I'm still confused. TDEE and BMR :sigh:

RunningOnPurple

I've read some threads on this, I understand what they mean. I just don't understand their relevance unless numbers for extremely overweight people tend to be skewed?

I just used http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ to calculate both.

My results:
BMR 2108
TDEE 2898

Currently I have lost 46 lbs eating somewhere around 1400-1500 calories per day.

So. If I upped my calories by at least 600 PER DAY I'd lose more?

I don't get it. Sorry, I know this topic has been done to death, but this doesn't seem right to me.

Thanks.

Captain_Tightpants

>>So. If I upped my calories by at least 600 PER DAY I'd lose more?

Not necessarily. If 1500 is working comfortably for you, and you can envision yourself eating it for the rest of your life, then stick with it.

The reason it's recommended to eat a little closer to TDEE is twofold:

1) You stand less chance of inducing a metabolic plateau.
2) You stand more chance of sticking to your new lifelong eating habit and thus keeping the weight off.

drmerc

If it ain't broke, don't fix it

PriceK01

It's totally confusing to me, too. There are so many different calculators of both, and they all come out totally different for me. What's the best way to figure out these numbers for a girl that's 44, 5'10", and 160lbs?

prokomds

Not sure if this helps, but you could put in the numbers for your goal weight, and see what the BMR/TDEE are for that.

As weight decreases, the BMR/TDEE numbers also decrease. So while your BMR may be around 2100 now, it gets a bit smaller as you get smaller. So maybe you're eating the right amount of calories for the person you want to become

Keep in mind that as you continue to lose weight, you should eventually be eating above your BMR. You have a lot of leeway early in your journey as your body has more fat that it can get energy from.

If you eat between your BMR and TDEE, you should still lose weight - just maybe at a slower pace

But yeah, what those guys said. If it's working for you now, go for it. If you plateau for weeks/months, maybe consider reevaluating. And as you continue losing, check in on your new BMR/TDEE numbers every so often -- you'll see them changing

And I'm glad you're eating 1400-1500, not the overrated 1200 If I was you I might aim for 1800ish, though? Probably just keep it under 2000 for now and not stress too much about it

prokomds

It's totally confusing to me, too. There are so many different calculators of both, and they all come out totally different for me. What's the best way to figure out these numbers for a girl that's 44, 5'10", and 160lbs?

There are a million websites that'll do it for you, but I like this:

http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/

But in reality, all you can do is take a number from a website, eat at it for a few weeks, and see what your body does. Adjust accordingly. I'm 5'6", started at 150 pounds, and have lost about 7 eating 1600-1700 on days that I don't exercise (more when I exercise). I tried eating at around 1400, but I was a grumpy mess. Don't torture yourself

EvanKeel

Numbers for extremely overweight people can be skewed depending on what formula is being employed to calculate BMR and TDEE.

Their relevance in general is that one would want to know how much they're theoretically burning in order to create a caloric deficit. If you're satisfied eating at the amount that you're eating now, it seems like you have enough energy to get through the day, and you're still losing, then no. Those numbers may not be all that relevant to you specifically.

Some people will say "never eat below your BMR." The problem is that people who are obese can get away with larger deficits. As you get leaner, you may find more success in eating closer to your BMR (though you'll want to recalculate it at that time).