TDEE advise

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lecia125
lecia125 Posts: 126 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Looked up my TDEE on four different websites an got the average for me then subtracted 25% to give me my calorie goal. This is 280 more calories than MFP gives me. Anyone have advice whether this would be a good idea or should i stay with my MFP assigned goal?

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  • melissamarah
    melissamarah Posts: 168 Member
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    Hi there,

    I recently switched to TDEE, and it gave me about 350 calories more. But that's because you don't eat your exercise calories back. It just makes things easier for me, now that I don't have to worry about estimating my exercise calories.
  • mschicagocubs
    mschicagocubs Posts: 774 Member
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    Do you work out regularly or spend each day doing about the same activity? Then TDEE is just easier.

    I have a workout routine and I stick to it. 5-6 days a week. So I just know I have to stick to my set calories each day.

    I always log my cardio so if one day I burn a lot more, I do treat myself and eat more. But there is usually a reason I burn more .... to eat more ;)
  • lecia125
    lecia125 Posts: 126 Member
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    I have an office job but Itry to do a video or some type of exercise 2-3 days a week. I burn 325-650 calories depending on the length of the video.
  • melissamarah
    melissamarah Posts: 168 Member
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    If you do TDEE, you don't eat your exercise calories back. I like doing TDEE because it's the same exact number of calories, regardless of how much I've worked out. It's sort of like those exercise calories are spread out over all 7 days of the week.

    It's really up to you if you want to change. They're both pretty much the same thing, but I like the TDEE method because I'm a swim instructor, and I don't have enough money for a HRM or FitBit. I really have no idea how many calories I'm burning while teaching.
  • mschicagocubs
    mschicagocubs Posts: 774 Member
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    They're both pretty much the same thing, but I like the TDEE method because I'm a swim instructor, and I don't have enough money for a HRM or FitBit. I really have no idea how many calories I'm burning while teaching.

    Great point!
  • lecia125
    lecia125 Posts: 126 Member
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    Thank you ladies for your advise. My exercise is so random! After playing around a little, I discovered that if I adjust my MFP to 1.5 pounds a week, it gives me within 50 calories of TDEE and I can still count my exercise if I want with MFP. Pretty good compromise I think!
  • snookumss
    snookumss Posts: 1,451 Member
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    Do what it says and listen to it. My bodymedia fit gives me 400-500 extra calories daily, and I lose weight faster. ;) Back in the day, when I was initially on MFP, I lost over 40lbs using MFP calculations and goals. The funny thing was, near the end there, if I had a cheat day, I'd all of a sudden lose weight! I'd go to the movies and binge on popcorn and soda, then the next day be over a pound lighter. Never understood until I got my Bodymedia fit and saw it consistently giving me WAY more calories than I used to eat. Now its easier, and I lose more weight.

    *Edit*
    I've let my bodymedia sit for six months, gained some weight back and here I am starting over fresh!
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
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    I'll admit I'm also a bit skeptical about TDEE. Most sites I've gone to I plug in my numbers and it gives me a TDEE of about 2900 calories a day which seems utterly nuts to me. I am suspicious of calculators that only have you enter your weight and do not take bodyfat composition into account and imagine that peoples actual TDEE varies quite a lot from what the calculators suggest.
  • LTKeegan
    LTKeegan Posts: 354 Member
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    I think either method is good, you just have to pick the one that works best for you. Personally, I prefer to eat more on days I work out!! :-)
  • LTKeegan
    LTKeegan Posts: 354 Member
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    I'll admit I'm also a bit skeptical about TDEE. Most sites I've gone to I plug in my numbers and it gives me a TDEE of about 2900 calories a day which seems utterly nuts to me. I am suspicious of calculators that only have you enter your weight and do not take bodyfat composition into account and imagine that peoples actual TDEE varies quite a lot from what the calculators suggest.


    If you know your %bf there are TDEE calculators that take that into account.
  • FindingAmy77
    FindingAmy77 Posts: 1,266 Member
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    Looked up my TDEE on four different websites an got the average for me then subtracted 25% to give me my calorie goal. This is 280 more calories than MFP gives me. Anyone have advice whether this would be a good idea or should i stay with my MFP assigned goal?

    with the mfp recommendation it is designed so that total amount they give you is the amount you eat without any exercise. mfp requires you eat what you burn back. now as far as tdee goes: it already has exercise included. so you don't need to eat any exercise calories back that you earn. they still equal out to about the same in reality.

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