TDEE, BMR??? SOS!!

AmyLyn1983

Okay fellow MFP users, I'm stuck. I've hit a plateau full on and have been on here trying to find a thread that would explain what I maybe doing wrong. I came across a very well written and informative thread (http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12) and took the OP's advice and found my TDEE and BMR numbers.
I went to fitness frog since a lot of ppl on here seem to use it and this is what I got.
My TDEE (with light exercise 1 to 3 times/wk) is 1949
My TDEE (with mod exercise 3 to 5 times/wk) is 2197
My BMR is 1418.
I am 5'3" and 140lbs. Body fat 31% (it's TOM though). I currently eat at 1430 calories per day because that's what MFP set up for me. I usually exercise (Jillian Michael 30ds) 3 to 5 times a wk. Not much more than that because I have a 3 yr old and a full time job that sorta take up a lot of my free time. lol!
Now I'll admit, I have been slightly overwhelmed with info overload trying to figure out what I can do. I'm really wanting to focus more on lowering my body fat% than losing the weight.
Any suggestions would be appreciated ever so much!! :flowerforyou:

bkesecker

My only suggestion is to try cutting your calories slightly for a week or two. Also, look at the source of your calories. Are they clean? Lots of fruits, veggies, lean protein? Good luck.

brneydgrlie

To maintain the most muscle, while losing fat, take your TDEE and subtract 15% (your cut). This "cut" amount is what you should be eating daily. Doing this would put your daily calorie goal at about 1656. Your BMR is your baseline - what your body needs just to function if you stayed in bed all day.

2hobbit1

Hi,

That is a great link with plenty of good info.

What it boils down to is that you should not eat below you BMR - the amount of nutrition your body needs to hold together.
You should eat about 20% below your TDEE.
If you doing JM 3 -5 x a week - and you kick *kitten* and are drenched and out of breath by the end of the hour then you can try the moderate activity.
So don't go below 1400
Eat around 1750
This has your deficit and your exercise included so you don't need to eat back any exercise calories.

AmyLyn1983

To maintain the most muscle, while losing fat, take your TDEE and subtract 15% (your cut). This "cut" amount is what you should be eating daily. Doing this would put your daily calorie goal at about 1656. Your BMR is your baseline - what your body needs just to function if you stayed in bed all day.

So do I set my calories for the day at 1656 BEFORE I work out or is that calorie total AFTER working out?

AmyLyn1983

Hi,

That is a great link with plenty of good info.

What it boils down to is that you should not eat below you BMR - the amount of nutrition your body needs to hold together.
You should eat about 20% below your TDEE.
If you doing JM 3 -5 x a week - and you kick *kitten* and are drenched and out of breath by the end of the hour then you can try the moderate activity.
So don't go below 1400
Eat around 1750
This has your deficit and your exercise included so you don't need to eat back any exercise calories.

Ah, you answered my question as I posted it!!

brneydgrlie

To maintain the most muscle, while losing fat, take your TDEE and subtract 15% (your cut). This "cut" amount is what you should be eating daily. Doing this would put your daily calorie goal at about 1656. Your BMR is your baseline - what your body needs just to function if you stayed in bed all day.

So do I set my calories for the day at 1656 BEFORE I work out or is that calorie total AFTER working out?

When you figure your cut from your TDEE, you have already taken exercise into account. So, it is just a simple calorie goal every day, and you don't have to worry about eating exercise calories back.

Also, you would recalculate your TDEE and cut each time you lose 10 lbs.

If you are eating too often at your BMR, you are going to plateau, because your body is holding on to all the nutrients it can get. I would not suggest following this baseline, but if you do, then you WOULD eat all your exercise calories back so your deficit does not get too large.

AmyLyn1983

When you figure your cut from your TDEE, you have already taken exercise into account. So, it is just a simple calorie goal every day, and you don't have to worry about eating exercise calories back.

Also, you would recalculate your TDEE and cut each time you lose 10 lbs.

If you are eating too often at your BMR, you are going to plateau, because your body is holding on to all the nutrients it can get. I would not suggest following this baseline, but if you do, then you WOULD eat all your exercise calories back so your deficit does not get too large.
[/quote]

Thank you. Sorry for being such a noob! lol

AmyLyn1983

Oops...Just realized I posted in wrong Topic.

brneydgrlie

When you figure your cut from your TDEE, you have already taken exercise into account. So, it is just a simple calorie goal every day, and you don't have to worry about eating exercise calories back.

Also, you would recalculate your TDEE and cut each time you lose 10 lbs.

If you are eating too often at your BMR, you are going to plateau, because your body is holding on to all the nutrients it can get. I would not suggest following this baseline, but if you do, then you WOULD eat all your exercise calories back so your deficit does not get too large.

Thank you. Sorry for being such a noob! lol
[/quote]

Don't worry about it. We were all newbies once! :happy: