BMR and TDEE Explained for Those Needing a Guide

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Replies

  • curlyloca
    curlyloca Posts: 81 Member
    Very interesting. I walk all day for work (sales) and have lightly active. Seems like I need to change it to highly active ?
  • llanosoul
    llanosoul Posts: 2 Member
    Thank you for explaining it out! Now I don't feel the need to stick to my 1200. With my tdee being 1823 and your calculations I can eat 1640, which is so much more! :happy:
  • 04ward
    04ward Posts: 196 Member
    Bump
  • becomingtherealme
    becomingtherealme Posts: 39
    bump
  • ZETAZEN
    ZETAZEN Posts: 46 Member
    Simplistic! Love it.
  • pinelakecutie
    pinelakecutie Posts: 28 Member
    This is such a fantastic post. THANK YOU! I was completely confused by the other threads on this subject. I didn't even want to think about doing the calculations. Easy peesy thanks to you.
  • Vailara
    Vailara Posts: 2,466 Member
    It's was very helpful but fat 2 fit gives two bmr's. Harris said 1505 but katch 1332 that is a huge difference. Also Harris said I had 28% bf but I typed in 40% and the match acknowledged that I was at 40% bf I am so confused

    http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/

    I don't think the Harris-Benedict figure takes into account your body fat %. Try putting any body fat % in the calculator and you'll get the same figure. The trouble is that I believe fat2fitradio uses Harris-Benedict for the TDEE calculation, even though they give you the Katch-McArdle BMR (which does take into account body fat %).

    You can still use the Katch-McArdle figure and multiply by the right amount to find your TDEE. Somebody has helpfully posted the multipliers here:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/921403-yes-you-can-quick-start-guide-to-fat-loss

    For instance, if you were sedentary, you would multiply the Katch-McArdle BMR by 1.2 to find your TDEE. If you have a high body fat %, like me, that gives you a lower TDEE than fat2fitradio gives you, but hopefully it's more accurate!

    The Harris Benedict doesn't take into account the bf% that I typed in so I got inflated numbers. Yesterday thought I could eat 200 more calories than I should be eating all because Harris Benedict bmr was 200 more cal than the katch method.
    I got 1332 bmr mulitplied by 1.375 = 1831 tdee. Minus 20% to lose weight comes to 1464.7

    I think it might be important to point out the difference between he two methods? Or maybe 200 cal difference isn't a big deal?

    I use my body fat scale measurement in the hope that it's more accurate. It's a difficult call, because I believe that most methods of estimating body fat aren't accurate. There's about a 200 calorie difference for me as well. It's maybe not a big deal in that I'd still lose weight as long as I'm under the lowest TDEE figure, but it would be very slow! (Eating at the fat2fit TDEE - 20% would mean I only have a deficit of 173 calories, if the Katch-McArdle figure is correct).

    The strange thing is that MFP actually gives me more calories than this system. Katch-McArdle BMR x 1.375 - 20% gives me 1422 total calories for the day, whereas MFP gives me 1440 net calories (before exercise!). (With a loss of about 1 lb every 10 days with the first figure and 1lb every 14 days with the MFP one).
  • eejayess
    eejayess Posts: 5 Member
    Bump

    Thank you.
    :smile:
  • mhorn2142
    mhorn2142 Posts: 319 Member
    Bumping to read later
  • Treadmillmom1st
    Treadmillmom1st Posts: 579 Member
    Activity Level Daily Calories
    Sedentary (little or no exercise, desk job) 1686
    Lightly Active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk) 1932
    Moderately Active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk) 2178
    Very Active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk) 2424
    Extremely Active (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training, i.e marathon, contest etc.) 2670

    Sorry, thicko here I just don't get it.

    I work full time at a desk job, I'm a mom of 3 and endeavour to do a circuit training workout 5 times a week.

    Which level do I pick? Do I deduct and eat back calories burnt?

    I would still go for lightly active. I am very similar to you with my numbers being slightly out from yours above! I worked out that I need to work with these for me:
    Sedentary= 1682*20%= 1346
    Lightly active= 1928*20%= 1543
    depending on what I am doing. There are some weeks I just can't workout 5 times a week so I am aiming to keep my intake between the 2. It may not be the right answer but I will try! I've also just realised that I have been eating back my calories based on other posts whilst these figures take that into account already. This is definitely why I haven't lost anything recently.
    Hopefully that makes sense!!

    Thank you for taking the time to answer.

    So to be clear I should physically aim to consume 1543 cals whether I exercise or not?
  • 32thirtytwo
    32thirtytwo Posts: 19
    Thanks, one of the easier explanations I've seen of these terms.
  • Stephiestephs
    Stephiestephs Posts: 132 Member
    I think I will do the katch method with lightly active and -20 for a little bit and see how it goes. I measured myself in the morning before I bloat up from eating to try and get a as true as possible measurement it got me 2% closer to the Harris # but to be on safe side I will do katch. 1529 calories a day, is not much more than the bmr for Harris method which is 1505. And tdee for katch is 1966 so I might do 1600 to be under 366 cal under katch tdee but almost 100 over Harris bmr.
    Wow I just made this way more complicated. No one look at my post!!!!! Sorry lol!!!
  • KatieLou1022
    KatieLou1022 Posts: 102 Member
    Bump for refresher
  • Rockstar_JILL
    Rockstar_JILL Posts: 514 Member
    Thanks for posting this...I will try to figure this out today!
  • deeoleary38
    deeoleary38 Posts: 10 Member
    awesome post!
  • beccafrogquackers
    beccafrogquackers Posts: 4
    :)
  • Stephiestephs
    Stephiestephs Posts: 132 Member
    I think I will do the katch method with lightly active and -20 for a little bit and see how it goes. I measured myself in the morning before I bloat up from eating to try and get a as true as possible measurement it got me 2% closer to the Harris # but to be on safe side I will do katch. 1529 calories a day, is not much more than the bmr for Harris method which is 1505. And tdee for katch is 1966 so I might do 1600 to be under 366 cal under katch tdee but almost 100 over Harris bmr.
    Wow I just made this way more complicated. No one look at my post!!!!! Sorry lol!!!

    I am starting to get annoyed at fat 2 for site for giving two different bmr's!!!!!!! It took me three days to decide which activity level to choose and now this? I have to figure out which bmr to use
  • vedjen
    vedjen Posts: 2
    THANK YOU!

    (@archiving)
  • Vailara
    Vailara Posts: 2,466 Member
    Try Scooby's Workshop - it gives 4 BMRs! http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/

    I suppose they are all just estimates.
  • piggybunny89
    piggybunny89 Posts: 77 Member
    quick question once you start the fat2fit program should you let your body get used to eating all the calories you need to maintain your weight AND THEN do the 20% deficit or should you start with your 20% deficit since day 1?
  • nicola19489
    nicola19489 Posts: 35 Member
    bump finally i understand!
  • Stephiestephs
    Stephiestephs Posts: 132 Member
    Try Scooby's Workshop - it gives 4 BMRs! http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/

    I suppose they are all just estimates.

    Thanks, scooby was still higher than katch but was closer so I guess I'll stick with somewhere in the middle of the three of them.
  • kmcosgrove115
    kmcosgrove115 Posts: 260 Member
    Treadmillmom, yes do at MINIMUM 1543 if that is your BMR - if losing take TDEE based on activ level and less out a % - just noticing today my body / shape (on period so waiting till done) - it has changed - put on pants that I never fit and my thighs all collapsed with weight shifting - will weigh after period but I can now understand that scale is not ultimate test - measurements and inches are! So yes, EAT MORE to lose!
  • burnt_irish1
    burnt_irish1 Posts: 55 Member
    Bump
  • Greciankoukla
    Greciankoukla Posts: 33 Member
    This was very helpful, thank you for taking the time to post this!!

    Now if someone could as easily explain how exercise calories fit into this equation, specifically whether to eat all or only a portion back, I think I would understand for good:)

    Thanks again!

    You don't eat back any of the exercise calories because you should have figured them in to your TDEE based on which activity level you chose.

    Right. I am at 1869 calories a day..and I do NOT eat back my calories.
  • ajcrain
    ajcrain Posts: 25 Member
    Bump
  • marinegirl92
    marinegirl92 Posts: 184 Member
    bump for later
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    I think I will do the katch method with lightly active and -20 for a little bit and see how it goes. I measured myself in the morning before I bloat up from eating to try and get a as true as possible measurement it got me 2% closer to the Harris # but to be on safe side I will do katch. 1529 calories a day, is not much more than the bmr for Harris method which is 1505. And tdee for katch is 1966 so I might do 1600 to be under 366 cal under katch tdee but almost 100 over Harris bmr.
    Wow I just made this way more complicated. No one look at my post!!!!! Sorry lol!!!

    I am starting to get annoyed at fat 2 for site for giving two different bmr's!!!!!!! It took me three days to decide which activity level to choose and now this? I have to figure out which bmr to use

    Well, that's the problem trying to use that site for getting current weight TDEE.

    Since the purpose of that site is to give goal weight TDEE, which means an automatic deficit to current weight TDEE, you cannot use the Katch BMR though it is more accurate.

    Why?

    Because how will you know what your BF% will be at goal weight? It would be great to retain all your LBM, but if you did that, your Katch BMR stays the same.
    So current weight and goal weight BMR based on Katch with same LBM would be exactly the same. So you would be eating at current weight TDEE if Katch was used.

    So they use least accurate Harris BMR, which I've seen inflation of the BMR by 200-400 in many cases, which makes the TDEE off by 400-600.
    So even if you take a deficit of 20% off that inflated TDEE, you are actually not getting any deficit from better estimated TDEE.

    Use scooby's site, or any other number of sites.

    Or this spreadsheet to give best estimate of BF%, BMR, TDEE calculator besides 5 levels to choose from, and track your progress.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/813720-spreadsheet-bmr-tdee-deficit-macro-calcs-hrm-zones

    And if you like the idea of eating at goal weight, it includes a Eating for Future You method there.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Try Scooby's Workshop - it gives 4 BMRs! http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/

    I suppose they are all just estimates.

    But some are more accurate.
  • lafenete
    lafenete Posts: 4 Member
    Thank you for making this very easy to understand. I just started two weeks ago and was confused on this and I want to start on the right path.

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