TDEE explanation of weird phenomenon!?

smelliefeet
smelliefeet Posts: 71 Member
edited November 22 in Health and Weight Loss
I'll get straight to it:

Started August 14, 2017: I'm 34 years old, 5'4" and started at 183 lbs.

I have been tracking and weighing my food meticulously for a full 8 weeks. I've lost a total of 22 lbs. My average loss is 2.75 lbs per week. My average calorie consumption is 1432 calories per day.

This means my TDEE is 2800 calories a day. (?!)

Currently I am 5'4" 161 lbs as of this week. I do two days of weight lifting per week, one day is arms and the other day is legs. It's not that difficult and I spent only ~40 minutes in the gym. I walk for 1 hour, 4 days a week, don't break a sweat, very leisurely. I do not do ANY other exercise. Otherwise I have a desk job and I'm sitting on my butt 99% of the time.

NO TDEE calculator even comes close to estimating 2800 calories a day as maintenance. I'm NOT an athlete! How is this even possible? Do I have an obscene amount of muscle mass that is causing me to burn calories more so than another woman my height/weight?

I track meticulously and weigh every gram of food that goes into my mouth. I weigh on the same very reliable scale once a week. I don't like exercising so what little I do is *IT* I wouldn't even run for the bus if it came to that LOL... Literally none of this makes logical sense to me.
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Replies

  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    seska422 wrote: »
    What do you get if you exclude the first two weeks or so? Many people get an initial water weight loss when they start calorie restriction.

    Oooh, good call.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    seska422 wrote: »
    What do you get if you exclude the first two weeks or so? Many people get an initial water weight loss when they start calorie restriction.

    Agreed I would use the past 4 weeks only.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    seska422 wrote: »
    What do you get if you exclude the first two weeks or so? Many people get an initial water weight loss when they start calorie restriction.

    Right. OP, please list the number of pounds that you have lost for each of the past 8 weeks.
  • smelliefeet
    smelliefeet Posts: 71 Member
    Excellent advice! I did the last 4 weeks, and my TDEE came out to 2554, which is also extraordinarily high for someone who does not exercise much regularly besides light weight lifting twice a week. I guess it makes more sense than 2800, but it still is out of bounds of what any TDEE calculator gives me for what my TDEE could possibly be. Maybe my higher muscle mass accounts for it?

    Could I still be losing large amounts of water weight this far into weight loss? Currently I only have 16 lbs to lose before I'm in a "normal" BMI for my height, so I've expected weight loss to slow down but it hasn't.

    That also means I'm eating at a 1,125 calorie deficit PER DAY which seems insane since I am eating 5 times a day and have no energy or hunger issues at all.
  • aeloine
    aeloine Posts: 2,163 Member
    smelliefeet wrote: »
    Excellent advice! I did the last 4 weeks, and my TDEE came out to 2554, which is also extraordinarily high for someone who does not exercise much regularly besides light weight lifting twice a week. I guess it makes more sense than 2800, but it still is out of bounds of what any TDEE calculator gives me for what my TDEE could possibly be. Maybe my higher muscle mass accounts for it?

    Could I still be losing large amounts of water weight this far into weight loss? Currently I only have 16 lbs to lose before I'm in a "normal" BMI for my height, so I've expected weight loss to slow down but it hasn't.

    That also means I'm eating at a 1,125 calorie deficit PER DAY which seems insane since I am eating 5 times a day and have no energy or hunger issues at all.

    Can you list out the weekly loss breakdown?
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    i'm 5'3", 148 and maintain on approximately 2600 cal a day - i'm an athlete, however, even during off-season when I resemble a sloth, I maintain on about this - part of it, seems to be, eat more, have more energy in general and move more - i know when I started eating more, I had more energy which equated to more steps each day, better sleep, better workouts etc
  • not_a_runner
    not_a_runner Posts: 1,343 Member
    edited October 2017
    I'm 5'1'' and was maintaining between 178-182 lbs on 2800+ calories. I also sit a lot at work, though it sounds like I lift more frequently than you, OP.
    A few years back I was losing about 3 lbs per week eating 1400 (heaviest was 198 lbs), but I was doing a lot of running then. (ETA I lost 60 lbs doing this and gained it all back extremely fast as it was far too aggressive)

    Your TDEE does sound high for your amount of purposeful exercise, but I guess I don't see why this would be a "weird phenomenon". Maybe you're #blessed lol

    Since you are getting close to goal weight I would consider upping your calories/reducing your deficit. 2.75 lbs is pretty aggressive for your size.
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    2500 and 160lbs sounds reasonable.
  • Seffell
    Seffell Posts: 2,244 Member
    BusyRaeNOTBusty wrote: »
    2500 and 160lbs sounds reasonable.

    Doesn't sound to me with this amount of exercise. I'm 5'7 and at 160lbs my TDEE was 1700-1750 with 1h walking per day.
    I would make a regular GP appointment just in case.
    Hopefully you're just lucky.
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    smelliefeet wrote: »
    Excellent advice! I did the last 4 weeks, and my TDEE came out to 2554, which is also extraordinarily high for someone who does not exercise much regularly besides light weight lifting twice a week. I guess it makes more sense than 2800, but it still is out of bounds of what any TDEE calculator gives me for what my TDEE could possibly be. Maybe my higher muscle mass accounts for it?

    Could I still be losing large amounts of water weight this far into weight loss? Currently I only have 16 lbs to lose before I'm in a "normal" BMI for my height, so I've expected weight loss to slow down but it hasn't.

    That also means I'm eating at a 1,125 calorie deficit PER DAY which seems insane since I am eating 5 times a day and have no energy or hunger issues at all.

    Just keep an eye on things and adjust as necessary. These calculators only provide reasonable estimates based on population statistics...they're only meant to be a good starting point.

    There are any number of reasons why one's TDEE may be higher or lower than what one of these pretty simple calculators spits out. For example, I'm very fidgety and I have a higher TDEE than most calculators will give me for having a desk job.

    You may also want to have your thyroid checked for hyperthyroid.

    Yeah, I come out a bit high myself, and I just figure that there's always going to be some people on either end of the bell-curve. I've never had any sign of thyroid issue and have been losing very predictably for nine and a half months. I've played around with the numbers a lot, and figure that my TDEE is closer - although still lower- to the average male than female.
  • lutzsher
    lutzsher Posts: 1,153 Member
    I work with a coach and am also 5'4" and at 159 lbs currently. She has my TDEE at about 1770. Im an accountant with a very sedentary lifestyle and also only walk nightly and hit the gym 3 x per week. Im currently eating 1280 to 1350 calories per day and still able to lose from 1/2 to 1 lbs per week. Your numbers do sound odd to me since we seem close to the same stats.
  • smelliefeet
    smelliefeet Posts: 71 Member
    MegaMooseEsq wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »

    Just keep an eye on things and adjust as necessary. These calculators only provide reasonable estimates based on population statistics...they're only meant to be a good starting point.

    There are any number of reasons why one's TDEE may be higher or lower than what one of these pretty simple calculators spits out. For example, I'm very fidgety and I have a higher TDEE than most calculators will give me for having a desk job.

    You may also want to have your thyroid checked for hyperthyroid.

    Yeah, I come out a bit high myself, and I just figure that there's always going to be some people on either end of the bell-curve. I've never had any sign of thyroid issue and have been losing very predictably for nine and a half months. I've played around with the numbers a lot, and figure that my TDEE is closer - although still lower- to the average male than female.

    I totally agree here. I used to be a division I athlete in college, and then became obese due to being very sedentary but continuing with the athlete diet (eating everything all the time, lol), but I definitely still have quite a bit of muscle mass under there and I am VERY fidgety as well. I have a TON of energy on this diet. I actually thought I had HYPOthyroid months ago when I went to the doctor (in April) and so she tested it, because I was having trouble losing weight. My thyroid levels are totally normal. I can't see how they would have changed in the matter of 7 months...

    I think I am going to accept the explanation that I'm simply on the higher end of the bell curve, and that's it's not particularly weird at all.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,620 Member
    edited October 2017
    I'm 5'5", weight in the 120s, sedentary outside of intentional exercise, and 61 years old. MFP believes I will maintain on around 1500 net calories daily, which would be a TDEE of 1800ish. I'd lose around a pound a week at 1500. I'm losing slowly now at 1850 + exercise. My actual net maintenance calories are in the low-2000s, based on actually being in maintenance for nearly 2 years now. TDEE is in the mid-2000s.

    Other folks have offered good possible explanations above about why you're experiencing what you are. You may also want to read and think about this:

    https://examine.com/nutrition/does-metabolism-vary-between-two-people/

    MFP just gives you a starting estimate of calorie needs for weight loss. After 6 weeks or thereabouts, everyone should assess her actual average weekly results (throwing out those first 2 weeks of whacky water weight changes most of us get), and adjust her goals to achieve a healthy loss rate based on actual results.

    Edited to add: P.S. I'm also hypothyroid, though medicated to normal levels. And of course post-menopausal.
  • Rickster1967
    Rickster1967 Posts: 485 Member
    Take advantage, eat more
  • not_a_runner
    not_a_runner Posts: 1,343 Member
    smelliefeet wrote: »
    MegaMooseEsq wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »

    Just keep an eye on things and adjust as necessary. These calculators only provide reasonable estimates based on population statistics...they're only meant to be a good starting point.

    There are any number of reasons why one's TDEE may be higher or lower than what one of these pretty simple calculators spits out. For example, I'm very fidgety and I have a higher TDEE than most calculators will give me for having a desk job.

    You may also want to have your thyroid checked for hyperthyroid.

    Yeah, I come out a bit high myself, and I just figure that there's always going to be some people on either end of the bell-curve. I've never had any sign of thyroid issue and have been losing very predictably for nine and a half months. I've played around with the numbers a lot, and figure that my TDEE is closer - although still lower- to the average male than female.

    I totally agree here. I used to be a division I athlete in college, and then became obese due to being very sedentary but continuing with the athlete diet (eating everything all the time, lol), but I definitely still have quite a bit of muscle mass under there and I am VERY fidgety as well. I have a TON of energy on this diet. I actually thought I had HYPOthyroid months ago when I went to the doctor (in April) and so she tested it, because I was having trouble losing weight. My thyroid levels are totally normal. I can't see how they would have changed in the matter of 7 months...

    I think I am going to accept the explanation that I'm simply on the higher end of the bell curve, and that's it's not particularly weird at all.

    It is possible for your thyroid levels to change in that amount of time.
    I am hypo and medicated for it, changing my eating/exercise can be enough to effect my TSH numbers. When I started increasing my calories after dieting I was actually hyper for a while (being hyper has never caused me to lose any significant amount of weight.. TDEE changes from hypo/hyper are usually pretty small - like 5% or so )


    What changed since you went in thinking you might be hypo though? It does seem odd that you would be struggling to the point of thinking there's something wrong, to the weight just falling off this quickly.
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
    edited October 2017
    smelliefeet wrote: »
    MegaMooseEsq wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »

    Just keep an eye on things and adjust as necessary. These calculators only provide reasonable estimates based on population statistics...they're only meant to be a good starting point.

    There are any number of reasons why one's TDEE may be higher or lower than what one of these pretty simple calculators spits out. For example, I'm very fidgety and I have a higher TDEE than most calculators will give me for having a desk job.

    You may also want to have your thyroid checked for hyperthyroid.

    Yeah, I come out a bit high myself, and I just figure that there's always going to be some people on either end of the bell-curve. I've never had any sign of thyroid issue and have been losing very predictably for nine and a half months. I've played around with the numbers a lot, and figure that my TDEE is closer - although still lower- to the average male than female.

    I totally agree here. I used to be a division I athlete in college, and then became obese due to being very sedentary but continuing with the athlete diet (eating everything all the time, lol), but I definitely still have quite a bit of muscle mass under there and I am VERY fidgety as well. I have a TON of energy on this diet. I actually thought I had HYPOthyroid months ago when I went to the doctor (in April) and so she tested it, because I was having trouble losing weight. My thyroid levels are totally normal. I can't see how they would have changed in the matter of 7 months...

    I think I am going to accept the explanation that I'm simply on the higher end of the bell curve, and that's it's not particularly weird at all.

    I maintained a healthy weight pretty effortlessly through my mid to late 20s, and then (1) started law school and subsequently struggled to find work, (2) met my husband, who had very different eating habits than I, and (3) became a bar-fly (see points one and two). 73 pounds later...

    ETA: Thanks for linking that article, @AnnPT77. I'd guess that I probably don't fall into the 68% within 6-8% of the average metabolic rate, but certainly into the 96% within 10-16% of average. It really isn't that weird once you reduce it to the numbers like that.
  • Mouse_Potato
    Mouse_Potato Posts: 1,513 Member
    gebeziseva wrote: »
    BusyRaeNOTBusty wrote: »
    2500 and 160lbs sounds reasonable.

    Doesn't sound to me with this amount of exercise. I'm 5'7 and at 160lbs my TDEE was 1700-1750 with 1h walking per day.
    I would make a regular GP appointment just in case.
    Hopefully you're just lucky.

    And I am 5'3" and 115 pounds and I burn 1700 on a sick day. It is amazing how much individuals can differ!
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,997 Member
    edited October 2017
    The only way to know for certain what your TDEE is would be to stop your weightloss effort and to eat 2800 cals/day for at least a month to see what happens.

    If you gain weight, your actual TDEE is less than 2800. If you continue to lose wt, your TDEE is higher than 2800. If you do not gain or lose wt, you will be in maintenance and your TDEE is indeed 2800.

    FWIW, when I switched to maintenace, I got estimates of 2200-2300 for my TDEE based on various calculators but discovered (by trial and error) that my TDEE was actually only 1900-2000, about 10% less than estimated.

    The same variance may apply to you.
  • Shellz31
    Shellz31 Posts: 214 Member
    I've been calculating my tdee based on calories consumed and weight change since 2 weeks after I began tracking again, which means I have about 3 months worth of data in any excel sheet. I average it all out and also get an amount higher than I expected, about 2850. But I weight much more than you do it's only 300 calories above what I saw in various tools.

    I have noticed a downward trend, which I guess could be me getting smaller or maybe there's a spike in three in the beginning before the body gets used to the change. My early weeks often averaged 3200 tdee. Although I've also had weeks where i gained and my tdee was calculated absurdly low (i assume water weight threw it off), so that could be the cause.

    Anyway, I think it would take a long time to get a true reading because there are huge fluctuations day to day and week to week. Sounds like you're doing great though!!!
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
    Keep doing what you're doing. I promise you it will slow down sooner or later. Raise your calories a little week by week as you get closer to your goal.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    edited October 2017
    There's going to be a bunch (3-8 pounds maybe) of initial weight loss that's essentially water weight that will come back once you're on maintenance. So you'll want to take that off the total weight loss, which will shrink your TDEE "a bunch". If you go with the 8 pound number, you're looking at dropping TDEE by 3500 calories a week and end up at with a TDEE of 2300.

  • BootyfulBikerZX10r
    BootyfulBikerZX10r Posts: 72 Member
    if you're losing/getting them gains then don't sweat it. Im currently eating 2675 cal and losing.
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    I am 160lbs with a 2500 TDEE.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,097 Member
    sgt1372 wrote: »
    The only way to know for certain what your TDEE is would be to stop your weightloss effort and to eat 2800 cals/day for at least a month to see what happens.

    If you gain weight, your actual TDEE is less than 2800. If you continue to lose wt, your TDEE is higher than 2800. If you do not gain or lose wt, you will be in maintenance and your TDEE is indeed 2800.

    FWIW, when I switched to maintenace, I got estimates of 2200-2300 for my TDEE based on various calculators but discovered (by trial and error) that my TDEE was actually only 1900-2000, about 10% less than estimated.

    The same variance may apply to you.

    Hunh?
    TDEE includes all of your calorie needs for what you actually do. Your TDEE when you exercise is just as "actual" as your TDEE when you don't exercise.

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