maybe calculate how many calories you burn running and add that to a sedentary TDEE?

I'm the same height, started at 138 lbs and am now 131 lbs. I just had my RMR tested and it was 1580. I do have a desk job but I'm up and about a lot, and I don't sit in the evening. My bodymedia says I burn between 2150 and 2600 calories/day. I'm losing at 2000. Dropping too low does nothing for me. I know it's tempting but I wouldn't underestimate your TDEE. With so little to lose, and being a healthy weight, you have to be really careful about calories (more so by avoiding too low, IMO).

I'm probably a little more active than you are in the evening, but trust me, I'm not running marathons. If you stall at 1600, I'd bump up to 1700 and see what happens.

ETA: I'm also 10 years older, so in theory, my BMR/RMR should be a tad lower than yours.

cwolfman13

Sorry for ANOTHER TDEE/BMR question. I'm sure you guys are getting tired of answering the same thing over and over. I just want some confirmation on my thinking here. Last month I joined a challenge and lost a few lbs the 1st two weeks, and the last 2 weeks it came to a SCREECHING halt. I did figure out that I was not eating enough, so I started eating more. Now my scale is actually moving the wrong direction. Here are my stats/info

Female
27 yr old
5'5"
SW:150 lbs
CW:137 lbs (this AM)
GW:125-130 (depending on how I look/feel etc...my body will be my guide)

Work at a desk job for 8 hours, after work I spend 3 hours in a class room, then a few more hours after that doing homework, so it is safe to say I am sedentary! (Life?? What is this life you speak of??) I do work out (run 2-3 miles and youtube videos) in the mornings. Usually equates to 30-45 mins.

Using the Scooby calculator as my guide:
BMR: 1423
TDEE: 1708
TDEE- 20%: 1366

I have been netting around 1350 based off of this calculation. But now I am wondering if my struggle is because I am not even eating at my BMR??? So I am thinking I should do -10% instead? Doing that changes my calories to 1537. I should eat closer to that number then? Right?
Thanks in advance This should be easier than it is!

When you do TDEE (TOTAL Daily Energy Expenditure), you include exercise in your activity level. You would not be a sedentary TDEE unless you just sat on your *kitten* all day and did no exercise. At minimum you would be light active TDEE...

I get a TDEE of 2035 and a TDEE - 20% = 1628.

If you're going to set your TDEE sedentary then you need to eat back exercise calories like you would with MFP...or just use the MFP and eat back exercise calories like you're supposed to with the MFP (NEAT) method.

If you're running everyday, you are NOT sedentary with the TDEE method. You would be sedentary with the MFP (NEAT) method because you're not supposed to include exercise as part of your activity with that method. You're supposed to log exercise as extra activity and eat those calories back.

deksgrl

Yes, use 10-15% deficit, not 20%.

And as cwolfman states, figure your TDEE at something more than sedentary and don't eat back exercise cals.

cassienoe

Thank you, I have been eating my exercise calories back. I figured that way if I did not get my work out in then I would not be over eating. But if it is still too few calories then I will adjust my activity level for that! I sit on my *kitten* pretty much for 12 hours. I do walk around the office some when needed. And I walk probably 15 mins total when I am going to and from school from the light rail (train) from the class room. So I guess if I do that 4 nights a week that actually would fall into the 1-3 hours per week. Ok. So, do you recommend changing from sedentary to lightly active and then eating actual exercise calories back? Or up the activity to moderate without eating calories back? What about on rest days, I would not need as many calories, so to me it would seem it would be better to plan on eating the cals back to be more accurate?

By the way, how long does it usually take to get things working again after you've been eating under BMR (accidently ) ?

Edited to add: I do wear a heart rate monitor when I work out. It's a Polar bluetooth one which I've heard is fairly accurate for calories burned. It has the chest strap. I've been going off the mapmyfitness app when I run to track distance, speed, and calories and it allows for a sensor.

cassienoe

And why is the thought of eating that many more calories so scary?! :laugh:

deksgrl

If you use the TDEE - % method, then do not eat extra calories for exercise, include exercise in your TDEE.

If you let MFP set your calorie goal, this does not include exercise. Eat the extra cals.

cassienoe

Changing my goals in my calculator, MFP tells me I only have a 50 calorie deficit? What gives?? That was using a lightly active with a 15% deficit. Do you guys all just ignore that and and use MFP to track food and not worry about what it says for deficit etc?

cassienoe

Ok. I want to use the TDEE method. Using moderately active to include morning workouts and the -10%...it says to eat 1985 (ha! my birth year). That seems too high! MFP is telling my I have a negative deficit now? Just ignore them because they are not including exercise? I wonder if there is a calorie counter out there in appworld that uses the TDEE method?

deksgrl

If you set your MFP profile to "maintain" instead of lose weight, then it will show the appropriate projected loss. When I log my exercise, I just log it as 1 calorie burned so it doesn't change my net calories all over the place. I just log it for motivational purposes, not because I'm tracking the calories I burn.

cwolfman13

Changing my goals in my calculator, MFP tells me I only have a 50 calorie deficit? What gives?? That was using a lightly active with a 15% deficit. Do you guys all just ignore that and and use MFP to track food and not worry about what it says for deficit etc?

Yes...you're using a completely different method with TDEE. MFP is a NEAT method calculator and assumes you're not going to do exercise...so your calorie goal is based on your NEAT...you log exercise and eat back those calories. You're manually putting in a calorie goal that includes exercise, so a NEAT method calculator is going to make it look like you're at a higher calorie goal...because once again, it excludes exercise.

You need to pick a method and go with it...you're trying to meld two methods together and it doesn't work that way. If you do MFP, set your activity level based on your daily hum drum and eat back exercise calories...shoot for 1 Lb per week goal. If you do TDEE method, you just input the number manually...you don't adjust the MFP setting for activity.

Two different methods...they should come out about 6 of 1, but you can't meld them together in the calculator. If you do TDEE it's just a customized goal and you have to ignore all of the other stuff MFP says like "you'll way such and such in 5 weeks" or "you have such and such a deficit."

cassienoe

Changing my goals in my calculator, MFP tells me I only have a 50 calorie deficit? What gives?? That was using a lightly active with a 15% deficit. Do you guys all just ignore that and and use MFP to track food and not worry about what it says for deficit etc?

Yes...you're using a completely different method with TDEE. MFP is a NEAT method calculator and assumes you're not going to do exercise...so your calorie goal is based on your NEAT...you log exercise and eat back those calories. You're manually putting in a calorie goal that includes exercise, so a NEAT method calculator is going to make it look like you're at a higher calorie goal...because once again, it excludes exercise.

You need to pick a method and go with it...you're trying to meld two methods together and it doesn't work that way. If you do MFP, set your activity level based on your daily hum drum and eat back exercise calories...shoot for 1 Lb per week goal. If you do TDEE method, you just input the number manually...you don't adjust the MFP setting for activity.

Two different methods...they should come out about 6 of 1, but you can't meld them together in the calculator. If you do TDEE it's just a customized goal and you have to ignore all of the other stuff MFP says like "you'll way such and such in 5 weeks" or "you have such and such a deficit."

Makes perfect sense. Thank you!!!!