question re bmr tdee

lgomez75

Estimated Base BMR: 1391 Calories.
Estimated TDEE: 2399 Calories.
Estimated Daily Caloric Need For Weight Loss: 1899 Calories.

this info is Greek to me. does it mean i should eat 1899, work off about 508 cals daily to end up at 1391 if i want to lose weight?

confused and any help is much obliged!!




-lily

sleepytexan

NET 1899.

So, if you do not work out, eat 1899. (that is 500 less than your TDEE per day, so appx 1 lb loss per week).

If you work out and burn 300 cals, eat 1899 + 300 = 2199. (MFP will calculate this for you, if you go to GOALS, CHANGE GOALS, and CUSTOMIZE. Just enter 1899 as your daily calories, and save. Then make sure to enter in your calories burned every day, and MFP will tell you how many calories you have left to eat.

You eat the workout calories bc you need to fuel your body to keep the metabolism up. The 500 deficit is still there.

Do not believe people who tell you not to eat work out calories. They either don't understand the concept, or else they have A LOT of weight to lose.

BTW, we're really close. My BMR is 1317, and TDEE is 2271. I usually eat around 2000 net cals per day.

blessings.

lgomez75

ok, clear as day.
i had upped my cals to 1600, was burning about 200 of them daily and gained weight...so like many people i panicked and went down to 1200, burnin on average 2-300 cals daily...but i dont like this much.

seems like having little to lose is the lost difficult task here.

thanks! (fellow texan here!!)

sleepytexan

Please don't weigh yourself too frequently, especially at first. If you have been undereating, you are likely to gain a bit at first, but you must commit and go for a minimum of 4 weeks so you can provide consistency -- your metabolism needs to know you're going to feed it.

If you can stand it, wait 4 weeks to weigh. Also take your measurements now and in 4 weeks. You'll be pleased.

BTW, Here's an old post of mine from similar topic, and it talks about GAINING weight from eating too few calories:

OK. I'm gonna give this a shot. I am an avid lifelong athlete. I have never been overweight, however, I used to eat too few calories (without knowing it), and a couple years ago, I actually GAINED weight bc of having slowed my metabolism to the point that every little extra treat I ate caused a weight gain, even though overall my calories were too low. THIS DOES HAPPEN.

It is also the reason so many fat people stay fat. They restrict their calories so low, slow their metabolisms, binge (even a little), gain weight, restrict more . . . . and so on and so on. But they are still fat.

It is also the reason most people can't lose that last 10-20 lbs. For real.

1. MFP has a deficit built in. Let's say you're trying to lose 1 lb/ week. That is a 500/day deficit from your BMR (the amount of calories your body needs to complete basic functions.

2. You exercise and burn 500 calories. Now you are at a 1000 deficit. If you eat back those 500 exercise calories, you refuel your body and you still have a 500 deficit for that 1 lb loss. If you DON'T eat back those calories, you have too little fuel. This is bad. This is too much of a deficit for basic functions. If you do this for a long time, you will STOP LOSING WEIGHT. Why? bc your metabolism will slow down -- it's like a brownout--not quite enough electricity to make the whole city (your body) run, so it has to slow down some things. You will probably start being tired a lot, your skin and hair might start to look worse, and you might even gain weight. But you might NOT be hungry -- your body is getting used to fewer calories. That's bad.


That's when you start to gain weight. Let's say you're running along, eating 1200 calories a day, and exercising 400 calories a day, so net is 800. You're losing, you think this is great. You keep doing it, but after a while you stop losing. hmmmmm. One weekend you go out to a special event and have a slice of pizza and a beer. 1 slice of pizza and 1 beer. So you ate maybe 2000 calories that day and exercised off 400, so net 1600. BOOM! You gain 3 lbs! What?!

Next, you freak out and restrict yourself down to 1000 calories a day and work out extra hard, burning 500 calories. Great, netting 500 now. You don't lose any weight, but you sure feel tired. Better get some red bull.

Are you getting the picture?

EDIT: When you work out, you need fuel. Food is fuel. If you don't eat back those exercise calories, you will not only have a big calorie deficit, you will have an ENERGY deficit. Remember, the calorie deficit for weight loss is built in when you use MFP. Exercising basically earns you more calories because you must refuel.

lgomez75

wow, great and concise perspective. I am going to try this starting tomorrow.
and you are ever so right about the scale. I will forever be baffled and why we give it so much control in this game.

sleepytexan

wow, great and concise perspective. I am going to try this starting tomorrow.
and you are ever so right about the scale. I will forever be baffled and why we give it so much control in this game.

ha ha, true. scales are so damn fickle, cold and hard. get yourself a nice soft measuring tape to hug you instead

lgomez75

its gonna feel weird eating so much, but tomorrow is the day - and you said to give it a few weeks to see a difference...done and done.
and if i exercise, eat em back.

now eventually this will mean...what.. a 1 lb/week loss?

samurphy23

I have never heard of TDEE (I actually had to google it) until today. Where is the best place to calculate all of these numbers, is there one source? I am hoping this clicks for me like it does for you! Good luck!

lgomez75

i just googled it and a few sites popped up that will calculate it for you...just enter some basic info.

good luck. you can add me - theres comfort in confused-numbers!

sleepytexan

I have never heard of TDEE (I actually had to google it) until today. Where is the best place to calculate all of these numbers, is there one source? I am hoping this clicks for me like it does for you! Good luck!

Here's a good place for a custom calculation. This takes into account the exercise that you regularly do:

http://www.fat2fitradio.com/

1. Choose ALL CALCULATORS
2. Choose MILITARY BODY FAT CALCULATOR, get your BF% and go on to next
3. Choose BMR CALCULATOR. Read all the stuff.
4. Find your activity level and that number will be APPROXIMATELY your TDEE.

I send you there first because it EXPLAINS things. It's important to understand what you're doing.

Then, if you'd like to compare with a quick and dirty calculator, you can go here:

http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html

You will likely have the most success eating somewhere between your BMR and TDEE.

If you choose to eat very close to your TDEE, your exercise is already included, so you would not eat additional exercise calories, HOWEVER, MFP is set up closer to BMR so you WOULD need to eat the exercise calories.

PM me if you have questions.

blessings.

sleepytexan

its gonna feel weird eating so much, but tomorrow is the day - and you said to give it a few weeks to see a difference...done and done.
and if i exercise, eat em back.

now eventually this will mean...what.. a 1 lb/week loss?

Maybe. You don't look like you have much to lose. If it's under 20 lbs. (and I bet it is), you probably can't lose that much per week. Better to set up for .5 lb loss per week, -- max the calories (thereby maxing energy). Your weightloss will be about 1/2 lb. per week EVEN IF YOU EAT LESS when you're that close. In fact, eating too few calories will stall you and slow your metabolism.

If you like comparisons, I am 5'4, 130 lbs, 44 years old, and work out 6 days per week. I NET between 2000-2200 calories per day.

blessings.

lgomez75

yea, i have about 10 to lose. gonna up it slowly to net 1300-1350 this week and see how i feel.
im 5'7, 136 right now. im 37 years old so i definitely factor in that...but i have a 19 month old that is like my home gym (besides any workouts or running or yoga i may do)...he is on the constant go go go.

can i add you? i think it would be a great help!

sleepytexan

yea, i have about 10 to lose. gonna up it slowly to net 1300-1350 this week and see how i feel.
im 5'7, 136 right now. im 37 years old so i definitely factor in that...but i have a 19 month old that is like my home gym (besides any workouts or running or yoga i may do)...he is on the constant go go go.

can i add you? i think it would be a great help!

of course! yes, more calories, 30 pct protein is the way to go. lift heavy, throw in some cardio here and there, and boom! decreased body fat, increased energy, slim, trim and strong.

blessings.