Eating Below Your BMR..

trudence1

How do you find your TDEE? I would love to know I am eating where I should be. I want to lose weight, but more important to me is that I want to be doing in a way that is healthy. TIA

schustc

I'm no expert- just know what works for me, and what I've determined from reading up - a lot on it. I can say that it works for me, probably not everyone - but I'll send a PM with how I got my info..

Good luck!!

schustc

Actually, I was trying to write this all up, but found a website that has the info:

http://www.shapefit.com/basal-metabolic-rate.html


Look specifically at this section:
Katch-McArdle formula (BMR based on lean body weight)

to get your BMR, and then it tells you how to get the TDEE from there. (having a body fat analysis scale would be good for this)

psuLemon

How do you find your TDEE? I would love to know I am eating where I should be. I want to lose weight, but more important to me is that I want to be doing in a way that is healthy. TIA

There are a few ways to ESTIMATE TDEE. The first thing you need to do is estimatey your metabolic rate or BMR (www.fat2fit.com is my favorite site as it will allow you to use the katch mcardle formula or harris benedict if you don't have body fat). Next there is a multiplying factor (see below). Now this is where there are two trains of thought. One way is to include exercise in your mulitplier and the other is not include exercise and eat back the calories post workout. So I workout 6 days a week and am sedentary at my job. I am moderately active. My bmr is about 2080 so my TDEE is


TDEE = 2080 * 1.55 =3224 < --- about how many calories I burn in a given day.

Or I can use sedentary and add back my exercise calories (about 600 calories a session)

TDEE = 2080 * 1.2 + 600 = 3096

Both work and are pretty close especially when you decrease the calories by 20% to create a deficit.



Sedentary = BMR X 1.2 (little or no exercise, desk job)
Lightly active = BMR X 1.375 (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk)
Mod. active = BMR X 1.55 (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk)
Very active = BMR X 1.725 (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk)
Extr. active = BMR X 1.9 (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training, i.e marathon, contest etc.)

Nataliaho

Is there a test to find your true BMR or TDEE?

mcarter99

Yes, usually they'll test for your RMR and consider that a close enough proxy. I believe they do it on a treadmill with an oxygen meter in your mouth.

trudence1

I believe I must be doing something wrong, because I came up with a BMR below 1200, which I have always been told was the number where your body would go into starvation mode.
I am not sure what I did wrong, but can someone help me out.
I am a 37 year old female, I weigh 150, and my height is 5'2". Until I started MFP I had a VERY sedentary life...I am now doing weights 3 times a week with some light cardio, and the couch to 5K 3 times a week with a friend, and kinda taking Sundays off.

I don't know if that is enough info or not, but LMK if you need something else.

foreveryounique

I honestly don't even know what BMR or TDEE is... :-/ :face palm:

KrystleKiri

I'd love some guidance on this subject, as I've lost 25 pounds in 8 weeks, and while it's coming off quickly, I'm worried I'll plateau rather hard. I'm 5'9" at 198.8 pounds. My TDEE is at 2696 and I RARELY eat over 1500 calories a day, I usually stick around 1300.

psuLemon

I believe I must be doing something wrong, because I came up with a BMR below 1200, which I have always been told was the number where your body would go into starvation mode.
I am not sure what I did wrong, but can someone help me out.
I am a 37 year old female, I weigh 150, and my height is 5'2". Until I started MFP I had a VERY sedentary life...I am now doing weights 3 times a week with some light cardio, and the couch to 5K 3 times a week with a friend, and kinda taking Sundays off.

I don't know if that is enough info or not, but LMK if you need something else.

You estimated BMR is 1416, you are I would have you at least moderately active so your CN is

CN = 1416*1.55 * .8 = 1755 <-- eat 1750 calories a day.

ps- you really should look into doing weight training. It will increase fat loss.

psuLemon

I'd love some guidance on this subject, as I've lost 25 pounds in 8 weeks, and while it's coming off quickly, I'm worried I'll plateau rather hard. I'm 5'9" at 198.8 pounds. My TDEE is at 2696 and I RARELY eat over 1500 calories a day, I usually stick around 1300.

You should aim for 2100 calories. Eating 1300 -1500 calories will hurt your long term results. And a lot of the weight loss initially is water weight, so there probably wasnt' much fat loss. If you can, track your body fat as you can validate what kind of weight loss this is (fat or lean body mass).

trudence1

I believe I must be doing something wrong, because I came up with a BMR below 1200, which I have always been told was the number where your body would go into starvation mode.
I am not sure what I did wrong, but can someone help me out.
I am a 37 year old female, I weigh 150, and my height is 5'2". Until I started MFP I had a VERY sedentary life...I am now doing weights 3 times a week with some light cardio, and the couch to 5K 3 times a week with a friend, and kinda taking Sundays off.

I don't know if that is enough info or not, but LMK if you need something else.

You estimated BMR is 1416, you are I would have you at least moderately active so your CN is

CN = 1416*1.55 * .8 = 1755 <-- eat 1750 calories a day.

ps- you really should look into doing weight training. It will increase fat loss.

Thank you SO much for your help. I have had my calories set at 1400, and then I have been eating back my exercise calories.

What I am understanding you to say is that I should eat 1750, this would take into account the exercise calories, and I should no longer eat back these calories. Yesterday I ate 1699 and felt like I ate A LOT!

As for weight training....anything I do has to be something I can do at home (meaning not in a gym). I live out in the country, and driving to the nearest town for the gym isn't feasible, not to mention that the gym fees are not possible at the moment. What kinds of things can I be doing at home for weight training? I have been doing some with what we already own, and feel I am doing well on my arms, (seeing some actual definition) but am not sure what to do for the rest.

KrystleKiri

I'd love some guidance on this subject, as I've lost 25 pounds in 8 weeks, and while it's coming off quickly, I'm worried I'll plateau rather hard. I'm 5'9" at 198.8 pounds. My TDEE is at 2696 and I RARELY eat over 1500 calories a day, I usually stick around 1300.

You should aim for 2100 calories. Eating 1300 -1500 calories will hurt your long term results. And a lot of the weight loss initially is water weight, so there probably wasnt' much fat loss. If you can, track your body fat as you can validate what kind of weight loss this is (fat or lean body mass).

I have no idea how to track body fat, and 2100 calories seems like A LOT. Photos have suggested that at least a good portion of that was fat loss.

psuLemon

I believe I must be doing something wrong, because I came up with a BMR below 1200, which I have always been told was the number where your body would go into starvation mode.
I am not sure what I did wrong, but can someone help me out.
I am a 37 year old female, I weigh 150, and my height is 5'2". Until I started MFP I had a VERY sedentary life...I am now doing weights 3 times a week with some light cardio, and the couch to 5K 3 times a week with a friend, and kinda taking Sundays off.

I don't know if that is enough info or not, but LMK if you need something else.

You estimated BMR is 1416, you are I would have you at least moderately active so your CN is

CN = 1416*1.55 * .8 = 1755 <-- eat 1750 calories a day.

ps- you really should look into doing weight training. It will increase fat loss.

Thank you SO much for your help. I have had my calories set at 1400, and then I have been eating back my exercise calories.

What I am understanding you to say is that I should eat 1750, this would take into account the exercise calories, and I should no longer eat back these calories. Yesterday I ate 1699 and felt like I ate A LOT!

As for weight training....anything I do has to be something I can do at home (meaning not in a gym). I live out in the country, and driving to the nearest town for the gym isn't feasible, not to mention that the gym fees are not possible at the moment. What kinds of things can I be doing at home for weight training? I have been doing some with what we already own, and feel I am doing well on my arms, (seeing some actual definition) but am not sure what to do for the rest.

I workout at home. I do either p90x, chalean extreme or soon insanity. They are in home workout dvds. But you can also go to www.bodyrock.tv to find video or strong lift 5x5. All can be done with weights at home.

psuLemon

I'd love some guidance on this subject, as I've lost 25 pounds in 8 weeks, and while it's coming off quickly, I'm worried I'll plateau rather hard. I'm 5'9" at 198.8 pounds. My TDEE is at 2696 and I RARELY eat over 1500 calories a day, I usually stick around 1300.

You should aim for 2100 calories. Eating 1300 -1500 calories will hurt your long term results. And a lot of the weight loss initially is water weight, so there probably wasnt' much fat loss. If you can, track your body fat as you can validate what kind of weight loss this is (fat or lean body mass).

I have no idea how to track body fat, and 2100 calories seems like A LOT. Photos have suggested that at least a good portion of that was fat loss.

Body fat calipers are the better way to track fat loss and can be purchased for $10 on amazon. Also i know it seems like a lot but you are burning a lot of calories in which you need enough fuel to maintain performance and muscle. At some point where your body wont have as much energy stored in the fat store weight loss will stall. It happens to everyone and this is why you need to reassess your weightloss per week goal. In the end its your decision but when you plateau you can come back to this thread and know why.

mcarter99

when you plateau you can come back to this thread and know why.

Well, now, I don't know if that's fair. Everyone 'plateaus' (or at least in their mind they are). There are all kinds of reasons. Usually it's just because weight loss is rarely linear and scales suck as measuring devices.

slm0257

So...just to clarify since I get so confused about this... If my TDEE is 2136 (using moderately active multiplier) and I cut 20% it would be 1708. Is this total calories I eat or NET calories?

mmapags

If your using that method, it is the total you eat daily.

psuLemon

How did this turn into a "how many calories do I eat thread, lol"

graysmom2005

I would love to know why my body defies science. After plateauing endlessly, I did a 15% cut of my TDEE (I have a BMF) and I gained 11 pounds in under 7 weeks. I know my numbers as much as anyone could. My BMR I got from expensive metabolic testing, and I ate at my cut via my BMF and Scooby website...and yet I did nothing but gain. So now I'm back down to eating 1800-2000 a day. A lot of food, but still giving me 1000+ deficits. I feel like I can't win either way. It's so confusing.