Trying to figure this TDEE thing out. Help please !

DaivaSimone
DaivaSimone Posts: 657 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Ok ! So I carefully read a lot of those posts about TDEE + deficit VS eating back exercise cals and I think that I would give TDEE a try.

Here are the numbers that I have calculated (please, tell me if I got something wrong).

Considering my height (5'4), my weight (263 right now) and my age (28), my BMR is supposed to be around 1950 calories.

I am currently working out between 3 and 6 days a week, but a fair average would be 4 times. This puts me between lightly and moderatly active.

So, BMR x 1.375 = 2703 and BMR x 1.55 = 3047.

As I want to lose about 1.5 pounds a week, I estimate that I should eat between 2000 and 2300 calories per day (which is a lot !?!). Am I still right with all the maths ?

But, when I enter this into MFP, they tell me that I will have a daily deficit of only 414, which leeds to a 0.8 pound loss each week.

I'm really not sure about that. Is there something wrong with my numbers ?

Thanks all for your help.

Replies

  • katevarner
    katevarner Posts: 884 Member
    Think that's about right. To lose 1.5 lbs per week, need to eat about 750 less than TDEE. Have to decide how you want to count your workouts. If you use the 3047 (moderate), I wouldn't try to eat back the exercise calories. Try to eat about 2300 calories on the days you exercise. Might want to consider eating less on days you don't, but if you are closer to 6 days of exercise, then might be ok. Or might want to start closer to 2000 and see if that's enough food and how much you actually lose eating that. If you are starving, add some calories in. If your BMR is really 1950 then you need that much to meet your nutritional goals. So 2000-2300 is pretty low.

    Oh, and I don't understand about entering in MFP and only 414 deficit. Which number are you entering where? I have found it's easier to customize my goals.

    Hope this helps.
  • Sahara0815
    Sahara0815 Posts: 55
    I also customize my goals. If I went with MFP, I wouldn't be going anywhere! The math looks right to me but I think at that rate, your progress would be slow. When I burn off calories, I generally don't add them back on in consumption ... once in a blue moon ... I just try to stick to my normally-allotted calorie count. I'm no expert, this is just what works for me.
  • lisamarie2181
    lisamarie2181 Posts: 560 Member
    You are not supposed to eat back your cals when you use this method, they are already included, mfp doesnt include them. Your TDEE is pretty much an average for the week. I was told to eat tye same amount of cals everyday, you dont have to up them workout days because the days you dont workout help compensate.

    Hope this helps :)
  • DaivaSimone
    DaivaSimone Posts: 657 Member
    Think that's about right. To lose 1.5 lbs per week, need to eat about 750 less than TDEE. Have to decide how you want to count your workouts. If you use the 3047 (moderate), I wouldn't try to eat back the exercise calories. Try to eat about 2300 calories on the days you exercise. Might want to consider eating less on days you don't, but if you are closer to 6 days of exercise, then might be ok. Or might want to start closer to 2000 and see if that's enough food and how much you actually lose eating that. If you are starving, add some calories in. If your BMR is really 1950 then you need that much to meet your nutritional goals. So 2000-2300 is pretty low.

    Oh, and I don't understand about entering in MFP and only 414 deficit. Which number are you entering where? I have found it's easier to customize my goals.

    Hope this helps.

    Basically, when I entered my new calorie goal in my Custom Goals, MFP was caculating that my projected loss will be 0.8 pound by week because my new calorie goal only create a deficit of 414 cals each day. But I understand now that it is calculated on my BMR and not on my TDEE (maybe I was tired yesterday evening, it's pretty clear this morning).

    What I think I will do now is to fix my TDEE as "lightly active" and eat about 200 cals a day, and if I workout 5 or 6 times in a week, then maybe eat 2300 on one or two days to balance it.

    What do you think about that ?
  • DaivaSimone
    DaivaSimone Posts: 657 Member
    You are not supposed to eat back your cals when you use this method, they are already included, mfp doesnt include them. Your TDEE is pretty much an average for the week. I was told to eat tye same amount of cals everyday, you dont have to up them workout days because the days you dont workout help compensate.

    Hope this helps :)

    Yeah, I understand that now. And this is why I wanted to try to fix my calorie goal with my TDEE, I have an hard time to eat back even a third of my exercise cals on week days, so it will be easier for me to have always the same goal to reach. Thanks for your input !
  • DaivaSimone
    DaivaSimone Posts: 657 Member
    I also customize my goals. If I went with MFP, I wouldn't be going anywhere! The math looks right to me but I think at that rate, your progress would be slow. When I burn off calories, I generally don't add them back on in consumption ... once in a blue moon ... I just try to stick to my normally-allotted calorie count. I'm no expert, this is just what works for me.

    No, I don't want to eat back my exercise calories because usually, after a big work out, I'm just not hungry enough to eat all those cals ! So I'll just go with my TDEE + deficit goal.

    Thanks for your answer. :)
  • lisamarie2181
    lisamarie2181 Posts: 560 Member
    Think that's about right. To lose 1.5 lbs per week, need to eat about 750 less than TDEE. Have to decide how you want to count your workouts. If you use the 3047 (moderate), I wouldn't try to eat back the exercise calories. Try to eat about 2300 calories on the days you exercise. Might want to consider eating less on days you don't, but if you are closer to 6 days of exercise, then might be ok. Or might want to start closer to 2000 and see if that's enough food and how much you actually lose eating that. If you are starving, add some calories in. If your BMR is really 1950 then you need that much to meet your nutritional goals. So 2000-2300 is pretty low.

    Oh, and I don't understand about entering in MFP and only 414 deficit. Which number are you entering where? I have found it's easier to customize my goals.

    Hope this helps.

    Basically, when I entered my new calorie goal in my Custom Goals, MFP was caculating that my projected loss will be 0.8 pound by week because my new calorie goal only create a deficit of 414 cals each day. But I understand now that it is calculated on my BMR and not on my TDEE (maybe I was tired yesterday evening, it's pretty clear this morning).

    What I think I will do now is to fix my TDEE as "lightly active" and eat about 200 cals a day, and if I workout 5 or 6 times in a week, then maybe eat 2300 on one or two days to balance it.

    What do you think about that ?

    Don't pay attention to what MFP says your loss will be. because MFP doesn't included exercise, that is why it says that. Set your workout goal to 0.

    You will have a decent deficit because you are eating 20% below TDEE
  • DaivaSimone
    DaivaSimone Posts: 657 Member
    Thanks !! I will change my work out goal.

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