TDEE?

fitnwhole
fitnwhole Posts: 227
in Health and Weight Loss
I don't fully understand the concept of TDEE. I wrote a post asking which calorie intake is better 1200 vs 1500. Some MFPers are using TDEE to get their calorie intake. As I mentioned in my previous post I want to lose the weight slowly and PERMANENTLY :) So if I can eat more...great! What's scary is that I think I might have damaged my metabolism with so many diets and fads. Hey you live and learn, right? So now I'm in no rush I just want to do it right. Can some of you wonderful MFPers help me? BTW I'm searching for this TDEE calculator online. Will keep you all posted.

Replies

  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,261 Member
    TDEE is your Total Daily Energy Expenditure. Basically it includes everything you do during a normal day right up until your head hits the pillow. 20% is generally a good deficit to shoot for, unless someone is obese, then a higher % can be used.....body fat doesn't need to be nutritionally fed.
  • foleyshirley
    foleyshirley Posts: 1,043 Member
    I used the fat2fit radio one, but there are others.
  • fitnwhole
    fitnwhole Posts: 227
    This can't be right my TDEE is 2718 and if I subtract 25% to lose weight that's about 600 calories. So I'm suppose to eat 2000 calories and lose weight...Something sounds fishy!:noway:
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,261 Member
    This can't be right my TDEE is 2718 and if I subtract 25% to lose weight that's about 600 calories. So I'm suppose to eat 2000 calories and lose weight...Something sounds fishy!:noway:
    Track your calories for the next 2 or 3 weeks, and that would mean weighing food as well and record the calories where your weight is fairly stable, then get an average.....that is your TDEE.
  • pastryari
    pastryari Posts: 8,646 Member
    This can't be right my TDEE is 2718 and if I subtract 25% to lose weight that's about 600 calories. So I'm suppose to eat 2000 calories and lose weight...Something sounds fishy!:noway:

    It's entirely possible. A common misconception among weight loss is that you have to starve to lose weight. This is not true.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    I pasted this in your other thread as well:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

    Here's another thread on TDEE
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/510406-tdee-is-everything
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    This can't be right my TDEE is 2718 and if I subtract 25% to lose weight that's about 600 calories. So I'm suppose to eat 2000 calories and lose weight...Something sounds fishy!:noway:

    What sounds fishy about it?
  • myownadvice
    myownadvice Posts: 95 Member
    I know not everyone on here agrees with the concept but you certainly can eat more to weigh less. I recommend this group for more information:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/3817-eat-more-to-weigh-less
  • babyblake11
    babyblake11 Posts: 1,107 Member
    if i ate 2000cal day i would lose. just do it! also make surw to include weight training into your exercise regime
  • ChitownFoodie
    ChitownFoodie Posts: 1,562 Member
    It sounds right. My TDEE is about 2300 a day. If I ate 2000, I'd lose about a half pound a week. I'm only 105ish pounds and 5'.
  • fitnwhole
    fitnwhole Posts: 227
    I pasted this in your other thread as well:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

    Here's another thread on TDEE
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/510406-tdee-is-everything

    Thanks! I just started reading through them.
  • fitnwhole
    fitnwhole Posts: 227
    This can't be right my TDEE is 2718 and if I subtract 25% to lose weight that's about 600 calories. So I'm suppose to eat 2000 calories and lose weight...Something sounds fishy!:noway:

    What sounds fishy about it?

    I guess the fact that I barely lose weight staying between 1200-1500. Also when I eat normally which is around that amount (2000k) I usually maintain. Maybe "fishy" was the wrong word...more like scary.
  • Maggies90
    Maggies90 Posts: 27 Member
    bump looks helpful!
  • rwhawkes
    rwhawkes Posts: 117 Member
    If you're comfortable with a spreadsheet, and you have been faithfully logging your food, exercise and weight loss, then you can take a good shot at what your TDEE has been for as long as you've been logging.

    I put in about 3 months' data and determined that my TDEE is around 2300 calories.

    If you use excel, and PM me, I could send you mine and try to explain how it all works.
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    This can't be right my TDEE is 2718 and if I subtract 25% to lose weight that's about 600 calories. So I'm suppose to eat 2000 calories and lose weight...Something sounds fishy!:noway:

    What sounds fishy about it?

    I guess the fact that I barely lose weight staying between 1200-1500. Also when I eat normally which is around that amount (2000k) I usually maintain. Maybe "fishy" was the wrong word...more like scary.

    Maybe try around 1800 then. Don't be afraid. Once you understand, like really understand, how many calories your body is really burning a day, then you will hold the key to controlling your weight.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    If you want, check out this link by MFPer Heliotsdan - http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    It'll give you a detailed walkthrough (with pictures even) on finding your TDEE and calculating what you should be eating. Feel free to post in that thread too because the peeps that check it will be glad to help you too.

    Also, if you are worried about the calorie intake, I also suggest you read this thread that has numerous people who met their goals and are maintaining. Some for years and they also provide their calorie intake and how often they work out.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/816542-let-s-hear-it-for-maintainenance
  • SonyaCele
    SonyaCele Posts: 2,841 Member
    maybe you are calculating your TDEE incorrectly. I average 2700 to 2800 TDEE a day, but i have to do 2.5 hours of cardio to get that. I have the BMF that measures it, so i know its very accurate. If you are measuring calories burned with charts of the machines, they are always inaccurate.
  • SenshiV
    SenshiV Posts: 131 Member
    Read this:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
  • fitnwhole
    fitnwhole Posts: 227
    If you're comfortable with a spreadsheet, and you have been faithfully logging your food, exercise and weight loss, then you can take a good shot at what your TDEE has been for as long as you've been logging.

    I put in about 3 months' data and determined that my TDEE is around 2300 calories.

    If you use excel, and PM me, I could send you mine and try to explain how it all works.

    Thanks so much for the offer. Will do. I will probably have to wait a few months for the data I just started back up with MFP.
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    Using my motoactv, a 2700 calorie burn day I would have been reasonably active through the day - cycling, dog walking etc.

    In the end, what matters is your recorded calories in vs your weight loss over time.

    If you eat 2000 calories a day consistently and stay the same weight over time, that suggests that your average TDEE is 2000 calories.

    Using the motoactv which connects to a HRM for more strenuous exercise, my TDEE comes in a good bit under what a lot of things might calculate it as. As mentioned, as I've both lost weight (less bulk to carry around) and got fitter (so more efficient generally I presume), I've found myself burning less calories.

    Although I had a bit of bad patch and seperately haven't been using the motoactv for other reasons much recently, after hitting goal weight I went for the spreadsheet approach to track calories in from here and calories burnt from the motoactv. Makes it easier to look at the figures over time to see what, say, a -500 calorie deficit means.

    As for keeping it off, I'd suggest it's not really about how quickly you get it off, but your plan for when you get to your target.
    If you can keep eating at your 'losing weight' calorie limit, then that's great and adding an extra 250/500 a day is fine.
    However, if you then start going a bit crazy because you've hit the goal, you're still going to put weight on even if you lost it slowly.
    Of course, you do want to slowly bring yourself back up.
  • fitnwhole
    fitnwhole Posts: 227
    I just really want to say THANKS to all of you! I love the support and advice. It is truly appreciated:heart:
  • SoFLpeg
    SoFLpeg Posts: 15 Member
    Based on a combo of Fitbit and my HRM, calculated over the 6 months I have been using MFP (I used WW before that), I average a TDEE of 2,200 calories a day and routinely eat around 1700-1800 calories. I'm averaging about a half pound a week loss now that I am close to my goal weight. Overall I have averaged just under a pound a week.

    When I first moved up from the 1200 MFP assigned I gained and maintained a few weeks, then started losing again.

    What is critical to learn is just how active you really are each day and what really is your TDEE. Calculators based on averages might not fit you and many people overestimate how many calories they are burning during exercise. I tracked activity and calorie burn for 3-4 months before I really felt comfortable that it was accurate.

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