TDEE/BMR/ HELP!

I am trying to figure out how many calories I should be eating and I am so confused on the TDEE stuff and I could really use some help. I am a 25 year old female, 185 lbs, and 5' 8". On fitnessfrog, it says my TDEE is 2277 and my BMR is 1656. Do I take 10% of the TDEE to figure out how many calories I should eat daily? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Replies

  • leahestey
    leahestey Posts: 124 Member
    Yes, you can take 10% off your TDEE. BMR is when you are in bed all day doing nothing at all.
  • Phrick
    Phrick Posts: 2,765 Member
    Yes, exactly what leahestey said. BMR is Base Metabolic Rate, it's the amount of calories the doctors would feed you through a tube if you were in a coma in the hospital, the amount needed to keep you alive and breathing and nothing more.

    TDEE on the other hand is Total Daily Energy Expenditure, and takes into account your blinking and brushing your teeth and walking around and exercising and going to the bathroom and everything else you do in a day. It is the amount of calories you need to maintain all that.

    So if you want to lose weight you have to be eating a little less (a deficit) than your TDEE, so that you won't just maintain your current weight (which is what happens when you eat your total TDEE). So yes, you subtract your 10% deficit from your TDEE number to arrive at the amount of calories that you ought to aim for eating in a day.
  • skyblu263
    skyblu263 Posts: 91 Member
    YEP! That's right :)
    I acutally take 15% of my TDEE. But, to be honest, I still have a hard time eating enough daily. Though, I'm pretty sure I make it up during the weekends. LOL!
    If you did 15%, you would eat 1935 calories to lose weight. If you did 10%, you would eat 2049.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    I am trying to figure out how many calories I should be eating and I am so confused on the TDEE stuff and I could really use some help. I am a 25 year old female, 185 lbs, and 5' 8". On fitnessfrog, it says my TDEE is 2277 and my BMR is 1656. Do I take 10% of the TDEE to figure out how many calories I should eat daily? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

    The % you take off TDEE depends on how much weight you need to lose. People who have a lot of weight to lose can take a bigger percent than people who have less to lose.
  • soonerkt87
    soonerkt87 Posts: 39 Member
    YEP! That's right :)
    I acutally take 15% of my TDEE. But, to be honest, I still have a hard time eating enough daily. Though, I'm pretty sure I make it up during the weekends. LOL!
    If you did 15%, you would eat 1935 calories to lose weight. If you did 10%, you would eat 2049.

    dang, that's a lot. lol I could probably do it but jeez!
  • soonerkt87
    soonerkt87 Posts: 39 Member
    I am trying to figure out how many calories I should be eating and I am so confused on the TDEE stuff and I could really use some help. I am a 25 year old female, 185 lbs, and 5' 8". On fitnessfrog, it says my TDEE is 2277 and my BMR is 1656. Do I take 10% of the TDEE to figure out how many calories I should eat daily? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

    The % you take off TDEE depends on how much weight you need to lose. People who have a lot of weight to lose can take a bigger percent than people who have less to lose.

    I want to lose about 25-30 pounds...
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,430 MFP Moderator
    I am trying to figure out how many calories I should be eating and I am so confused on the TDEE stuff and I could really use some help. I am a 25 year old female, 185 lbs, and 5' 8". On fitnessfrog, it says my TDEE is 2277 and my BMR is 1656. Do I take 10% of the TDEE to figure out how many calories I should eat daily? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

    The % you take off TDEE depends on how much weight you need to lose. People who have a lot of weight to lose can take a bigger percent than people who have less to lose.

    I want to lose about 25-30 pounds...

    You would be fine with taking 20% off of TDEE.