Sooo.....I am really confused...... TDEE, BMR, etc....

DawnM411
DawnM411 Posts: 15 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I really started gaining when I went back to work part time almost 2 years ago. I have been using this site for about 5 weeks or so. I keep losing and gaining the same weight back - and I do know that some of it is my choices. Socially it has been very busy every weekend since the beginning of the year.

So I (recently) bought a Polar HRM because I knew my Wii wasn't giving me an accurate calorie burn. Still at a standstill. I know that to drop the 15-20 pounds it will take patience and time, and I am ok with that.

SO I wore my heart rate monitor for 24 hours starting yesterday after work - watched tv, cooked dinner, more tv, cleaned up the kitchen, went to bed, showered, got ready for work and went to my desk job. I would say that I walked in the office about average, one less trip than usual down the steps and back up because I didn't have to go to the bank. SOOOO in 24 hours I burned 2,939 calories. Even on my worst food day, I would think that I would lose weight and not see saw the same couple of pounds.

SO I figured out my BMR (1454) and I subtracted 15% (218) which gives me 1236. Should this my target calories? Here (and I have no idea HOW I set it up) it says my daily calorie goad should be 1280. So which is it???? I aim to exercise three - four times a week, I use my Wii - aerobic activity and strength with a resistance band, and in the 50 minutes I burn between 430-500 calories and am in the zone between 38-42 minutes (I switch up some of the exercises).

I am ok with counting my calories, I have a good kitchen scale and I try to choose healthier options when out (which is a lot here lately). This past weekend I was not good about logging everything and know that I went over (my hubby took a long weekend and we went out every day - lots of obligations and we went to the movies twice....) I didn't expect to loose weight this weekend :laugh: . But now things are settling down and I know I will be outside with yard work, and heavy spring cleaning is in our future.

SO next issue of confussion....to eat back the calories or not? I keep reading about starvation mode.....some days I eat back most of the calories, others I don't.

To be in my 20's again when it was so effortless to keep my weight where I wanted it!!

About me.....47 year old female, 5'8", 161 pounds, aiming to lose 15-20 pounds and over all be in better shape. I am in menopause and on HRT, so I don't know how that figures into the scheme of things.

Bottom line: how many calories? eat back calories?

Replies

  • BlueObsidian
    BlueObsidian Posts: 297 Member
    1) Heart rate monitors aren't meant to be worn at all times, so that number is probably incorrect. I'd check out some of the calculators online for a rough idea of TDEE. I like the Scooby's Workshop one:
    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    2) When you figure out what your TDEE is, you want to subtract 20% from that number, not your BMR. Your BMR is the number of calories your body would need if you were in a coma. You want to eat above your BMR.
  • DawnM411
    DawnM411 Posts: 15 Member
    On the Scooby site:

    BMR 1447
    TDEE 1737
    Daily Calories 1389

    So to lose weight I need to eat an additional 100 calories??
  • Factory_Reset
    Factory_Reset Posts: 1,651 Member
    You must eat above your BMR. You must. HRM are for working out, not for wearing 24hrs. If you want a device to calculate for 24hrs you need a body media.

    ETA: You need to subtract from your TDEE.
  • NuggetLovesEdie
    NuggetLovesEdie Posts: 477 Member
    Are you calculating your TDEE based on sedentary rates?

    If you are, that's too low for anyone who is walking up and down stairs a few times per day and doing any other kind of physical activity.

    ETA: If you are calculating 20% off your TDEE, you don't worry about "eating back" your exercise calories because they are part of your TDEE.
  • itsjustdawn
    itsjustdawn Posts: 1,073 Member
    I think you're supposed to subtract that percentage from your TDEE, not your BMR. You're supposed to be eating between your TDEE and your BMR.
  • lisa483
    lisa483 Posts: 105 Member
    subtract from your TDEE not BMR eat above your BMR
  • BlackTimber
    BlackTimber Posts: 230 Member
    Try not to consume less than your BMR. I found that picking 1 calorie amount per day was the easiest. If I were you I would start at 1600 calories and see what happens. Do your workouts to get stronger, feel good and look good. All the calculations are too far off to be of any use. You are your best calculator!
  • SuffolkSally
    SuffolkSally Posts: 964 Member
    Given those figures, if I were you I'd eat about 1550 ON AVERAGE.It doesn't matter if you're over one day and under another, in fact it may well be helpful. Weigh and log - if you have to guess (meals out etc), use entries on the database that are similar to what you've eaten. If you've set your activity level to sedentary, eat your exercise calories as well (or about 2/3rds of them if, like many people, you worry that MFP may overestimate). Try that for 4-6 weeks and review. It does get easier as you get used to it - and there's tons of advice and support on here.
  • DawnM411
    DawnM411 Posts: 15 Member
    I LIKE knowing just how many calories I can eat per day, it helps keep me focused. I redid the guided goals and now have 1410 calories which seems like a LOT of calories to me. I'm going to try that for a few weeks and see how that goes.

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