Question about BMR and TDEE

loribethrice

So, MFP tells me to eat 1540 calories a day to lose.

I went on the IIFYM and did my TDEE and this is what it says:

Your BMR is:
1613 CALORIES/DAY
Your TDEE is:
1936 CALORIES/DAY

I am confused as to what this means exactly. I am 5'9 and weigh 179lbs. I have a desk job where I do have to get up and walk around, but I am not active outside of that due to my dysautonomia.

Do I need to be eating 1613 calories a day to lose weight? I usually eat around 1350 and not the 1540 that MFP gives me, but am I doing this wrong?

yarwell

I went on the IIFYM and did my TDEE and this is what it says:

Your BMR is:
1613 CALORIES/DAY
Your TDEE is:
1936 CALORIES/DAY

I am confused as to what this means exactly. I am 5'9 and weigh 179lbs. I have a desk job where I do have to get up and walk around, but I am not active outside of that due to my dysautonomia.

Do I need to be eating 1613 calories a day to lose weight? I usually eat around 1350 and not the 1540 that MFP gives me, but am I doing this wrong?

If the TDEE is correct (these things are only estimates, no better than 10% either way) then eating under 1900 calories will mean you lose weight. Your 1350 is a 30% cut from your TDEE which is high but perhaps not excessive to start with. MFP's 1540 is more gentle (ie slower weight loss) at about 20% cut.

Ignore the BMR when considering how much to eat, BMR is just the largest component of TDEE it has no specific significance in weight loss.

loribethrice

show previous quotes

I went on the IIFYM and did my TDEE and this is what it says:

Your BMR is:
1613 CALORIES/DAY
Your TDEE is:
1936 CALORIES/DAY

I am confused as to what this means exactly. I am 5'9 and weigh 179lbs. I have a desk job where I do have to get up and walk around, but I am not active outside of that due to my dysautonomia.

Do I need to be eating 1613 calories a day to lose weight? I usually eat around 1350 and not the 1540 that MFP gives me, but am I doing this wrong?

If the TDEE is correct (these things are only estimates, no better than 10% either way) then eating under 1900 calories will mean you lose weight. Your 1350 is a 30% cut from your TDEE which is high but perhaps not excessive to start with. MFP's 1540 is more gentle (ie slower weight loss) at about 20% cut.

Ignore the BMR when considering how much to eat, BMR is just the largest component of TDEE it has no specific significance in weight loss.

That is where I get confused. So, if I ignore the BMR then is the TDEE the amount of calories I should be eating? Or should I be eating a % under them?

shadow2soul

you want to eat a % under your TDEE

TDEE is the total number of calories you burn in a day. To lose weight, you need to eat less than whatever that number happens to be. In other words:

TDEE = Maintenance Calories

loribethrice

you want to eat a % under your TDEE

TDEE is the total number of calories you burn in a day. To lose weight, you need to eat less than whatever that number happens to be. In other words:

TDEE = Maintenance Calories

I definitely eat under...I eat usually around 1350 calories a day even though MFP gives me 1540.