TDEE - What is it and why you should not eat below your BMR
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ANewLucia
Posts: 2,081 Member
What is BMR?
Your basal metabolic rate, or BMR, is the minimum calorific requirement needed to sustain life in a resting individual. It can be looked at as being the amount of energy (measured in calories) expended by the body to remain in bed all day!
What is TDEE?
TDEE is the common abbreviation for Total Daily Energy Expenditure which is a metric to calculate the amount of calories your body needs to function in a day. This is quite similar to BMR; in fact, you need your BMR to calculate your TDEE; but your TDEE accounts for your average daily activity as well to give a figure truer to your specific situation. Basically, the TDEE calculation relies on categorizing your daily activity into one of the metrics' predetermined groupings:
Sedentary - desk job and little to no exercise
Lightly Active - light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk
Moderately Active - moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk (****SIDE NOTE - even if you have a desk job most people fit right here when you workout 3-5 days a week)
Very Active - hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk
Extremely Active - hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or training
Once you have determined where you fit in on the TDEE activity rate scale, this activity rate is used to weight your BMR giving you a more accurate assessment of how many calories you really need throughout the course of the day.
Here is a link to a site that you plug in your information and it will provide your BMR and TDEE along with your Cut value (again, if you workout 3-5 times a week select "Moderate" and the "Select Your Goal" option you will select is "Lose Fat - 15% caloric reduction") :
http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
So now, you should have your BMR, TDEE, and Cut Value (TDEE - 15%)
Here is a video that talks about this in great detail that hopefully will clear up any questions you may have:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYi9xjIRvbY&feature=g-all-u
(If the video blesses you, please "LIKE" it on Youtube and maybe even share it on Facebook...to help spread the word to help others to EM2WL...oh and we LOVE comments too:flowerforyou: )
If TDEE is figured out correctly, then exercise cals don't *have* to be eaten back because, technically, TDEE figures them in. The underlying factor here, is that most people underestimate their activity levels, (for fear of being told to eat "too much") and then proceed to under eat. If a person is burning 1000 cals/day in exercise, then that should be figured into their TDEE, meaning their TDEE should be AT LEAST 1000 cals more than their BMR. If this is not the case then they are undercutting themselves on the cals. So a person w/a BMR of 1300, that puts up 1000 cal burns should have come up w/a TDEE calculation of 2400 or more. So any situation where a person is not getting those calculations, they should be eating back some of those exercise cals.
So if you come up w/BMR=1300, TDEE=1800, you need to either A)eat back some cals, or
recalculate your TDEE to include the *actual* burns that you're getting.
So to cut using *true* TDEE figures, you'd just eat a flat TDEE (-15%), as long as TDEE is correct. It should be fine. But if you are using MFP's calculations, or are not getting a TDEE that includes the amount you burn each day *plus* BMR, you need to eat back some exercise cals. (***NOTE-If you have been eating low calories for an extended period of time, you may want to consier taking a diet break by eating FULL TDEE for an 8-12 week period to do what is called a "Metabolism Reset". Information regarding is in the sticky "Metabolism Reset-Eating at TDEE Support Thread" at the top. Here is a video that will help you to decide if TDEE -15% or a Metabolism reset is right for you:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COzMKkXeiFo)
I make the following recommendations....Change the followiing in your MFP Goal settings under Custom:
Carbs 40%
Protein 30%
Fat 30%
Fiber 30
Sodium 2500
Everything I have read thus far in my journey suggests those macronutrient ratios. It forces you to eat more protein which is important for maintaining and building muscle. Break up your food inake too, eating small meals during the course of the day helps keep the body burning calories. Feel free to check out my diary "AnewLucia", it is open to the public. ***I didn't think it was necessary to say this, but have been asked...eating clean should go without saying because we all are trying to achieve a heathly lifestyle in general. However, we all have "loves" and this is about "living", so I also believe all things in moderation. Lastly, if you are truly sticking to your numbers and ratios, there is no way to junk out...hence the reason I never stressed it before..so now it has been stressed!:flowerforyou: ***
I almost forgot to mention, I always drink a protein shake right after a workout, so important to give the body good protein after exercising because those muscles are hungry...so take your shake with you to guzzle right after.
Ok ladies, If you aren't currently strength training you are missing out...weight lifting is what transforms the body. You would be amazed, but those beautifully toned women you just dream about looking like...you will rarely see them in a cardio class sweating to the oldies but goodies....they are in the weight room pushing some heavy steel. If you haven't read it, a good read is "New Rules of Lifting Weights for Women: Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess". It gives an excellent nutritional break down (which finally made my bulb light up,) and for beginning lifters it gives you a great program to get you going....for those that are already familiar with weights and have routines and all that...it is time to start challenging yourself...go up 5lbs each lift session, you would be absolutely amazed at what your body can do....and now that you are fueling it you will have the energy to challenge yourself as well!
Lastly, for those that love to weigh in daily, we all know it can be a bit disheartening watching the scale (please make sure to read "What to expect when you up your calories" in another of the topics on this board.) Someone found this great tool to track your weight. You weigh daily and it graphs not only your weight, but how you are trending. It also allows you to note what is happening with you(ie. TOM, sodium, constipation, heavy lift) so you can see the causes of the fluctuations....I ABSOLUTELY ADORE this tool.
https://www.fourmilab.ch/cgi-bin/HackDiet?s=022WQ9WF6Q200JFJJKFF2K288F0JQK950K003894&q=logout&HDiet_tzoffset=240
Ok one more last thing, if at week 6 you have not lost weight or inches (which is rare) post a topic and let's review what you have been doing during the timeframe. I have yet to find it is due to too many calories. The culprit has been inconsistency and/or underestimating calories burned. We can't stress enough to be consistent in fueling and making sure your activity level is correct.
Your basal metabolic rate, or BMR, is the minimum calorific requirement needed to sustain life in a resting individual. It can be looked at as being the amount of energy (measured in calories) expended by the body to remain in bed all day!
What is TDEE?
TDEE is the common abbreviation for Total Daily Energy Expenditure which is a metric to calculate the amount of calories your body needs to function in a day. This is quite similar to BMR; in fact, you need your BMR to calculate your TDEE; but your TDEE accounts for your average daily activity as well to give a figure truer to your specific situation. Basically, the TDEE calculation relies on categorizing your daily activity into one of the metrics' predetermined groupings:
Sedentary - desk job and little to no exercise
Lightly Active - light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk
Moderately Active - moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk (****SIDE NOTE - even if you have a desk job most people fit right here when you workout 3-5 days a week)
Very Active - hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk
Extremely Active - hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or training
Once you have determined where you fit in on the TDEE activity rate scale, this activity rate is used to weight your BMR giving you a more accurate assessment of how many calories you really need throughout the course of the day.
Here is a link to a site that you plug in your information and it will provide your BMR and TDEE along with your Cut value (again, if you workout 3-5 times a week select "Moderate" and the "Select Your Goal" option you will select is "Lose Fat - 15% caloric reduction") :
http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
So now, you should have your BMR, TDEE, and Cut Value (TDEE - 15%)
Here is a video that talks about this in great detail that hopefully will clear up any questions you may have:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYi9xjIRvbY&feature=g-all-u(If the video blesses you, please "LIKE" it on Youtube and maybe even share it on Facebook...to help spread the word to help others to EM2WL...oh and we LOVE comments too:flowerforyou: )
If TDEE is figured out correctly, then exercise cals don't *have* to be eaten back because, technically, TDEE figures them in. The underlying factor here, is that most people underestimate their activity levels, (for fear of being told to eat "too much") and then proceed to under eat. If a person is burning 1000 cals/day in exercise, then that should be figured into their TDEE, meaning their TDEE should be AT LEAST 1000 cals more than their BMR. If this is not the case then they are undercutting themselves on the cals. So a person w/a BMR of 1300, that puts up 1000 cal burns should have come up w/a TDEE calculation of 2400 or more. So any situation where a person is not getting those calculations, they should be eating back some of those exercise cals.
So if you come up w/BMR=1300, TDEE=1800, you need to either A)eat back some cals, or
recalculate your TDEE to include the *actual* burns that you're getting.So to cut using *true* TDEE figures, you'd just eat a flat TDEE (-15%), as long as TDEE is correct. It should be fine. But if you are using MFP's calculations, or are not getting a TDEE that includes the amount you burn each day *plus* BMR, you need to eat back some exercise cals. (***NOTE-If you have been eating low calories for an extended period of time, you may want to consier taking a diet break by eating FULL TDEE for an 8-12 week period to do what is called a "Metabolism Reset". Information regarding is in the sticky "Metabolism Reset-Eating at TDEE Support Thread" at the top. Here is a video that will help you to decide if TDEE -15% or a Metabolism reset is right for you:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COzMKkXeiFo)I make the following recommendations....Change the followiing in your MFP Goal settings under Custom:
Carbs 40%
Protein 30%
Fat 30%
Fiber 30
Sodium 2500
Everything I have read thus far in my journey suggests those macronutrient ratios. It forces you to eat more protein which is important for maintaining and building muscle. Break up your food inake too, eating small meals during the course of the day helps keep the body burning calories. Feel free to check out my diary "AnewLucia", it is open to the public. ***I didn't think it was necessary to say this, but have been asked...eating clean should go without saying because we all are trying to achieve a heathly lifestyle in general. However, we all have "loves" and this is about "living", so I also believe all things in moderation. Lastly, if you are truly sticking to your numbers and ratios, there is no way to junk out...hence the reason I never stressed it before..so now it has been stressed!:flowerforyou: ***
I almost forgot to mention, I always drink a protein shake right after a workout, so important to give the body good protein after exercising because those muscles are hungry...so take your shake with you to guzzle right after.
Ok ladies, If you aren't currently strength training you are missing out...weight lifting is what transforms the body. You would be amazed, but those beautifully toned women you just dream about looking like...you will rarely see them in a cardio class sweating to the oldies but goodies....they are in the weight room pushing some heavy steel. If you haven't read it, a good read is "New Rules of Lifting Weights for Women: Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess". It gives an excellent nutritional break down (which finally made my bulb light up,) and for beginning lifters it gives you a great program to get you going....for those that are already familiar with weights and have routines and all that...it is time to start challenging yourself...go up 5lbs each lift session, you would be absolutely amazed at what your body can do....and now that you are fueling it you will have the energy to challenge yourself as well!
Lastly, for those that love to weigh in daily, we all know it can be a bit disheartening watching the scale (please make sure to read "What to expect when you up your calories" in another of the topics on this board.) Someone found this great tool to track your weight. You weigh daily and it graphs not only your weight, but how you are trending. It also allows you to note what is happening with you(ie. TOM, sodium, constipation, heavy lift) so you can see the causes of the fluctuations....I ABSOLUTELY ADORE this tool.
https://www.fourmilab.ch/cgi-bin/HackDiet?s=022WQ9WF6Q200JFJJKFF2K288F0JQK950K003894&q=logout&HDiet_tzoffset=240
Ok one more last thing, if at week 6 you have not lost weight or inches (which is rare) post a topic and let's review what you have been doing during the timeframe. I have yet to find it is due to too many calories. The culprit has been inconsistency and/or underestimating calories burned. We can't stress enough to be consistent in fueling and making sure your activity level is correct.
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BUMP0
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You rock! It's just that simple!!!! Thank you!0
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Looks like I have some math to do after work tonight
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Lovely info. I been bulking instead of cutting. I will start cutting after reading this.0
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Looks like I have some math to do after work tonight
The links are also there for BMR and TDEE so it will do the calcs for ya!0 -
OMG... I wish I could make this my screen saver!!!!I love you for all that you do!!!THanks0
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OMG... I wish I could make this my screen saver!!!!I love you for all that you do!!!THanks
Love you too girl!0 -
Lucia, Thanks for inviting me to this group. I think it's right on time for me. My trainer always said I was eating low, but what works for me. I just texted him all this info with my numbers and he said exactly and shocked at me wanting to finally up my calories again. As before you helped me uping my calories from 1200 that myfitnesspal defaults us at. So now I'm going from 1490 to 1920 on non work out days with the 15% to loose weight and from 1490 to 2249 on a work out day. As you know I lift weights but I'm more of an cardio lady. I'm loving the postings and information provided. Thanks again. I will start this on March 18th. 0
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Lucia, Thanks for inviting me to this group. I think it's right on time for me. My trainer always said I was eating low, but what works for me. I just texted him all this info with my numbers and he said exactly and shocked at me wanting to finally up my calories again. As before you helped me uping my calories from 1200 that myfitnesspal defaults us at. So now I'm going from 1490 to 1920 on non work out days with the 15% to loose weight and from 1490 to 2249 on a work out day. As you know I lift weights but I'm more of an cardio lady. I'm loving the postings and information provided. Thanks again. I will start this on March 18th.
Wow, that is absolutely awesome...you will see some nice strength gains with eating more...I shocked myself the other day with how strong I felt...just such a difference from killing yourself with all the cardio and eating like a bird.
I will tell you, I have backed way up off the cardio because I found that I feel stronger and I don't have to try eating back so many dog gone calories...on lift only days, I just add another 200, but on cardio days if it is a high burn then man trying to add 800 extra cals...oh that is rough. I always think about my BMR am I at least getting that much. I found on high burn days I was not which is/was a hinderance for me, hence my reasoning for cutting back cardio. I am so close to goal, I am ok with just letting the weights cut the rest of this fat off....lol0 -
Lol okay cool. It's crazy how I'm learning that all of this information is so important to for me. So is the BMR the same as my "resting" days calories of 1639. And the activity calories the same as my work out calories at 2254? If so I have this down pack!0
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Learned more about this this past weekend.0
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Lol okay cool. It's crazy how I'm learning that all of this information is so important to for me. So is the BMR the same as my "resting" days calories of 1639. And the activity calories the same as my work out calories at 2254? If so I have this down pack!
Your RMR/BMR is what you need if for basic bodily function...breathing and nothing else for the most part...no movement.
TDEE is your maintenance calories...takes into account you going to work, exercise and all that...
You calculate your TDEE and subtract 15% off that for your calories to eat on NON-workout days.0 -
Okay I got 2201 as my TDEE and 1607.23 as my BMR sooooo now what ? LOL I read the thread but I'm not so sure what to do with these numbers. Am I supposed to eat my BMR?0
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Your estimated BMR is: 1,571 calories/day* This is from MFP site0
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Okay I got 2201 as my TDEE and 1607.23 as my BMR sooooo now what ? LOL I read the thread but I'm not so sure what to do with these numbers. Am I supposed to eat my BMR?
You subtract 15% from the TDEE which is 1870
So I would suggest you bump up your cals to 1800 on NONWORKOUT days
on workout days if you just lift then add 200
If you do cardio then make sure you are eating back enough calories to at least hit your BMR as your net cals...MINIMUM0 -
WOW Thank you so much!!!!!! I have been eating 1350 cals + some exercise calories. I started at 1200 and bumped up to that and last week I lost 1.4 pounds eating at 1350. I hope bumping them up doesn't make me gain
Kinda nervous but Ill try it for this week and go from there ! Thanks so much !!! 0 -
WOW Thank you so much!!!!!! I have been eating 1350 cals + some exercise calories. I started at 1200 and bumped up to that and last week I lost 1.4 pounds eating at 1350. I hope bumping them up doesn't make me gain Kinda nervous but Ill try it for this week and go from there ! Thanks so much !!!
I did the same, I started at 1200, then went to 1350, then 1500 dropped a little weight, then bounced up and down same 3lbs...then finally read a lot of the info you see here and upped to 1800...lost 7.2lbs..YAY...been a little stagnant so it is time to bump again. There is a link on the front page of the group that talks about plateauing...that is a good read right there!0 -
WOW Thank you so much!!!!!! I have been eating 1350 cals + some exercise calories. I started at 1200 and bumped up to that and last week I lost 1.4 pounds eating at 1350. I hope bumping them up doesn't make me gain Kinda nervous but Ill try it for this week and go from there ! Thanks so much !!!
I did the same, I started at 1200, then went to 1350, then 1500 dropped a little weight, then bounced up and down same 3lbs...then finally read a lot of the info you see here and upped to 1800...lost 7.2lbs..YAY...been a little stagnant so it is time to bump again. There is a link on the front page of the group that talks about plateauing...that is a good read right there!
This is so good to know.. Thank you so much!0 -
Wow, just sat down and did the calculations and this has me at 1965 for losing, even higher than I was planning to bump up! I may have to work up to that. So far I've been aiming for between 1800-2000 but struggling a bit to get there. I'm finding that adding more protein seems to be decreasing my appetite some.0
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Same here after the calculations I can eat 1800 to 2000 calories a day. I haven't gotten near those numbers in a long time.0
