Discrepancy between MFP and BMR/TDEE

RenewedRunner

Ok, MFP recently reduced my calories, and now I am trying to figure out if I am too low.

MFP has it set at 1370 a day, with my exercising to burn off 930ish a week. 1370*7+930=10560 calories a week for food

TDEE is 2139, my BMR is 1556, and the scooby website suggested 1711 for daily consumption (no exercise calories to add in since they are already included). So 1711*7= 11977


This is a BIG difference!!!! It is a 1400 calorie a week difference, so an extra 200 calories a day difference between MFP and TDEE/BMR calculations. I am running 3 days a week and doing NROL4W 2 days a week, and I DO NOT want to inadvertently sabotage myself by eating too little or too much. I have about another 25 pounds to lose before I am even at the higher end of my healthy weight. I need to lose weight while getting fit. But I need to fuel my body to do so and want to do it right.

Any and all recommendations are greatly appreciated. I have been researching this issue, and now just hoping someone can point me in a more resolute direction.

concordancia

How much are you actually exercising? How often did you say you were exercising when calculating TDEE? You will notice it doesn't really ask about intensity, so much as frequency. Did you re calculate your TDEE recently, or are these old calculations?

Both numbers are rough guesstimates, based on limited information. They are a starting point, not a straight jacket.

Choose one. Try it for a month. If you are not getting the results you expect, you can try the other. Whatever you do, stick with it at least a month before making any decisions.

The difference between the two is less than half a pound a week. That can add up in the long run, but either one will get you moving in the right direction.

Ploogy

This may shed some light:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/884551-concerns-with-ambiguous-tdee-calculation-link-inside

RenewedRunner

For TDEE, I said I work out 1-3 hours a week (so lightly). This is the lower end, since I run on average 2 hours a week and hike 1 hour, and this doesnt include the weight lifting.

I just did the calculation with my new weight. It is crazy since MFP dropped me almost 300 calories after losing 10 pounds. I knwo I need less, but it is a big difference.

I am not a slavish adherent. I try to balance it for a week as a whole (say I go over on Monday, I try to make it break even with Tuesday). I guess my fear is undereating or overeating. It feels l(to me) like MFP may be the former and TDEE/BMR may be the latter!

Mokey41

Maybe you need to decrease your pounds per week setting? MFP just does math, it doesn't think anything. It's up to you to apply the common sense if the number is too low.