What does my "TDEE" and "BMR" mean?

mnvicke
mnvicke Posts: 103 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi everyone!

I'm very new on MFP, and I've got a question.

I recently calculated my TDEE and BMR, and the website that hosted the calculator I used (www.iifym.com) recommended I consume 15 - 20% fewer calories than my TDEE.

My TDEE = 2414
My BMR = 2087

Using that recommendation, I would be consuming between 2051 and 1931 calories per day. MFP has set my caloric intake level at 1600, which (if my calculations are accurate) is approximately 33.5% of my TDEE.

My question: Is 1,600 calories an adequate and safe level for weight loss? I am a 30 year old female, 5'6" tall, and I weigh 297 lbs.

Also, is there any special reason I need to pay attention to my BMR right now?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Replies

  • sammyliftsandeats
    sammyliftsandeats Posts: 2,421 Member
    edited August 2016
    BMR is your Basal Metabolic Rate. It is what your body runs on if you were in bed all day, doing nothing (or in a coma).

    TDEE is your Total Daily Energy Expenditure. That is the amount you burn doing everything (including exercise).

    Long term eating under your BMR can lead to health complications, while eating under your TDEE is how you lose weight.

    What did you set your goal as? How much weight do you want to lose?
  • mnvicke
    mnvicke Posts: 103 Member
    samanthaluangphixay wrote: »

    What did you set your goal as? How much weight do you want to lose?

    I don't have any "short term" goals. My target weight, for now, is 145 lbs., leaving me 152 lbs. to lose.

  • sammyliftsandeats
    sammyliftsandeats Posts: 2,421 Member
    Okay, so when you put your info into MFP, did you put your goal as 'lose 2 lbs per week' and 'sedentary' as your activity level? Because that may be the reason why MFP gave you 1600 calories.

    If it were me, I would do TDEE minus 20% for a less aggressive deficit but still effective.
  • mnvicke
    mnvicke Posts: 103 Member
    samanthaluangphixay wrote: »
    Okay, so when you put your info into MFP, did you put your goal as 'lose 2 lbs per week' and 'sedentary' as your activity level? Because that may be the reason why MFP gave you 1600 calories.

    If it were me, I would do TDEE minus 20% for a less aggressive deficit but still effective.


    Yes, I put in to lose 2lb. / week and sedentary activity. Thank you for the advice! :smiley: I really appreciate it!
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    samanthaluangphixay wrote: »
    Okay, so when you put your info into MFP, did you put your goal as 'lose 2 lbs per week' and 'sedentary' as your activity level? Because that may be the reason why MFP gave you 1600 calories.

    If it were me, I would do TDEE minus 20% for a less aggressive deficit but still effective.

    At her current weight, 2 pounds a week is going to be fine for quite a while.

    OP, the main thing to know is that MFP's goals are based on NEAT rather than TDEE. It accounts for all the calories you burn outside of exercise. Then when you do exercise, you log it and eat some of those calories back. There's nothing wrong with eating below BMR when you're heavier, since you have more fat stores to pull from than someone who only needs to lose 20 pounds. At the end of the day, your gross calories should roughly fall into that TDEE range when you exercise.

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