Still a little confused?

ilovedogs
ilovedogs Posts: 77
in Health and Weight Loss
I am trying to find how many cals to eat, I have a BMR of around 1470, this seems consistent on most calculators, however every calculation of TDEE is different ranging from 1640 - 2027.

I would like to lose weight steadily but do I take 500 cals a day from my TDEE because if I go by the lower figure I would then be eating under my BMR.
How do I know what is my real TDEE and how do I calculate what cals to eat?
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Replies

  • ilovedogs
    ilovedogs Posts: 77
    bump
  • chris1816
    chris1816 Posts: 715 Member
    My best recommendation is to completely disregard TDEE. Most calculators you will find for it, even methods for doing it manually are wildly inaccurate. Even many monitors are complete crap. According to Nike Fuel I burn quite a few calories smoking a cig and drinking bourbon.

    Find your maintenance, eat at a deficit to that, around up to 500 (If this puts you under 1200, then decrease the deficit, you can increase it by exercise). Pick up heavy things, put them down again, and move around; these two things will increase that deficit.

    Keep focused and determined and you will lose weight, simple.

    Also, read: http://4chanfit.wikia.com/wiki/Harsh's_Worksheet_(WIP)
  • crobl
    crobl Posts: 380
    really Chris? I obviously need to switch to bourbon....
  • ilovedogs
    ilovedogs Posts: 77
    Find your maintenance, eat at a deficit to that, around up to 500 (If this puts you under 1200, then decrease the deficit, you can increase it by exercise). Pick up heavy things, put them down again, and move around; these two things will increase that deficit.

    How do I find my maintenance?
  • chris1816
    chris1816 Posts: 715 Member
    Find your maintenance, eat at a deficit to that, around up to 500 (If this puts you under 1200, then decrease the deficit, you can increase it by exercise). Pick up heavy things, put them down again, and move around; these two things will increase that deficit.

    How do I find my maintenance?

    You read the wealth of information contained in the link I gave you.
  • chris1816
    chris1816 Posts: 715 Member
    really Chris? I obviously need to switch to bourbon....

    When in doubt, bourbon.
  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member
    Find your maintenance, eat at a deficit to that, around up to 500 (If this puts you under 1200, then decrease the deficit, you can increase it by exercise). Pick up heavy things, put them down again, and move around; these two things will increase that deficit.

    How do I find my maintenance?

    I don't understand how 'maintenance' differs from TDEE.

    Anyway, you don't need to know either exact number. Pick whichever estimate you want or go in the middle. Subtract 500-1000. Ignore BMR. Don't go below 1200. Do that for several weeks and check your results. If you're not losing 1-2 lbs/week, eat less (though stay above 1200) or move more.
  • chris1816
    chris1816 Posts: 715 Member
    Find your maintenance, eat at a deficit to that, around up to 500 (If this puts you under 1200, then decrease the deficit, you can increase it by exercise). Pick up heavy things, put them down again, and move around; these two things will increase that deficit.

    How do I find my maintenance?

    I don't understand how 'maintenance' differs from TDEE.

    Anyway, you don't need to know either exact number. Pick whichever estimate you want or go in the middle. Subtract 500-1000. Ignore BMR. Don't go below 1200. Do that for several weeks and check your results. If you're not losing 1-2 lbs/week, eat less (though stay above 1200) or move more.

    Maintenance is the approximate amount of calories (units of energy) your body needs to keep your heart beating, lungs functioning, stomach digesting, your skin growing to replace dead skill cells, your hair growing, cellular ATP production to continue. You get the picture ( I hope).

    TDEE is maintenance plus the exercise you did, all the walking around you did, the load you blew, etc This is stuff that costs additional energy beyond what keeps you alive and generally up and about. This is usually an attempt to approximate additional calorie burn based off activity level.
  • ilovedogs
    ilovedogs Posts: 77
    If I pick 1700 and deduct 500 that leaves only 1200cals. so far I have not lost a lb plus as I lose weight if I have to adjust I will be on very low cal when I reach my goal
  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member
    Ah, so you're calling BMR/RMR maintenance? I'm used to seeing maintenance refer to the calorie level you'd eat at to maintain your weight.
  • chris1816
    chris1816 Posts: 715 Member
    Ah, so you're calling BMR/RMR maintenance? I'm used to seeing maintenance refer to the calorie level you'd eat at to maintain your weight.

    No. BMR is maintenance because that is what it is.

    Definition: Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the number of calories your body burns at rest to maintain normal body functions. It is the amount of calories per day your body burns, regardless of exercise. It changes with age, weight, height, gender, diet and exercise habits
  • ilovedogs
    ilovedogs Posts: 77
    please ignore this post
  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member
    If I pick 1700 and deduct 500 that leaves only 1200cals. so far I have not lost a lb plus as I lose weight if I have to adjust I will be on very low cal when I reach my goal

    Don't go below 1200. If you want to lose more than a lb. a week you'll need to up your activity level so you burn 500 more calories a day (assuming 1700 is accurate, which we have no idea. 1700 is pretty darn low so it's probably higher.)

    So you've been eating at 1200 and have not lost anything? How long has it been since you've been eating at that level? How long since your body changed at all- scale weight, clothing fit, anything?

    You're trying to lose over 100 lbs? I don't think your TDEE could possibly be 1700.
  • ilovedogs
    ilovedogs Posts: 77
    Find your maintenance, eat at a deficit to that, around up to 500 (If this puts you under 1200, then decrease the deficit, you can increase it by exercise). Pick up heavy things, put them down again, and move around; these two things will increase that deficit.

    Keep focused and determined and you will lose weight, simple.

    Also, read: http://4chanfit.wikia.com/wiki/Harsh's_Worksheet_(WIP)

    Aparrently my maintenance is 2324 so if I minus 500 that leaves 1824 to lose weight. seems an awful lot to me
  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member
    Ah, so you're calling BMR/RMR maintenance? I'm used to seeing maintenance refer to the calorie level you'd eat at to maintain your weight.

    No. BMR is maintenance because that is what it is.

    Definition: Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the number of calories your body burns at rest to maintain normal body functions. It is the amount of calories per day your body burns, regardless of exercise. It changes with age, weight, height, gender, diet and exercise habits

    A lot of diet plans use the word "maintenance" to refer to the phase where you maintain your weight. I've never seen it used for BMR.
  • crobl
    crobl Posts: 380
    really Chris? I obviously need to switch to bourbon....

    When in doubt, bourbon.

    haha...I've always been a whiskey girl! I guess that's where I've been going wrong
  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member
    Find your maintenance, eat at a deficit to that, around up to 500 (If this puts you under 1200, then decrease the deficit, you can increase it by exercise). Pick up heavy things, put them down again, and move around; these two things will increase that deficit.

    Keep focused and determined and you will lose weight, simple.

    Also, read: http://4chanfit.wikia.com/wiki/Harsh's_Worksheet_(WIP)

    Aparrently my maintenance is 2324 so if I minus 500 that leaves 1824 to lose weight. seems an awful lot to me

    There is no reason you can't subtract 1000 and aim for 1300.
  • ilovedogs
    ilovedogs Posts: 77
    So you've been eating at 1200 and have not lost anything? How long has it been since you've been eating at that level? How long since your body changed at all- scale weight, clothing fit, anything?

    You're trying to lose over 100 lbs? I don't think your TDEE could possibly be 1700.

    I have been eating at this rate for about 4 weeks and yes my TDEE ids 1700 according to all the calculators. Some give me 1670 and others up to 2300
  • ilovedogs
    ilovedogs Posts: 77
    Find your maintenance, eat at a deficit to that, around up to 500 (If this puts you under 1200, then decrease the deficit, you can increase it by exercise). Pick up heavy things, put them down again, and move around; these two things will increase that deficit.

    Keep focused and determined and you will lose weight, simple.

    Also, read: http://4chanfit.wikia.com/wiki/Harsh's_Worksheet_(WIP)

    Aparrently my maintenance is 2324 so if I minus 500 that leaves 1824 to lose weight. seems an awful lot to me

    There is no reason you can't subtract 1000 and aim for 1300.

    So I eat at 1300 but what happens when I lose 10lb? I will have to eat even less cals then
  • JacksMom12
    JacksMom12 Posts: 1,044 Member
    I am on maintenance... AKA, maintaining my weight, and I eat way above my BMR. If I ate just my BMR, I would be losing, not maintaining. In conusion, maintenance does not equal BMR. (because, it turns out, I am not in a coma...)
  • chris1816
    chris1816 Posts: 715 Member
    Find your maintenance, eat at a deficit to that, around up to 500 (If this puts you under 1200, then decrease the deficit, you can increase it by exercise). Pick up heavy things, put them down again, and move around; these two things will increase that deficit.

    Keep focused and determined and you will lose weight, simple.

    Also, read: http://4chanfit.wikia.com/wiki/Harsh's_Worksheet_(WIP)

    Aparrently my maintenance is 2324 so if I minus 500 that leaves 1824 to lose weight. seems an awful lot to me

    There is no reason you can't subtract 1000 and aim for 1300.

    So I eat at 1300 but what happens when I lose 10lb? I will have to eat even less cals then

    No, you can likely just stick to 1200 and still lose. It will just slow down a bit.
  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member
    Are you sure you're not confusing TDEE with BMR? If you tell me your height and weight I can see.

    You've been eating 1200 for 4 weeks and have lost nothing? Are you 'adding back' anything? Is anything changing? Clothes fit better, feel better, etc.?
  • JacksMom12
    JacksMom12 Posts: 1,044 Member

    Aparrently my maintenance is 2324 so if I minus 500 that leaves 1824 to lose weight. seems an awful lot to me

    There is no reason you can't subtract 1000 and aim for 1300.
    [/quote]


    Yes, there is. Someone with hardly any weight to lose should not be eating at a 1000 calorie deficit. (waits for MFP experts to back me up here...)
  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member
    She wants to lose over 100 lbs.

    OP- Losing 10lbs. won't change your numbers much.
  • ilovedogs
    ilovedogs Posts: 77
    quote from link given "To lose fat, eat 10-12*[current bodyweight in lbs] kcal per day" so I weight 166lb x 10 = 1660 right

    However to maintain my weight it states " To maintain a bodyweight, try to eat about 14-15*[current bodyweight in lbs] kcal per day" so that would be 166 x 14 = 2324

    to lose 1lb of fat I need a 500cal deficit = 2324-500 = 1824

    So if I eat around 1600 I will be in deficit of about 724cals per day, which adds to about 1.5lb per week weight loss.
    Does this sound right?

    How can I be sure the calculation of 14x body weight for maintaining is correct?
  • crobl
    crobl Posts: 380
    you don't need backup when you're right....and you are!
  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member
    quote from link given "To lose fat, eat 10-12*[current bodyweight in lbs] kcal per day" so I weight 166lb x 10 = 1660 right

    However to maintain my weight it states " To maintain a bodyweight, try to eat about 14-15*[current bodyweight in lbs] kcal per day" so that would be 166 x 14 = 2324

    to lose 1lb of fat I need a 500cal deficit = 2324-500 = 1824

    So if I eat around 1600 I will be in deficit of about 724cals per day, which adds to about 1.5lb per week weight loss.
    Does this sound right?

    How can I be sure the calculation of 14x body weight for maintaining is correct?

    Ok, you do NOT have 61kg to lose. I'm reading your ticker wrong!

    You don't have to know if any of it is correct. It's all always an estimate. You just need to pick a value that sounds reasonable to you and stick to it, and see what happens. 1600 sounds reasonable. Good luck!
  • ilovedogs
    ilovedogs Posts: 77
    you don't need backup when you're right....and you are!

    Cool , it just seems an awful lot of cals to be eating since I havent lost any on 1200. plus when I put my stats into MFP as sedentary it always comes up with 1700ish to maintain and most other calculators give me around 1700-1900 for weight mainenance. This is why with a deficit of 500cals I end up on 1200-1300
  • brownrc3
    brownrc3 Posts: 1
    Calorie cutting is not always the answer! A lot of fitness experts highly recommend AGAINST cutting calories to lose fat. Cutting calories puts your body into starvation mode and you actually can start to store more fat. It can some times work in the short term, but over time, your metabolism slows and you start to gain weight again.
    I've been eating a high protein diet, with a minimum of 2,000 calories (my bmr is 1300), and 2,200 calories on days I work out. I lift weights and do some interval training once a week. I've been steadily loosing fat, toning my muscles, and I've lost more than an inch so far. You don't have to starve yourself!
    Read "New Rules for Lifting for Women." it has great advice, recipes, and workouts from leading experts in nutrition and fitness.
  • bellesouth18
    bellesouth18 Posts: 1,071 Member
    bump so I can read any later posts.

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