TDEE... or why I think I've been doing it wrong

Erodahs
Erodahs Posts: 24 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Alright, so I have heard the cries of TDEE and eating back exercise calories and what not and thought, gee I have some time, lets math this shenanigans out. Basically, I'm 6 foot (around there some say taller some say shorter I can't find my bleeding measuring tape) I'm 349 pounds (down 20 thank you very much) and I have a desk job (sorta). After I was done thoroughly confusing the heck out of myself I've figured out TDEE is around 3100 (rounding down) and I should have around 2400 calories a day if I want to lose and not mess everything up. Now I've been admittedly eating less and have been losing weight (yes my diary is open feel free to blatantly yell if you need to) my question is this. I have a fitbit linked to the account and my (sorta) desk job apparently I move around a whole heck of a lot more than I thought. Should I also be eating back those calories that the fit bit shows as additional? MFP is setting the goal pretty dang close to the one calculating out the TDEE set (kudos to it) but aside from probably eating more (again diary is open feel free to start the eat more calorie chorus it may actually help ><) should I additionally be trying to scarf down whats shown over the calorie goal or is that part of the calculations I've been doing (also found some websites that apparently are doing the same dang thing I was so at least I don't think my math was off)? Trying to do this the proper way (pfffft to your special diets and ketones and things I need not the snake oils... though eating foods that are higher in nutrients and not so sugar laden is certainly something I've been trying to do) so I just need some advice from the what seems to be large amount of you all out there that back being smart about this... please =)

**edit : Also if my math is seriously messed up let me know >.> I do that from time to time

Replies

  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    I would not add additional calories. Assuming your TDEE estimate is reasonably close I would just trust it, eat around 2400 and observe results, adjust accordingly.
  • jojorocksforeva
    jojorocksforeva Posts: 303 Member
    I personally Dont eat tdee After having problems with it and not losing anyweight I just dont go below a certain number and i dont go above it That simple, Tdee is bullcrap to meee,, every caculator out their is diff, so your always gonna be guessing!
  • Erodahs
    Erodahs Posts: 24 Member
    Ok then. As I said, just wondering since it will keep an update and what not and MFP will update the caloric amount with it. I'm trying to lose weight, but I'm doing it sanely and long term. I'm a fat man reforming trying to make changes that will (if all goes well) a healthy albeit smaller me. Granted, this is a new arena for me.. the whole weight loss and fitness and blah blah blah but I'm trying to take the more sane and scientific approach and hoping it works ><

    GRANTED I'm apparently not following my own bloody advice and still eating too little >.>
  • NancyStree
    NancyStree Posts: 89 Member
    If you are hungry eat...I looked at your diary and you are not eating enough...
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    Ok then. As I said, just wondering since it will keep an update and what not and MFP will update the caloric amount with it. I'm trying to lose weight, but I'm doing it sanely and long term. I'm a fat man reforming trying to make changes that will (if all goes well) a healthy albeit smaller me. Granted, this is a new arena for me.. the whole weight loss and fitness and blah blah blah but I'm trying to take the more sane and scientific approach and hoping it works ><

    GRANTED I'm apparently not following my own bloody advice and still eating too little >.>

    You are going to succeed if you stick to the plan, keep it very simple, and observe your results and behave accordingly. If you go a month with unexpected results you can always react/adjust as needed.
  • Erodahs
    Erodahs Posts: 24 Member
    YEP, eating too little I know ><. Haven't been all that bleeding hungry lately ><
  • tequila09
    tequila09 Posts: 764 Member
    the calories the fitbit add should be a part of your tdee. when you follow that you take off a certain percentage of your tdee and then just eat that and not factor in any exercise calories because they are already included in your tdee.
  • skee80
    skee80 Posts: 20 Member
    Hey if i were you (this is what i do and btw i got a lot of weight to lose too) id track my progress. After the first few weeks, and losing weight slows down a little bit, see how fast your losing weight. i read that losing 1% of total body weight a weeks is good amount when your trying to lose fat (maybe a little more for people 300+) if your losing weight too quick and your always hungry eat some of those calories you expended. if you aren't losing don't eat them. i personally dont eat back gym or tdee calories, actually usually dont log workouts on mfp

    good luck man :)
  • Elleinnz
    Elleinnz Posts: 1,661 Member
    YEP, eating too little I know ><. Haven't been all that bleeding hungry lately ><

    YEP - I am a 52 year old woman - 5'9 - and I eat over 2000 calories every day - so up your calories :-)

    Easy way to do it is add more healthy fats - nuts, nutbutters, salmon, olives, olive oil and full fat anything (not low fat) and also coconut oil, coconut milk, coconut cream ......all ways to get more calories without having to eat a ton more food
  • RetiredAndLovingIt
    RetiredAndLovingIt Posts: 1,394 Member
    Bump
  • FitSuga
    FitSuga Posts: 259 Member
    I'm a fitbit user and also eat relatively "high" just under my TDEE which usually has me averaging 2000+ calories to eat and lose weight, so yes #1 eat more! Secondly, I do not eat the added fitbit calculations, but I look through the day to make sure what I'm eating on MFP is inline with what I'm burning on fitbit. Say I have a particularly active day of a burn at 2700 , but my TDEE calculations has me eating only 2k, then yeah I'll eat some of that, but if fitbit has me burning at 2500 then I'm right on target! Hopefully that's not confusing. Fitbit basically just calculates your TDEE for you, so as long as your goals are set the same on both sites and you didn't manually change the calories on MFP, it will add what you should eat and be the same as cutting from your TDEE, so in that case you would eat all of it.
  • chrisjathompson
    chrisjathompson Posts: 227 Member
    I don't think you really want to keep dealing with the math, but I really believe this spreadsheet to be a huge asset. Try it out, it made things so much clearer to me https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Amt7QBR9-c6MdGVTbGswLUUzUHNVVUlNSW9wZWloeUE
  • Mock_Turtle
    Mock_Turtle Posts: 354 Member
    as said above - keep a spreadsheet, track your daily calories in there and then after 1 month compare your weight lost vs what you expected to lose and then if necessary make an adjustment to your assumed TDEE. This of course requires you to be very diligent in tracking caloric intake so you can just focus on the 'cals out' part of the equation after reviewing your data.
  • sarahpriya
    sarahpriya Posts: 1
    I am not too sure if I am doing it wrong as well . . :/ Would be appreciative of any advice! I read the whole roadmap thing and tried to work out my numbers for my calories.

    Based on the fat to fit radio calculator...

    It states:

    Estimated Base BMR is 1371 Calories
    Estimated TDE is 1885 Calories
    Estimated Daily Caloric Need for Weight Loss is 1385 calories


    Does this mean, I should be eating 1885 - 20% = 1508 calories a day? OR should I be eating 1385 calories?


    After years of weight fluctuation, I want to get my eating right and not eat too little and then binge after. I am currently at 140lbs and am 5'3.

    Would be grateful for any help/advice/thoughts!

    TIA :)
  • CariS001
    CariS001 Posts: 169 Member
    I think you may be eating too little... but more importantly, I think you are eating to seldom. Try breaking it out into 5-6 meals, and aim for 500 per meal. Eating over 1000 a meal then 200... your body doesn't know what it's preparing for, kwim?
  • j4nash
    j4nash Posts: 1,719 Member
    Ok then. As I said, just wondering since it will keep an update and what not and MFP will update the caloric amount with it. I'm trying to lose weight, but I'm doing it sanely and long term. I'm a fat man reforming trying to make changes that will (if all goes well) a healthy albeit smaller me. Granted, this is a new arena for me.. the whole weight loss and fitness and blah blah blah but I'm trying to take the more sane and scientific approach and hoping it works ><

    GRANTED I'm apparently not following my own bloody advice and still eating too little >.>

    You are going to succeed if you stick to the plan, keep it very simple, and observe your results and behave accordingly. If you go a month with unexpected results you can always react/adjust as needed.

    this.
  • Erodahs
    Erodahs Posts: 24 Member
    I think you may be eating too little... but more importantly, I think you are eating to seldom. Try breaking it out into 5-6 meals, and aim for 500 per meal. Eating over 1000 a meal then 200... your body doesn't know what it's preparing for, kwim?

    Yeah I was a bit worried about that too, my situation is that at work the time I have allotted to me means I'm going out a lot, I'm keeping under calorie goal (YES I KNOW TOO LITTLE ><) but that one meal out always seems to be a "biggie". I'm going to start trying to either pack (though the fridge is notorious for people "accidentally" taking something out of it) or at least try spacing it out maybe to dinner and lunch, snacks I try on every break I have to get some fruit or veggies or something and keep it relatively light because I'm a slightly habitual over eater. That being said Thursdays are still going to be roughish since the whole office does a BWW order and I know ten wings is going to be around 800 calories and a ton of sodium and fat... but yeah I'll take this to heart
  • Erodahs
    Erodahs Posts: 24 Member
    I don't think you really want to keep dealing with the math, but I really believe this spreadsheet to be a huge asset. Try it out, it made things so much clearer to me https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Amt7QBR9-c6MdGVTbGswLUUzUHNVVUlNSW9wZWloeUE

    Alright, I'll take a look and give it a shot, though the settings are kinda weird but whatever let's do this. As I said, I'm trying to change my habits and I've been doing so drastically perhaps bit too drastically but yeah I'll give it a shot.

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