TDEE confused

redheadedgal

Okay, I have searched the threads and I am still confused. This is all new to me, so please understand my newbie mentality of not knowing. Okay, stats:

6'3--75"
female
35 years
current weight: 338.3
Body fat % based on military body fat calculator: 59.7% for a total of 202 pounds of body fat I carrying around. It says my true goal weight is 194, but I haven't been that weight since 6th grade, and I know that just isn't me. I will be happy with 220-230.

I did the fat2fit calculators . It says that my BMR is 2313 using the harris-benedict method. I work out about at least 3 times a week, sometimes 5 or 6, but 3 is something I can live with long term, it says I should eat 2655 a day using the chart it generated. I'm confused on which method i should use, out of the two. The other method shows my BMR being 1705. That is big difference. So, I'm confused. Now, in the chart, is the TDEE 2655 and am I supposed to subtract 20% from that? If I do, that is 2124 per day, and that is below my BMR if I go with the harris-benedict method. The chart doesn't say subtract from that, but from what I have read on here, I am supposed to? And also, it says that I can eat that amount daily once I reach my goal weight???? I originally put my goal weight at 220, but it pops up a warning and says that is below my BMR, so I changed my goal weight to 250. So, as you can tell, I am confused and would really like some insight.

I am really serious on this lifestyle now and there is no turning back. I have cancelled my weight loss surgery pre-op appt and have decided 100% I don't want to go that route. I just don't see it as something I would be happy that I chose. I am a "big girl", at 6'3. So, please don't think that 220 or 250 is horrible for me. I got down to 275 and was a size 16 and thought I was HOTTTTT, then life happened, I wasn't counting calories (which I wasn't doing when I lost the first time, but that's another story) and I gained. So I know 250 would be great for me, 220 would be AWESOME!!!

Thanks in advance for your replies.

melaniecheeks

If you've already lost 22 pounds (which is great!) how did you do that?

What number does MFP calculate for you - I dont understand the bit where you say it warned you that 220 was below your BMR, your weight is different from the daily calorie requirements, surely.

It's very tempting to be seduced by all the formulae into thinking that there's One True Number which is the ONLY one that will work - there isn't. They're all just estimates to get you in the right general area. I'd suggest trying 2200- 2300, and see how that works out.

JenMc14

I think it's strange that your current BMR changes based on your goal weight with that calculator. I've never seen that before*. So, I plugged your stats into MFP's BMR calculator and got 2388. The general rule of thumb is to multiply that times 1.3-1.4 for a lightly active lifestyle. I have a desk job and work out 5-6 days a week, and I use the 1.4 when I'm calculating, usually. That would give you 3343.2 for maintenance. If you subtract 20%, you could go as high as 2600 and still lose. If that seems too high, using 1.3 as the activty modifier, you get 3104.4, subtracting 20% leaves you with 2483. I'd suggest starting around the 24-2600 range and see how you feel. Give it a month. Then gauge if you've lost, are you feeling really, really hungry, have you upped your exercise?, etc. Then you can tweak. I'd recalculate every 20-30 pounds lost since you have a lot you want to lose. It's really just one big giant science experiment to see what works for you. I'd also strongly encourage you to read this thread from bodybuilding.com. I found it incredibly helpful. http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=121703921 Good luck!

*I went back and read some there. I think they're sort of using the eat for the weight you'd like to be at method. So, they're giving you the calories for a person of your goal weight to maintain. I thnk. And, when you put in 220, the calculator realized that the calories for that weight would be too low for your current weight, if that makes sense. But, anyway, that doesn't really change my advice!

redheadedgal

I have lost the 22 pounds so far by following MFP guidelines and eating back about half of my exercise calories. I have it on the 2 pound a week weight loss and now that I am 338, I am down below 2000 and I find that I am hungry right much, so I have been eating back almost all of my exercise calories lately. The scales haven't moved much in a few weeks and its discouraging. I know, I shouldn't look that the scale regularly, but I can't help it. My body holds water like crazy with sodium. I am up 1.7 pounds since yesterday morning because I had more sodium yesterday. I just can't seem to stay off the scale!! So, being I am still hungry, and plus all the hooplah of not knowing how many exercise calories to eat back, I thought it would be easier to have a higher number and not have to worry about calories burned.

I don't know either about why it did that with entering my goal at 220, but it did. The fat2fit website tends to be pretty popular on MFP, so I thought I would use it. The whole mantra there is that you start eating at a certain calories and when you get to your goal weight, you would still be eating the same calories and with my goal being 220, that puts me below my BMR now. Again, its all confusing. I think I am going to set my calories at 2500 a day and go from there and see how it goes.
Thanks so much for your replies.

seena511

at your weight, you can probably safely eat under your BMR for a month or two. you probably will eventually stall, need to recalculate all your numbers, and eat at maintenance for about a month and then go back to TDEE - 20% (which hopefully will be higher than your BMR that time around, once you've lost some of your weight). you may gain a little weight as you go back to maintenance, because you'll basically be resetting your BMR after eating below it. but, like i said, at your weight you can probably get away with it for awhile and it won't do much damage.