Confused on MFP method vs TDEE method

VelveteenArabian

MFP sets me to 1200 calories/day. This would be net calories.

According to the calculator on IIFYM (Had to use the Athletes formula since I don’t know my current body fat %), my TDEE is 1771. For fat loss, (TDEE – 20%) it sets me at 1417 calories/day. This would be total calories.

Just to use round numbers…

If I use MFP and exercise and burn say 500 calories, eating them all back:
1200 + 500 = 1700 calories total, 1200 net since I ate back my 500 calories from working out

With the TDEE method, I don’t eat my calories back, so I’d be at 1417 calories/day total.

However, with the MFP method, I’d be at 1700 calories per day total (using the 500 calorie example), which actually bumps me up to maintenance according to TDEE.

Am I miscalculating or missing something? Wouldn’t eating over 1417 per day set me up for failure?

Edited to add: It is not as simple as calories in < calories out for me, so please let's just not go there. I have diagnosed medical issues, I am on meds now and weight is finally starting to creep down. I already weigh and measure and use an HRM for exercise. I am just trying to make sure that I have the right calorie goals set up.

sijomial

Did you enter that you exercise every day into IIFYM?

VelveteenArabian

No, I put sedentary in both profiles as I spend the vast majority of my time sitting.

DanaDark

If you used sedentary in your TDEE, then you will need to log your exercise. This is true for both MFP and the TDEE-20% method.

VelveteenArabian

If you used sedentary in your TDEE, then you will need to log your exercise. This is true for both MFP and the TDEE-20% method.

But should I eat it back even with the TDEE? All of it or half or play with it and see what works?

Which would be the correct calorie goal? 1200+eat back all, 1400+eat back all, or some other combination?

sijomial

No, I put sedentary in both profiles as I spend the vast majority of my time sitting.

Activity setting in MFP is nothing to do with planned exercise, it's just your day to day routine. IIFYM is asking for your lifestyle and exercise. By not answering the question correctly you aren't using the TDEE calculator as designed.

The numbers are mainly different because you are adding 500 exercise calories to MFP but nothing to IIFYM.
Also your speed of desired weight loss (therefore deficit) is different (percentage versus lbs per week).

3dogsrunning

If you used sedentary in your TDEE, then you will need to log your exercise. This is true for both MFP and the TDEE-20% method.

But should I eat it back even with the TDEE? All of it or half or play with it and see what works?

Which would be the correct calorie goal? 1200+eat back all, 1400+eat back all, or some other combination?

TDEE includes exercise, period. It is total daily energy expenditure. So that answer is if you are using TDEE you don't eat exercise calories back. But you didn't include them so you didn't actually figure TDEE.

If you are figuring TDEE at sedentary, that is NEAT, non-exercise activity theromogenesis. It is basically the same idea MFP is based on. Yes, you log exercise and eat that back. THis tends to cause a lot of confusion here. If you refer to it as TDEE, people assume you have accounted for exercise and will say not to eat those calories back.

Another point - what did you select for weight loss per week on MFP?

SairahRose

I tested out both those theories - figured I'd start with a calorie goal of somewhere between the numbers (1800 for me) and go from there. If I maintain or gain after a month, then I'd drop by 100 and then check again.
So far it's working, thankfully.

A fair bit of it depends on your goals and what you want out of them, as well as figuring out the magic number by trial and error.

wildb1

1200 or 1400 eat back exercise should work for you.
Over the long haul you should expect to see a 1lbs loss per week at 1200 and 0.6 lbs loss per week at 1400.

Mileage may vary!

cwolfman13

You seem to be missing the whole point of the TDEE method...being TOTAL Daily Energy Expenditure...so even if you have a desk job or whatever, you would still account for your exercise in your activity level with TDEE.

Beyond that, you have to compare apples to apples in RE to weight loss goals...your TDEE - 20% at sedentary gives you less than 1 Lb per week...I'm sure you selected a faster rate of loss with MFP to get a 1200 calorie goal.

If you're doing it right and comparing apples to apples in RE to loss rate goals, the two methods are basically 6 of 1...they're just two ways of arriving at basically the same estimate....one includes exercise up front in activity and the other requires you to log it separately.

When I did MFP, my net calorie goal to lose about 1 Lb per week was 1,850...with exercise and logging that separately I was grossing around 2200 - 2300 calories. My TDEE activity level is moderately active which gives me roughly 2,800 calories...TDEE - 20% gives me 2,240 calories to lose roughly 1 Lb per week. As you can see, my gross consumption was roughly the same regardless of the method.

__freckles__

No, I put sedentary in both profiles as I spend the vast majority of my time sitting.

If you exercise at all, then you're not sedentary. I spend the vast majority of my time sitting (I work a desk job). But I also workout 4 times a week for about an hour each time. So although I'm sedentary for most of my day, the fact that I workout puts me in the "Moderate Exercise" category.

So the question is...do you exercise?

Kazzam33

Following for knowledge :bigsmile:

VelveteenArabian

I do exercise. I have some activities that I always do and sometimes I do a little more and sometimes I just say screw it and put the snacks away.

Exercise is a whole other can of worms though because while my HRM tests pretty accurately I have trouble believing its accurate when I exercise.