Depressing TDEE calculation - tell me it's not true!

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maryjaquiss
maryjaquiss Posts: 307 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm short, close to goal and in my healthy weight range (female, 5'3, 134lb - goal 126lb). I've been hovering around the same weight for a couple of weeks so thought I'd calculate my TDEE on IIFYM and it's telling me 1481 with no exercise (I prefer to add that on with accurate-ish calories from HRM - run 30-60 mins 5 times a week and ashtanga yoga 3-4 times a week).

Did some sums and I think based on losing 0.5lb a week I would need to be eating 1231 net. This makes me sad! I have previously been on 1370 but cut that to 1300 recently to try to get closer to goal, always eat back exercise calories, and even this is a bit sad for me. Is it really true? Do I actually have to cut back this much? :(

(1231 would also put me below my BMR apparently which doesn't seem right?)
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Replies

  • leahcollett1
    leahcollett1 Posts: 807 Member
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    did you go onto the right section in IIFYM, as it calculates how many calories you need to eat ( whilst taking into account your exercise, ) theres no need for you to do any calculations, if you go onto accurate calorie calculator on iifym it will work out TDEE then subtract 20% off that to give you your allowance

    try that and see what it gives you
  • Anonymous_fiend
    Anonymous_fiend Posts: 196 Member
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    Seems accurate without exercise added. What lifestyle did u choose? I'm 5'3 110 tdee 1800 with a moderate activity and exercising 4 hours a week or so. My bmr is around 1200-1400. To lose weight I have to eat 1600. If I lowered my exercise/lifestyle is be around there too. Being short and near your goal can suck :( besides with ur math its 1231 + exercise cals = total cals which should put you above bmr. Try using iifym with exercise added and you could reach the 1370 your used to. If you're seeing results at 1370 then you burn more than it says. Ultimately you know you body the best and these calculators don't take into account some variable so can be slightly off.
  • RuNaRoUnDaFiEld
    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld Posts: 5,864 Member
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    That seems about right to me.

    But that is with no exercise so once you add those calories on you'll be able to have more.

    Have you considered a recomp instead?
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »
    That seems about right to me.

    But that is with no exercise so once you add those calories on you'll be able to have more.

    Have you considered a recomp instead?

    a recomp for 8 lbs? seriously.

    OP I dont trust websites...IIFYM gave me a number...another website gave me another numbr...

    So I logged accurately for 3 weeks...figured out what I lost and got my TDEE that wya.
  • maryjaquiss
    maryjaquiss Posts: 307 Member
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    miritikvah wrote: »
    Seems accurate without exercise added. What lifestyle did u choose? I'm 5'3 110 tdee 1800 with a moderate activity and exercising 4 hours a week or so. My bmr is around 1200-1400. To lose weight I have to eat 1600. If I lowered my exercise/lifestyle is be around there too. Being short and near your goal can suck :( besides with ur math its 1231 + exercise cals = total cals which should put you above bmr. Try using iifym with exercise added and you could reach the 1370 your used to. If you're seeing results at 1370 then you burn more than it says. Ultimately you know you body the best and these calculators don't take into account some variable so can be slightly off.

    I'm not really seeing results at 1370 any more (even accounting for hormonal fluctuations etc) so I do need to cut it a bit but I wasn't happy that it was by so much!
    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »
    That seems about right to me.

    But that is with no exercise so once you add those calories on you'll be able to have more.

    Have you considered a recomp instead?

    Yeah, I'll just have to exercise more so I can keep eating! Haha. Not really considered a recomp - I have a 2 year old and a full-time job which makes it tricky, though I guess not impossible, to get to a gym without severely annoying my husband (running/yoga takes place early morning before everyone gets up and if I had to factor in getting to a gym I'd be sacrificing more sleep than I'd like ideally... ;)
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
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    Being below your BMR doesn't matter. Smaller bodies burn fewer calories. Having a low TDEE just means you get to spend less money on food than the rest of us. But if you don't like your TDEE, you can always increase it. To do so you just have to move more.
  • MelodyMomof2
    MelodyMomof2 Posts: 45 Member
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    When I first started my weight loss journey, I looked up how much I was going to need to eat to maintain my goal weight once I got there. (I'm 5'2") and it was really sad LOL.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
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    Sounds right to me.

    It's extremely easy to increase your TDEE though... 20 minutes walk = 90-100 extra calories. Cooking for a couple hours vs sitting in front of the TV - probably another 100 calories. Having a fitbit was a huge eye opener to see the huge difference between my lazy days and active ones - 1000 calories difference at times!
  • sonic_corset
    sonic_corset Posts: 15 Member
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    That sounds about right. I'm 5'7, and when i was at 134, to lose, it had me down for about 1200 as well. maintaining is closer to 1600.
  • ozgurvh
    ozgurvh Posts: 182 Member
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    use stairs, dont park your car to the closes entrance, use every oppurtunity to move :)
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
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    5'3". 150lbs, moderately active and I'm maintaining on 1900-2100 cal a day - focusing on recomp/performance
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,870 Member
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    Yeah ... I'm taller than you, and MFP gave me 1250 to start.

    Eat what MFP gave you and 50-75% of your exercise calories back. :)
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,870 Member
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    ozgurvh wrote: »
    use stairs, dont park your car to the closes entrance, use every oppurtunity to move :)

    Yeah, I climb flights and flights of stairs at work every day. 25 flights today! It helps.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
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    maryjaquiss wrote: »
    I'm short, close to goal and in my healthy weight range (female, 5'3, 134lb - goal 126lb). I've been hovering around the same weight for a couple of weeks so thought I'd calculate my TDEE on IIFYM and it's telling me 1481 with no exercise (I prefer to add that on with accurate-ish calories from HRM - run 30-60 mins 5 times a week and ashtanga yoga 3-4 times a week).

    Did some sums and I think based on losing 0.5lb a week I would need to be eating 1231 net. This makes me sad! I have previously been on 1370 but cut that to 1300 recently to try to get closer to goal, always eat back exercise calories, and even this is a bit sad for me. Is it really true? Do I actually have to cut back this much? :(

    (1231 would also put me below my BMR apparently which doesn't seem right?)

    you are making an error which is TDEE takes into account how much you exercise and your goal weight - at least on the calculator I use - so you shouldn't be adjusting before what it gives you

    https://mytdee.com/#gender=female&yr=32&cm=160&kg=60.8&bfp=&goal=lose&goal_kg=57.2&lose_speed=easy&formula=standard&units=imperial&exercise=sedentary

    I used the info you provided and it gave a TDEE of 1650 daily and if you want to lose weight then 1480 - which is much more doable
  • ew_david
    ew_david Posts: 3,473 Member
    edited February 2017
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    maryjaquiss wrote: »
    I'm short, close to goal and in my healthy weight range (female, 5'3, 134lb - goal 126lb). I've been hovering around the same weight for a couple of weeks so thought I'd calculate my TDEE on IIFYM and it's telling me 1481 with no exercise (I prefer to add that on with accurate-ish calories from HRM - run 30-60 mins 5 times a week and ashtanga yoga 3-4 times a week).

    Did some sums and I think based on losing 0.5lb a week I would need to be eating 1231 net. This makes me sad! I have previously been on 1370 but cut that to 1300 recently to try to get closer to goal, always eat back exercise calories, and even this is a bit sad for me. Is it really true? Do I actually have to cut back this much? :(

    (1231 would also put me below my BMR apparently which doesn't seem right?)

    That's not TDEE then. TDEE is total daily energy expenditure, not some here and some there. The number you got is probably closer to your BMR.

    Your actual TDEE is probably around 2000 with the activity you said you do, and with only a few pounds to lose, you really only need to knock off 10-15% of that which is 1700-1800, but with only a small deficit, you really have to make sure your food tracking is on point. Also, the TDEE method only works if your activity/exercise is pretty regular.

    ETA: these are just rough numbers based on the stats you gave (and I have similar stats). I didn't run any calculators.
  • maryjaquiss
    maryjaquiss Posts: 307 Member
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    Thank you again everyone.

    Just to clarify, I wanted to get a figure for my current weight which would be what I would burn sitting at my desk all day (which sometimes happens) which I could then add more accurate calorie burns to. I do realise that's not my actual TDEE if I exercise :)
  • GailLee4
    GailLee4 Posts: 26 Member
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    Just as we all think differently, our bodies do not burn calories equally and can not be governed by an algorithms. I work out two hours, six days a week and eat 1200-1400 calories. The weight loss is down to 1.5 pounds a month, and I think I might just be at the end of the weight loss. I'm 5'2" and 137 lbs., which is much better than the 197 last year. I figure I'm looking at life-long eating like a rabbit and running like a wildebeest to maintain this 60-pound drop. I've lost this amount a number of times on several different diets, but calories in-calories out seems to make the most sense. Good luck!
  • johnwhitent
    johnwhitent Posts: 648 Member
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    I get your desire to calculate a sedentary TDEE; it's certainly worth knowing. But with that knowledge in hand I would go to a daily level TDEE, including average exercise, rather than adding "accurate" calorie burns to the sedentary TDEE. Once your intake is level it all becomes straightforward. If you are gaining weight, you need to drop intake, in small manageable increments, and if you are losing too fast, you need to increase intake. Of course this only works with relatively stable exercise, but it sounds like you are consistent. Using TDEE in this manner will leave no question as to your appropriate intake. It reflects you and your lifestyle, so it's far better than any calculator can offer. TDEE calculators offer a good starting point, but how your body reacts and behaves is the ultimate test. I have been practising this method with success for several years.
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,572 Member
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    TDEE includes exercise...so add your exercise, then you have TDEE.

    I'm 5'4" as well, 143 (I've been your weight though) and for anytime I weight between 128-145 my TDEE is 1800. That includes 12k steps average per day, weight lifting, and no cardio.

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