What is my actual TDEE

betseyjane

I work an office job (on my butt all day).

I workout for at least 30 minutes, 3-5 times a week - elliptical, at-home weights, walking the dog twice a day.

Based on my height and current weight, my BMR is 1,383 according to tdeecalculator.net

Does this mean that I should base my maintenance calories on Sedentary (1659 per day) or Moderate (2,143 per day).

And then, depending on which one I should base my calories off of, to lose weight, I should eat (ex) 500 calories less than those ^ maintenance calories per day? Or, is there more to it?

jjpptt2

You're not sedentary, so scratch that off the list right now.

As for lightly active vs moderately active vs whatever else.. they are all just estimates. Pick the one that seems to line up most reasonably and go from there.

Yes, you would subtract calories (to lose weight) from that TDEE number, not from your BMR.

Francl27

Unfortunately, most TDEE calculators have no option for '5 hours of light exercise' and it goes straight to moderate, so I'd pick lightly active and adjust as you go (to be fair, even 2 hours of activity out of 168 hours in a week is really not much).

If you use TDEE, don't eat exercise calories back either - it's included in the calculation.

cmriverside

I never understand why people don't just use this tool as it is designed.

Pick Lightly Active, log additional purposeful Exercise, eat the food.

If you aren't losing at a rate you expect after a month of really good logging, adjust.

betseyjane

Ok. So - if I use Light Exercise, it gives me 1901 calories. This means that I should then eat 1401 calories and not eat back any of my exercise calories.

THIS ^ is probably why I am not losing weight. (I had my calories set at 1500 and have been eating back all of my exercise calories - sometimes a bit over).

cmriverside

betseyjane wrote: »

Ok. So - if I use Light Exercise, it gives me 1901 calories. This means that I should then eat 1401 calories and not eat back any of my exercise calories.

THIS ^ is probably why I am not losing weight. (I had my calories set at 1500 and have been eating back all of my exercise calories - sometimes a bit over).

Yeah, TDEE calculators are not the same as the calculator MFP uses. They recommend (the TDEE sites) to subtract 10%-20% off your TDEE for weight-loss and don't eat back the exercise cals.

How much weight do you have to lose? 25% off TDEE is pretty extreme, and only for the people who are obese.

cwolfman13

betseyjane wrote: »

Ok. So - if I use Light Exercise, it gives me 1901 calories. This means that I should then eat 1401 calories and not eat back any of my exercise calories.

THIS ^ is probably why I am not losing weight. (I had my calories set at 1500 and have been eating back all of my exercise calories - sometimes a bit over).

If you're including exercise in your activity level (TDEE method) then additional calories for that activity are included in your target...so logging them and eating back calories is just double dipping.

If you're using MFP as designed, exercise isn't included in your activity level which is why you log and eat back calories with the MFP method (NEAT)...you're basically accounting for unaccounted for activity in your activity level.

betseyjane

When I set up MFP to use it as it's intended, it gives me 1200 calories whether or not I want to lose 1 pound a week or 2. 1200 calories is painful and I fail daily at 1200.

I'm just trying to understand TDEE, BMR, and the difference of my fitbit vs. myfitnesspal (my fitbit gives me more calories)

I am 5'3 and currently weigh 165lbs. My Goal is to lose at least 20-25 pounds.

I quit smoking in September and I have gained 10 pounds since then. It feels like I could not eat for 3 days, and still gain weight.

janejellyroll

betseyjane wrote: »

When I set up MFP to use it as it's intended, it gives me 1200 calories whether or not I want to lose 1 pound a week or 2. 1200 calories is painful and I fail daily at 1200.

I'm just trying to understand TDEE, BMR, and the difference of my fitbit vs. myfitnesspal (my fitbit gives me more calories)

I am 5'3 and currently weigh 165lbs. My Goal is to lose at least 20-25 pounds.

I quit smoking in September and I have gained 10 pounds since then. It feels like I could not eat for 3 days, and still gain weight.

If you're getting 1,200 as a goal for 2 pounds and 1 pound a week settings, it means you probably don't have much weight to lose. Have you tried setting it to .5 a week and seeing what you get?

Also, your MFP calorie goal is given to you with the intention you'll eat back exercise calories. So if your goal is 1,200, it's actually 1,200 plus exercise calories.

cmriverside

With your weight, one pound or even 1/2 pound per week is reasonable. So, yeah, it's not a lot of calories.

Set your Activity to Lightly or even Moderately Active. You may get more than 1200...but probably not a lot more.

If you are figuring 1400 on the TDEE calculator, you can see that they are similar.

On MFP when you exercise, you get a couple hundred more. With the TDEE minus a percentage, you get the same. You just better hit that prorated exercise, though.

With MFP you add the extra calories on days you actually exercise. Incentive!!

Either/or, as you can see it's around 1400ish on exercise days, so keep good records...

cmriverside

More to the point, if you have been eating XXXX amount and keeping good records and you're not losing, cut 250 calories from whatever XXXX was, and try it for a month.

cwolfman13

betseyjane wrote: »

When I set up MFP to use it as it's intended, it gives me 1200 calories whether or not I want to lose 1 pound a week or 2. 1200 calories is painful and I fail daily at 1200.

I'm just trying to understand TDEE, BMR, and the difference of my fitbit vs. myfitnesspal (my fitbit gives me more calories)

I am 5'3 and currently weigh 165lbs. My Goal is to lose at least 20-25 pounds.

I quit smoking in September and I have gained 10 pounds since then. It feels like I could not eat for 3 days, and still gain weight.

Yeah...but that's why you eat back exercise calories...so with exercise you'd likely be consuming closer to a gross 1500 calories...basically the same as what the TDEE calculator is telling you.

The two methods are basically 6 of 1 with the difference being where you account for exercise.

Your Fitbit is giving you an estimated total calories burned throughout the day...FitBit, MFP, other calculators are all just giving you a reasonably good estimate...nobody has an exact TDEE of XXXX calories. The calorie targets you're getting are just estimates to provide you with a reasonably good starting point...it's up to you to make adjustments as per your actual results. None of these gadgets or calculators are gospel...they're just estimates.

sijomial

betseyjane wrote: »

When I set up MFP to use it as it's intended, it gives me 1200 calories whether or not I want to lose 1 pound a week or 2. 1200 calories is painful and I fail daily at 1200.

I'm just trying to understand TDEE, BMR, and the difference of my fitbit vs. myfitnesspal (my fitbit gives me more calories)

I am 5'3 and currently weigh 165lbs. My Goal is to lose at least 20-25 pounds.

I quit smoking in September and I have gained 10 pounds since then. It feels like I could not eat for 3 days, and still gain weight.

Now you have thrown your fitbit into the mix!

Step back a moment and really think which method of estimating your energy balance is going to suit you long term.
MFP, TDEE calcs, fibit methods can all work - but with all three you need to allow for estimating errors, think about what suits your routine the best, what rate of loss you can sustain.....

Pick one, stick to it, make adjustments if required.
You will just end up totally confused and invalidate all your past data if you flit from one method to the next.

betseyjane

Alrighty. I adjusted both my weight loss goal per week to 1 pound, and my goal weight to 140 (for now). MFP gives me 1440 calories, without exercise. I will give this a whirl for one solid month. If no results, I will be sulking in the corner. I'll leave my Fitbit alone, and use it for the cool dashboard "goals" (for now). Thanks all.

cmriverside

Good plan! BUT - eat more on those exercise days. That is how MFP calculates.


Here: (from "Help")

https://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/en/portal/articles/410332-how-does-myfitnesspal-calculate-my-initial-goals-

toxikon

I like this TDEE calc, because it breaks it down into more detailed activity levels: http://www.sailrabbit.com/bmr/

I'd probably put you into the "Slightly Active, Exercise or Light Sports 1 to 3 Days a Week, Light Jogging or Walking 3 to 4 Days a Week" bucket.