TDEE is everything

astroub

Nice post!!! Very well said

LastMinuteMama

saving for later, thanks for taking the time to put this info together!

gaia3rd

i think the way MFP sets up weight loss for the beginner is atrocious. Eating back poorly estimated exercise calories and setting most peoples daily calorie goal below BMR is terrible. No wonder 1/3 posts on this site is about stalling out. People leave themselves no where to go. Most of them exercise 5 times a week so its tough to add another day of exercise, and you sure as hell can reduce their calories anymore.

I don't know. From what I've been reading, albeit I'm a bit of a newbie, many people are refusing to eat back their exercise calories and then wonder why they're stalling. Even when it's explained to them that they're only netting maybe 500-850 calories a day, most resist the idea of eating more.

UsedToBeHusky

i think the way MFP sets up weight loss for the beginner is atrocious. Eating back poorly estimated exercise calories and setting most peoples daily calorie goal below BMR is terrible. No wonder 1/3 posts on this site is about stalling out. People leave themselves no where to go. Most of them exercise 5 times a week so its tough to add another day of exercise, and you sure as hell can reduce their calories anymore.

I don't know. From what I've been reading, albeit I'm a bit of a newbie, are people refusing to eat back their exercise calories and then wondering why they're stalling. Even when it's explained to them that they're only netting maybe 500-850 calories a day, most still resist the idea of eating more.

That is not the problem. The problem is that MFP is set up to eat back exercise calories, but then overestimates calories burned. Therefore, to accurately know how many calories to eat back you must spend money on a fitness device like HRM's, BodyBuggs, BodyMediaFit, or the presently sponsored FitBits.

Obviously, if your calories burned is overestimated and then you eat them back then you remove the calorie deficit that is supposed to help you with weight loss. I have lost a ton of weight. I didn't eat back my exercise calories and because I was obese (I'm 15 lbs away from an overweight BMI) I had excess stores of fat for my body to draw upon. I lost a ton of weight. Since then, I added in weight training and my body composition has changed. Now I am not losing as fast. And to be fair, I eat back my exercise calories now and the only difference I see is in inches, not on the scale. (Yes, I know that is still progress.)

JMarigold

Well according to my calculations based on the equations for TDEE I have been eating TOO much. MFP estimated my TDEE to be 2020 calories a day but based on the equations it comes out to 1608 calories a day.

CallmeSbo

Bump

tameko2

According to this I should be eating 1500 calories a day to maintain my weight. That is way lower than MFP says.
This may be a stupid question, but at 1500 a day would I NOT eat back my exercise calories, because that doesnt sound right, but I entered in the days I would be working out.

Anyone? Because if I am suppose to net 1500, I am way over eating

1500 a day is NOT way over eating.... read this thread below.....

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/506349-women-who-eat-more-than-1800-calories-a-day

I mean I am over eating. I am set to 1470 a day, but I eat back my calories and workout hard everyday. So I eat like 1700-1900 calories a day. If I am only suppose to be at 1500 even though I workout then no wonder I am gaining weight. However 1500 total no matter how hard I workout seems kinda low.

No no - NET means your total calories MINUS your exercise calories.

So if you workout and burn 300 calories then you should be eating at least 1800 that day becuase 1800-300 = 1500.

tameko2

Well according to my calculations based on the equations for TDEE I have been eating TOO much. MFP estimated my TDEE to be 2020 calories a day but based on the equations it comes out to 1608 calories a day.

I think you might have gotten your BMR calculation confused with your TDEE. Or else you did the calcs wrong - use the calculator I linked a few pages back.

sassylilmama

Well according to my calculations based on the equations for TDEE I have been eating TOO much. MFP estimated my TDEE to be 2020 calories a day but based on the equations it comes out to 1608 calories a day.

MFP does not have a TDEE calculator

AntWrig

http://www.1percentedge.com/ifcalc/

Or what I suggest is everyone out there educate themselves on how to calculate your TDEE and Macronutrients the manual way. This is the best write up I've seen on how to do it.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=121703981

That IF calculator is pure trash.

Here is the problem with calculators. People think they are facts. They are just guesses, you have to take the time to modify and adjust. It will take a few weeks to determine your maintenance. Yes, that includes the scale going up and down for a few weeks.

Get over that and succeed.

This calculator is much better.

http://www.fatceliac.com/calculators/

Funny, I have been posting this since I got here. Finally I am glad people are catching on.

AntWrig

Well according to my calculations based on the equations for TDEE I have been eating TOO much. MFP estimated my TDEE to be 2020 calories a day but based on the equations it comes out to 1608 calories a day.

I doubt that.

cmriverside

Well according to my calculations based on the equations for TDEE I have been eating TOO much. MFP estimated my TDEE to be 2020 calories a day but based on the equations it comes out to 1608 calories a day.

MFP does not have a TDEE calculator

If you are honest in the Activity Calculator AND you choose "Maintain My Weight" as your GOAL, you will be given your (approximate) TDEE as your calorie goal.

JMarigold

Well according to my calculations based on the equations for TDEE I have been eating TOO much. MFP estimated my TDEE to be 2020 calories a day but based on the equations it comes out to 1608 calories a day.

MFP does not have a TDEE calculator

If you are honest in the Activity Calculator AND you choose "Maintain My Weight" as your GOAL, you will be given your (approximate) TDEE as your calorie goal.

Right, it calls it "Calories burned from normal daily activity" and assumes you have been honest with your activity estimate. It shows you this when you go in to change your goals.

Well using various calculators, not the equations provided, my BMR did tend to be in the 1600 range, while my TDEE estimate (and I know its an estimate) ranged wildly anywhere from 1850 to 2600 calories. The 2 more popular ones--Mifflin-St. Jour and Harris Benedict--estimated my TDEE to be 2500 and 2600 in that order (This includes my workouts).

trysha1231

Thank you for posting this!

sarahnicole218

Bump

joeykat16

bump

joejccva71

http://www.1percentedge.com/ifcalc/

Or what I suggest is everyone out there educate themselves on how to calculate your TDEE and Macronutrients the manual way. This is the best write up I've seen on how to do it.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=121703981

That IF calculator is pure trash.

Here is the problem with calculators. People think they are facts. They are just guesses, you have to take the time to modify and adjust. It will take a few weeks to determine your maintenance. Yes, that includes the scale going up and down for a few weeks.

Get over that and succeed.

This calculator is much better.

http://www.fatceliac.com/calculators/

Funny, I have been posting this since I got here. Finally I am glad people are catching on.

I wouldn't say the IF calculator at http://www.1percentedge.com/ifcalc/ is pure trash but it's roughly 90% accurate. Nothing is 100%, not even a Bodybugg or BM Fit. The calculator you posted is decent but it's also not 100%. It also instructs people to eat less on a rest day, and more on a training day which isn't necessary.

You can take the weekly TDEE average, do the quick math, and then eat the same amount every day and it will be just as effective as switching your calorie intake depending on rest/training days.

chicpeach

TOO MANY ACRONYMS, TOO MUCH MATH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can I not just accurately measure and record my food and accurately record my exercise and just trust that MFP is doing the right math? If I do that and eat the calories they tell me to, I should lose weight right?

ArroganceInStep

I wouldn't say the IF calculator at http://www.1percentedge.com/ifcalc/ is pure trash but it's roughly 90% accurate. Nothing is 100%, not even a Bodybugg or BM Fit. The calculator you posted is decent but it's also not 100%. It also instructs people to eat less on a rest day, and more on a training day which isn't necessary.

You can take the weekly TDEE average, do the quick math, and then eat the same amount every day and it will be just as effective as switching your calorie intake depending on rest/training days.

How often do you recalculate this figure? Is it time based, weight loss/gain based intervals or what?

SmallerBecky

BUMP for my friends

NicolePatriot

bump

ArroganceInStep

TOO MANY ACRONYMS, TOO MUCH MATH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can I not just accurately measure and record my food and accurately record my exercise and just trust that MFP is doing the right math? If I do that and eat the calories they tell me to, I should lose weight right?

If you do that, keep track of your results, and adjust as needed then yes you will have success.

Even if you go to a nutritionist and get the most snazzy tests and calculations done available, they still wouldn't be able to give you an exact 'eat 1542.13212355 calories per day and you will lose at the rate you want' (they would be able to give you a more accurate estimate of course). You still may have to tweak the program and customize it to best fit you personally.

joejccva71

I wouldn't say the IF calculator at http://www.1percentedge.com/ifcalc/ is pure trash but it's roughly 90% accurate. Nothing is 100%, not even a Bodybugg or BM Fit. The calculator you posted is decent but it's also not 100%. It also instructs people to eat less on a rest day, and more on a training day which isn't necessary.

You can take the weekly TDEE average, do the quick math, and then eat the same amount every day and it will be just as effective as switching your calorie intake depending on rest/training days.

How often do you recalculate this figure? Is it time based, weight loss/gain based intervals or what?

As long as your training schedule doesn't change, you don't need to recalculate this figure very often. Maybe check every 5-10lbs lost just to be sure the numbers are still close. You won't notice a significant change in the numbers until your BMR takes a hit usually after 20lbs lost or so.

beduffbrickie

great post! enjoyed reading that!

gaberieger

When dieting and either trying to lose weight or even gain weight if you are bulking, the most important aspect of your plan is knowing your TDEE. You cannot proceed forward and make progress for the long term without knowing what this is, how to obtain it, and what to do with it.

TDEE = Total Daily Energy Expedenture

TDEE is basically how many calories you burn in a 24 hour period. This is all of your activity including exercises, eating, sleeping, driving a car and yelling at stupid drivers on the highway...whatever it is. If you're doing something, you're burning calories. In all actuality even if you're just sitting down at a desk you're still burning, just not as much.

In order to avoid making this thread a TL;DR thread, I'll be quick and simple. (no snide comments please and you know who you are)

Example to lose weight:

Take a weekly average of your TDEE. Let's pretend you use a Bodymedia FIT and you burn 3000 calories on your workout days (5 days a week), and 2500 calories on your rest days (2 days a week). This would be a weekly average of 20,000 calories for the week.

For the mathematically challenged that's: 3000x5 = 15,000 and 2500x2 = 5000 which equals 20,000. (Yes I really had to break this down for some people)

Moving on....

You are burning 20,000 calories per week. This is your WEEKLY TDEE. Let's pretend you want to lose 1lb a week. Since 1lb is 3,500 calories then you do the math (again):

20,000 - 3,500 = 16,500

This means that you need to eat 16,500 calories PER WEEK in order to lose 1lb for that week. If you are really bored and just don't care, you could technically eat 16,500 calories in ONE DAY and not eat anything the rest of the week and still lose 1lb although you will be completely miserable and you'd probably end up extremely sick if not comatose...but anyways.

Normal people will break this down to eating roughly 2350 calories per day and they will still lose 1lb a week. In order to minimize muscle loss you will need to eat approximately 1g of protein per lb of lean body mass, or if you don't know what that is, you can just use bodyweight. Also, you need to do some sort of resistance weight training and lift heavy to minimize muscle loss as well.

As I typed this, I realized it's not as "short" as I wanted it to be, but I figured I'm making a comeback on the forums so .....

Anyways, take this explanation for what it's worth and above all, you don't need any "diet pills" to lose weight.

Stay disciplined, stick to your plan, make sure you document your food and the weight will come off.

Peace.

ArroganceInStep

As long as your training schedule doesn't change, you don't need to recalculate this figure very often. Maybe check every 5-10lbs lost just to be sure the numbers are still close. You won't notice a significant change in the numbers until your BMR takes a hit usually after 20lbs lost or so.

I was doing 25, cool thx.

Sasha_Bear

A friend directed me to this post glad I decided to read it1 Very informative and makes sense when you break it down like that!

PoochPottery

bump

Novikay

bump

BekkiC21

Great posts guys, very informative