I don’t understand TDEE

xxzenabxx

So according to the link below my TDEE is around 2217. If I eat 1700 calories a day I will lose 1 lb of fat. But how exactly does that work when I’m pretty sure my TDEE will vary from day to day. One day it could be 2200 and another day 1800 and another day 2300. Am I supposed to eat 1700 even on the days I don’t exercise? No one burns the same amount of calories each day so I really don’t get how this would work.

https://healthyeater.com/important-tool-weight-loss

Only constructive answers please.

janejellyroll

Your TDEE is meant to take the exercise and activity you do in an average week and spread it out so you're eating the same number of calories each day. So one day you might burn 2,200 and another day you could burn 1,800. But if your activity is relatively constant week to week, your daily goal will cover both days.

If you aren't comfortable with this approach (and some people aren't), you can always try NEAT (what MFP is based on). With that, you get a base amount of calories for your daily life and then log your exercise and eat those calories back. So on a day when you do more, you eat more. You don't have to average it out.

AnvilHead

That's why it's not necessarily a good idea to use TDEE unless your activity levels are very similar from day to day.

The MFP calculations don't use TDEE - they use BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) + NEAT (Non-exercise Activity Thermogenesis) - the latter being your daily activity levels from work, housework/chores, childcare, etc., which for most people is reasonably consistent. Then you log your workouts and eat back those calories (all of them or a portion of them, according to how one chooses to do it).

It's explained pretty well in this graphic, courtesy of @tinkerbellang83:

sijomial

That's your average TDEE based on your stats and an average of your weekly activity and exercise according the data you entered.

If you prefer a variable daily allowance then do it the MyFitnessPal way where exercise is estimated after the event rather than an estimated weekly amount divided by 7.

nutmegoreo

If you are going to follow TDEE method, then yes you eat the same each day, because the activity is averaged out over the week.

If you are going to follow MFP, the calculation does not include exercise, and therefore you eat the additional exercise calories.

WinoGelato

Depending on the typical activity you do - you may find benefit in using an activity tracker like FitBit or Garmin if this is something you're concerned with. It can give you a daily data point regarding the estimate of your total calorie burn, and I find mine to be more accurate than the calculators I've used in the past.

cwolfman13

xxzenabxx wrote: »

So according to the link below my TDEE is around 2217. If I eat 1700 calories a day I will lose 1 lb of fat. But how exactly does that work when I’m pretty sure my TDEE will vary from day to day. One day it could be 2200 and another day 1800 and another day 2300. Am I supposed to eat 1700 even on the days I don’t exercise? No one burns the same amount of calories each day so I really don’t get how this would work.

https://healthyeater.com/important-tool-weight-loss

Only constructive answers please.

These calculators are only going to give you an estimated average based on your stats and the activity level you chose, including exercise if you're using the TDEE method. Your true TDEE is going to be variable day to day depending on your activity, but it averages out over the course of a week.

For example, my TDEE can range anywhere from 2600 (pretty sedentary day) to 3000+...my weekly average however is around 2800 when I'm not training for anything in particular. If I eat around 2300 calories per day, I lose about 1 Lb per week regardless of the fact that I have higher TDEE days and lower TDEE days...the average is what matters.

Beyond that, any and all of these calculators only provide a reasonable good estimate based on population statistics and various algorithms to allow you to get started...they aren't gospel. Ultimately, you just get started and make adjustments as necessary.

Lifestyle0

Right so, it varies day to day. For example:

Monday: out(1,600) in (1,400)
Tuesday: out(1,400) in(1,200)
Wednesday: out(2,000) in(1,800)

Basically, you guesstimate the amount of calories you’re gonna burn that day, and then eat that amount minus your desired deficit. Hope this helps take care ❤️

janejellyroll

Lifestyle0 wrote: »

Right so, it varies day to day. For example:

Monday: out(1,600) in (1,400)
Tuesday: out(1,400) in(1,200)
Wednesday: out(2,000) in(1,800)

Basically, you guesstimate the amount of calories you’re gonna burn that day, and then eat that amount minus your desired deficit. Hope this helps take care ❤️

TDEE is the opposite -- it's a fixed number in each day. It's a method for people who are relatively consistent with their activity and know they'll be burning about the same amount of calories each week. So they take the amount they're burning over the week and averaging it out to eat the same thing each day.

Lifestyle0

Edit: Your BMR is the calories u burn at rest- so if u maybe find a calculator for that, and then add the amount u think u’ve burned for the day that could also calculate your TDEE.
I personally eat for my BMR which is ~1,300, so then if I do 10,000 steps that day, I know I can add on 100 calories to my allowed 1,000

nutmegoreo

Lifestyle0 wrote: »

Edit: Your BMR is the calories u burn at rest- so if u maybe find a calculator for that, and then add the amount u think u’ve burned for the day that could also calculate your TDEE.
I personally eat for my BMR which is ~1,300, so then if I do 10,000 steps that day, I know I can add on 100 calories to my allowed 1,000

I'm not sure where you came up with this plan, but I highly doubt you are getting enough nutrition on 1000 calories per day. And with the added activity, it's just unnecessary to eat that low.

NovusDies

Lifestyle0 wrote: »

Edit: Your BMR is the calories u burn at rest- so if u maybe find a calculator for that, and then add the amount u think u’ve burned for the day that could also calculate your TDEE.
I personally eat for my BMR which is ~1,300, so then if I do 10,000 steps that day, I know I can add on 100 calories to my allowed 1,000

I take it you are new and excited about what you think you have figured out. Unfortunately it is wrong.

Please consider reading:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/931670/bmr-and-tdee-explained-for-those-needing-a-guide/p1

collectingblues

Lifestyle0 wrote: »

Edit: Your BMR is the calories u burn at rest- so if u maybe find a calculator for that, and then add the amount u think u’ve burned for the day that could also calculate your TDEE.
I personally eat for my BMR which is ~1,300, so then if I do 10,000 steps that day, I know I can add on 100 calories to my allowed 1,000

A: That's far too few calories to consume as a calorie goal.

B: Unless you are very short, and very thin, it is *highly* unlikely that your TDEE is 1400 calories.

C: I would be very very surprised if those 10,000 steps were *only* worth 100 calories. It's approximately 5 miles, and even if you truly were 4'11" and 98 pounds -- short and petite -- even then it would be closer to 200 calories.