Is TDEE my maintenance calories?

glitterjam
glitterjam Posts: 145 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I plugged in my numbers to get my TDEE for when I reach my goal weight of 148 lbs. My TDEE came up at 1692. Will this be what I go by to maintain my GW?

Replies

  • RoadsterGirlie
    RoadsterGirlie Posts: 1,195 Member
    That's how I understand it. That said, 1600 calories seems low for your TDEE, even if you don't exercise.

    I exercise 5x a week for an hour with cardio and weight training, and my TDEE is around 2300. I'm 5'9" and 126ish. How tall are you?
  • glitterjam
    glitterjam Posts: 145 Member
    I agree it seemed low. I was hoping for around the 2,000 area. I am 5'6" with a goal weight of 148. And I plugged in sedentary activity level.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    I agree it seemed low. I was hoping for around the 2,000 area. I am 5'6" with a goal weight of 148. And I plugged in sedentary activity level.

    Goal weight does not effect TDEE. Current weight does. I would suggest checking multiple calculators and taking an average.

    Keep in mind you are calculating an estimation of your TDEE. It is very likely to be wrong. Your hope is that it will be reasonably close.
  • foleyshirley
    foleyshirley Posts: 1,043 Member
    I agree it seemed low. I was hoping for around the 2,000 area. I am 5'6" with a goal weight of 148. And I plugged in sedentary activity level.

    This is probably your problem. Very few are actually sedentary. Do you work out at all? What type of job do you have?
  • foleyshirley
    foleyshirley Posts: 1,043 Member
    Side steel is right. Even when you get a realistic number, it will just be an estimate. You try it out for a few weeks and see how it works. I am not there yet, but I hear it can take time to get it right.
  • RoadsterGirlie
    RoadsterGirlie Posts: 1,195 Member
    Yeah it took me six months to find out what my TDEE was once I hit maintenance. As a result, I ended up 10 lbs past my original goal weight, because I still wasn't eating enough, even after adding in more calories.
  • katevarner
    katevarner Posts: 884 Member
    I had a similar problem to Roadster--I had a pretty good idea about my TDEE because I have a BodyMedia Fit Link, but I had a hard time convincing myself I could actually eat as much as it said I could, so lost 5 lbs. more than I was trying to lose. I'm happy at 110, tho, so I'm staying here for now.
  • RoadsterGirlie
    RoadsterGirlie Posts: 1,195 Member
    Same here - I am not complaining AT ALL about those extra 10 pound that are gone.

    I see them as a bonus!
  • peterdt
    peterdt Posts: 820 Member
    I plugged in my numbers to get my TDEE for when I reach my goal weight of 148 lbs. My TDEE came up at 1692. Will this be what I go by to maintain my GW?

    you should try ou this spreadsheet I made. Below is a link to my blog, and at the bottom is a spreadsheet link to where you can enter your raw data from all you logging on MFP. You can get a really good idea what you TDEE is from that.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/peterdt/view/insights-of-net-calorie-loss-spreadsheet-450582
  • natalie412
    natalie412 Posts: 1,039 Member
    I am close to your height (5' 5.5"), and I went on maintenance at 135, and my TDEE at maintenance was calculated at 1620 for sedentary- I did end out losing about 7 more pounds (I fluctuate between 128 - 131) before leveling out. I do still log, and eat back all my exercise calories, so I end up eating closer to 2000 on average. Been maintaining since May. I run ab 25 miles per week, and do some kettlebell workouts and calisthenics.
  • glitterjam
    glitterjam Posts: 145 Member
    Wow! Thank you to all for posting. I really appreciate all the input. It sounds like I may be able to be closer to the 2,000 range than I thought.
    I do minimal exercise, I walk < 1 mile per day while at work. I have incorporated 20 minutes circuit training videos to my daily activity though. So this will buy me a few more calories.
    I would like to do the Turbo Fire pack as I get closer to my GW.
    Again, thank you ALL for posting.
    Cheers!
  • glitterjam
    glitterjam Posts: 145 Member
    I plugged in my numbers to get my TDEE for when I reach my goal weight of 148 lbs. My TDEE came up at 1692. Will this be what I go by to maintain my GW?

    you should try ou this spreadsheet I made. Below is a link to my blog, and at the bottom is a spreadsheet link to where you can enter your raw data from all you logging on MFP. You can get a really good idea what you TDEE is from that.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/peterdt/view/insights-of-net-calorie-loss-spreadsheet-450582

    I checked out your blog and spreadsheet. I think I will do the tracking on this. I really want it to be accurate!
  • peterdt
    peterdt Posts: 820 Member
    I plugged in my numbers to get my TDEE for when I reach my goal weight of 148 lbs. My TDEE came up at 1692. Will this be what I go by to maintain my GW?

    you should try ou this spreadsheet I made. Below is a link to my blog, and at the bottom is a spreadsheet link to where you can enter your raw data from all you logging on MFP. You can get a really good idea what you TDEE is from that.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/peterdt/view/insights-of-net-calorie-loss-spreadsheet-450582

    I checked out your blog and spreadsheet. I think I will do the tracking on this. I really want it to be accurate!

    feel free to friend me if you like. you have a lot of old data. if you logged your exercise and calories correctly you can get some insight from it I think. just go "back" in your diary to find your old totals and enter them.

    would love to hear the results for you. for some people it is quite accurate. others not so much. but i'd say 90% report that they are using it.
  • seansquared
    seansquared Posts: 328 Member
    A TDEE of 1692 equates to a person who weighs 148lbs, has ~28.5% bodyfat, and works a desk job (i.e. what that 1.2 / "sedentary" actually means).

    While this is entirely possible, being 150lbs and nearly 30% bodyfat would, frankly, look pretty fat / soft / pudgy / whatever you want to call it.

    Far more likely that you will drop bodyfat as you lose weight, and so you may be more like 150lbs and 20% bodyfat, which would result in a TDEE of ~1860.



    If you know your weight and bodyfat%, I can calculate your TDEE and offer some caloric intake targets with macro breakdowns.


    Oh and, since I say it every time I see the word used in regards to weight loss, "height" has absolutely nothing to do with ANYTHING.
  • RoadsterGirlie
    RoadsterGirlie Posts: 1,195 Member
    So my question is this - even as you lose weight, as you add more lean muscle and drop body fat, that can increase your TDEE?

    So for example, will somebody who weighs 150 lbs with a lower amount of lean muscle have a lower TDEE than somebody who weighs 125 lbs, but with a higher amount of lean muscle?

    I eat 2000 calories a day on average, and am able to maintain a pretty low BMI on this amount. I found it really surprising, to be honest when I first hit maintenance.

    I do a lot of strength training, so maybe that explains it?
  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
    I agree it seemed low. I was hoping for around the 2,000 area. I am 5'6" with a goal weight of 148. And I plugged in sedentary activity level.

    My TDEE to maintin at my goal weight of 120 is 1750 - 1940 depending upon my activity level (light to moderate). This will be what I eat to maintain once I get there. I am 5'2" tall. You want more food? Get more active - even walking for 30 minutes a day will add calories for you (take you to lightly active instead of sedentary).
  • seansquared
    seansquared Posts: 328 Member
    So my question is this - even as you lose weight, as you add more lean muscle and drop body fat, that can increase your TDEE?

    So for example, will somebody who weighs 150 lbs with a lower amount of lean muscle have a lower TDEE than somebody who weighs 125 lbs, but with a higher amount of lean muscle?

    I eat 2000 calories a day on average, and am able to maintain a pretty low BMI on this amount. I found it really surprising, to be honest when I first hit maintenance.

    I do a lot of strength training, so maybe that explains it?


    Yes, because TDEE is a function of lean body mass.
  • RoadsterGirlie
    RoadsterGirlie Posts: 1,195 Member
    Well good deal then! :)
  • Going4Lean
    Going4Lean Posts: 1,078 Member
    bump

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