Calculating TDEE - Would this work?

tiffanylacourse

Hey everyone - here's the question:

Since TDEE includes your exercise calories, would this make sense -

Could I calculate my TDEE at what it would be if I didn't exercise at all during the day, and used that TDEE minus 20% as my baseline calorie goal for MFP? The way I figure, then I should be safe to log/eat back (most) of my exercise calories, right?

I'm wondering because some days I work out longer or more intesely than other days, so I want my calorie goal on here to be good for any day. Rest day, strength day, cardio day, etc.

Thanks in advance for any advice! :flowerforyou:

cmriverside

um...that's what MFP does....so, just use it as designed.

If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

You are responsible for choosing an accurate activity level. Don't try to speed up the process by choosing "Sedentary" just because it is an option.

Almost no one is Sedentary. If you care for children at home, or go to school or have any type of job, you are not Sedentary. Choose accordingly.

MudDancer

bump

tiffanylacourse

um...that's what MFP does....so, just use it as designed.

If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

You are responsible for choosing an accurate activity level. Don't try to speed up the process by choosing "Sedentary" just because it is an option.

Almost no one is Sedentary. If you care for children at home, or go to school or have any type of job, you are not Sedentary. Choose accordingly.

Thank you for your input! :flowerforyou: I hate to disagree, but MFP always gives me 1200. No matter what I select for activity level or pounds lost. I have about 30 pounds to lose. I'm just a bit overweight, not obese or morbidly obese. 1200 just doesn't feel like enough for me. I'm always hungry, grumpy, tired, and moody at 1200. A lot of people on my friends list custom guide their settings for this exact reason.

jchrisman717

Try this link for figuring your TDEE http://www.iifym.com/tdee-calculator

I just did it and I followed another post here called "What do I do? - Common Sense Cliff Notes" to figure what my daily calories should be. If you put no workouts in your calculations - then when you do work out - just add some calories to cover those workouts - it should work out ok. Just be careful that you aren't over estimating your calories burned. I see some peoples calories burned and it is high. If you have an HRM you can use that but its still all just an estimate.

By my calculations - If I lift 30 min. a day and I do cardio 40 min. a day in order to lose I should consume 1800 calories a day.

cmriverside

um...that's what MFP does....so, just use it as designed.

If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

You are responsible for choosing an accurate activity level. Don't try to speed up the process by choosing "Sedentary" just because it is an option.

Almost no one is Sedentary. If you care for children at home, or go to school or have any type of job, you are not Sedentary. Choose accordingly.

Thank you for your input! :flowerforyou: I hate to disagree, but MFP always gives me 1200. No matter what I select for activity level or pounds lost. I have about 30 pounds to lose. I'm just a bit overweight, not obese or morbidly obese. 1200 just doesn't feel like enough for me. I'm always hungry, grumpy, tired, and moody at 1200. A lot of people on my friends list custom guide their settings for this exact reason.

Use 1/2 pound a week (which is about where you should be...) and an accurate activity level. Add back exercise calories.

It will not give you 1200 unless you are setting unrealistic goals. Either too high on the weight loss, or too low on the activity level. All the calculators use algorithms that are similar, so you aren't going to get different numbers here than any other calculator, if you use reasonable, honest conservative answers. The only difference is that this one wants you to ADD exercise calories, and no other online calculators use this.

MFP uses the Mifflin St Joer calculator - you can google its methodology. It is described in MFP's literature, as well.

Your success will depend entirely on accurate recording and tweaking. Using a digital food scale and recording everything you eat is imperative.

tiffanylacourse

um...that's what MFP does....so, just use it as designed.

If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

You are responsible for choosing an accurate activity level. Don't try to speed up the process by choosing "Sedentary" just because it is an option.

Almost no one is Sedentary. If you care for children at home, or go to school or have any type of job, you are not Sedentary. Choose accordingly.

Thank you for your input! :flowerforyou: I hate to disagree, but MFP always gives me 1200. No matter what I select for activity level or pounds lost. I have about 30 pounds to lose. I'm just a bit overweight, not obese or morbidly obese. 1200 just doesn't feel like enough for me. I'm always hungry, grumpy, tired, and moody at 1200. A lot of people on my friends list custom guide their settings for this exact reason.

Use 1/2 pound a week (which is about where you should be...) and an accurate activity level. Add back exercise calories.

It will not give you 1200 unless you are setting unrealistic goals. Either too high on the weight loss, or too low on the activity level. All the calculators use algorithms that are similar, so you aren't going to get different numbers here than any other calculator, if you use reasonable, honest conservative answers. The only difference is that this one wants you to ADD exercise calories, and no other online calculators use this.

MFP uses the Mifflin St Joer calculator - you can google its methodology. It is described in MFP's literature, as well.

Your success will depend entirely on accurate recording and tweaking. Using a digital food scale and recording everything you eat is imperative.

Thanks for the clarification - I am going to try it and see what it sets it to. I will get back to you in a couple minutes.

jacksonpt

um...that's what MFP does....so, just use it as designed.

If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

Yep.

On a side note though, just for clarity purposes... if it doesn't include exercise, it's not a true TDEE. I only point that out to avoid confusion with terms.

tiffanylacourse

um...that's what MFP does....so, just use it as designed.

If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

Yep.

On a side note though, just for clarity purposes... if it doesn't include exercise, it's not a true TDEE. I only point that out to avoid confusion with terms.

Oh yeah. Without the exercise figured in, it is somewhere between BMR and TDEE, right? Thanks!

jacksonpt

um...that's what MFP does....so, just use it as designed.

If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

You are responsible for choosing an accurate activity level. Don't try to speed up the process by choosing "Sedentary" just because it is an option.

Almost no one is Sedentary. If you care for children at home, or go to school or have any type of job, you are not Sedentary. Choose accordingly.

Thank you for your input! :flowerforyou: I hate to disagree, but MFP always gives me 1200. No matter what I select for activity level or pounds lost. I have about 30 pounds to lose. I'm just a bit overweight, not obese or morbidly obese. 1200 just doesn't feel like enough for me. I'm always hungry, grumpy, tired, and moody at 1200. A lot of people on my friends list custom guide their settings for this exact reason.

MFP can only make the calculations based on formulas. It can't tell how realistic they are, or if you are setting up your profile correctly.

tiffanylacourse

Thanks everyone. I always did put Sedentary because of the way it reads "Sedentary: Spend most of the day sitting (e.g. bank teller, desk job)" I work a desk job, so I always put sedentary. I upped it to lightly active, so that it is accurate for my usual daily stuff. I am now working out about 1 hour in the mornings before work. It now gives me 1460.

Thanks for all the help and advice. One more question though - do you leave the Carb/Protein/Fat percentages alone or do you customize those?

Thanks!

jchrisman717

I customized my macros because I am trying to get more protein and less carbs. I did according to New Rules of Lifting for Women

tiffanylacourse

I customized my macros because I am trying to get more protein and less carbs. I did according to New Rules of Lifting for Women

I thought so. MFP seems to set the protein pretty low...

cmriverside

Thanks everyone. I always did put Sedentary because of the way it reads "Sedentary: Spend most of the day sitting (e.g. bank teller, desk job)" I work a desk job, so I always put sedentary. I upped it to lightly active, so that it is accurate for my usual daily stuff. I am now working out about 1 hour in the mornings before work. It now gives me 1460.

Thanks for all the help and advice. One more question though - do you leave the Carb/Protein/Fat percentages alone or do you customize those?

Thanks!

Talking strictly about weight loss, it doesn't matter. Just make sure you eat enough Protein First. Protein and fats as set by MFP should be viewed as "minimums" to make sure you always eat that amount or more. Carbs you can go under a bit.

There are many different takes on macros - you'll have to find what works for you, but just get your protein in, and don't undereat.

My macros are set at 45% Fat/ 25% Protein/ 30% carbs. It's where I feel satiated, and gives me about 100g carbs a day. I do not do a lot of Cardio exercise, and 100g is plenty for me. The fat keeps me happy.

*edit to say...with that 1460, you're going to want to add about 300-400 more on Exercise days, if you are working hard for that hour. So about 1800-1900 on Exercise days. Much better!!

.

jacksonpt

I customized my macros because I am trying to get more protein and less carbs. I did according to New Rules of Lifting for Women

I thought so. MFP seems to set the protein pretty low...

it does. Most people can easily double protein at the expense of carbs and use those numbers as a starting point. Individual goals may dictate additional/further changes, but that's a good starting point.