How to find TDEE

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  • aminswife
    aminswife Posts: 29 Member
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    I think the Kate McKardle calculator on the site you used is incorrect, or you have entered the wrong values. Try the version on fat2fitradio.com, which helps you find out your body fat % first and then feeds it into several calculators. I've never met anyone with a BMR of 900 odd, that's really, really low, unless you are a fairy, pigmy or other tiny person I guess. NB no offence to tiny people intended, I'm only 5'3' myself so I gnome what it is like.....gnome, get it?

    Anyway, I'd use an average of the other 2. Hope this helps:flowerforyou:

    I wish you were right but the approx same values came out on the fat2fit site and this one:http://www.1percentedge.com/ifcalc/

    Im not entering wrong values...
  • kcook323
    kcook323 Posts: 43 Member
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    I think you are supposed to put your current weight in the space what you want to weigh. That is how I understood it anyways.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    Keep it simple! People managed to lose weight before the interweb you know!! :smile:

    Three are close - one appears to be an anomaly. Exclude the anomaly, pick any of the three close ones, close your eyes and use a pin will do...

    Follow that accurately for a month and see how it works out. Reassess and adjust if required at the end of a month.
  • nguk123
    nguk123 Posts: 223
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    Calculators are the worst way to calculate your TDEE.

    You need to eat what you normally eat, and do what you normally do , and record your weight over a period of a week or two.
    Then judge your net calorie balance from that. Adjust and repeat.

    But use a trend analysing system such as the one available at 'hackers diet online' , to help you see through the statistical static of daily water fluctuation.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    hmmm when I go to fat to fit they say mine is 2775 when I go to the IF calc its says about 2824 ..so they are within 100 cals of each other...

    maybe you are doing something wrong...? I have katch macardle selected for the IF calculator...
  • EmmaKarney
    EmmaKarney Posts: 690 Member
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    Keep it simple! People managed to lose weight before the interweb you know!! :smile:

    Three are close - one appears to be an anomaly. Exclude the anomaly, pick any of the three close ones, close your eyes and use a pin will do...

    Follow that accurately for a month and see how it works out. Reassess and adjust if required at the end of a month.

    It's rocket science!
  • LaDonnaF
    LaDonnaF Posts: 53 Member
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    You are confused because the idea about eating a tiny amount to lose weight is so ingrained - it is not the case.

    If you are exercising then you cannot live on 1200 calories, frankly I don't know how anyone does WITHOUT exercising.

    These formulas will give you the range in which you SHOULD be eating to maintain. You factor in your exercise and/or factor in a 10-20% deficit for what you will eat to lose weight.

    If your TDEE is 2490 or whatever and you plan on exercising 3x a week and pushing yourself I would only subtract 10% from that and that still gives you 1900. Doing this you would NOT eat back your calories from exercise.

    Go into MFP "Goals," scroll down to the bottom "change goals," select "custom," and change the daily calories to 1900. Try to eat that with low sugar, moderate fats, and high protein and carbs.

    DO NOT freak out about eating more. I was eating a max of 1300 for a long time and was not losing weight. I was tired. I was cranky. I hated working out. I've been losing steadily for 3 months since increasing calories to 1500-1700 and I am happy, have tons of energy, and feel better than ever.

    Eat more, exercise, watch what you're eating. You should invest in a food scale... weigh everything. Cook all of your own food, pre-package it for lunch... etc.
  • aminswife
    aminswife Posts: 29 Member
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    Keep it simple! People managed to lose weight before the interweb you know!! :smile:

    Three are close - one appears to be an anomaly. Exclude the anomaly, pick any of the three close ones, close your eyes and use a pin will do...

    Follow that accurately for a month and see how it works out. Reassess and adjust if required at the end of a month.

    It's rocket science!



    Your sarcasm is wasted on me, sorry
  • aminswife
    aminswife Posts: 29 Member
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    You are confused because the idea about eating a tiny amount to lose weight is so ingrained - it is not the case.

    If you are exercising then you cannot live on 1200 calories, frankly I don't know how anyone does WITHOUT exercising.

    These formulas will give you the range in which you SHOULD be eating to maintain. You factor in your exercise and/or factor in a 10-20% deficit for what you will eat to lose weight.

    If your TDEE is 2490 or whatever and you plan on exercising 3x a week and pushing yourself I would only subtract 10% from that and that still gives you 1900. Doing this you would NOT eat back your calories from exercise.

    Go into MFP "Goals," scroll down to the bottom "change goals," select "custom," and change the daily calories to 1900. Try to eat that with low sugar, moderate fats, and high protein and carbs.

    DO NOT freak out about eating more. I was eating a max of 1300 for a long time and was not losing weight. I was tired. I was cranky. I hated working out. I've been losing steadily for 3 months since increasing calories to 1500-1700 and I am happy, have tons of energy, and feel better than ever.

    Eat more, exercise, watch what you're eating. You should invest in a food scale... weigh everything. Cook all of your own food, pre-package it for lunch... etc.

    Thank you that was very helpful
  • aminswife
    aminswife Posts: 29 Member
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    hmmm when I go to fat to fit they say mine is 2775 when I go to the IF calc its says about 2824 ..so they are within 100 cals of each other...

    maybe you are doing something wrong...? I have katch macardle selected for the IF calculator...

    Yeah the two are almost the same for me too, just drastically low under katchmcardle
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    It tells you which formula is the most accurate.

    This is what started me down this confused path....

    I used the website he recommended so here is what it told me (it calculated my bf% to be 67.3)

    I've pasted it in here...it says KatchMcArdle is more accurate but then goes on to tell me to eat between 1800 cals + (as I exercise lightly/moderately 3+ times each week

    Ok from the website he recommends using:


    Custom BMR Calculation

    Thanks for checking your BMR here on Fat 2 Fit Radio. If you're not already subscribed to Fat 2 Fit Radio, consider doing so today. Please visit the Subscribe page to get the podcast delivered automatically to your iTunes, Juice, e-mail inbox or the podcatcher of your choice for FREE.

    Entered information: 30 year old female, 65 inches tall, weighing 183 pounds, BMI of 30.4 (Obese).

    From the information that you entered, you'd like to weigh 125 lbs.

    Harris-Benedict Formula

    There are a few different methods to calculating yourbasal metabolic rate (BMR). One of the most popular, developed in the early 1900's is called the Harris-Benedict formula. Based on this formula, your current BMR is 1616 calories.

    Katch-McArdle Forumla

    The numbers above are fairly accurate, however they don't take into account your lean body mass. A more accurate formula that does take your lean body mass into account is the Katch-McArdle formula. Since many of us have scales that will tell us our current body fat, this formula may yield more accurate results. Based on the information you provided, body fat percentage of 67.3%, you have a lean body mass of 60 lbs., and your BMR is 959 calories.

    How Many Calories Should I Eat?

    Based on your goal weight, the following chart was generated. The chart shows the number of calories that you should eat on a daily basis to reach your goal weight. At Fat 2 Fit Radio we advocate eating like the thin, healthy person that you want to become. The calorie levels you see in the chart are not extreme, but they do create that all important caloric deficit that is required to get you to your goal weight in a safe manner. Once you reach your goal weight, you will continue eating the same number of calories for the rest of your life to maintain that weight. You'll never be on a diet again.

    Based on how much activity you do on an average day, the calories in the right column will be the number of calories that you will be able to eat at your goal weight. If you start eating those calories right now (eating like the thinner you), you will eventually become that thinner person. As you get closer to your goal weight, your weight loss will start to slow down. It is OK to eat a few hundred calories less per day (200-300) to speed up your weight loss at this point.


    Activity Level Daily Calories
    Sedentary (little or no exercise, desk job) 1636
    Lightly Active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk) 1874
    Moderately Active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk) 2113
    Very Active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk) 2351
    Extremely Active (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training, i.e marathon, contest etc.) 2590
    you did it wrong ...when you go to fat to fit you are supposed to enter your CURRENT weight as your GOAL weight ..this will give you your maintenance calories and you then deduct 20 to 25% from that...

    also I put your info into the IF calc and used harris benedict I and got a TDEE of 2221....and fit to fat says 2233

    so these seem pretty comparable....so if you deduct 25% from this you should be good to go...
  • tryclyn
    tryclyn Posts: 2,414 Member
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    Do you see why I'm confused? And hesitant about eating an extra 600+ calories each day than what MFP says....

    I get you must be confused but the process weeds out any individual variances.

    What is the process?

    Start at any reasonable number you like - say 1,800 for you.

    Eat that number consistently and accurately for the next 4 weeks.

    Reassess - if you have gained then lower calories if you have lost then stay the same or raise depending on what you want to achieve.

    Rinse and repeat.

    Finally don't be afraid of gaining weight in the short term (even though this may sound counter intuitive.) Be afraid of consistent weight gain in the long term. The process above will eliminate this outcome though.

    This actually works fairly well and consistency is key. The calculators just give you an idea of where to start.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    Options
    You are confused because the idea about eating a tiny amount to lose weight is so ingrained - it is not the case.

    If you are exercising then you cannot live on 1200 calories, frankly I don't know how anyone does WITHOUT exercising.

    These formulas will give you the range in which you SHOULD be eating to maintain. You factor in your exercise and/or factor in a 10-20% deficit for what you will eat to lose weight.

    If your TDEE is 2490 or whatever and you plan on exercising 3x a week and pushing yourself I would only subtract 10% from that and that still gives you 1900. Doing this you would NOT eat back your calories from exercise.

    Go into MFP "Goals," scroll down to the bottom "change goals," select "custom," and change the daily calories to 1900. Try to eat that with low sugar, moderate fats, and high protein and carbs.

    DO NOT freak out about eating more. I was eating a max of 1300 for a long time and was not losing weight. I was tired. I was cranky. I hated working out. I've been losing steadily for 3 months since increasing calories to 1500-1700 and I am happy, have tons of energy, and feel better than ever.

    Eat more, exercise, watch what you're eating. You should invest in a food scale... weigh everything. Cook all of your own food, pre-package it for lunch... etc.

    Thank you that was very helpful

    IMO a 10% deficit is for someone that has reached their goal weight and is now trying to lose body fat and keep muscle gains that they have experienced...10% deficit is not even a half pound a week...I think you would be better off in the 25 to 30% deficit for first 4-6 weeks then slide down to 20% after that ....for whatever my opinion is worth that is it...
  • aminswife
    aminswife Posts: 29 Member
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    you did it wrong ...when you go to fat to fit you are supposed to enter your CURRENT weight as your GOAL weight ..this will give you your maintenance calories and you then deduct 20 to 25% from that...

    also I put your info into the IF calc and used harris benedict I and got a TDEE of 2221....and fit to fat says 2233

    so these seem pretty comparable....so if you deduct 25% from this you should be good to go...

    On the calculator it asks to enter current weight in pounds AND goal weight in pounds...are you saying I should put the same figure in both entries? Cos that seems a bit strange to me?
  • tryclyn
    tryclyn Posts: 2,414 Member
    Options


    you did it wrong ...when you go to fat to fit you are supposed to enter your CURRENT weight as your GOAL weight ..this will give you your maintenance calories and you then deduct 20 to 25% from that...

    also I put your info into the IF calc and used harris benedict I and got a TDEE of 2221....and fit to fat says 2233

    so these seem pretty comparable....so if you deduct 25% from this you should be good to go...

    On the calculator it asks to enter current weight in pounds AND goal weight in pounds...are you saying I should put the same figure in both entries? Cos that seems a bit strange to me?

    It is actually mentioned in the Road Map to use your current weight. This gives you your maintenance for the current weight and that is what you need to subtract from. If you use your goal weight as your goal weight then you wouldn't subtract anything.

    There is a group for people that eat at their goal weight maintenance to reach their goal weight.
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/3088-eating-for-future-you
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/717858-spreadsheet-bmr-tdee-and-deficit-calcs-macros-hrm
  • divaindy
    divaindy Posts: 108 Member
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    Bump
  • kcook323
    kcook323 Posts: 43 Member
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    .
    On the calculator it asks to enter current weight in pounds AND goal weight in pounds...are you saying I should put the same figure in both entries? Cos that seems a bit strange to me?

    Yes. The idea is that that is the current calories that sustain your current weight. Whatever number you get from your activity level, you subtract 20% - 30%, this will allow you to lose weight, slowly, without throwing your body in shock. You will need to re-evaluate these numbers after you start losing (it was recommended once a month to me, but even every 10 lbs may work, I would think). You may have to play around with this percentage drop to see what works for you.
  • LaDonnaF
    LaDonnaF Posts: 53 Member
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    You are confused because the idea about eating a tiny amount to lose weight is so ingrained - it is not the case.

    If you are exercising then you cannot live on 1200 calories, frankly I don't know how anyone does WITHOUT exercising.

    These formulas will give you the range in which you SHOULD be eating to maintain. You factor in your exercise and/or factor in a 10-20% deficit for what you will eat to lose weight.

    If your TDEE is 2490 or whatever and you plan on exercising 3x a week and pushing yourself I would only subtract 10% from that and that still gives you 1900. Doing this you would NOT eat back your calories from exercise.

    Go into MFP "Goals," scroll down to the bottom "change goals," select "custom," and change the daily calories to 1900. Try to eat that with low sugar, moderate fats, and high protein and carbs.

    DO NOT freak out about eating more. I was eating a max of 1300 for a long time and was not losing weight. I was tired. I was cranky. I hated working out. I've been losing steadily for 3 months since increasing calories to 1500-1700 and I am happy, have tons of energy, and feel better than ever.

    Eat more, exercise, watch what you're eating. You should invest in a food scale... weigh everything. Cook all of your own food, pre-package it for lunch... etc.

    Thank you that was very helpful

    IMO a 10% deficit is for someone that has reached their goal weight and is now trying to lose body fat and keep muscle gains that they have experienced...10% deficit is not even a half pound a week...I think you would be better off in the 25 to 30% deficit for first 4-6 weeks then slide down to 20% after that ....for whatever my opinion is worth that is it...

    If her maintenance is 2223 as you said then 25% deficit would be 1780. I would advise you eat at that on days you aren't working out. On days you ARE working out I would say eat over that... between 1800-1900.

    I was just suggesting 10% as a start if you're exercising hard. See how you feel and if you're fine increase the deficit from there but yes, mine is just opinion as well.

    Another thing... I just went to iifym.com to find my TDEE. Put that in MFP as my daily calories and try to hit it everyday as well as my protein macro.
  • Cat_Lifts
    Cat_Lifts Posts: 174 Member
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    you did it wrong ...when you go to fat to fit you are supposed to enter your CURRENT weight as your GOAL weight ..this will give you your maintenance calories and you then deduct 20 to 25% from that...

    also I put your info into the IF calc and used harris benedict I and got a TDEE of 2221....and fit to fat says 2233

    so these seem pretty comparable....so if you deduct 25% from this you should be good to go...

    This. ^ I made the same mistake by entering to my actual goal weight before. If your weight is 200lbs, enter 200lbs as goal weight, not your real goal number. THEN, depending on your activity level, deduct that from your daily calories needed.

    Example: I'm 192, Female, 63 inches, 40.6% body fat, and lightly active when I'm NOT exercising, given my job - My TDEE is 2314. I want to eat 20% below my TDEE, so I'll subtract that. Whether you want to do 10% or 30% (30 more recommended for morbidly obese), then do so. Here's my example below.

    2314
    * .2
    ____
    462.8 (round up to 463). Follow that by subtracting, now.

    2314
    - 463
    ____
    1851 - the amount of calories I could consume at -20% of my TDEE, and still lose, all the while staying above my BMR, which was an estimate 1680 from the Harris Benedict, and 1400 something in the Katch method. Either way, I'm above both yet still under TDEE, that's all that matters.

    As far as exercise goes, I've learned to eat back occasionally 80% or all of my exercise calories, as I'm already in a calorie deficit to begin with (-463). I say 80% because I'd like to go slightly over 500+ cals in my deficit to aim to lose one pound a week. 7 x 500 = 3500 = one pound! (Sorry for all the math here, thought maybe visually it would help some.) If you need any help with it or calculating yours, PM me and I'll do my best to help. :)
  • aminswife
    aminswife Posts: 29 Member
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    It is actually mentioned in the Road Map to use your current weight. This gives you your maintenance for the current weight and that is what you need to subtract from. If you use your goal weight as your goal weight then you wouldn't subtract anything.

    There is a group for people that eat at their goal weight maintenance to reach their goal weight.
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/3088-eating-for-future-you
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/717858-spreadsheet-bmr-tdee-and-deficit-calcs-macros-hrm

    Thank you :)