TDEE for beginners
sunman00
Posts: 872 Member
I'm writing this as a TDEE guide for beginners because seemingly day after day on here new members ask about their TDEE, what it means and how to calculate it. So while this is meant to answer those questions I also offer it as a guide to everybody on here as, I hope, a useful reference.
Some basics first.
- Your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expended) is a measure of your individual body's metabolism, a measure of how many calories you burn per day going about the usual daily life you lead. And it is indeed that, it's individual, so it's worth calculating your own, I'll explain how best to do that.
- I'm assuming that as you've come to MFP you've committed to a lifestyle change, this piece, like this site, is not based on a quick fix diet, or points, or anything like that, it's based on a long term individual lifestyle that you think you can commit to and stick to.
How to begin.
- The assumed averages are that Men need to eat 2400 calories per day to maintain their weight and women need 2000. You eat more, you gain; you eat less, you lose. To lose weight it's recommended that you eat at between TDEE - 10% and TDEE - 30%. Weight Loss rates are pretty random and heavier people can afford to lose more per week than lighter people so for the purposes of this piece I'm recommending that people start with a daily calorific target of TDEE - 20%. i.e. for men that's 1920 calories and for women that's 1600.
You'll read on here that lots of women like to eat at 1200 calories per day, some lose well, some struggle, generally because they're actually under eating, so I'm recommending that all men start at 1920 calories per day and women start at 1600 per day and here's why.
- Your TDEE will be individual and based on your lifestyle. Some people run around all day, some sit around all day, some go to the gym, some walk so the notion that there is a TDEE catch all number is completely flawed.
But you have to start somewhere, and here's how I recommend you start.
- We've said that we're going to begin by eating either 1920 or 1600 calories per day. The other important factor on day 1 is that we begin our new lifestyles ON A SUSTAINABLE level. ie. it's pointless going to the gym every day for 2 weeks and then stopping; or going out for a jog 3 days running and then stopping. You must plan to incorporate some exercise into your lifestyle, and stick to it. But remember, weight loss is achieved 80% in the kitchen and 20% in the gym, so getting on top of your intake is by far the most important thing.
I'm going to insert an example here. My own sedentary lifestyle TDEE is a measly 2063 calories per day & my wife's is 2465!, We are the complete opposite of the perceived averages. We can account for that a bit by saying that she flies around all day, we have lots of stairs in our house which she's always climbing up and down with armfuls laundry under her arm etc. I THOUGHT I moved around a lot but seemingly not, SO I've incorporated visits to the gym 3 times per week and walks on every other day to burn an average of 400 calories, bringing my NEW LIFESTYLE TDEE up to the same level as my wife's, so now we can eat and drink exactly the same during the day if we want to & I won't gain weight.
- We know that if we eat at TDEE (maintenance) we won't gain weight, and eating at TDEE - 20% we'll lose a very healthy 1lb or so a week, as is recommended. But how do we work that number out?
When you begin this new lifestyle;
- Weigh yourself. People have lots of ways of approaching this, mine is very simple. When you wake up in the morning go to the bathroom, It's better if you ablute first if you can, and then weigh naked. This is your start weight.
It's very tempting, and common, to weigh daily, more than once a day etc., but it's only necessary to weigh once a week at most, and longer term only necessary bi weekly or monthly. Weigh in at the same time, and under the same conditions.
- for the next month log EVERYTHING that passes your lips. WEIGH EVERYTHING, it's the only way to to it properly. Squirts of ketchup, splashes of milk in tea, butter or margarine on bread, EVERYTHING. It's easy to do, just buy a cooking scale. Today for example, I KNOW that I just stirred 6g of salad cream into my tuna and sweetcorn to moisten it.
- After 1 month; 28 days to be exact; WEIGH in again, same time, same place, same conditions. And maybe do an average, weigh the day before and the day after too, this will give you a good enough weight.
HOPEFULLY you will have lost weight :-)
- Now, go into your food diary, add up all the 28 days of daily totals, divide that total by 28 and you will have your EXACT daily average calorie intake for the month.
- Subtract your new weight from your old weight, divide by 4, this will give you your average WEEKLY weight loss for information.
- It's accepted that a calorific deficit of 3,500 will lose you 1lb in weight; SO, now multiply your total weight loss in lb.'s by 3500 and divide that number by 28, this answer is your daily calorific deficit, ADD that number to your daily calorie intake and that number is your brand new lifestyle individual TDEE, hurrah!!
An example; Alan works out that he ate 1947 calories per day for his 28 days, he lost a healthy 4 1/4 lb. So he multiplies 4.25 x 3500 = 14875 ; he divides that by 28, = 531.25, he adds that to 1947 and establishes that his TDEE is 2478.25.
And now he is free to do anything he likes with that; he can increase his deficit to 25% of 2478.25 if he wants to lose weight at a faster rate or lower his deficit if he wants to slow down his rate of loss.
In general.
TDEE is better worked out over a period of time, it irons out the days when we eat slightly more or less and factors in our average calorie burns.
AND, it reflects our new lifestyle. Lots of people specify long term weight goals, which is great, but I prefer to set a long term lifestyle regime; if we get to a comfortable sustainable daily intake and achievable exercise regime our bodies will find their own size and shape. We're all different heights and have different metabolic rates so an identical daily intake will not produce an identical body, our weights' are relative to our own TDEE's.
A little warning. My wife is 5 feet 7" tall and weighs 126 lbs, and she eats 2,465 calories per day; you may end up there but be very careful if you're thinking of starting out by eating 1200 calories per day, it may prove to be unsustainable or unhealthy, or both!
Some basics first.
- Your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expended) is a measure of your individual body's metabolism, a measure of how many calories you burn per day going about the usual daily life you lead. And it is indeed that, it's individual, so it's worth calculating your own, I'll explain how best to do that.
- I'm assuming that as you've come to MFP you've committed to a lifestyle change, this piece, like this site, is not based on a quick fix diet, or points, or anything like that, it's based on a long term individual lifestyle that you think you can commit to and stick to.
How to begin.
- The assumed averages are that Men need to eat 2400 calories per day to maintain their weight and women need 2000. You eat more, you gain; you eat less, you lose. To lose weight it's recommended that you eat at between TDEE - 10% and TDEE - 30%. Weight Loss rates are pretty random and heavier people can afford to lose more per week than lighter people so for the purposes of this piece I'm recommending that people start with a daily calorific target of TDEE - 20%. i.e. for men that's 1920 calories and for women that's 1600.
You'll read on here that lots of women like to eat at 1200 calories per day, some lose well, some struggle, generally because they're actually under eating, so I'm recommending that all men start at 1920 calories per day and women start at 1600 per day and here's why.
- Your TDEE will be individual and based on your lifestyle. Some people run around all day, some sit around all day, some go to the gym, some walk so the notion that there is a TDEE catch all number is completely flawed.
But you have to start somewhere, and here's how I recommend you start.
- We've said that we're going to begin by eating either 1920 or 1600 calories per day. The other important factor on day 1 is that we begin our new lifestyles ON A SUSTAINABLE level. ie. it's pointless going to the gym every day for 2 weeks and then stopping; or going out for a jog 3 days running and then stopping. You must plan to incorporate some exercise into your lifestyle, and stick to it. But remember, weight loss is achieved 80% in the kitchen and 20% in the gym, so getting on top of your intake is by far the most important thing.
I'm going to insert an example here. My own sedentary lifestyle TDEE is a measly 2063 calories per day & my wife's is 2465!, We are the complete opposite of the perceived averages. We can account for that a bit by saying that she flies around all day, we have lots of stairs in our house which she's always climbing up and down with armfuls laundry under her arm etc. I THOUGHT I moved around a lot but seemingly not, SO I've incorporated visits to the gym 3 times per week and walks on every other day to burn an average of 400 calories, bringing my NEW LIFESTYLE TDEE up to the same level as my wife's, so now we can eat and drink exactly the same during the day if we want to & I won't gain weight.
- We know that if we eat at TDEE (maintenance) we won't gain weight, and eating at TDEE - 20% we'll lose a very healthy 1lb or so a week, as is recommended. But how do we work that number out?
When you begin this new lifestyle;
- Weigh yourself. People have lots of ways of approaching this, mine is very simple. When you wake up in the morning go to the bathroom, It's better if you ablute first if you can, and then weigh naked. This is your start weight.
It's very tempting, and common, to weigh daily, more than once a day etc., but it's only necessary to weigh once a week at most, and longer term only necessary bi weekly or monthly. Weigh in at the same time, and under the same conditions.
- for the next month log EVERYTHING that passes your lips. WEIGH EVERYTHING, it's the only way to to it properly. Squirts of ketchup, splashes of milk in tea, butter or margarine on bread, EVERYTHING. It's easy to do, just buy a cooking scale. Today for example, I KNOW that I just stirred 6g of salad cream into my tuna and sweetcorn to moisten it.
- After 1 month; 28 days to be exact; WEIGH in again, same time, same place, same conditions. And maybe do an average, weigh the day before and the day after too, this will give you a good enough weight.
HOPEFULLY you will have lost weight :-)
- Now, go into your food diary, add up all the 28 days of daily totals, divide that total by 28 and you will have your EXACT daily average calorie intake for the month.
- Subtract your new weight from your old weight, divide by 4, this will give you your average WEEKLY weight loss for information.
- It's accepted that a calorific deficit of 3,500 will lose you 1lb in weight; SO, now multiply your total weight loss in lb.'s by 3500 and divide that number by 28, this answer is your daily calorific deficit, ADD that number to your daily calorie intake and that number is your brand new lifestyle individual TDEE, hurrah!!
An example; Alan works out that he ate 1947 calories per day for his 28 days, he lost a healthy 4 1/4 lb. So he multiplies 4.25 x 3500 = 14875 ; he divides that by 28, = 531.25, he adds that to 1947 and establishes that his TDEE is 2478.25.
And now he is free to do anything he likes with that; he can increase his deficit to 25% of 2478.25 if he wants to lose weight at a faster rate or lower his deficit if he wants to slow down his rate of loss.
In general.
TDEE is better worked out over a period of time, it irons out the days when we eat slightly more or less and factors in our average calorie burns.
AND, it reflects our new lifestyle. Lots of people specify long term weight goals, which is great, but I prefer to set a long term lifestyle regime; if we get to a comfortable sustainable daily intake and achievable exercise regime our bodies will find their own size and shape. We're all different heights and have different metabolic rates so an identical daily intake will not produce an identical body, our weights' are relative to our own TDEE's.
A little warning. My wife is 5 feet 7" tall and weighs 126 lbs, and she eats 2,465 calories per day; you may end up there but be very careful if you're thinking of starting out by eating 1200 calories per day, it may prove to be unsustainable or unhealthy, or both!
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Replies
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Many thinks for repeating this post.
This should be required reading for all newbies
Have a great day!0 -
bumping for later!0
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One major caveat though: At 5'3" with a very tiny frame, my BMR is less than 1200 and my TDEE is less than 1500, so be aware that the OP mentions an "ASSUMED" TDEE for men and women! It's better to actually use the online calculators to determine what is semi-close to accurate for you. If I started at 1600, I would have gained weight fairly quickly and become so frustrated I would have given up right away.
For the average individual, the OP has a good basis to start. For some, however, it simply won't work.0 -
Also keep in mind that there are a lot of variables involved in estimating metabolsim and no method or formula is going to be both accurate and practicle. So, just remember that the above formula is great but not prefect and yo will still likely have to make adjustments over time.0
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Lots of great information here!!!0
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One major caveat though: At 5'3" with a very tiny frame, my BMR is less than 1200 and my TDEE is less than 1500, so be aware that the OP mentions an "ASSUMED" TDEE for men and women! It's better to actually use the online calculators to determine what is semi-close to accurate for you. If I started at 1600, I would have gained weight fairly quickly and become so frustrated I would have given up right away.
For the average individual, the OP has a good basis to start. For some, however, it simply won't work.
I've assumed that folk have joined MFP to lose weight & therefore have been over eating more than average TDEE; I stressed this is a basis to start, if women start at 1600 it will lose weight for most, do nothing for few & increase for very few so will do no harm. I'd much rather recommend folk start at 1600 than 1200, if after a month it proves their TDEE is lower they can adjust accordingly :-)0 -
thank you.0
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bump0
This discussion has been closed.
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