TDEE - calculation question?

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Awfreed
Awfreed Posts: 5
in Health and Weight Loss
I have read through a bunch of the posts about whether you should decide your calorie intake by calculating TDEE, or use MFPs setting. I have also read the eat more to lose threads, but I am still confused as to what my ideal calorie goal should be. I am 5'2, 126 pounds. I lost a bunch of weight a while ago and have kept it off but now I would like to lose my last 5-10 pounds. I am small-boned (my thumb and third finger overlap when I circle my wrist). I work out 6 days/week - 2 days with strength training and I run the other 4 for an hour or so. When I calculate my TDEE as sedentary, I get 1549. When I calculate my TDEE as heavy exercise I get 2227. I wear a heart rate monitor when I run so I know that I burn about 500 calories an hour when I push it. I have no idea what I burn during strength training. Because of this, 2227 seems like it would be way too many calories for me to eat daily. MFP has me set at 1230. If I go by the TDEE numbers, what number should I use as my baseline, and what percentage should I deduct for my goal daily calorie intake?

Thanks!
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Replies

  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
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    If you are only trying to lose 5-10lbs, you would subtract 15% from your TDEE.

    And you are definitely not sedentary. Heavy exercise for sure.

    I'm 5'6", 184lbs and currently losing on 2000 cals a day (20% deficit from my TDEE of 2500). I am set to lose 1lb a week.
  • soehlerking
    soehlerking Posts: 589 Member
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    Sounds like you and I are similar--I'm 5'4" 129lbs, and I do 45-60 minutes of cardio 5 days/week plus 20 minutes of strength training 4 days/week. I have my TDEE calculations set at "moderate exercise" and I eat 1800/day to lose (with a TDEE of over 2100). If you did want to calculate your TDEE according to "sedentary," just be sure to eat back your exercise calories!
  • Awfreed
    Awfreed Posts: 5
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    Thanks for the help - I wasn't sure whether I should set it at heavy exercise and subtract a percentage, or set it at sedentary, subtract a percentage and eat back my exercise calories. I think the heavy exercise tdee number is overestimating what I burn in a week. Unfortunately, the better shape you are in the less you burn!
  • justjenny
    justjenny Posts: 529 Member
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    How does one figure out TDEE?
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
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    Thanks for the help - I wasn't sure whether I should set it at heavy exercise and subtract a percentage, or set it at sedentary, subtract a percentage and eat back my exercise calories. I think the heavy exercise tdee number is overestimating what I burn in a week. Unfortunately, the better shape you are in the less you burn!

    If you are burning about 500 cals 4 days a week from exercise alone, I hardly think it's overestimating. You also have to consider that the number accounts for all the calories you burn in your daily life....walking around, running errands, doing household chores, etc. If you are just sitting on your couch 23 hours a day, and then exercising for one hour, then maybe it is overestimating. But I doubt that's the case.

    What is your BMR?
  • soehlerking
    soehlerking Posts: 589 Member
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    How does one figure out TDEE?
    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    but I am still confused as to what my ideal calorie goal should be

    FYI... your ideal calorie goal will be the same regardless of how you calculate it. At the end of the day, you should be consuming the same amount of calories regardless of whether you base it on TDEE and not eat back cals on on MFP's suggestion and eat back what you burn.

    The goals aren't different, only how you calculate them and subsequently log/track them.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    Thanks for the help - I wasn't sure whether I should set it at heavy exercise and subtract a percentage, or set it at sedentary, subtract a percentage and eat back my exercise calories. I think the heavy exercise tdee number is overestimating what I burn in a week. Unfortunately, the better shape you are in the less you burn!

    It's personal preference. Either way, you'll have to pick one, try it for a month or 2 then evaluate your progress.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    How does one figure out TDEE?

    Lots of calculators on the web. MFP can also do it if you use the right settings.
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
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    but I am still confused as to what my ideal calorie goal should be

    FYI... your ideal calorie goal will be the same regardless of how you calculate it. At the end of the day, you should be consuming the same amount of calories regardless of whether you base it on TDEE and not eat back cals on on MFP's suggestion and eat back what you burn.

    The goals aren't different, only how you calculate them and subsequently log/track them.

    Sort of.....the only difference is that with the TDEE method, you take an approach of "averages" which means that you get a higher calorie goal on rest days. This is important for some people who can't handle the rock bottom on rest days. Myself included - the day after lifting, I want to eat ALL THE FOODS, but if that was a rest day, I wouldn't have many calories to work with. Using the TDEE method, my cals are averaged out, so I have more to work with.
  • hteapot
    hteapot Posts: 29 Member
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    Ok...I've been trying to figure this out for some time now as well. I'm 5'4 and 135 lbs. Goal is to lose 15 lbs. I just recently started working out 6 days a week and average approx. 350 cals burned a day. I have a desk job so I do sit most of the day. I found that my TDEE is 2005, so if I take 15% of that that 1704...so my question is, is 1704 supposed to be my gross cals or net cals??
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
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    Ok...I've been trying to figure this out for some time now as well. I'm 5'4 and 135 lbs. Goal is to lose 15 lbs. I just recently started working out 6 days a week and average approx. 350 cals burned a day. I have a desk job so I do sit most of the day. I found that my TDEE is 2005, so if I take 15% of that that 1704...so my question is, is 1704 supposed to be my gross cals or net cals??

    It's based on your TDEE, which includes exercise. So 1704 would be your gross total - no need to eat back exercise cals when basing your target on TDEE.
  • hteapot
    hteapot Posts: 29 Member
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    Ok...I've been trying to figure this out for some time now as well. I'm 5'4 and 135 lbs. Goal is to lose 15 lbs. I just recently started working out 6 days a week and average approx. 350 cals burned a day. I have a desk job so I do sit most of the day. I found that my TDEE is 2005, so if I take 15% of that that 1704...so my question is, is 1704 supposed to be my gross cals or net cals??

    It's based on your TDEE, which includes exercise. So 1704 would be your gross total - no need to eat back exercise cals when basing your target on TDEE.

    Thank you!
  • faceoff4
    faceoff4 Posts: 1,599 Member
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    I have been tracking my gross and net calories for a few years and this is the first time I decided to see if my TDEE was accurate or not. Based on the calculator my TDEE is 3,555 and I my goal is for a net calorie daily of 3,000 (I usually burn about 700-1000 daily with exercise) and a gross of 4,000. My normal net average the last 6 months is actually closer to 2,800-3,000 and my weight has been the same for the last few years. So be careful on this as I have come in well under my TDEE calculation and I have just maintained weight. The good news is with tracking your fitness and nutrition with MFP, you will learn pretty quickly what your net should be in order to reach your goals of losing or gaining weight.
  • Iron_Duchess
    Iron_Duchess Posts: 429 Member
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    but I am still confused as to what my ideal calorie goal should be

    FYI... your ideal calorie goal will be the same regardless of how you calculate it. At the end of the day, you should be consuming the same amount of calories regardless of whether you base it on TDEE and not eat back cals on on MFP's suggestion and eat back what you burn.

    The goals aren't different, only how you calculate them and subsequently log/track them.

    Sort of.....the only difference is that with the TDEE method, you take an approach of "averages" which means that you get a higher calorie goal on rest days. This is important for some people who can't handle the rock bottom on rest days. Myself included - the day after lifting, I want to eat ALL THE FOODS, but if that was a rest day, I wouldn't have many calories to work with. Using the TDEE method, my cals are averaged out, so I have more to work with.
    OMG!!!! This is the best explanation ever!! I've been trying to understand the whole TDEE and MFP calculations for the last three months and I just got it! Thank you!
  • Nana920
    Nana920 Posts: 51 Member
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    B
  • gimpygramma
    gimpygramma Posts: 383 Member
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    How does one figure out TDEE?
    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    How depressing. I used this calculator and my TDEE is 1230. It confirms what my body has been telling me. On a 1,200 calorie food plan my weight lost has been exercise calories divided by 3,500.

    This is why I find it annoying when I hit these "eat more to lose more" threads that trash anyone sticking to 1,200 calories and not eating back those they burn from exercise.
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
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    How does one figure out TDEE?
    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    How depressing. I used this calculator and my TDEE is 1230. It confirms what my body has been telling me. On a 1,200 calorie food plan my weight lost has been exercise calories divided by 3,500.

    This is why I find it annoying when I hit these "eat more to lose more" threads that trash anyone sticking to 1,200 calories and not eating back those they burn from exercise.

    Are you sure you did it correctly?

    Msg me your stats and I can help you check your numbers for sure. If you're walking as much as your profile says you do, 1230 is probably not correct.
  • Momma1213
    Momma1213 Posts: 56
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    Bump
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    How does one figure out TDEE?
    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    How depressing. I used this calculator and my TDEE is 1230. It confirms what my body has been telling me. On a 1,200 calorie food plan my weight lost has been exercise calories divided by 3,500.

    This is why I find it annoying when I hit these "eat more to lose more" threads that trash anyone sticking to 1,200 calories and not eating back those they burn from exercise.

    I don't think you did it right. Maybe your BMR is 1230.

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