Can someone explain the TDEE to me

I think that is how much you actually burn each day. So, you could maintain by eating this much. you could lose one pound per week by eating 500 calories less. Hope someone else will chime in on this.

You eat a percentage less than your tdee. Typically 20% less.

TDEE is how much you burn in your normal life. you gotta eat 20% less than that

also, work out your BMR and make sure that you eat more than that. I doubt 1200 is enough for you.

My BMR is 1683 - and 20% less than my TDEE is like 2000 cals!! seriously?! How is that possible?! And why does MFP put me at 1200 cals then - this is soooo confusing!! Oh Thanks for the replies!!!

MFP expects you to eat back your excercise calories.

So if you were excercising say 400 a day and MFP tells you 1200, you're really expected to eat 1600 to account for the 400 cal burn. They don't explain that well.

For me, on a light week my TDEE is 2300 and a better excercise week it's 2600, so i work out my intake on lowest TDEE - 500 and I eat at 1800. If i've been working out a lot that week and i'm hungry i'll eat back up to another 200 excercise calories so on the odd occasion i might eat 2000.

if your BMR is 1683 you have to minimum eat more than that. If TDEE-20% is 2000, eat up until what you feel comfy with, then eat peanut butter to top it up. It works

Read this!!!!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912920-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013

Also, 1200 cals is probably because you chose the most aggressive weight loss option, 2lb/week. And also, mfp expects you to eat exercise cals back!

TDEE is how much you burn in your normal life. you gotta eat 20% less than that

also, work out your BMR and make sure that you eat more than that. I doubt 1200 is enough for you.

My BMR is 1683 - and 20% less than my TDEE is like 2000 cals!! seriously?! How is that possible?! And why does MFP put me at 1200 cals then - this is soooo confusing!! Oh Thanks for the replies!!!

MFP expects you to eat back your excercise calories.

So if you were excercising say 400 a day and MFP tells you 1200, you're really expected to eat 1600 to account for the 400 cal burn. They don't explain that well.

For me, on a light week my TDEE is 2300 and a better excercise week it's 2600, so i work out my intake on lowest TDEE - 500 and I eat at 1800. If i've been working out a lot that week and i'm hungry i'll eat back up to another 200 excercise calories so on the odd occasion i might eat 2000.

if your BMR is 1683 you have to minimum eat more than that. If TDEE-20% is 2000, eat up until what you feel comfy with, then eat peanut butter to top it up. It works

THANK YOU!!!!!

you're welcome. It took me so long to work things out here. I hate the freaking 'in place of a road map' thing. It never made any sense to me that way and people here can be SO condescending when you're new and working it out.

good luck x sounds like you're well on your way!

TDEE is how much you burn in your normal life. you gotta eat 20% less than that

also, work out your BMR and make sure that you eat more than that. I doubt 1200 is enough for you.

My BMR is 1683 - and 20% less than my TDEE is like 2000 cals!! seriously?! How is that possible?! And why does MFP put me at 1200 cals then - this is soooo confusing!! Oh Thanks for the replies!!!

A lot of people say MFP calorie estimates are too low. Remember the calorie estimates are net, AFTER eating back exerices calories earned. So depending on what you set your weight loss goals at and what your BMR is, MFP might have assigned you the "safest" (and I use that term loosely), minimum amount of calories to avoid "starvation mode". Start eating your calories back at the very least and work your way up to TDEE-20% from there.