TDEE is BS!

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Replies

  • jess393
    jess393 Posts: 220 Member
    My TDEE-20% is about 2400cals, so I upped my cals from 1700 a day to 2200, then back down a little to about 2100. I DID have about a month and a half stall in loss, but I FELT better and had wayyy more energy. I'm finally getting back into losing a few lbs a week, and I don't beat myself up about eating over, because I'm STILL under what a person my size uses per day. I like it. I'm glad I switched to this method. Years ago I ate 1200 cals, lost loads of weight, and was friggin starving all the time! Imagine my genuine shock and surprise when I gained it all back :/ lol. Everyone is different, everyone has their own method that works best, but I'm glad I decided to give this method a chance.
  • harlanJEN
    harlanJEN Posts: 1,089 Member
    If your TDEE is 3049 then you need to take off 20% to get your CUT which is: 2400 is what you should be eating each day. You are not losing b/c you are definitely not eating enough & your body is keeping what it can. Try out the 20%, I bet you will see better results.

    Just remember to give it around 6wks for your body to adjust so that you can see if this is working for you ....And recalculate your numbers every 5-10lbs loss (or gain) to have accurate numbers. :flowerforyou:


    This advice. RIGHT ON . I actually lose best at 10% cut . 20% at your weight ..is good. as u lose, will need to adjust the #s. absolutely must EAT enough to lose. eating too little and you are fighting yourself.

    Be consistent. Stay the course : )
  • Lift_hard_eat_big
    Lift_hard_eat_big Posts: 2,278 Member
    My TDEE is 3049. I eat, on average, 1500 cals a day. So that's a deficit of 10,500 calories a week, right? So I should be losing 3lbs. I have lost 3lbs this MONTH. Not even one pound a week.

    I say that there's no way my body is burning 3000 cals a day, especially on days when I don't work out!!!

    Why do so many people follow the TDEE?

    I'm sorry, but your TDEE GUESTIMATOR is wrong. According to this guestimator your TDEE is less than 3049.
    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    Following a TDEE guestimator should only be used as a starting point. Substract a few hundred calories from TDEE and give that a shot for a week or so. If you still don't see results, substract another hundred calories for the next week. I don't recommend eating below 80% of your TDEE. If you can ACCURATELY calculate your TDEE, it is vital for weight loss or weight gain.
  • 3bambi3
    3bambi3 Posts: 1,650 Member
    Thank you so much for those of you who are trying to be helpful...you truly are helping me when I really need it.

    I think I will increase my calories for a couple weeks and see how that works. I'm so frustrated and discouraged right now that I'm at a loss.

    I really appreciate the input from the majority of you.

    You really need to give it more than "a couple weeks" if you want to find something that works for you. Given that you have been eating such low calories, your body will take time to adjust to the increased intake and, unfortunately, you may even gain a little. But don't freak out! Give your body time to adjust. I upped my calories from about 1500 a day to 2200 which is my TDEE. Personally, I found 2200 a little high an estimate, so now I am experimenting with cuts to find what's right for me. The key is not to be drastic; don't decide that after 2 weeks of eating 2000 calories it isn't working and then cut down to 1200.

    Stay the course, check out the eat more to weigh less group if you want some tips, start lifting weights.
  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
    I would recommend using this calculator:

    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    According to this site without exercise your TDEE is closer to 2400 which is what I'd have guessed anyway. I don't think you should dismiss a perfectly valid way of calculating your calorie needs for weight loss just because 1 site didn't work for you.

    even in fitness frog with your stats i get 2355 so I think you made a mistake.
  • amcharanek
    amcharanek Posts: 66
    Use a calculator that takes into consideration body composition
  • smilebhappy
    smilebhappy Posts: 811 Member
    bump
  • Shannon2714
    Shannon2714 Posts: 843 Member
    Following my TDEE has changed my life. I've lost weight consistently ever since. It sounds to me like you aren't eating near enough calories....and when that happens, you don't lose. I wasn't losing for weeks, then discovered my TDEE....increased my calories, and have been losing ever since.
  • Shannon2714
    Shannon2714 Posts: 843 Member
    Thank you so much for those of you who are trying to be helpful...you truly are helping me when I really need it.

    I think I will increase my calories for a couple weeks and see how that works. I'm so frustrated and discouraged right now that I'm at a loss.

    I really appreciate the input from the majority of you.

    It is REALLY easy to get discouraged...but try hard not to...we're all in this together, and we've all been there at one time or another...deep breaths...you're right where you need to be to make this happen for you!!!
  • RealWomenLovePitbulls
    RealWomenLovePitbulls Posts: 729 Member
    perhaps you entered some things wrong?? sleep is easy - 8 hours - but work, i have a very active job, but i dont feel like every single minute i am super active, sometimes just lightly or moderately.... its hard to break it all down
  • Barbellerella
    Barbellerella Posts: 1,838 Member
    Thank you so much for those of you who are trying to be helpful...you truly are helping me when I really need it.

    I think I will increase my calories for a couple weeks and see how that works. I'm so frustrated and discouraged right now that I'm at a loss.

    I really appreciate the input from the majority of you.

    Awesome thinking! Refer to the roadmap link that someone posted earlier if you have questions or concerns along your way. :)
  • AliceNov2011
    AliceNov2011 Posts: 471 Member
    Try this calculator, too. I've used several different ones and they all come in very close to the same. http://www.iifym.com/tdee-calculator
  • mgobluetx12
    mgobluetx12 Posts: 1,326 Member
    I would recommend using this calculator:

    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    According to this site without exercise your TDEE is closer to 2400 which is what I'd have guessed anyway. I don't think you should dismiss a perfectly valid way of calculating your calorie needs for weight loss just because 1 site didn't work for you.

    even in fitness frog with your stats i get 2355 so I think you made a mistake.

    I didn't make a mistake on Fitness Frog - I exercise 3-5 days a week, so that's where my number came from. You put in that I'm sedentary, but I'm not.

    The Scooby site says my TDEE is 2686, so if I'm supposed to go 20% less, then I'm way under at 1500 calories.
  • mgobluetx12
    mgobluetx12 Posts: 1,326 Member
    With your stats, that's about right for your TDEE. At a 30% deficit (which is considered fairly aggressive), your intake should be around 2135 calories/day. You're eating at a deficit of over 50%, PLUS exercising. You may want to read this article and reconsider your strategy: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html

    Wow, thanks, that was really interesting and eye-opening! I need to eat more.
  • NorCalRey
    NorCalRey Posts: 9 Member
    First, are you sure about your daily calorie intake? Are you weighing your foods? At 6'2" you should definitely be losing more than three-quarters of a lb. per week consuming 1400 calories per day. Although your TDEE calcs sound about right, as others have said, they are just an estimate. Carefully track your calories for a couple of weeks and adjust from there.

    Good luck!
  • LottieLou13
    LottieLou13 Posts: 574 Member
    I would recommend using this calculator:

    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    According to this site without exercise your TDEE is closer to 2400 which is what I'd have guessed anyway. I don't think you should dismiss a perfectly valid way of calculating your calorie needs for weight loss just because 1 site didn't work for you.

    even in fitness frog with your stats i get 2355 so I think you made a mistake.

    I didn't make a mistake on Fitness Frog - I exercise 3-5 days a week, so that's where my number came from. You put in that I'm sedentary, but I'm not.

    The Scooby site says my TDEE is 2686, so if I'm supposed to go 20% less, then I'm way under at 1500 calories.

    I also workout 5 times a week but my Fitbit which I wear 24/7 put me at lightly active....so thats what I believe.

    Also...
    Big deficits can work against weight loss.
    ^ This x 100.
  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
    I would recommend using this calculator:

    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    According to this site without exercise your TDEE is closer to 2400 which is what I'd have guessed anyway. I don't think you should dismiss a perfectly valid way of calculating your calorie needs for weight loss just because 1 site didn't work for you.

    even in fitness frog with your stats i get 2355 so I think you made a mistake.

    I didn't make a mistake on Fitness Frog - I exercise 3-5 days a week, so that's where my number came from. You put in that I'm sedentary, but I'm not.

    The Scooby site says my TDEE is 2686, so if I'm supposed to go 20% less, then I'm way under at 1500 calories.

    As I understand it, if you eat below your BMR then you will stop losing weight. Before you calculate your daily caloric intake based on your TDEE, make sure you know what your BMR is so you are not eating below that number in calories. My TDEE is just under 1600 calories a day - my BMR is just over 1200. I have to eat between the 1200 and the 1600 in order to lose weight so I eat at 1400 each day.
  • toysbigkid
    toysbigkid Posts: 545 Member
    bump
  • love4fitnesslove4food_wechange
    love4fitnesslove4food_wechange Posts: 6,897 Member
    I would recommend using this calculator:

    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    According to this site without exercise your TDEE is closer to 2400 which is what I'd have guessed anyway. I don't think you should dismiss a perfectly valid way of calculating your calorie needs for weight loss just because 1 site didn't work for you.

    even in fitness frog with your stats i get 2355 so I think you made a mistake.

    I didn't make a mistake on Fitness Frog - I exercise 3-5 days a week, so that's where my number came from. You put in that I'm sedentary, but I'm not.

    The Scooby site says my TDEE is 2686, so if I'm supposed to go 20% less, then I'm way under at 1500 calories.

    ahh i see. I would definitely eat about 2000-2150 calories for a while and see what happens. you have nothing to lose. I know it's scary to eat more but eating less is not helping and it can damage your metabolism by resulting in muscle loss and/or hormonal changes that will halt weight loss.
  • abirkel
    abirkel Posts: 60
    It's also possible that after years of undereating that your metabolism has now adapted to the number of calories you consume. This is why you are not losing.
  • RoosMommy01
    RoosMommy01 Posts: 88
    I would recommend using this calculator:

    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    According to this site without exercise your TDEE is closer to 2400 which is what I'd have guessed anyway. I don't think you should dismiss a perfectly valid way of calculating your calorie needs for weight loss just because 1 site didn't work for you.

    even in fitness frog with your stats i get 2355 so I think you made a mistake.

    I didn't make a mistake on Fitness Frog - I exercise 3-5 days a week, so that's where my number came from. You put in that I'm sedentary, but I'm not.

    The Scooby site says my TDEE is 2686, so if I'm supposed to go 20% less, then I'm way under at 1500 calories.


    You and I are almost spot on in height and weight. I'm 30 yrs, 5'6 and 264. I personally feel like you about TDEE being BS. I was at 252 before reading all this stuff about BMR and TDEE. I only looked around because I was stalled at 252. After learning about those number, I tried the group "eat more to weigh less"...did that, increased my calories and over time ended up gaining about 10lbs. My TDEE is at 2,300. I ate there for about 2 months, was gaining more weight so I lowered it to 1,700 and now I'm stuck at 264. I don't know weather to raise calories or lower them more. It sucks!
    [/quote]
  • Blueberry09
    Blueberry09 Posts: 821 Member
    As others have pointed out, TDEE is a guesstimate based on some mathematical models, not your specific body/metabolim. I gave up on TDEE after a few weeks, because I think all the websites give crap guidance around which activity level you should use. If you're going to start with something, just try to calculate your BMR, and then eat back calories from exericse. TDEE adds another level of estimation on top of BMR, which is also an estimate.

    I totally agree with this. I have a very sedentry life other than my workouts so if I use my BMR as a base and eat back all my exercise calories, I'm still at a 20% cut from my TDEE (BMR x 1.2).
  • Alohathin
    Alohathin Posts: 360 Member
    You have to make sure that you use a TDEE calculator that takes into account your body fat %. If it doesn't, it just calculates the TDEE for someone of your average age, height, and weight, but you might have significantly more or less lean body mass than the average. I suggest speaking to your doctor about getting an accurate reading of your body fat. In the mean time, there are methods that you can do on your own that will give you a decent estimate.
  • zechks
    zechks Posts: 224
    My TDEE is 3049. I eat, on average, 1500 cals a day. So that's a deficit of 10,500 calories a week, right? So I should be losing 3lbs. I have lost 3lbs this MONTH. Not even one pound a week.

    I say that there's no way my body is burning 3000 cals a day, especially on days when I don't work out!!!

    Why do so many people follow the TDEE?

    i don't know but i think you computed your TDEE wrong.. i'm 5'10 180lbs who workout heavily 3-5 days a week.. and my TDEE is 2900, and from there I calculate my desired caloric deficit for the week.. and it's pretty working well for me, been losing a steady amount of pounds. ;)
  • kmbweber2014
    kmbweber2014 Posts: 680 Member
    I use a website call fitbit to get an accurate daily amount of calories so have per day. It seems to be helping me quite a bit. You put in what you have been doing for that day and it tells you the amount of calories you should eat. It links with MFP so it can factor in your caloric intake.
  • Awkward30
    Awkward30 Posts: 1,927 Member
    Through using a bodybugg for a long time, and successfully losing pretty much what it said I should by eating 500 less than that number, I've found that for me, the activity modifiers are bull****. I work out 6 days a week and lead a decently active life outside of the gym, but my actual calories burned are in line with "Moderately Active: moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week, x1.55"

    That said, the sedentary is bang on for when I'm actually sedentary (on the couch ALL day). I've also found that since MFP overestimates calories burned, logging what I do and eating back my exercise calories balances out with the extra activity I get outside of the gym.

    ETA: The number I get from TDEE is also only correct for days that I work out, not averaged out for the week, so if I take a day off, my weekly burned calories is about 500 less than I would have guessed based on TDEE*7

    My point is that you need to adjust to what works for you.

    Also, you should be losing weight with that low of calories. Is it net 1500 or actual 1500? If it is actual 1500, you should see a doctor as you may be metabolically abnormal.
  • robin52077
    robin52077 Posts: 4,383 Member
    My TDEE is 3049. I eat, on average, 1500 cals a day. So that's a deficit of 10,500 calories a week, right? So I should be losing 3lbs. I have lost 3lbs this MONTH. Not even one pound a week.

    I say that there's no way my body is burning 3000 cals a day, especially on days when I don't work out!!!

    Why do so many people follow the TDEE?

    i don't know but i think you computed your TDEE wrong.. i'm 5'10 180lbs who workout heavily 3-5 days a week.. and my TDEE is 2900, and from there I calculate my desired caloric deficit for the week.. and it's pretty working well for me, been losing a steady amount of pounds. ;)

    so, she's taller than you, and weighs more, so her TDEE is more, but that's wrong? lol ok buddy...

    OP: seriously think about what most people have said. I agree that you are eating way too little. You eat what I eat and you are 1 full foot taller and more than double my weight. So yes, it makes sense that your TDEE is about double mine, at 1500-1600 a day....

    you're at a 50% deficit and that is pretty much starvation....your body isn't too happy with you right now and is not going to perform how you want it to...
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    Didn't read all the posts.

    OP if you are tall and or big then this makes perfect sense to me.

    I have folks on my method eating between 1800-3k a day and losing fat.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
  • jessicae1aine
    jessicae1aine Posts: 885
    What works beautifully for me:

    I figured the TDEE for my goal weight. That is what I put in for my calories, that is working.

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