Confused - BMR/TDEE/CALS

Pottermouse
Pottermouse Posts: 15 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all

I'm getting really confused with the more I read :frown:

I'm a female, currently weighing 164lbs, 5' 7". I walk very briskly 5 days a week earning on average 300cals per session.

MFP suggests 1300 calories a day.

Last week I lost 2lbs but I don't think I'm eating enough calories to sustain weight loss.

I've worked my BMR to be 1432, TDEE to be 2286, so TDEE -20% = 1830

Does anyone have any suggestions to how many calories I should be consuming for a 1-2lb weekly weight loss based on the above? Do I also need to eat my calories back when I exercise?

Thank you so much :smile:

Replies

  • turtlefitnessdad
    turtlefitnessdad Posts: 585 Member
    if you are eating at TDEE-20% you do not need to eat back your excercise calories. (unless you are really burning a very high amount of calories)

    Based solely on the numbers you put in your post, eat about 1800 calories a day and workout. That would do it.
  • Pottermouse
    Pottermouse Posts: 15 Member
    Thanks, I did feel that 1300 cals was a bit low.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    The 1300 calories MFP suggests assumes you will eat your exercise calories back, so for 5 days a week (the days you exercise) you would be eating 1600 calories and 1300 on the other two days.

    If you follow TDEE, you would be eating 1830 calories per day, every day. A little higher than 1600, but really not a huge huge difference. With TDEE, you don't eat back the exercise calories.

    All of these numbers are estimates. PIck one, I would always suggest the higher one. Give it a try for a couple of weeks, not just one or two and see how it goes. Adjust from there.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    If your TDEE is 2,286 then TDEE - 20% is a little less than 1 Lb per week. One Lb per week (on average, not linear) would be 2,286 - 500 = 1,786. 2 Lbs per week would be right around the 1,300 MFP gave you (1,000 calorie per day deficit to lose 2 Lbs per week).

    Given your BMR, it would appear that 2 Lbs per week is too aggressive of a goal. The less you have to lose, the slower it has to be to keep your calorie intake above your BMR. The fastest you could safely go right now would be 1.5 Lbs per week...around 1,536 calories (using the TDEE method). What does MFP give you for a goal if you do 1 Lb per week or 1.5 Lb per week? If it's above your BMR, you're good to go with that too and just eat your exercise calories back. It's all 6 of 1 really, it's just that people don't understand that you can be too aggressive and MFP doesn't tell you that either.

    Remember that if you utilize the TDEE method, exercise is included in the calculation..so you don't need to log and shouldn't eat back (unless you do something crazy that is outside of your daily routine....like go for a 10 mile hike in the mountains or something). If you utilize MFP method, you would eat exercise calories back as MFP utilizes your NEAT rather than your TDEE.
  • LBNOakland
    LBNOakland Posts: 379 Member
    Bump - This has already been helpful!! :flowerforyou:

    Thanks!!
  • palmerar
    palmerar Posts: 489 Member
    I am 5'7" and 162, have my MFP cals set to 1650 and range between there and 1800 depending on the day, and do not eat back any exercise cals. I am also doing TDEE-20%, and recorded my weight as 162 after a 5lb loss in February. That system seems to be working for me. Remember to recalculate all numbers after each 5 lb loss. My numbers still work set at 1650.

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