Confusion over BMR, TDEE, IIFYM and basically everything

FerretBuellerr

Hello all,

So, I'm new here, been using MFP for almost 2 weeks now, and I'm getting really confused about what it is that I should be doing to properly and safely lose weight. I've been attempting to read the newbie threads along with other online research to figure out how many cal I should have in a day to maintain a 1lb/wk weight loss, and I'm all confused!

I'm a 22 year old female, sedentary lifestyle (I'm a student and currently work a full-time office job) 5'6" and as of right now about 153 lbs, wanting to be at 135. MFP set me at 1200 cal, and so far I've only been able to maintain that amount half the time (some days I'm under by a hundred or more, and other days I'm over by at least 100 or more). I've read a lot on here that for some people 1200 is too little (I'm guessing it put them into starvation mode?), and when they upped the cal intake they lost weight.

According to MFP my BMR is 1471, but using another online calculator (both fat2fitradio.com and iifym.com) it is 1527 (not much of a difference, but I'm not sure which number I should use). The iifym.com calc says then my TDEE is 2100, so then my deficit (if I understand correctly, at 20% of my TDEE) should be 1680. Is this 1680 then what I should be eating every day to lose weight, not 1200?

I'm sorry for any (and most likely) the redundancy on this topic :laugh: All these terms being thrown around that I'm new to and that I really don't fully understand.

_HeartsOnFire_

Yes, eat your TDEE-20% and do not eat back your exercise calories.

Don't eat only 1200.

brandyme

The iifym.com calc says then my TDEE is 2100, so then my deficit (if I understand correctly, at 20% of my TDEE) should be 1680. Is this 1680 then what I should be eating every day to lose weight, not 1200?

I actually just figured this out myself. I have been using TDEE - 20% this whole time, which works. You would eat TDEE - 20% or if you use MFP guided calories then you eat 1200 + any exercise, which if you have a good way to track exercise (I suggest a monitor not MFP estimates) this method may work better.

I am now using MFP guided at 1200 and eating my exercise calories which actually comes out to be very close to my TDEE - 20% anyway, it's just a bit more dynamic. I use BodyMedia to track my calorie burn.

NarneyK

I was really confused too until I read this thread. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

conniemaxwell5

Hopefully this won't add to your confusion but with the small amount of weight you want to lose, you might want to use a 10-15% instead of 20% deficit. As we get closer to our goal, the weight will come off more slowly. When you eat at a smaller deficit and lose a little more slowly it's just easier to adjust to maintenance and keep the weight off.

It is counterintuitive to eat more to lose weight but most weight loss programs don't take into account the energy you expend just sitting, breathing, pumping blood through your body, etc. That's your BMR - what it takes for you to just exist. If you were in a coma, they would feed you your BMR calories to sustain you. Your TDEE is your BMR plus anything you do beyond those things (your Total Daily Energy Expenditure). If you work in a job where you sit all day then go home at night and watch TV all night, your TDEE won't be much higher than your BMR. If you're on your feet all day plus working out 5 -7 days a week, your TDEE will be much higher than your BMR. Once you've reached your goal weight, your TDEE will basically be your maintenance level of calories it decreases as you lose weight so you need to recalculated it every 10 pounds).

IIFYM is the concept of If It Fits Your Macros. Your macros are the macronutrients of protein, carbs and fat. IIFYM basically says you can eat anything you want as long as you stay within your alotted numbers for those macros.

I hope this helps!

FerretBuellerr

I was really confused too until I read this thread. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

Ahhh, I read the original "In place of a road map" thread, which is where some of the confusion began :laugh: This one helps!

Thank you all for the advice so far! :smooched: Anything else is VERY appreciated!

rjmudlax13

I was really confused too until I read this thread. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

Ahhh, I read the original "In place of a road map" thread, which is where some of the confusion began :laugh: This one helps!

Thank you all for the advice so far! :smooched: Anything else is VERY appreciated!

Step 1: Read (and re-read) that thread.^^^

Step 2: I suggest starting out eating 1600 Cals a day. Make sure you log accurately, use a scale, and stay honest with yourself. After a few weeks, if you are maintaining or gaining, go down to 1500 and try again. It takes some trial and error, but you will get the hang of it. Be patient and persistent. The cliché goes: "it's a marathon, not a sprint!"

Step 3: Set your macros.

deksgrl

TDEE - % is a really good way to do it. And agree with the person who said that if you do not have a lot of weight left to lose, then take a smaller percent than 20.

NarneyK

I was really confused too until I read this thread. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

Ahhh, I read the original "In place of a road map" thread, which is where some of the confusion began :laugh: This one helps!

Thank you all for the advice so far! :smooched: Anything else is VERY appreciated!

I had to reread it a couple times and work out each step along the way until it finally made sense. I just made the switch over this week. I haven't lost just yet but as the post says it takes a while for your body to catch up...just trying to be patient at this point

While researching all this, I found a group for this http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/8017-in-place-of-a-road-map that you may want to check out. Good luck with your journey and hope it helps