How many weeks data till I know my TDEE?

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jelleigh
jelleigh Posts: 743 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So from what I've read here, the most accurate way to figure out your TDEE is to closely track your intake and activity, trend your weight, and do the math. So since weight loss isn't linear and hormone changes mess with things, how long do I need to track for to get reliable trends?

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  • gallicinvasion
    gallicinvasion Posts: 1,015 Member
    edited May 2019
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    4-6 weeks is a good starting point, but obviously the more weeks you have, the more accurate your data will tend to be. Anything less than 4 weeks is too little data to be useful.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,698 Member
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    Sufficient time so that you have at least one compete cycle and you would be best off to be measuring between similar points during your cycle.

    Your TDEE will (probably) never be 100% constant. But, with consistent logging, you should be able to come up with actionable information!
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
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    When you get you do your first round of math don't overcompensate if it looks drastically different than you expect. It is possible to have a weight fluctuation skew the results one way or the other. If you are a daily weigher that will probably not happen to you because if your weight drops suddenly in the beginning or rises suddenly at the end you will see it.
  • whmscll
    whmscll Posts: 2,254 Member
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    What is the math? There are so many TDEE alculators and they all give me different data. How do I figure it out on my own from my own tracking?
  • jelleigh
    jelleigh Posts: 743 Member
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    whmscll wrote: »
    What is the math? There are so many TDEE alculators and they all give me different data. How do I figure it out on my own from my own tracking?

    After you have X amount of data, you multiply the avg number of lbs lost per week (ignoring what is obviously water fluctuations) by 3500 to find what deficit you are at. Add it to your average intake per week and divide by 7. If your food tracking is on point , you will have your average TDEE.
    (I think I have that right lol. My brain isn't in math mode now)

  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 9,986 Member
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    whmscll wrote: »
    What is the math? There are so many TDEE alculators and they all give me different data. How do I figure it out on my own from my own tracking?

    Add up all your calories consumed over a given number of days -- call this number A. (I used eight weeks, starting about a month after I started losing weigh so as not to be thrown off by the initial water-weight loss.) Multiply the change in your weight measured in pounds during the time period in question by 3500 -- call the result B.

    If you lost weight during this period, add A + B. Divide the result by the number of days in the time period you're considering. The result is your TDEE.


    If you gained weight during this period, subtract B from A. Divide the result by the number of days in the time period you're considering. The result is your TDEE.

    If your weight did not change during this period, divide A by the number of days in the time period you're considering. The result is your TDEE.
  • liyote
    liyote Posts: 1 Member
    edited May 2019
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    Someone on Reddit made an excellent spreadsheet to calculate your personal TDEE using your intake and weight data: https://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/comments/4mhvpn/adaptive_tdee_tracking_spreadsheet_v3_rescue/
  • whmscll
    whmscll Posts: 2,254 Member
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    Thank you!!

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