TDEE vs MFP calculations

Laura741
Laura741 Posts: 31 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
HI! :) I see recommendations here to eat calories corresponding with TDEE minus 20%. In my case I am 253 lbs, 5'6" so I have a lot to lose. Even if I do TDEE minus 30% I get 1,829 cals/day, vs the MFP calculation of 1310/day. If I eat my exercise calories back and go by TDEE-30%, that's a lot of calories. (and roughly 500 more than what MFP recommends) Which do you guys recommend? Thoughts? I greatly appreciate your input & advice!! If I need to eat more to up my weight loss, hey, I'm all for it! :)

Replies

  • runningvegan
    runningvegan Posts: 65
    I could be wrong, but I think with the TDEE method you don't eat your exercise calories back. That is already factored into the calculations.
  • conniemaxwell5
    conniemaxwell5 Posts: 943 Member
    I recommend the TDEE method. I've lost 58 pounds eating TDEE-20%, now 10% because I'm close to goal. I eat roughly 1800 calories a day and work out about 30-45 minutes 5 days a week.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    HI! :) I see recommendations here to eat calories corresponding with TDEE minus 20%. In my case I am 253 lbs, 5'6" so I have a lot to lose. Even if I do TDEE minus 30% I get 1,829 cals/day, vs the MFP calculation of 1310/day. If I eat my exercise calories back and go by TDEE-30%, that's a lot of calories. (and roughly 500 more than what MFP recommends) Which do you guys recommend? Thoughts? I greatly appreciate your input & advice!! If I need to eat more to up my weight loss, hey, I'm all for it! :)

    MFP suggests 1310. You exercise and burn, say 400 cals. You eat back those cals. That's 1710 per day for MFP.

    TDEE suggests 1829. You don't eat back exercise cals.

    That's a difference of ~100 cals. That's well within the realm of estimation and not worth getting worked up about. Assuming you make reasonable estimates with reasonable goals, both methods should give you about the same amount of cals over the course of the week. It's just a difference of when you eat them and what you log.

    .
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    MFP isn't a TDEE calculator - that's one of your differences.
    The other one is that with MFP you are choosing a deficit in 500/cal per day increments to achieve a projected rate of weight loss.
    That is not the same as taking off a percentage from your TDEE.
  • Laura741
    Laura741 Posts: 31 Member
    Ok that totally makes sense.. I didn't realize that with TDEE you don't eat your calories back. So yeah roughly the same either way. Thanks guys, BIG help!!
  • angelamangus1
    angelamangus1 Posts: 164 Member
    I do TDEE and I do not eat my exercise calories back. Your exercise calories are added into your TDEE. Whereas MFP has you eat them. I have found great success in going this route!

    When you add your workouts to MFP, do not add the calories, just time and you will have to say one calorie (MFP does not take 0). I would also suggest on days you do not work out to not eat the full amount of calories (unless you are hungry), just do not go below your BMR.

    A lot of people have had great success with MFP and others using TDEE, it is personal preference.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    MFP & TDEE are set up differently. The numbers are actually pretty similar when you set the goals consitantly.

    MFP does not count any exercise until you log it ....TDEE should include exercise up front.

    MFP calculates your daily calories based in part by "I want to lose XX pounds per week" .....if your goal is pretty aggressive ....you get lower (and lower) numbers.

    TDEE less a percent...the bigger the percent the more (weekly) weight you lose.... the smaller the percent the less (weekly) weight you lose...people close to goal would choose TDEE minus 5%..... conversely MFP would be 1/2 pound a week for close to goal.

    If you exercise regularly you might go with TDEE. Logging exercise in MFP is for those of us (myself included) who need the extra push.... my workouts can be inconsitant.
  • Truegoddess22
    Truegoddess22 Posts: 94 Member
    What is TDEE??
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    What is TDEE??

    Total Daily Energy Expenditure - the number of calories your body needs to do everything you ask it to do throughout the day (sleep, breath, digest food, pump blood, clean the house, go grocery shopping, shuttle kids around, workout, hangout with friends, drink beer, play sports, watch TV, etc).
  • knitapeace
    knitapeace Posts: 1,013 Member
    So is MFP more precise, since it factors in ACTUAL calories burned during a workout? When I calculate TDEE it only asks me how many times a week I work out and it gives me a higher daily calorie goal than MFP. Yeah, I'd love to eat that much but I'm afraid I'll stop losing the 1 lb a week I've been achieving.

    If I follow MFP's calorie guide and eat back my actual exercise calories, I would get about 12,980 calories per week.

    If I follow the TDEE-20% method, I'd get about 13,790 calories per week.

    That only comes out to an average of 115 calories per day for a week, but is that enough to slow down my results?
  • Laura741
    Laura741 Posts: 31 Member
    I have a FitBit that is synched up to MFP so that is a HUGE motivator for me, to see myself "gain" calories that I can eat, so I think I will stay with MFP. Eating the calories back is something I need to work on.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    So is MFP more precise, since it factors in ACTUAL calories burned during a workout? When I calculate TDEE it only asks me how many times a week I work out and it gives me a higher daily calorie goal than MFP. Yeah, I'd love to eat that much but I'm afraid I'll stop losing the 1 lb a week I've been achieving.

    If I follow MFP's calorie guide and eat back my actual exercise calories, I would get about 12,980 calories per week.

    If I follow the TDEE-20% method, I'd get about 13,790 calories per week.

    That only comes out to an average of 115 calories per day for a week, but is that enough to slow down my results?

    Everything we do is estimated... BMR, NEAT, TDEE, cals burned, cals consumed, etc etc. Because of that, no one can really say what's more accurate. Ultimately, it comes down to trial and error.
  • knitapeace
    knitapeace Posts: 1,013 Member
    Well that is an excellent point! :) I guess since the numbers are so close I shouldn't stress too much. Sorry, I've been doing a lot of weight loss math for the past 2 days and I think I'm obsessing.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    No problem, I'm a numbers guy, so I'm always trying to get things to line up just so.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    It should be really close, both systems have pros and cons really. With MFP, it's hard to figure out exactly how much you burn during workouts unless you have a heart rate monitor, and you can easily go hungry on your days off, but with TDEE it's hard to figure out exactly what your activity is (it's pretty vague between 1/3 hours of light exercise a week and 4-5 hours of moderate exercise, for example).

    I still like TDEE better just so I don't have to figure out how many calories each workout is, plus I walk a lot and don't always have my HRM handy anyway.
  • knitapeace
    knitapeace Posts: 1,013 Member
    And you are clearly doing well!

    Another thing that brings to mind is that I run 3-4 times a week, usually with the Zombies, Run! app. It's linked up to Runkeeper. The ZR app will tell me I burned XXX number of calories and ran at XX pace, but when I check back at MFP, Runkeeper has changed it to at least 100-200 fewer calories burned and a slower pace! So yeah, I guess there is a little wiggle room in there and it's OK not to get bogged down with a few digits here or there as long as the weight is still coming off.
  • TeresaMarie46
    TeresaMarie46 Posts: 226 Member
    HI! :) I see recommendations here to eat calories corresponding with TDEE minus 20%. In my case I am 253 lbs, 5'6" so I have a lot to lose. Even if I do TDEE minus 30% I get 1,829 cals/day, vs the MFP calculation of 1310/day. If I eat my exercise calories back and go by TDEE-30%, that's a lot of calories. (and roughly 500 more than what MFP recommends) Which do you guys recommend? Thoughts? I greatly appreciate your input & advice!! If I need to eat more to up my weight loss, hey, I'm all for it! :)


    When doing TDEE, the calories burned are already calculated/included. Therefore you do not eat them back. I am going by my TDEE with a set caloric intake of 1880, and a deficit of 700-800. I have lost approx.. 7 lbs. since beginning about 3 weeks ago. I also try to stay at 1880 or slightly under.
  • lknjohnson
    lknjohnson Posts: 351 Member
    HI! :) I see recommendations here to eat calories corresponding with TDEE minus 20%. In my case I am 253 lbs, 5'6" so I have a lot to lose. Even if I do TDEE minus 30% I get 1,829 cals/day, vs the MFP calculation of 1310/day. If I eat my exercise calories back and go by TDEE-30%, that's a lot of calories. (and roughly 500 more than what MFP recommends) Which do you guys recommend? Thoughts? I greatly appreciate your input & advice!! If I need to eat more to up my weight loss, hey, I'm all for it! :)

    MFP suggests 1310. You exercise and burn, say 400 cals. You eat back those cals. That's 1710 per day for MFP.

    TDEE suggests 1829. You don't eat back exercise cals.

    That's a difference of ~100 cals. That's well within the realm of estimation and not worth getting worked up about. Assuming you make reasonable estimates with reasonable goals, both methods should give you about the same amount of cals over the course of the week. It's just a difference of when you eat them and what you log.

    .


    You have completely simplified this for me!! THANK YOU! Don't know why it took so long for me to understands something so simple lol. smh. Maybe its the way you word it. oh well

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