Eat at TDEE at reduction OR TDEE (with lowest act. level)?

sscad

Question. I'd imagine it doesn't really matter, but I thought I'd throw it out there. I understand I figure out my activity level (say, moderate where I work out 3-5 hours a week) and then eat at that TDEE amount with a 15% reduction. Would I get different/better results if I eat at TDEE amount with a 15% reduction set to NO/LITTLE ACTIVITY and then eat back my exercise calories? On work-out days, it figures out to be around the same. The only difference lies on my non-workout days where I'd eat less this way than if I still ate at my TDEE-moderate activity level with reduction. In the long term, or by a weekly basis, I end up eating less, although still eating a good amount on work-out days. Is this okay? Is it better or worse, or does it really just not matter? Just curious.

heybales

(non-exercise daily activity + exercise) * 0.85 = non-exercise daily activity * 0.85 + exercise * 0.85

If you remember to take the same deficit off your exercise calories - it's exactly the same.

If you don't, you are actually eating more than needed.

Additionally, for every minute of the day, you have an already accounted for calorie burn, non-exercise TDEE / 1440.

Your HRM or whatever you are basing calorie burn on actually includes your BMR and that value, because it has no idea you are accounting for calories.

So really, from the exercise calories burn you'd need to subtract what was already accounted for already, and then take the same 15% deficit.

Now, if your workouts are too variable in doing them, or variable in time and/or intensity, or just a few big workouts a week such that spreading the burn over the week leaves you hungry that day, then that is a common enough request I already did something about it.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/813720-spreadsheet-bmr-tdee-deficit-macro-calcs-hrm-zones

Spreadsheet. Fill in the Simple Setup tab but leave exercise out of the Activity Calculator. Do include work hours beyond the assumed sedentary if you are on your feet at work or more.
Then go to the MFP Tweak tab, use the Katch BMR as foundation, use the BMR multiplier shown, and there is your non-exercise TDEE minus appropriate deficit.
Then when you workout, take the calories reported burned to the bottom section there, and workout time. All the stuff I mentioned above is taken out, and column tells you what to log and eat back. And reports your real deficit for the day if curious.