The thing that confuses me about TDEE

junipearl
junipearl Posts: 326 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
is that the calculators always ask you for the # of days per week you work out.

this doesn't seem accurate to me, as one person may be doing a 60 minute work out, while another person may be doing a 20 minute one.

I do 25 - 30 minutes of running, followed by a half hour to 40 minutes of weight training 4-5 days a week.
and water aerobics for 90 minutes once per week.

but i don't want to over-estimate my TDEE and eat too much...

suggestions? anyone know of a more detailed calculator?

Replies

  • jefedesalto
    jefedesalto Posts: 154 Member
    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/issa64.htm

    The link above is the most comprehensive and well explained thing I have been able to find. It breaks down activity levels more clearly than anything else out there. Hope it helps.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    I don't include exercise in my TDEE calculation and then eat back my exercise calories. That is working for me.
  • junipearl
    junipearl Posts: 326 Member
    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/issa64.htm

    The link above is the most comprehensive and well explained thing I have been able to find. It breaks down activity levels more clearly than anything else out there. Hope it helps.

    Thanks! But while the activity levels are further broken down here, that calculator does not even take into account my height and gives me a significantly lower BMR than any other site has given me (1147 compared to ~1450 from other calculators). hmmm
  • junipearl
    junipearl Posts: 326 Member
    I don't include exercise in my TDEE calculation and then eat back my exercise calories. That is working for me.
    this is how i have been doing it up until this point, but now that I am more active I'd like to do the true TDEE approach to ensure that I am getting enough food to fuel my work outs.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/issa64.htm

    The link above is the most comprehensive and well explained thing I have been able to find. It breaks down activity levels more clearly than anything else out there. Hope it helps.

    Holy crap! According that site, my TDEE is 2775, whereas other calculators give me 2149 for my TDEE.
  • justjenny
    justjenny Posts: 529 Member
    I just got my numbers from the link you provided, and it gave me..." For Women: 0.9 x 59 Kg x 24 = 1274. Taking your bodyfat percentage into account, your adjusted BMR is 1146 calories per day. This is equal to 48 calories per hour. ".

    I was reading another thread about how women need to eat more than 1200 calories, and this is putting me around there. So how much more am I supposed to eat? I notice when I try to up my calories, the numbers on the scale climb as well. Not sure I understand this all....
  • SergeiKay
    SergeiKay Posts: 90 Member
    You have to realize that these TDEE give you EXTREMELY rough results. Pick whichever one you like (at this point, can even flip a coin) and go with it, while keeping a close eye on your bodyweight.

    I suggest measuring your bodyweight first thing in the morning, after the restroom but before food, without clothes, in an attempt to get the most consistent measurements.

    If you eat consistently as well, you can adjust your caloric intake from day to day and get a much better (actual) TDEE in a couple of weeks even. So what i'm trying to say, use the calculators as a guideline and then adjust accordingly.
  • Mads1997
    Mads1997 Posts: 1,494 Member
    These calculators are only an estimate. In my case all the calculators were about 200 to 300 higher than my actual BMR adding in to that my exercise and again making the TDEE way off. It was no wonder I was going up and down on the same few kilo week in week out.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    is that the calculators always ask you for the # of days per week you work out.

    this doesn't seem accurate to me, as one person may be doing a 60 minute work out, while another person may be doing a 20 minute one.

    I do 25 - 30 minutes of running, followed by a half hour to 40 minutes of weight training 4-5 days a week.
    and water aerobics for 90 minutes once per week.

    but i don't want to over-estimate my TDEE and eat too much...

    suggestions? anyone know of a more detailed calculator?

    You are exactly correct.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/750920-spreadsheet-for-bmr-tdee-deficit-macro-calcs-hrm-zones

    Spreadsheet linked in this topic. Simple Setup tab has better Activity Calculator.
    If you really want nitty-gritty ability to hone in, use the Future You tab to at least get your current weight TDEE figures at the end.

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