Seeking advice regarding TDEE, BMR, and caloric intake

clarissa08

Good evening!

I am Clarissa

My starting weight prior to my weight loss in June 2011 was 188 lbs, as of April 2013 I reached my lowest weight 130.1. My current goal weight is to be a strong 125. I have seen a lot of success with monitoring my calories and with high intensity interval training. However, losing weight became very difficult earlier this year and since April I have remained the same.

Last year, I got a desk job and at that time I dropped my calorie intake from 1700 to 1500. This is the caloric intake I have been maintaining, and when I exercise, I make sure to eat those calories back. Since I lowered my caloric value I have found that when I do lose weight, it is on a much slower scale. I went from losing 1 lb every 10 to 14 days, to losing perhaps .5 lbs every 21 days.

I find myself in a difficult position. I have debated about increasing my calories, however I am fearful to do so because of my sedentary work environment. My calculated BMR is around 1400. To lose .5 lb a week myfitnesspal recommends that I eat 1500 calories and exercise 20 minutes a day, 4 times a week. This is what I have been doing and I have maintained.

After reading another post with a link to another website, I utilized their BMR calculator and TDEE, and it suggest that for maintaining weight Ishould be eating around 1800 calories.

I am just really confused because I had such success previously and I do not know if I am over analyzing. Should I up my daily calories? Should I just trudge on through and continue what I am doing and increase my exercise?

Those of you that have had more experience with this, what do you suggest?


Thanks

heybales

First realize that MFP diet goals and fitness goals are totally separate, one does not influence the math of the other.
MFP accounts for no exercise but gives you the deficit, your exercise therefore is the eat-back.
Just commenting on the 1500 and 20 min a day x 4, is not actually related to the amount of estimated weight loss. Only the diet part. The fitness goal you check on the Fitness tab.

Good job dropping calories when you should have on change of daily activity.

So if you are maintaining on 1500 for awhile, meaning no weight or inches lost - you are eating at TDEE right now. That's what it means, maintenance.

Why would current TDEE level be lower than potential TDEE (if calcs are good estimates)?
Some potential reasons:
You are not logging food correctly, and actually are eating more. Do you weigh everything but liquids, which are measured?
You are not burning as much as you think, and then eating back more than needed. How do you measure calorie burn?
You don't really have as high a BMR as estimated based on height, weight. Did you use bodyfat with Katch BMR?
Those are decently correct, and you are just eating much less than needed or other stresses, and slowed metabolism down.

I'd also start with best estimates of what you can for the eating side of the equation, so use this.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/961054-spreadsheet-for-bodyfat-bmr-tdee-progress-tracker

Perhaps seeing the math and how individualized it is well help you see that is not at all unrealistic amount of calories - probably.

When you have a lot to lose you can do a lot wrong and still see success. Obviously not as good as if it had been done right.
But with less to lose, much less room for error to still see success.
Hence the reason having a full burning metabolism to not narrow it even more is really nice.