Setting my daily cals.....
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elle77
Posts: 150 Member
Hi! I'm sure this has been over asked, but I'm struggling with this........ Is it better to set your daily calorie intake at 15% below your TDEE using the correct (for me moderate) lifestyle & not add back exersice cals ...or doing Sedentary and adding back in all your workout calories?!? I've been at this for a month and have gained....so just trying to figure out whats the best way to do this!
Thank you!
Thank you!
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Hi! I'm sure this has been over asked, but I'm struggling with this........ Is it better to set your daily calorie intake at 15% below your TDEE using the correct (for me moderate) lifestyle & not add back exersice cals ...or doing Sedentary and adding back in all your workout calories?!? I've been at this for a month and have gained....so just trying to figure out whats the best way to do this!
Thank you!
Honestly this whole thing confuses me also. Recently I just set my calorie goal to my BMR and I eat back my workout calories. I try not to go over 1800 (TDEE- 15%). But it's all very confusing to me I'm afraid. I know some people don't log their workouts and set their goal to TDEE- 15 or 20%... But then how do you know if you have gone below BMR. Just seems confusing!!0 -
Exactly what I've been doing!....setting at just right above BMR & eating back w/o calories. I started to lose at first...now I'm gaining. Sooo I'm wondering if I'm doing this wrong..or my body just adjusting?!0
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I've always set my goal to my TDEE with cut. I log my workouts according to my BMF. And I only eat back calories if I dip below my BMR, which very rarely happens. Hope this helps!!0
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I think you are doing it right. From what i can tell you want to EAT your TDEE-15% or whatever. Then you do not eat your workout calories. But you also do not let your calories dip below BMR. One question I had was what about days I do not workout? Do I still eat TDEE-15%? Mind you this is one day a week... My head hurts. I am not a numbers girl.0
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I've always set my goal to my TDEE with cut. I log my workouts according to my BMF. And I only eat back calories if I dip below my BMR, which very rarely happens. Hope this helps!!
Ok that makes sense!
So it seems like as long as we dont go below BMR thats the key, correct?0 -
I think you are doing it right. From what i can tell you want to EAT your TDEE-15% or whatever. Then you do not eat your workout calories. But you also do not let your calories dip below BMR. One question I had was what about days I do not workout? Do I still eat TDEE-15%? Mind you this is one day a week... My head hurts. I am not a numbers girl.
LOL oh my brain has been spinning with all these numbers!
From the research I've been doing...I'm thinking we still eat at our cut even on non workout days? Some people say it evens out....I hope?! lol0 -
I also set my calorie goal above my BMR but below my TDEE, and if I dip under it with exercise, then I eat up to my BMR.. Also make sure your recalculating your numbers after every 5 lbs cause the numbers change... you will also gain water weight if you just start lifting or start a new cardio exercise as your muscles retain to repair the muscles from a new workout.0
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I also set my calorie goal above my BMR but below my TDEE, and if I dip under it with exercise, then I eat up to my BMR.. Also make sure your recalculating your numbers after every 5 lbs cause the numbers change... you will also gain water weight if you just start lifting or start a new cardio exercise as your muscles retain to repair the muscles from a new workout.
Ok cool!
So you do set your TDEE at your exact lifestyle & even eat that on "lazy" days right?!0 -
I've always set my goal to my TDEE with cut. I log my workouts according to my BMF. And I only eat back calories if I dip below my BMR, which very rarely happens. Hope this helps!!
This above is great advice!! TDEE is calculated for your weekly total so you want to make sure to eat your CUT EVERY DAY - even on rest days but like she said above if you NET below your BMR make sure to eat enough to get to BMR - If it happens too often then you may want to set your activity level to a higher level. :flowerforyou:0 -
Ooooh.... this confuses me SO much too! I am reading what everyone else is saying, but it almost looks like the advice is still bouncing between the 2 options you are confused about.
Unless I'm reading it all wrong and I'm the one who just doesn't "get it".
So wish I could help. But I need the help just as bad as you do! LOL0 -
Ok Thanks!
I'm think I'm gonna try that....a little scary, but its worth giving it a shot after seeing all the changes in people!0 -
TDEE will give you bigger deficit (15% of 2000 say) than
non-exercise TDEE with deficit (15% of 1500 say).
But it really depends on how regular your workouts are.
Perhaps all of them are iffy and irregular.
Log exercise and take off 15% from the calories and eat it back.
If most of the workouts are regular, figure out that TDEE level and only eat back anything above it.
If all the workouts are mostly regular, just do the TDEE deficit method and learn to eat correctly for level of activity.
Which means you miss a workout, you skip say 250 cal's that day.
You makeup a missed workout, you add say 250 cal's that day.
Why only 250 and not the whole workout?
Most people seem to forget when you do the TDEE deficit method, you are spreading the workout calories over the whole week.
So 2000 total workout calories in a week from say 4 days, 500 each, means only 285 extra being added on each day for that week to balance it out.
So really, 3 days out of the week, you are eating 285 more calories than you need for that day.
4 days out of the week, you are eating 215 less calories than you need for the day.
The fewer days you workout, the more pronounced that effect.
The more days, the less effect.
That's why I'm not really sure why not going below your BMR. The less days you workout, the more that can happen, but that also means the more days you are eating in excess of what you need.
The net effect of eating above your BMR on those days means - you have even less deficit than you think.
So if the non-workout days eating more than needed isn't the make-up for workout days potentially going under BMR, why use the TDEE deficit method?
If that's the case, shoot, might as well just go back to the MFP method and only eat back when you workout on those days, let the non-workout days be less.
Just don't let MFP decide what the foundation figure is.
Tweak the MFP settings so it's daily goal is indeed above BMR by a safe range, log exercise calories, and eat them back.
And that's exactly what the MFP tweak tab does in the spreadsheet linked in this post, because many like to use that method.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/717858-spreadsheet-bmr-tdee-and-deficit-calcs-macros-hrm0 -
Like someone said above, if you are regularly dropping below BMR after exercise you may want to reassess your activity level setting. Either that or you may be using too larger cut on your TDEE.0
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Confirm if your week looks safe, like the following.
So you'll know you picked the right TDEE if the following happens.
Day_____Eaten_____Exercise_____Net
Sun_____2200________0________2200
Mon_____2200_______700_______1500
Tue_____2200_______200_______2000
Wed_____2200_______500_______1700
Thu______2200_______700_______1500
Fri_______2200_______200_______2000
Sat_______2200________0_______2200
15400 eaten
2300 worked off
13100 Net weekly
1871 Net daily.
So if BMR is 1700, you went below it 2 days that week by 200, and well above it 2 days by 500, slightly above 2 days by 300, and 1 day at BMR.
As you can see, overall, you are above BMR by decent safety margin.
Of course, the less you workout, like 3 days a week, the more chance you might go below BMR, but the more days there are well above.
Besides which, your body's energy needs aren't met in 1 day. Weight lifting may have more energy use for repair the next day in fact.
As long as after a big intense cardio day you eat enough carbs back before the next workout. If you do that.0 -
Thank you
I'm am a bit of a numbers hater....so i might just stick with 100 above my BMR & add back all my workout calories. I'm affraid I'll screw it up otherwise
Today I burned 800 cals...so I added them & ate them,lol 0
