BMF showing lower TDEE

Cclancaster

Okay so I have not been wearing it for a full week yet tomorrow will be my full week but so far the average is 1985 TDEE I have been eating 1850 calories a day which means I don't have a very big deficit. Could this be why I have yet to lose a single pound? I am losing inches (though very slowly in the last month and a half) and not really gaining weight (I may be up a pound or two one day but then back down the next so no real gain). On non workout days I burn about 1900 or so and on workout add about 200-300 more to that. Any advice would be welcome. Yes I do have the occasional treat and please ignore yesterday's overage because this really isn't normal. Should I lower a little stay the same and up my exercise a little?

astrampe

It might be - I'm in the same boat, not really losing or gaining for the last three months - I think my TDEE is probably lower than what the calculators tell me....
Question though - how does the BMF calculate your TDEE? Does it have a heart rate monitor?

fiveohmike

Okay so I have not been wearing it for a full week yet tomorrow will be my full week but so far the average is 1985 TDEE I have been eating 1850 calories a day which means I don't have a very big deficit. Could this be why I have yet to lose a single pound? I am losing inches (though very slowly in the last month and a half) and not really gaining weight (I may be up a pound or two one day but then back down the next so no real gain). On non workout days I burn about 1900 or so and on workout add about 200-300 more to that. Any advice would be welcome. Yes I do have the occasional treat and please ignore yesterday's overage because this really isn't normal. Should I lower a little stay the same and up my exercise a little?

I found my full week average to be lower with my BMF as well. I am doing an experiment to see if my BMF is accurate. I have averaged mine for two weeks now, so I am running a 500 cal deficit to see how I lose compared to the BMF.

However also remember, just like the calculator, the BMF is not 100% foolproof

trosewine

How close are you to where you want to be? Your pics look great (!!) and a super slow loss (or even maintain with body recomp) will allow you to get there in a healthy way. I'd just stay the course for a few more weeks so you can get more data on the BMF. Then make small changes as needed. You said you are losing some inches and if that continues the lbs will follow.

Cclancaster

How close are you to where you want to be? Your pics look great (!!) and a super slow loss (or even maintain with body recomp) will allow you to get there in a healthy way. I'd just stay the course for a few more weeks so you can get more data on the BMF. Then make small changes as needed. You said you are losing some inches and if that continues the lbs will follow.

I guess in perspective compared to others I am very close to where I want to be except for my middle I still have a thick layer of fat over my muscles and I would love some more definition in my arms and shoulders. If I never lost lbs and could accomplish the other I would be fine but it seems through the last 3 months. I have only been able to maintain weight. I have lost a great deal from the beginning but in the last month very, very little like maybe 1/4 inch around my waist and nothing else in other places.

Cclancaster

I found my full week average to be lower with my BMF as well. I am doing an experiment to see if my BMF is accurate. I have averaged mine for two weeks now, so I am running a 500 cal deficit to see how I lose compared to the BMF.

However also remember, just like the calculator, the BMF is not 100% foolproof

I do realize that the BMF and other calculators are off some but it just seems funny that I seem to be maintaining more than anything at my current calorie level. I absolutely hate the idea of going down in calories because I have grown quite accustomed to eating at this level but would really love to lose some more around my squishy middle and gain some definition in my arms and shoulders.

trosewine

I do realize that the BMF and other calculators are off some but it just seems funny that I seem to be maintaining more than anything at my current calorie level. I absolutely hate the idea of going down in calories because I have grown quite accustomed to eating at this level but would really love to lose some more around my squishy middle and gain some definition in my arms and shoulders.

Well, maintaining could be a murky concept when you are very close to where you want to be. It could be that you are losing small amounts of fat, in the ounces per month (instead of pounds per week, right?) and building small amounts of muscle as well in that same time, but due those small amounts as well as bodily fluctuations (water intake, glycogen storage, sodium, TOM, BMs, etc) you may not be able to see it in the number on the scale.

The idea of losing the last 5 pounds in a year or more sounds great in theory - it is a healthy, slow, steady process - but the reality is that you won't actually see much of a day to day change and that is the serious mental challenge we all struggle with.

Don't let the numbers get to you - I'll repeat that it seems like you are having success with what you doing right now (yay, you!!), so maybe change your expectation rather than change the process...?

Cclancaster

I do realize that the BMF and other calculators are off some but it just seems funny that I seem to be maintaining more than anything at my current calorie level. I absolutely hate the idea of going down in calories because I have grown quite accustomed to eating at this level but would really love to lose some more around my squishy middle and gain some definition in my arms and shoulders.

Well, maintaining could be a murky concept when you are very close to where you want to be. It could be that you are losing small amounts of fat, in the ounces per month (instead of pounds per week, right?) and building small amounts of muscle as well in that same time, but due those small amounts as well as bodily fluctuations (water intake, glycogen storage, sodium, TOM, BMs, etc) you may not be able to see it in the number on the scale.

The idea of losing the last 5 pounds in a year or more sounds great in theory - it is a healthy, slow, steady process - but the reality is that you won't actually see much of a day to day change and that is the serious mental challenge we all struggle with.

Don't let the numbers get to you - I'll repeat that it seems like you are having success with what you doing right now (yay, you!!), so maybe change your expectation rather than change the process...?

Thank you. Maybe you are right I just need to relax a little and change my perspective. I will say that I haven't felt this good in almost 6 years I have energy, I sleep great, I want to work out and stay busy, I am no longer depressed and I look at food like fuel instead of something I might get around to when the kids have been taken care of. Another 3 more months at 1830 won't hurt anything I suppose and I will just reassess at the end of each month and as long as I am having success somewhere (inches, lbs, definition) I will just keep on going. I will admit I did have really high expectations for the last 3 months and I have gotten results just not as much as I had hoped.

wonderkitten711

Another thing to remember is that a BMF is not so good at tracking the true burn of many workouts (especially interval cardio and weight lifting), so if you're working out a lot, your BMF's tracked TDEE may be a little low. I'm actually looking at maybe getting one of the HRMs that can pair with my BMF to get an accurate read on my workouts.

Cclancaster

Another thing to remember is that a BMF is not so good at tracking the true burn of many workouts (especially interval cardio and weight lifting), so if you're working out a lot, your BMF's tracked TDEE may be a little low. I'm actually looking at maybe getting one of the HRMs that can pair with my BMF to get an accurate read on my workouts.

That sounds like a good idea do you know which ones can pair with the BMF?

fiveohmike

Another thing to remember is that a BMF is not so good at tracking the true burn of many workouts (especially interval cardio and weight lifting), so if you're working out a lot, your BMF's tracked TDEE may be a little low. I'm actually looking at maybe getting one of the HRMs that can pair with my BMF to get an accurate read on my workouts.

That sounds like a good idea do you know which ones can pair with the BMF?

I think the only one that pairs specifically with the BMF is the garmin.

However, I use my Polar FT7 and manually calculate my extra calories if I do weight training or any workout that is not walking/running.

Cclancaster

Can you put those extra calories into the BMF website somewhere so that everything is in one place?

fiveohmike

Can you put those extra calories into the BMF website somewhere so that everything is in one place?

I am not sure...i only use the BMF to see what my stats are and put everything into MFP

nyspotlight

Can you explain how it is possible that it could track a TDEE and not a burn during a workout? Wouldn't that be involved in the tdee?

I'm planning on picking one up from a craigslist guy tomorrow. But if it doesn't really tell you what you burn in the day, what's the point?

Sullerson

It does tell you what you burn for the day. The devices are accurate within 10%, thats more than any online calculator or HRM can give. It does gauge your workouts correctly, even lifting. Most people seem to think it doesn't because it doesn't match up with their HRM. The BMF/BB devices monitor your hear rate, body temperature, skin moisture, and movement and calculates the given calorie burn based off of the collected info and your height/weight/age. HRM by themselves always overestimate because it doesn't account for all the other factors, just how hard your heart pumps. Read this for more info on the device: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-bodybugggowear-fit.html

nyspotlight

Thanks! That is really helpful. I just didn't want to put my faith (plus or minus 10%) in a device that may or may not work. But great. I have trouble trusting the online calculators. So hopefully I can get some steady numbers from this and see what I'm really burning.

wonderkitten711

It does tell you what you burn for the day. The devices are accurate within 10%, thats more than any online calculator or HRM can give. It does gauge your workouts correctly, even lifting. Most people seem to think it doesn't because it doesn't match up with their HRM. The BMF/BB devices monitor your hear rate, body temperature, skin moisture, and movement and calculates the given calorie burn based off of the collected info and your height/weight/age. HRM by themselves always overestimate because it doesn't account for all the other factors, just how hard your heart pumps. Read this for more info on the device: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-bodybugggowear-fit.html

BMF devices actually don't track heart rate, which they state clearly on their website. That's why the option is there for pairing it with a HRM. That said, even without one, they do seem to track accurately for day-to-day stuff, which is great for getting a general idea of one's TDEE even if the exact workout burn numbers might be slightly off.