TDEE - calculation question?

alcon79 · November 2012

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.

But even with a desk job, you are most likely not sedentary. Hardly anyone would be sedentary, according to these calculators. You're most likely in the moderate category if you work out 6 days per week. I have similar stats - 5'4", currently weigh 125. For moderate activity, my TDEE is 2080 and my 10% cut was 1860 or so.

LoraF83 · November 2012

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.

But even with a desk job, you are most likely not sedentary. Hardly anyone would be sedentary, according to these calculators. You're most likely in the moderate category if you work out 6 days per week. I have similar stats - 5'4", currently weigh 125. For moderate activity, my TDEE is 2080 and my 10% cut was 1860 or so.

Agree.

I have a desk job too....but that doesn't mean I'm sedentary. I use the "moderately active" setting also, since I exercise 3-5 times a week. I also have a home to care for, a social life, a small child and husband to take care of, volunteer activities, errands to run, etc. I'm hardly sedentary just because I sit down for some of my day.

Awfreed · November 2012

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?

My BMR is 1293. I have a sedentary job, so I do sit on my butt for good portion of the day.

Awfreed · November 2012

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.

But even with a desk job, you are most likely not sedentary. Hardly anyone would be sedentary, according to these calculators. You're most likely in the moderate category if you work out 6 days per week. I have similar stats - 5'4", currently weigh 125. For moderate activity, my TDEE is 2080 and my 10% cut was 1860 or so.

Agree.

I have a desk job too....but that doesn't mean I'm sedentary. I use the "moderately active" setting also, since I exercise 3-5 times a week. I also have a home to care for, a social life, a small child and husband to take care of, volunteer activities, errands to run, etc. I'm hardly sedentary just because I sit down for some of my day.

Maybe I should use moderate - that gives me a TDEE of 2001. Less 15% gives me 1700 cal/day, although that still sounds high for someone as short as I am (5'2")?

Awfreed · November 2012

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.

This makes a lot of sense!

LoraF83 · November 2012

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.

But even with a desk job, you are most likely not sedentary. Hardly anyone would be sedentary, according to these calculators. You're most likely in the moderate category if you work out 6 days per week. I have similar stats - 5'4", currently weigh 125. For moderate activity, my TDEE is 2080 and my 10% cut was 1860 or so.

Agree.

I have a desk job too....but that doesn't mean I'm sedentary. I use the "moderately active" setting also, since I exercise 3-5 times a week. I also have a home to care for, a social life, a small child and husband to take care of, volunteer activities, errands to run, etc. I'm hardly sedentary just because I sit down for some of my day.

Maybe I should use moderate - that gives me a TDEE of 2001. Less 15% gives me 1700 cal/day, although that still sounds high for someone as short as I am (5'2")?

Well, you can do that.

My only caution would be that the people who don't have sucess with the TDEE method are the people who cheat themselves out of their true activity level. I've personally seen it several times - I run numbers for someone and they can't accept that they can actually eat "that much". So, they say, "Oh well, I'm not that active, so I'll deduct 200-300 cals from the total." And then they can't lose. And they get frustrated. And they ask over and over why they aren't losing. And I tell them over and over it's because they need to eat to their calorie goal....but they don't, and they don't lose.

Moral of the story: You probably have a higher calorie goal than you think. You're just intimidated by the number.

There's a link on my profile to the "In place of a road map" post - read it and check out some of the sites Dan references. Run your numbers a couple of different times on different sites. If they're all telling you the same thing, then it would be my suggestion to go with that calorie goal.

Iron_Duchess · November 2012

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.

But even with a desk job, you are most likely not sedentary. Hardly anyone would be sedentary, according to these calculators. You're most likely in the moderate category if you work out 6 days per week. I have similar stats - 5'4", currently weigh 125. For moderate activity, my TDEE is 2080 and my 10% cut was 1860 or so.

Agree.

I have a desk job too....but that doesn't mean I'm sedentary. I use the "moderately active" setting also, since I exercise 3-5 times a week. I also have a home to care for, a social life, a small child and husband to take care of, volunteer activities, errands to run, etc. I'm hardly sedentary just because I sit down for some of my day.

Maybe I should use moderate - that gives me a TDEE of 2001. Less 15% gives me 1700 cal/day, although that still sounds high for someone as short as I am (5'2")?

I know! It sounds crazy right? I'm 5'2" also and seat at work for about 9hrs a day, but exercise every other day. I've been trying to figure things out too and tried different calorie goals. For some reason 1650 cals is the best for me. I feel great, not hungry, and have the energy for my workouts. Why 1650? I don't eat exercise calories back because I exercise at 10:00 p.m. (Too late to be eating and then go to bed) 1650 x 7 = 11,500 (weekly calories) - 1,100 (average burn through exercise) = 10,450 (weekly calories) If I use the number that MFP gave me: 1340 x 7=9,380 + 1,100 (eating exercise calories back) = 10,480 a week. Therefore; I eat more on a daily basis and not only on exercise days. Hope this helps...

sunshinesquared · November 2012

Bump

alcon79 · November 2012

Maybe I should use moderate - that gives me a TDEE of 2001. Less 15% gives me 1700 cal/day, although that still sounds high for someone as short as I am (5'2")?

Well, you can do that.

My only caution would be that the people who don't have sucess with the TDEE method are the people who cheat themselves out of their true activity level. I've personally seen it several times - I run numbers for someone and they can't accept that they can actually eat "that much". So, they say, "Oh well, I'm not that active, so I'll deduct 200-300 cals from the total." And then they can't lose. And they get frustrated. And they ask over and over why they aren't losing. And I tell them over and over it's because they need to eat to their calorie goal....but they don't, and they don't lose.

Moral of the story: You probably have a higher calorie goal than you think. You're just intimidated by the number.

There's a link on my profile to the "In place of a road map" post - read it and check out some of the sites Dan references. Run your numbers a couple of different times on different sites. If they're all telling you the same thing, then it would be my suggestion to go with that calorie goal.

I was that person actually. I originally set my TDEE to light activity because I couldn't imagine that I needed to eat that much. Once I realized human bodies are machines and need fuel to function at their best, I upped my cals, and the last 5lbs were lost. Also remember you're eating that every single day, and not eating back exercise calories (unless you burn so that your net for the day is below your BMR), so your body is getting used to consistency.

TDEE - calculation question?

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