BMR/TDEE Help for a Newbie...

niekkosgirl

Hey there,
I want to make sure I'm on the right track with the BMR/TDEE stuff. That really makes a lot of sense to me. I've been using Weight Watchers for the last year, and I've lost about 20ish pounds. I feel good about that, but I want to focus on building muscle and toning while I continue to lose the last 20-30. I used Dan's post about BMR/TDEE to come up with my calculations, but I guess I'm still trying to get my head around the increase in calories I'd be eating, lol.

CW= 157
GW= 125 (maybe more if I look good, since muscle weighs more than fat )
BMR= 1470
TDEE= 2021 (lightly active)
minus 20% to lose more than 20 pounds-> TDEE=1616

So, my questions...
Wondering if I need to stabalize at the maintenance TDEE of 2021 for a few weeks to reset my clock, so to speak, or do you think it would be ok to jump right in at the 1616 TDEE?
How do exercise calories fit into this? If they put me under that 1616 do I eat them back?

Just wanna do this right...

Thanks for any advice.

Ritzbrit

Eat 1616, don't eat back any exercise calories UNLESS you burn more than 404 (your TDEE of 2021 - .20% = 404) ,then you can eat those back. Exercise is accounted for in figuring out your TDEE.

Debbiedebbiey

How tall are you ? Our stats are similar.

EvanKeel

There was one slight thing that confused me as I was reading. Your TDEE is your TDEE. It isn't variable by choice. If your calorie goal is 1616, try that for a month and see how it goes. I'd suggest eating at least half of your exercise calories back if you track those separately. If your exercise is figured into that "lightly active" setting, then don't eat them back; you'd be double counting them.

niekkosgirl

I'm 5'2. Thanks everyone for the help!

niekkosgirl

As for the exercise thing, I guess I was wondering, if I end up exercising more than the 1-3 times a week, do I eat those back? I haven't been able to do more than that for the last three weeks (since I started looking at MFP) and I am hoping to ramp that up.

cmriverside

Hey there,
I want to make sure I'm on the right track with the BMR/TDEE stuff. I want to focus on building muscle and toning while I continue to lose the last 20-30. I used Dan's post about BMR/TDEE to come up with my calculations, but I guess I'm still trying to get my head around the increase in calories I'd be eating, lol.

CW= 157
GW= 125 (maybe more if I look good, since muscle weighs more than fat )
BMR= 1470
TDEE= 2021 (lightly active)
minus 20% to lose more than 20 pounds-> TDEE=1616

So, my questions...
Wondering if I need to stabalize at the maintenance TDEE of 2021 for a few weeks to reset my clock, so to speak, or do you think it would be ok to jump right in at the 1616 TDEE?
How do exercise calories fit into this? If they put me under that 1616 do I eat them back?

As for the exercise thing, I guess I was wondering, if I end up exercising more than the 1-3 times a week, do I eat those back? I haven't been able to do more than that for the last three weeks (since I started looking at MFP) and I am hoping to ramp that up.

MFP's way of figuring calorie goals and every-other-calculator-almost out there are different.

Apparently you figured your calorie goals on some other site, which is fine.

So, eat between your BMR and your TDEE.

If you want to use 1616 as a daily goal, do NOT eat more on exercise days. Just eat that 1616 every day, on exercise days or non-exercise days.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MFP has different measurements/calculations. They let you add back in exercise on the days you do it....so..MFP will set you a little lower in general and expect you to add-in exercise and then eat more on those days only.

Two different calculations. Pick one and stick to it.

niekkosgirl

Thanks for the clarification. Coming from Weight Watchers, it is taking some getting used to in regards to eating more calories, but I like being able to go more whole foods vs. processed.

1ConcreteGirl

Depending on how much you were eating before (esp. if you were a 1200er or 1300er), you will want to increase your cals by 100 per week, slowly raising them till you get to your 1600, otherwise you will probably gain a little weight before you start losing again. You may also feel like you are overeating, when in fact your hormones just need time to regulate more slowly.