TDEE doesn't seem right
xtrout
Posts: 193 Member
So I have been reading up on TDEE and the calcs do not seem even remotely right.
About me...
Weight: 202
Height: 70 inches
Age: 44
Job: Desk
Exercise 30 minute walk 7 days a week, C25K 3 days a week. House cleaning/chores several hours a week. I typically list my exercise level at light exercise.
From the different calculators i have used, my TDEE s/b around 2600. My BMR 1913, My recommended calorie intake 2104 (TDEE - 20%). Now there is no way I would lose weight eating 2104 calories a day. I gain weight when I eat that. I eat around 1300 calories a day now, maybe 1500 on the days I run and am losing weight of 1-2 lbs a week if I am lucky. 2104 for be gaining weight or maintaining (if i am lucky).
Not sure what I am missing but it really seems bizarre to me.
About me...
Weight: 202
Height: 70 inches
Age: 44
Job: Desk
Exercise 30 minute walk 7 days a week, C25K 3 days a week. House cleaning/chores several hours a week. I typically list my exercise level at light exercise.
From the different calculators i have used, my TDEE s/b around 2600. My BMR 1913, My recommended calorie intake 2104 (TDEE - 20%). Now there is no way I would lose weight eating 2104 calories a day. I gain weight when I eat that. I eat around 1300 calories a day now, maybe 1500 on the days I run and am losing weight of 1-2 lbs a week if I am lucky. 2104 for be gaining weight or maintaining (if i am lucky).
Not sure what I am missing but it really seems bizarre to me.
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Replies
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All these calculators are just estimates so it's always possible that they are a little off.
That does seem to be quite a bit off though (at least from what seems to work for you).
I have seen many say that men should not eat below 1600 calories a day and I have to agree 1300 sounds way to low. You've only got 25 pounds left to go you may want to revise your golas a little. Also if you've been doing 1300-1500 for a long time your metabolism might be a little confused you might need to reset.0 -
I doubt you are doing that much exercise and eating 1300. You need to accurately measure and weigh all your foods, and log them to be certain.
You do need to eat more than 1300.0 -
I love the BMR TDEE method! I also love eating a lot of protein and veggies. I didn't really lose many pounds, 10 in 4 months, but everything on my body has lifted, I'm a pants size smaller, I have mad energy and strength (since I coupled this lifestyle with strength training.) I absolutely love it. The best parts too are that I rarely get hungry, generally always feel satisfied and hardly have cravings, and it feels really sustainable.0
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Oh! And I lowered my blood pressure by a lot, got my diabetes under control without medication anymore, and completely cured my liver disease. And now that this plateau is over, I'm losing again.
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I think the TDEE numbers are off the older you are. It seems to work OK for the younger people. I notice they seem to have the most success with it. I've tried different sites and different settings (sedentary to moderately active) 2200-2500. I would certainly gain weight at these. 1800-2000 seems to be my max. The BMR may be correct, I have no way of knowing. So I am shooting for that as a calorie goal 1600-1700. I was averaging 1400-1500 a week this summer and lost 17 pounds, but with cold weather I don't find that to be enough food.0
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So I have been reading up on TDEE and the calcs do not seem even remotely right.
About me...
Weight: 202
Height: 70 inches
Age: 44
Job: Desk
Exercise 30 minute walk 7 days a week, C25K 3 days a week. House cleaning/chores several hours a week. I typically list my exercise level at light exercise.
From the different calculators i have used, my TDEE s/b around 2600. My BMR 1913, My recommended calorie intake 2104 (TDEE - 20%). Now there is no way I would lose weight eating 2104 calories a day. I gain weight when I eat that. I eat around 1300 calories a day now, maybe 1500 on the days I run and am losing weight of 1-2 lbs a week if I am lucky. 2104 for be gaining weight or maintaining (if i am lucky).
Not sure what I am missing but it really seems bizarre to me.
Looks reasonable to me. I am a female (lower BMR), lighter (lower BMR), older by a year (very slightly lower BMR), have a desk job and lift weights 5 - 6 times a week (higher TDEE) and lose on 2,000 calories a day.
How accurately are you logging your food? Also, how long have you been on a higher calorie level before determining that you gain at that level.0 -
bump0
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If your BMR is 1900+, you would lose weight doing nothing but eating 1900. I don't suggest it, since thats the amount of calories you need for your organs to function properly. I am 5' and weigh 100 pounds. I eat about 2200 on rest days, just to maintain.0
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Certainly sounds about right. The error might come from how you measure/log your food.0
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So I have been reading up on TDEE and the calcs do not seem even remotely right.
About me...
Weight: 202
Height: 70 inches
Age: 44
Job: Desk
Exercise 30 minute walk 7 days a week, C25K 3 days a week. House cleaning/chores several hours a week. I typically list my exercise level at light exercise.
From the different calculators i have used, my TDEE s/b around 2600. My BMR 1913, My recommended calorie intake 2104 (TDEE - 20%). Now there is no way I would lose weight eating 2104 calories a day. I gain weight when I eat that. I eat around 1300 calories a day now, maybe 1500 on the days I run and am losing weight of 1-2 lbs a week if I am lucky. 2104 for be gaining weight or maintaining (if i am lucky).
Not sure what I am missing but it really seems bizarre to me.
Looks reasonable to me. I am a female (lower BMR), lighter (lower BMR), older by a year (very slightly lower BMR), have a desk job and lift weights 5 - 6 times a week (higher TDEE) and lose on 2,000 calories a day.
How accurately are you logging your food? Also, how long have you been on a higher calorie level before determining that you gain at that level.
This. I'm 4'11 and I'd die eating what the OP eats. DIE! Serious.0 -
Have you tried tracking a day of what you used to eat? When I did it, I figured out that I was eating upwards of 3500 calories a day. My TDEE is 2100 if I don't exercise and about 2400 when I do.
Looking at your stats, that's about right. I'm only 5'4" and eating 1800 calories to lose, averaging 2 pounds a week.0 -
So I have been reading up on TDEE and the calcs do not seem even remotely right.
About me...
Weight: 202
Height: 70 inches
Age: 44
Job: Desk
Exercise 30 minute walk 7 days a week, C25K 3 days a week. House cleaning/chores several hours a week. I typically list my exercise level at light exercise.
From the different calculators i have used, my TDEE s/b around 2600. My BMR 1913, My recommended calorie intake 2104 (TDEE - 20%). Now there is no way I would lose weight eating 2104 calories a day. I gain weight when I eat that. I eat around 1300 calories a day now, maybe 1500 on the days I run and am losing weight of 1-2 lbs a week if I am lucky. 2104 for be gaining weight or maintaining (if i am lucky).
Not sure what I am missing but it really seems bizarre to me.
Hmm....I'm a 29 year old female, 5'6" tall, weigh 187 and I lose weight eating 2042 a day. So yeah, you can lose at that level.
The problem is that people really, really, really underestimate what they were eating before - when they were "fat" or "gaining". We are just naturally programmed to be ostriches in that regard. Most of us have no clue that we were eating 3000 calories or more every day.
Yes, you might see a few pound fluctuation on the scale if you move to the TDEE method. But it's temporary and goes away within a few weeks. You have to give this method 6 weeks to work before you can say it doesn't work (just like any plan).
At some point, the drastic cut you are making right now isn't going to work for you anymore. And with such a huge deficit, you could be subject to losing lean muscle mass instead of fat. Just a warning.
And 2600 will be for maintaining. Of course, the longer you are cutting so drastically, the more you up your chances of slowing down your metabolism to the point that you won't be able to eat more without gaining.0 -
The TDEE - 20% doesn't work for me. That number was 2000 and I was losing maybe.5lbs per week or LESS. I only lost 2lbs the whole month of September. So I dropped to 1700 and that didn't make much of a difference. I dropped to 1300 and NOW I'm finally losing about 2lbs per week consistently. I eat half of my TDEE in calories and I have a lot to lose, so I'm not starving myself.
You just have to figure out what works for you and go with it.0 -
The TDEE - 20% doesn't work for me. That number was 2000 and I was losing maybe.5lbs per week or LESS. I only lost 2lbs the whole month of September. So I dropped to 1700 and that didn't make much of a difference. I dropped to 1300 and NOW I'm finally losing about 2lbs per week consistently. I eat half of my TDEE in calories and I have a lot to lose, so I'm not starving myself.
You just have to figure out what works for you and go with it.
By definition this means that something is miscalculated. Either your TDEE was calculated incorrectly, or your food intake is not being logged accurately. 2+2=4 for all values of "2".0 -
The TDEE - 20% doesn't work for me. That number was 2000 and I was losing maybe.5lbs per week or LESS. I only lost 2lbs the whole month of September. So I dropped to 1700 and that didn't make much of a difference. I dropped to 1300 and NOW I'm finally losing about 2lbs per week consistently. I eat half of my TDEE in calories and I have a lot to lose, so I'm not starving myself.
You just have to figure out what works for you and go with it.
This will work until it doesn't. You haven't done 1300 for a long enough time to call it success. You have 50 to lose, he has about 15. He is male, you are female. Come back again and post this when you have 10 pounds to lose and you are stuck. No such thing as generic advice. 1300 will not work for you forever.0 -
I am the same stats as you except 14 yrs younger and i am cutting fat at 2600-2800... you are losing muscle while eating at those levels which is a lot easier at your age. Do yourself a favor and add more calories (especially protein) and lift weights.0
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The TDEE - 20% doesn't work for me. That number was 2000 and I was losing maybe.5lbs per week or LESS. I only lost 2lbs the whole month of September. So I dropped to 1700 and that didn't make much of a difference. I dropped to 1300 and NOW I'm finally losing about 2lbs per week consistently. I eat half of my TDEE in calories and I have a lot to lose, so I'm not starving myself.
You just have to figure out what works for you and go with it.
That's impossible--if you were eating 2000 and losing 1/2 pound a week and then dropped 300 calories you should have theoretically lost a total of 1+ pounds a week. Either you're miscalculating your burn or intake. Period.0 -
The TDEE - 20% doesn't work for me. That number was 2000 and I was losing maybe.5lbs per week or LESS. I only lost 2lbs the whole month of September. So I dropped to 1700 and that didn't make much of a difference. I dropped to 1300 and NOW I'm finally losing about 2lbs per week consistently. I eat half of my TDEE in calories and I have a lot to lose, so I'm not starving myself.
You just have to figure out what works for you and go with it.
That's impossible--if you were eating 2000 and losing 1/2 pound a week and then dropped 300 calories you should have theoretically lost a total of 1+ pounds a week. Either you're miscalculating your burn or intake. Period.
high-five0 -
The problem is that people really, really, really underestimate what they were eating before - when they were "fat" or "gaining". We are just naturally programmed to be ostriches in that regard. Most of us have no clue that we were eating 3000 calories or more every day.
Fully agree with that statement. I'm a male, less than an inches taller and slightly younger and my current NET calories is 1990, however, I eat back pretty much all of my exercise calories, so I eat around 2200 to 2400 a day and I am consistently losing weight. I've had no problems with plateaus or low energy and I pretty much feel like I can snack through the day and never feel hungry. Or if I want to have some wine, I just cut back on the snacking.
Your TDEE definitely seem right, you shouldn't be starving yourself - you are going to end up doing lasting damage to your metabolism if you consistently undereat by so much.0 -
The TDEE - 20% doesn't work for me. That number was 2000 and I was losing maybe.5lbs per week or LESS. I only lost 2lbs the whole month of September. So I dropped to 1700 and that didn't make much of a difference. I dropped to 1300 and NOW I'm finally losing about 2lbs per week consistently. I eat half of my TDEE in calories and I have a lot to lose, so I'm not starving myself.
You just have to figure out what works for you and go with it.
That's impossible--if you were eating 2000 and losing 1/2 pound a week and then dropped 300 calories you should have theoretically lost a total of 1+ pounds a week. Either you're miscalculating your burn or intake. Period.
high-five
Well, she eventualy dropped 700 a day and went from a half pound loss to two pounds loss. So that's about right....but this whole process couldn't have been over more than a month's time if she started playing with it at the end of September. And she has 50 pounds to lose. MUCH different than the OP.0 -
I at first thought that 2000 calories a day seemed like a lot to eat for weight loss, but I logged in a couple typical days of how I used to eat, sometimes I'd go as high as 6000 plus. Yikes.0
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The TDEE - 20% doesn't work for me. That number was 2000 and I was losing maybe.5lbs per week or LESS. I only lost 2lbs the whole month of September. So I dropped to 1700 and that didn't make much of a difference. I dropped to 1300 and NOW I'm finally losing about 2lbs per week consistently. I eat half of my TDEE in calories and I have a lot to lose, so I'm not starving myself.
You just have to figure out what works for you and go with it.
Apologies if this comes across as rude, but I've seen this now way too many times to keep quiet:
In six weeks time, you'll be on here complaining about a plateau, not understanding what caused it and go "but I cut my calories and I've been losing all this time, so it can't be that, it must be something else".
Of course you are losing weight with such a big difference, but that's only until your metabolism grinds to a halt and your body tries to hang on to every last bit of energy it can, because you are not feeding it properly.
You need energy to burn energy or the entire process will eventually just grind to a halt.0 -
Wow, I was simply sharing MY experience with eating and TDEE, okay? I wasn't saying the OP should do what I did, so relax. I was on a plateau in September and got off of it by cutting my cals, big deal. It's working for me and I'll do something else when it's not. smh0
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Bottom line, I'll keep doing what is working until, as someone mentioned, it doesn't. Then Ill mix it up.0
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Bottom line, I'll keep doing what is working until, as someone mentioned, it doesn't. Then Ill mix it up.
That's rather like riding a motorcycle with no protective gear and thinking it's fine to keep doing it until you're involved in a wreck.0 -
I give up, OP. Carry on with your bad self.0
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Wow, I was simply sharing MY experience with eating and TDEE, okay? I wasn't saying the OP should do what I did, so relax. I was on a plateau in September and got off of it by cutting my cals, big deal. It's working for me and I'll do something else when it's not. smh
A plateau? You just said that you lost two pounds in September. That's not a plateau. It's actually a healthy weight loss. Two pounds a week is good for people with well over 100 pounds to lose, but as you get to less than 50 pounds to lose, there's no reason to strive for two pounds a week.
People are honestly trying to help, not to call you out. The closer you are to goal weight, the less your deficit should be for a healthy loss.0 -
I'm a male 5'-7" (started at ~190-200lbs.) 51 y.o. Twice in my life medical doctors have told me to eat 1400 cals/day to lose weight. Once for a hernia operation and this time for hypertension issues.
This round I did that for 2 months and lost approx. 2.5lbs/week. I then raised my cal intake to about 2000/day to lose the last 10.
OP: I'm still losing at 2000. I'm 3 inches shorter than you (168lbs. now) and do about the same activity/exercise routine.0 -
Average it out and see what your actual TDEE is. Mine is off by over 300 using the calculators. The only way to find out what it actually is, is to keep track of all your calories for a period of time and compare that to your weight loss/gain over the same period of time.
That will tell you your actual TDEE.0 -
Bottom line, I'll keep doing what is working until, as someone mentioned, it doesn't. Then Ill mix it up.
Unfortunately, by then you may have caused a substantial loss of lean muscle mass and caused a somewhat permaent downregulation of your metabolism that will condemn you to eating lower calories ad infinitum. If that sounds good to you, by all means do proceed.0
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