Last BMR, TDEE question you'll see! (Today), Lol!

kaykaylyn

Went to a couple of the BMR, TDEE websites to calculate my numbers for myself and got different numbers than I got here. This site gave me. BMR of 1688, TDEE of 2321. I subtracted the 20% from my TDEE and got 1857. MFP has me at 1610 calories. Should I be eating more of What MFP says. Had been having trouble eating the 1610, but by reading on here, figured out how to fix that do that now I think I could increase my cals. If I need to. Any insight will be appreciate, I just want to get it right. Thanks.

dianefisher47

From what I have seen is with MFP you eat your exercise calories back...with other calculations you don't, exercise is already calculated in your given numbers, for me here on MFP I get 1440 calories I can eat and if I burn 300 calories I can eat 1740 so my net is 1440 at the end of the day....with other calculations (scoobie or other) I get to eat 1750 calories but my exercise calories are already calculated in there...the numbers sometimes end up being very close. I hope this can help :flowerforyou:

kaykaylyn

From what I have seen is with MFP you eat your exercise calories back...with other calculations you don't, exercise is already calculated in your given numbers, for me here on MFP I get 1440 calories I can eat and if I burn 300 calories I can eat 1740 so my net is 1440 at the end of the day....with other calculations (scoobie or other) I get to eat 1750 calories but my exercise calories are already calculated in there...the numbers sometimes end up being very close. I hope this can help :flowerforyou:

You have made this so clear to me. I have read and re-read explanations and I just didn't get it. Thank you soooo much. Now I can relax and eat.
How much have you lost so far Dianne?

EDollah

I posit that the reason you're seeing differing BMR, TDEE and RMR (not mentioned above) between various online calculators and MFP is that there are several methods of estimating these numbers. To name a few:

WHO
Mifflin-St. Jeor
Harris-Benedict
Katch-McCardle
Cunningham

Mifflin-St. Jeor seems to be regarded as the most accurate estimate and I think it's what MFP uses.

Most of the online calculators will ask you to provide some estimate of exercise so it's true that TDEE will have exercise baked in. MFP just asks for how active your day is outside of exercise, as mentioned above.

leebesstoad

How long have been logging your food? Have you recorded absolutely everything you have eaten?

Have you weighed yourself under the same conditions multiple times: same day of the week, same time of the day, same type of clothing (or lack thereof).

If you can answer yes, honestly, to both those questions, you can calculate your own TDEE. Based upon your own body, your own experience. For example, if you ate 10,500 calories between the time of your weigh-ins, and you lost 1 pound between weigh ins, and your weigh-ins were 7 days apart, you know your TDEE is 2,000 calories a day (10,500 +3,500 calories lost from the 1 pound lost = 14,000 / 7 days = 2,000 /day). Now we know there might be a little fudge factor (maybe that chicken was 4.1 ounces not 4 ounces or you forgot 1 thing that was 100 calories), but it will still be a lot closer to your specific body than the very generic web-calculators. They are good, and a great place to start. But once you have the data of your own life, your own body, why not use it?

At its simplest, weight loss is a math problem. Burn more calories than you take in, you lose weight. Take in more than you burn, you gain weight.

kaykaylyn

green smoothieng have been logging your food? Have you recorded absolutely everything you have eaten?

Have you weighed yourself under the same conditions multiple times: same day of the week, same time of the day, same type of clothing (or lack thereof).

If you can answer yes, honestly, to both those questions, you can calculate your own TDEE. Based upon your own body, your own experience. For example, if you ate 10,500 calories between the time of your weigh-ins, and you lost 1 pound between weigh ins, and your weigh-ins were 7 days apart, you know your TDEE is 2,000 calories a day (10,500 +3,500 calories lost from the 1 pound lost = 14,000 / 7 days = 2,000 /day). Now we know there might be a little fudge factor (maybe that chicken was 4.1 ounces not 4 ounces or you forgot 1 thing that was 100 calories), but it will still be a lot closer to your specific body than the very generic web-calculators. They are good, and a great place to start. But once you have the data of your own life, your own body, why not use it?


At its simplest, weight loss is a math problem. Burn more calories than you take in, you lose weight. Take in more than you burn, you gain weight.
[/quote
I weigh in once a week, first thing in the morning, same conditions.. I am faithful about logging my food, especially since I'm trying to eat more. Thanks for your help

leebesstoad

Anything else I can do, just send me a message.

emmalousmom1

From what I have seen is with MFP you eat your exercise calories back...with other calculations you don't, exercise is already calculated in your given numbers, for me here on MFP I get 1440 calories I can eat and if I burn 300 calories I can eat 1740 so my net is 1440 at the end of the day....with other calculations (scoobie or other) I get to eat 1750 calories but my exercise calories are already calculated in there...the numbers sometimes end up being very close. I hope this can help :flowerforyou:

this,
I was eating back my exercise calories and plateaued after starting to exercise, and on the days i wasn't exercising I was hungry, so i went with the tdee method, there you have one calorie goal, you don't have to worry about how accurate your calorie burns are ( I was getting so many different values)
Louise

cebiginalaska

Find out more here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/7965-in-place-of-a-road-map
it has lots of great information about figuring out your TDEE and how much you should eat

This is a short form for the full document contained here:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974888-in-place-of-a-road-map-2k13


The Road Map is simply a tool to find Body Fat%, BMR and TDEE.
All 3 items are important to understanding fat/weight loss.

Once you know these 3 numbers, you'll be able to manipulate nutrition and training to get to your next goal.

1) Body Fat%
Knowing the ratio of body fat to lean mass is crucial in understanding body composition.
The less fat you have, the leaner you'll look.
The more lean muscle you have, the better your definition (tone) will look.
Having ideal body fat is not only healthier for the individual but it also helps you look good naked!

Athletes (6-13% for men, 16-20% for women) 
<---Ideal area for Bulking
Fitness (14-17% for men, 21-24% for women) 

Acceptable (18-25% for men, 25-31% for women) 

Obese (25%+ for men, 32%+ for women)

The shocking part about BF% is most people who PM me numbers don't know how much fat they carry.
It's the most important part of figuring out the rest of your caloric intake.

Bottom Line: Buy a tape measurer or a set of Calipers and learn how to objectively track body fat while cutting/bulking.
The ultimate goal is to lose unwanted fat and maintain or even gain beautiful lean muscle.

Useful links:
http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bf/
http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/mbf/
http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/cbbf/
Do all 3 BF Calcs and use the average number.
Write it down, you'll use it later!

2) BMR/RMR
Basal Metabolic Rate or Resting Metabolic Rate.
This covers all body functions outside of activity.
If you were in a coma and you were fed enough nutrients to keep you alive, Thats BMR.
Think "Baseline Calories" if you did absolutely nothing.
Sub-sedentary.
All vital organs are covered when eating BMR.

For those who like math, you'll find several different types of calculations for BMR.
1) Harris-Benedict formula: Overestimates in obese: Avoid this setting!
MEN: BMR = 66 + [13.7 x weight (kg)] + [5 x height (cm)] - [6.76 x age (years)]
WOMEN: BMR = 655 + [9.6 x weight (kg)] + [1.8 x height (cm)] - [4.7 x age (years)]

2) Mifflin-St Jeor: Better estimate for those that are obese, but still inflated.
MEN: BMR = [9.99 x weight (kg)] + [6.25 x height (cm)] - [4.92 x age (years)] + 5
WOMEN: BMR = [9.99 x weight (kg)] + [6.25 x height (cm)] - [4.92 x age (years)] -1613)

3) Katch-McArdle: Best estimate if decent estimate of BF% is known and is especially good in leaner individuals.
BMR = 370 + (21.6 x LBM)Where LBM = [total weight (kg) x (100 - bodyfat %)]/100

If you'd like to calculate on your own, you can get calculated TDEE using this chart:
Multiply BMR x Activity factor = TDEE.
1.2 = Sedentary (Little or no exercise + desk job)
1.3-1.4 = Lightly Active (Little daily activity & light exercise 1-3 days a week)
1.5-1.6 = Moderately Active (Moderately active daily life & Moderate exercise 3-5 days a week)
1.7-1.8 = Very Active (Physically demanding lifestyle & Hard exercise or sports 6-7 days a week)
1.9-2.0 = Extremely Active (Hard daily exercise or sports and physical job)

Or use the formula that chart is based on, if you want to use number of hours of exercise per week instead of guessing which level.
For daily activity not sitting at a desk but always moving around, count the hrs as 1/8 the time (40 hr nurse on feet counts as 5 hrs)
Walking exercise counts as 1/2 time (6 hrs walking is 3 hrs).
Other exercise is straight time (3 hr Insanity is 3 hr).
(Weekly movement hrs * 0.0875) + 1.2 = Activity Factor

Realize that this isn't just about your training but your lifestyle as well.
Example: You work at a desk all day but come home and play with your children for an hour, lift weights 3x a week for an hour and jog 2mi every other day. In this example id use Moderate or possibly Active settings.

Heres a helpful link for figuring your BMR and TDEE:
http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/
Enter all pertinent info.
Make GOAL weight the same as CURRENT weight to get todays TDEE.

Bottom Line: Know what your base caloric needs are and stay above them if you are active.
Eating too low for extended periods of time may allow for weight loss, but you could still have high body fat.
Skinny-fat: http://foodtrainers.blogspot.com/2012/09/are-you-skinny-fat-find-out-why.html

Once you know your base "Comatose" calories you can move on to TDEE.

3) TDEE
Total Daily Energy Expenditure
This is the total amount of calories you burn in a 24hour period.
You wake up, brush your teeth, lift, run, play, work.....
You get the idea.
One thing I've noticed over the years is people underestimate activity.
They say "I'm sitting at my computer all day long so i'm sedentary!"
I'll ask "Workout routine?"
They say "Oh i run for 3 hours a day and do CrossFit all weekend long!"


If you sit all day and barely walk and dont workout, Sedentary.
If you workout 1-2x a week, Light.
If you workout 3-5x a week, Moderate.
If you workout 5+, active/very active.

Youll find these numbers at the bottom of the BMR page in Fat 2 Fit.
You can also use other calculators around the internet.

Once you have TDEE you can decide what to set MFP calories to.
I recommend -20% for individuals who are Obese and under.
-30% for individuals who are Obese and over.

Bottom Line: Be realistic with activity. If you are a marathon runner trying to take a few pounds off, don't use sedentary settings. First start with the top number that applies to you and stick with it for several weeks. If nutrition is right and activity is right, you should maintain eating TDEE. To lose fat, subtract calories. To gain LBM, add calories. Lift weights, walk, sleep and eat right.
Use your common sense.

leebesstoad

The only problem I have with that last post (which I won't copy since it is so long) is that is very general. Yes it is a great place for people to start. It is a great place for someone who is math-phobic. But everyone has a different idea of what light, moderate, and hard exercise is, so the multipliers can be skewed quite a bit.

That's why I think it is best if you can, and if you can honestly say you record everything you eat and you can weigh yourself under the same conditions, to calculate your TDEE based upon your own individual results. If you can keep it up, it immediately picks up changes in metabolism, if you are plateauing, etc. You don't have to wonder if you are exercising light, moderate or hard. And as you lose weight, your caloric requirements change and your targets can change immediately with them. A lot of people forget that as you lose weight you constantly need to recalculate your TDEE because your TDEE at 200 pounds isn't the same as it is at 175 pounds.

I know it isn't for everyone, but I've been thinking about it and for some it removes a lot of the guesswork about what they should be taking in. Because it is based on real experience - yours.

dianefisher47

From what I have seen is with MFP you eat your exercise calories back...with other calculations you don't, exercise is already calculated in your given numbers, for me here on MFP I get 1440 calories I can eat and if I burn 300 calories I can eat 1740 so my net is 1440 at the end of the day....with other calculations (scoobie or other) I get to eat 1750 calories but my exercise calories are already calculated in there...the numbers sometimes end up being very close. I hope this can help :flowerforyou:

this,
I was eating back my exercise calories and plateaued after starting to exercise, and on the days i wasn't exercising I was hungry, so i went with the tdee method, there you have one calorie goal, you don't have to worry about how accurate your calorie burns are ( I was getting so many different values)
Louise

I have done TDEE and gained over 6 pounds so although this is good for some but not for all...Diane

dianefisher47

From what I have seen is with MFP you eat your exercise calories back...with other calculations you don't, exercise is already calculated in your given numbers, for me here on MFP I get 1440 calories I can eat and if I burn 300 calories I can eat 1740 so my net is 1440 at the end of the day....with other calculations (scoobie or other) I get to eat 1750 calories but my exercise calories are already calculated in there...the numbers sometimes end up being very close. I hope this can help :flowerforyou:

this,
I was eating back my exercise calories and plateaued after starting to exercise, and on the days i wasn't exercising I was hungry, so i went with the tdee method, there you have one calorie goal, you don't have to worry about how accurate your calorie burns are ( I was getting so many different values)
Louise

I have done TDEE and gained over 6 pounds so I stopped...this TDEE maybe good for some but not all.....Diane


oupsssss...double reply...sorry

mamaomefo

Review later

kaykaylyn

Anything else I can do, just send me a message.

Thanks so much for all the info and I will message you with any other questions.

kaykaylyn

All of the replies have been very helpful. Thank you so much!