TDEE question

demorelli

I'm just getting back into trying to lose weight, logged back onto mfp just a few weeks ago after a couple years and then stumbled onto this group but didn't have much time to read up on it until the last couple days. I had some previous knowledge of brm and tdee but not the overall eat more to weigh less way of doing things, just that I needed to eat less than my tdee for loss and above brm for my metabolism. At this point my exercise fairly inconsistent, done weeks it's a lot and other weeks I miss several days, in working 60 hours a week so trying to figure out a normal exercise routine has been challenging. So to get to my question, since my exercise is so different week to week making it hard to estimate my average tdee, can I cut 15% of my sedentary tdee calculation plus eat back 85% of my exercise calories? Basically I'm wondering if doing this will be close enough to the actual program to work effectively.

heybales

So couple years no diet?

Smarter would be to use MFP as designed - but in a reasonable manner, and with tweaks, if you have a truly variable routine.

First select honest non-exercise activity level:
Working 60 hrs weekly - doing what, total desk job, no kids being active for after work and weekends, get home worn out and dinner and couch and bed?
That is sedentary.

If kids and everything that goes along with them - Lightly Active.
If not a total desk job, but nursing, warehouse, ect - Active without kids, probably Very Active with kids.

When done with that MFP setting - select NO weight loss as goal - yep.
Exercise goals as you desire - has no effect on any math.

When finished - you now have an eating goal that is for your non-exercise days TDEE.

Now go into My Home - Goals - edit the Daily Nutrition Goals.
Take 10% off the calorie goal if you are the least unsure if you picked the correct activity level. 15% if you are really sure you nailed it.
Changed the macros over to the recommended 40 - 30 - 30 for C - F - P.
Save out.

Now when you workout - log your workouts honestly.
Walking and jogging are good in the database as long as you averaged the entire time the pace you select.
Weight lifting is a good estimate too if doing reps 5-15 and sets with rests 2-4 min max.
If 15 or over reps and rests 1 min or less and moving from exercise to exercise - thats calisthenics in the database.

Other workouts that have no intensity description (like Spinning) - take about 75% of the stated calories and change it.

So now everyday, workout or not, you'll have a 10-15% deficit (tad less on workout days - your body will know what to do with the extra food if a good workout).

Since you manually changed your diet settings - MFP won't suggest after 10 lbs lost to change your calorie eating goal - so you'll need to remember.

Just go into main settings and Save without changing the No weight loss goal, to see the new eating goal based on new weight.

demorelli

@heybales thank you that's a very informative post

kcmsmith0405

I was just looking at how to make MFP work like that - wonderful post!

tj0861

heybales wrote: »

Weight lifting is a good estimate too if doing reps 5-15 and sets with rests 2-4 min max. If 15 or over reps and rests 1 min or less and moving from exercise to exercise - thats calisthenics in the database.

That's interesting .... If I come into the gym and do, say, a 30-minute weight routine, 3 sets of 10, resting about a minute between sets, and going directly from one machine to another or set of weights to another, then I count it as 30 minutes of calisthenics? I was wondering how the heck people calculated their weight routines!!

heybales

That short of a rest means by default it can't be as heavy.
But the rests are at 1 min at least, so that would be Circuit training, it's between Weight lifting and calisthenics for calorie burn.

You can make it as Weight lifting though by resting a tad longer, and confirming weights are heavy enough that you are having trouble keeping good form on last reps of last set.

Some people don't estimate weight routines, they know it's low and they do more cardio, so figure heh, doesn't matter.
But do enough and it can matter.

Closer you get to cardio the more the calorie burn, so like HR constantly elevated going up and down not as much range.
Those are usually the programs mislabeled as HIIT doing 30-60 efforts of something, short rest, and moving on to something else. That's calisthenics.

Whereas true cardio HIIT would be closer to circuit training for burn.