TDEE and MYFITNESSPAL

skriekle

I am looking at getting some feedback as to whether I am calculating my net calories correctly.

My maintenance TDEE with no exercise factored in is 1563kcal. When I factor in my regular exercise it is 2013kcal. My BMR is roughly 1359.

If I want to use myfitness pal to track my exercise and my diet, I will want to set my NET calorie goal at a level that does NOT include my calories burned from exercise, so that when I log my exercise and my food together, I should reach my TDEE - my desired deficit. To lose 1lb per week, I need my deficit to be 500kcal/day, so that would mean:

Total Calories in/day: 2013-500 = 1513Kcal

Then if I want to log my workouts (2 per day totalling roughly 500Kcal)

Net Calories for MYFITNESSPAL: 1513-500 = 1013Kcal

My biggest concern is that my BMR is 1359, and I don't want to send my body into distress by setting my net intake too low, but I also don't want to eat too much and continue to maintain when I am trying to cut.

Help?

sllm1

Ok - so I use both of these in a way (spreadsheet) and I should be able to help, but somehow the way you've asked the question has confused me.

So my TDEE is 2060. If I wanted to lose a pound a week, I would eat 1560. The exercise is already factored in.

If I use MFP, it tells me to eat 1660 to maintain, which would put me at 1160 to lose a pound a week (this is too low for me). I would consequently need to burn 400 cals per day to get to my TDEE number (as a point of reference), but I wouldn't add the exercise calories and then also aim for the 500 calorie deficit.

I think this amounts to not eating back your exercise calories. I personally need more food than this.

I would say use MFP and add in your exercise calories or use the TDEE (which can be manually set as your MFP goal) and don't add extra exercise calories.

Did I just cause more confusion?

slimkay1

That is a really great question. I have wondered about the numbers since I've been on MFP. I have noticed MFP overestimate calories burned and most people think they are working out much harder than they really are. I use a calorie calculator, with activity setting of light-active or sedentary and it calculate the number of calories I need to eat in order to lose 1 or 2lbs weekly.

skriekle

Nope not any more confused! I think you are saying almost the same thing. Since My TDEE minus deficit is 1513/day, INCLUDING my excericise, I either have to not log my exercise in MFP, and set my food intake goal at 1513/day OR if I want to log my exercise, I should still eat 1513kcal/day, but know that my net calories (food - exercise) are going to be around 1000Kcal/day (can't set any lower than 1200 using MFP, but as long as I EAT the 1513/day, it doesn't yell at me if my actual net is 1000). Am I making sense? So many numbers....

cwolfman13

I think you're over complicating things...

The two methods are six of one if done properly and when comparing apples to apples in regards to rate of loss goals. The only difference between the two methods is where you account for exercise.

With TDEE you should include exercise...there's no such thing as TDEE sans exercise unless you don't actually exercise. TDEE is everything...Total Daily Energy Expenditure...it's everything. If you use this method, you should use it correctly...otherwise you are using NEAT.

MFP utilizes the NEAT method...this method does not include exercise in your activity level...with MFP and other NEAT calculators, you account for exercise after the fact when you log it and get calories to "eat back"

Pick one and use it properly...it sounds like you in fact want to use MFP as designed...if that is the case, allow MFP to calculate your calorie target and then you add exercise back in.

Also, exercise doesn't have anything to do with BMR...and frankly, I wouldn't concern myself too much unless I was dramatically under feeding.

I'll use my numbers to illustrate that in fact, the methods are basically 6 of 1.

With MFP, to lose one pound per week I will get 2000 calories...this would mean that MFP is calculating my NEAT to be about 2500 calories...so I eat 2000 calories and burn 500 in exercise...my new weight loss target would be 2500 calories and I would lose that same 1 Lb per month because my maintenance would have now moved to 3,000.

As per four years plus experience and verified (at least a close approximation) by TDEE calculators, my TDEE (includes exercise) is around 3,000 calories....so a 500 calorie deficit would have me eating 2,500 calories.

As you can see, either method ultimately has me at 2,500 calories to lose one pound per week...the only difference being where I actually account for exercise activity.

skriekle

THANK YOU, that makes perfect sense. So I do want to use TDEE. But MFP has a great database of foods and exercises that make it really easy to journal my day, and journalling my day helps keep me accountable. I want to log my food, to make sure I am on target each day, and I want to log my exercise to make sure I am meeting my daily/weekly goals there as well. So I think based on what you have both said, if I manually set my calorie goal to my TDEE minus deficit (1513), and don't ''eat back" my exercise calories (which would leave me a net of around 1000Kcal that I can effectively ignore) then I should be on the right track? And I don't have to be concerned that the Calories in - Calories out is below my BMR...

cwolfman13

skriekle wrote: »

THANK YOU, that makes perfect sense. So I do want to use TDEE. But MFP has a great database of foods and exercises that make it really easy to journal my day, and journalling my day helps keep me accountable. I want to log my food, to make sure I am on target each day, and I want to log my exercise to make sure I am meeting my daily/weekly goals there as well. So I think based on what you have both said, if I manually set my calorie goal to my TDEE minus deficit (1513), and don't ''eat back" my exercise calories (which would leave me a net of around 1000Kcal that I can effectively ignore) then I should be on the right track? And I don't have to be concerned that the Calories in - Calories out is below my BMR...

Honestly, if I had to guess, I'd say you're underestimating both your NEAT and TDEE...but ultimately it comes down to trial and error and whether or not you're losing at your desired rate or faster or slower, etc.

It just seems odd to me that the difference between your NEAT and BMR is only 154 calories...I work in an office job and my NEAT is a solid 500-600 calories above my BMR...I'm male, so that's part of the difference...but I'd wager that your actual NEAT is at least a few hundred calories above your BMR and that your TDEE is also slightly higher than what you're calculating.

But like I said, trial and error.

skriekle

cwolfman13 wrote: »

It just seems odd to me that the difference between your NEAT and BMR is only 154 calories...I work in an office job and my NEAT is a solid 500-600 calories above my BMR...I'm male, so that's part of the difference...but I'd wager that your actual NEAT is at least a few hundred calories above your BMR and that your TDEE is also slightly higher than what you're calculating.

But like I said, trial and error.

I used a few different calculators and took an average of them. The 2013kcal TDEE is on par with what I typically eat, and my weight has held since June 2015, so I feel like its at least a reasonable starting point. I would love for it to be higher though! 1513 is that TDEE minus 500 (for 1lb loss per week). I came up with 1563 Kcal as my non excercise # by using the same calculators, but selecting sedentary for my lifestyle options to reflect my desk job. Its approx 200 Kcal from my BMR, so yeah it may be a little low, but I don't know really. All of your numbers are wonderfully higher than mine, and it makes me a little jealous!

piperdown44

skriekle wrote: »

THANK YOU, that makes perfect sense. So I do want to use TDEE. But MFP has a great database of foods and exercises that make it really easy to journal my day, and journalling my day helps keep me accountable. I want to log my food, to make sure I am on target each day, and I want to log my exercise to make sure I am meeting my daily/weekly goals there as well. So I think based on what you have both said, if I manually set my calorie goal to my TDEE minus deficit (1513), and don't ''eat back" my exercise calories (which would leave me a net of around 1000Kcal that I can effectively ignore) then I should be on the right track? And I don't have to be concerned that the Calories in - Calories out is below my BMR...

That's what I do. Set my calories based on TDEE (depending on if I'm bulking, cutting or maintaining) and just log the food.

I do log my exercise but set it as a custom calorie number of "1". Regardless if I'm doing lifting or something else my exercise burns "1" calorie.