Still Confused with NET, BMR, TDEE, etc

danibee41989
danibee41989 Posts: 222 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Alright, I feel very silly for asking this question. I've been looking through the forums, but this BMR, TDEE is not becoming clear to me. So I want to lose about 1 - 11/2 lbs a week. I started my weight loss in Jan 2011 at 125. I am now 115, a year and half later. I've been maintaining for quite awhile now, I feel like I've hit a plateau and not sure what I should be eating, or how many calories I should be burning daily. & this NET thing, I'm totally not getting as well. Honestly, the 10lbs I've lost, I couldn't even tell you how I did it. I mostly thank running, but I've never been a strict dieter. However, I really want to lose at least five more pounds, but 10 would be awesome. I'm 5'0, 115 and 23 years old. I have a desk job so usually sitting most of my day. I'm not a strict eater, I try to eat healthy for the most part. My exercise length, workouts, etc vary from day to day. How many calories should I be eating, burning, any other information I should know? So LOST lol! Thanks in advance! :)

Replies

  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member
    To lose about 1.5 lbs/week, eat on average 750 calories a day less than you burn. If you don't know what you burn use an online calculator to estimate it, or pick up a Fitbit. You don't need to know your exact burn daily, just a weekly average is fine.
  • MustBeTheRows
    MustBeTheRows Posts: 377 Member
    BMR: Basal Metabolic Rate is the amount of calories you burn just to stay alive, no activity.

    TDEE: Total Daily Energy Expenditure is the amount of calories your burn after all activity.

    In a perfect world eating somewhere between these two numbers would cause you to lose weight. But metabolism isn't linear and the number of calories you should eat on a given day is more than likely a moving target.

    Without several trips to a physiology lab you can only estimate what your BMR might actually be. For a woman of your height it is probably between 1120-1350.

    I think with so little left to lose 1.5 a week is a ambitious. As you get lower in body fat percentage the body oxidizes fat a slower rate and it takes longer to lose it.

    I don't know what kind of exercises you are doing but I would highly recommend strength training if you are not already doing so, and focus more on your measurements than what the scale says.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,328 Member
    I you only have 5 pounds to lose, even one pound a week is likely way too ambitious. Your body simply will not release the fat stores that quickly and you will lose muscle. I would say half a pound a week is a reasonable goal, so 250 calorie deficit every day.
  • danibee41989
    danibee41989 Posts: 222 Member
    Okay so you say I should change my goals to .5lb a week if I have 10 more lbs to lose? Or should I do 1lb a week? I'm kind of lost on the calorie deficit!! I feel like an idiot because it;s just not making sense to me!
  • therealangd
    therealangd Posts: 1,861 Member
    http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

    Your BMR is 1329

    Your TDEE of Sedentary is 1329 x 1.2 = 1595

    If you want to lose 1/2 lb per week. 1 - 1.5 lbs is too much for your size. You would need to subtract 250 calories per day off of your daily total. So start with 1345 per day (1595 - 250) , and eat back your exercise calories. So on a non workout day, you would eat 1345 calories. If you workout and burn 500 calories, then you would eat 1845 calories on that day.

    Once you figure out all of this stuff, you really should look into weight training. At the size and weight you are at now, you should be more concerned about bodyfat % and not weight. That's going to change your food needs.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,984 Member
    I you only have 5 pounds to lose, even one pound a week is likely way too ambitious. Your body simply will not release the fat stores that quickly and you will lose muscle. I would say half a pound a week is a reasonable goal, so 250 calorie deficit every day.
    This. Or even a 1/4 of a pound a week.
    Trying to lose 1 pound a week when you're close to goal weight will ultimately cause a natural lower metabolic rate because of how the body responds to survival.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • danibee41989
    danibee41989 Posts: 222 Member
    Okay, I changed my goal to .5lb a week. :) I do a lot of circuit training and spot toning. Does that count? I use dumbbells and resistance bands. If I incorporate this in my workouts, would be goals on MFP change?
  • Captain_Tightpants
    Captain_Tightpants Posts: 2,215 Member
    Ths web page should clear up every question you have. I wish I'd found it when I first started trying to lose weight, it would have saved a lot of headaches... http://body-improvements.com/resources/eat/
  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member
    Okay, I changed my goal to .5lb a week. :) I do a lot of circuit training and spot toning. Does that count? I use dumbbells and resistance bands. If I incorporate this in my workouts, would be goals on MFP change?

    This is what I don't like about the popular advice here to calc your deficit off your sedentary TDEE and then 'eat back' your exercise calories. You're supposed to estimate the calorie burn of every workout and then eat that amount that day? Why not just estimate your total expenditure for the week, including exercise, and then calc your deficit off that? Most of us do well with eating a steady amount per day, not 1000 calories on rest days and 1500 on workout days. The math alone gets daunting for people. And that's how our bodies work-- on long term averages.
  • iamladibeast
    iamladibeast Posts: 451 Member
    bump
  • danibee41989
    danibee41989 Posts: 222 Member
    See that does make sense, but for me my exercise and food intake changes everyday!
  • Wuisyb
    Wuisyb Posts: 12 Member
    As am I. :embarassed:
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,328 Member
    Okay, I changed my goal to .5lb a week. :) I do a lot of circuit training and spot toning. Does that count? I use dumbbells and resistance bands. If I incorporate this in my workouts, would be goals on MFP change?

    This is what I don't like about the popular advice here to calc your deficit off your sedentary TDEE and then 'eat back' your exercise calories. You're supposed to estimate the calorie burn of every workout and then eat that amount that day? Why not just estimate your total expenditure for the week, including exercise, and then calc your deficit off that? Most of us do well with eating a steady amount per day, not 1000 calories on rest days and 1500 on workout days. The math alone gets daunting for people. And that's how our bodies work-- on long term averages.

    That worked fine for me until due to an injury, dropped a rather large piece of wood on my foot, I was limited in my exercise. Then I was over eating. I changed back to the way MFP does it for the time being, and once I am back into the pattern of exercising again, I will switch back to TDEE including exercise minus 15-20%.

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