bmr calculation

So I calculated my BMR, which was about 1700. I hear that I am then supposed to calculate my activity level into that and some people say I don't need to. I want to know what you guys think as far as that. Because if I calculated my activity level in I would be eating about 2700 calories a day. That sounds like a little toooo much to me. Feel free to let me know your guys thoughts on it! (:

Replies

  • pinkraynedropjacki
    pinkraynedropjacki Posts: 3,027 Member
    http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/



    eat what this one gives you, plus your exercise calories.
  • misssiri
    misssiri Posts: 335 Member
    Your BMR is the number of calories your body needs if you were in a coma. Basic body functions. Your TDEE is your total daily energy expenditure. 2700 is not too high, it's very reasonable. If you want to lose, take the TDEE number minus 10-20% and eat that number every day. Your exercise should be included in your TDEE and you would not eat back exercise calories. The smaller your deficit, the better. The more lean body mass you get to keep that you don't have to work to get back. Keep the muscle you already have, lose the fat with a smaller deficit.
  • pinkraynedropjacki
    pinkraynedropjacki Posts: 3,027 Member
    http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/



    eat what this one gives you, plus your exercise calories.

    have you had success with this method? It makes no sense what you said because scoobys will calculate your exercise calories as well. If you eat them back then you're eating a lot more calories than youre supposed to. (has been a while since i saw scoobys calculator)

    Actually it does not take into account them at all. Otherwise it would have to add on different amounts of calories per day. One day I can burn 1000 calories off in exercise and another day about 700. So that would mean a different amount from scoobys each day. All it does is take how ACTIVE you are not your exercise calories.
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
    http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/



    eat what this one gives you, plus your exercise calories.

    have you had success with this method? It makes no sense what you said because scoobys will calculate your exercise calories as well. If you eat them back then you're eating a lot more calories than youre supposed to. (has been a while since i saw scoobys calculator)

    Actually it does not take into account them at all. Otherwise it would have to add on different amounts of calories per day. One day I can burn 1000 calories off in exercise and another day about 700. So that would mean a different amount from scoobys each day. All it does is take how ACTIVE you are not your exercise calories.

    This is NOT correct. You do NOT eat back exercise calories when using a TDEE calculator. The calculator is designed to average your calories across the week so you'll have a greater deficit on your high burn days but a smaller deficit on lower burn days.
  • Taija32
    Taija32 Posts: 8 Member
    So my TDEE is 2300. I have been eating 1500 according to MFP calculations everyday, and eating back the calories I burn. 1500 to 2300 is a big jump, should I increase my calories gradually over time, or just start eating 2300?
  • lharper01
    lharper01 Posts: 29
    I *think*- if you are trying to lose weight by following the TDEE method you would eat 2300-345(15%)=1955 but if you are set on MFP at 1500 and are burning say 400 from exercise which you eat back, you are eating 1900. So not much difference, and basically where you should be according to TDEE minus 15%.
  • Taija32
    Taija32 Posts: 8 Member
    I *think*- if you are trying to lose weight by following the TDEE method you would eat 2300-345(15%)=1955 but if you are set on MFP at 1500 and are burning say 400 from exercise which you eat back, you are eating 1900. So not much difference, and basically where you should be according to TDEE minus 15%.

    Oh I'm sorry, I had already calculated the 15% in there. So, 2700-405(15%)=2295. But that is me not eating my calories back. So then 1900 calories a day is basically what I consume not eating my calories back. Okay I sort of get it now. I guess I just have to test and see how things workout.
  • pinkraynedropjacki
    pinkraynedropjacki Posts: 3,027 Member
    http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/



    eat what this one gives you, plus your exercise calories.

    have you had success with this method? It makes no sense what you said because scoobys will calculate your exercise calories as well. If you eat them back then you're eating a lot more calories than youre supposed to. (has been a while since i saw scoobys calculator)

    Actually it does not take into account them at all. Otherwise it would have to add on different amounts of calories per day. One day I can burn 1000 calories off in exercise and another day about 700. So that would mean a different amount from scoobys each day. All it does is take how ACTIVE you are not your exercise calories.

    This is NOT correct. You do NOT eat back exercise calories when using a TDEE calculator. The calculator is designed to average your calories across the week so you'll have a greater deficit on your high burn days but a smaller deficit on lower burn days.

    Perhaps looking at the site then you would see it tells you your TDEE and the amount you should eat based on your activity level. Just like here in MFP. Only here does not tell you your TDEE to begin with.


    Just follow the scooby one, I've had no problem with it.
  • lharper01
    lharper01 Posts: 29
    Oh, ok. I am just a beginner here, so I'm still figuring things out. Maybe someone will have a better answer for you.
  • pinkraynedropjacki
    pinkraynedropjacki Posts: 3,027 Member
    http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/



    eat what this one gives you, plus your exercise calories.

    have you had success with this method? It makes no sense what you said because scoobys will calculate your exercise calories as well. If you eat them back then you're eating a lot more calories than youre supposed to. (has been a while since i saw scoobys calculator)

    Actually it does not take into account them at all. Otherwise it would have to add on different amounts of calories per day. One day I can burn 1000 calories off in exercise and another day about 700. So that would mean a different amount from scoobys each day. All it does is take how ACTIVE you are not your exercise calories.

    This is NOT correct. You do NOT eat back exercise calories when using a TDEE calculator. The calculator is designed to average your calories across the week so you'll have a greater deficit on your high burn days but a smaller deficit on lower burn days.

    Perhaps looking at the site then you would see it tells you your TDEE and the amount you should eat based on your activity level. Just like here in MFP. Only here does not tell you your TDEE to begin with.


    Just follow the scooby one, I've had no problem with it.

    I just looked at scoobys, yeah you don't eat calories back on that method.

    On MFP go up to "goals" and where it says "calories burned through daily activity" That's your TDEE

    compare that TDEE with Scooby's TDEE so you will see the problem. MFP you eat calories back, Scooby's you do not.

    Scooby's I DO eat back mine. There are 2 amounts on there.. One for maintain & one for weight loss. Take the weight loss one if you want to lose, then if you workout eat those cals back as well. Same as you would here. If you want to maintain then eat the maintain one & then if you workout eat those cals back as well.... just as you would here.

    MFP always set you way low even in your TDEE. They set you even lower in your BMR. Eat the exercise cals back regardless of MFP or Scooby..... scooby actually sets you your CORRECT TDEE & BMR MINUS whatever amount you want to lose by (5%, 10%, 20%)
  • goodtimezzzz
    goodtimezzzz Posts: 640 Member
    Scoobys is pretty accurate..do not overthink this....so lets say you are at 2000 calories...and u eat at about 2000 calories everyday..got it? you weigh yourself and it pretty much stays the same..clothes fit the same..now the secret is varying and zigzagging your calories...one day you drop 400 calories next day back to maintenance..third day up the calories over maintenance..etc....when i did this the fat melted away:)) enjoy looking and being amazing!
    Kristian Rocco
  • pinkraynedropjacki
    pinkraynedropjacki Posts: 3,027 Member
    http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/



    eat what this one gives you, plus your exercise calories.

    have you had success with this method? It makes no sense what you said because scoobys will calculate your exercise calories as well. If you eat them back then you're eating a lot more calories than youre supposed to. (has been a while since i saw scoobys calculator)

    Actually it does not take into account them at all. Otherwise it would have to add on different amounts of calories per day. One day I can burn 1000 calories off in exercise and another day about 700. So that would mean a different amount from scoobys each day. All it does is take how ACTIVE you are not your exercise calories.

    This is NOT correct. You do NOT eat back exercise calories when using a TDEE calculator. The calculator is designed to average your calories across the week so you'll have a greater deficit on your high burn days but a smaller deficit on lower burn days.

    Perhaps looking at the site then you would see it tells you your TDEE and the amount you should eat based on your activity level. Just like here in MFP. Only here does not tell you your TDEE to begin with.


    Just follow the scooby one, I've had no problem with it.

    I just looked at scoobys, yeah you don't eat calories back on that method.

    On MFP go up to "goals" and where it says "calories burned through daily activity" That's your TDEE

    compare that TDEE with Scooby's TDEE so you will see the problem. MFP you eat calories back, Scooby's you do not.

    Scooby's I DO eat back mine. There are 2 amounts on there.. One for maintain & one for weight loss. Take the weight loss one if you want to lose, then if you workout eat those cals back as well. Same as you would here. If you want to maintain then eat the maintain one & then if you workout eat those cals back as well.... just as you would here.

    MFP always set you way low even in your TDEE. They set you even lower in your BMR. Eat the exercise cals back regardless of MFP or Scooby..... scooby actually sets you your CORRECT TDEE & BMR MINUS whatever amount you want to lose by (5%, 10%, 20%)

    I set both, MFP and scooby to maintenance. MFP I eat my calories back, scooby's i don't. Funny thing is both of them say "2,500" for maintenance of my current weight. Which is really weird, the harris benedict equation(the one scooby is using) you don't eat calories back. Where does he even say to eat calories back? That's no where to be mentioned. Something really fishy is going on here...

    Well if you eat them back here, and Scoobys has the same amount of calories as MFP for you then why would you not eat them back from there? I got mine set to 5% reduction & eat mine back, even when I was trying to maintain I would eat them back...still lose weight I was but I'd eat them back.

    There is nowhere here that says to eat them back either.

    There is no difference between WHERE you got it from, you eat what you burn off.
  • pinkraynedropjacki
    pinkraynedropjacki Posts: 3,027 Member

    I set both, MFP and scooby to maintenance. MFP I eat my calories back, scooby's i don't. Funny thing is both of them say "2,500" for maintenance of my current weight. Which is really weird, the harris benedict equation(the one scooby is using) you don't eat calories back. Where does he even say to eat calories back? That's no where to be mentioned. Something really fishy is going on here...

    Well if you eat them back here, and Scoobys has the same amount of calories as MFP for you then why would you not eat them back from there? I got mine set to 5% reduction & eat mine back, even when I was trying to maintain I would eat them back...still lose weight I was but I'd eat them back.

    There is nowhere here that says to eat them back either.

    There is no difference between WHERE you got it from, you eat what you burn off.

    Okay I see the problem now, as I said there was something fishy about it, it wasn't making sense.

    Lets say your Sedentary TDEE is 2,500(that's mine).
    If i pick a different activity level it will still say 2,500, I put it at very active and it still says 2,500 calories.

    MFP Highly active = 2,500
    Scooby's highly active = 3983

    See the problem now? You don't eat calories back on scoobys method. MFP sedentary setting is all messed up, that's the issue. You shouldn't eat back your exercise calories on MFP sedentary setting, you do eat them back though if you're not sedentary.

    I started here on sedentary with MFP settings. I ALWAYS ate my exercise calories back....always. In fact I'd workout more just so I could eat a little more or if I ate over. I lost the weight very easily. Same as others here on sedentary, they all are told to eat it back becuase it's already set at doing nothing..... anything extra & you are burning more than doing nothing.

    MFP highly active & Scooby Highly active are different active totally. I'm highly active in MFP but moderate exercise in Scooby. That's where the only difference lies. You eat your exercise cals back REGARDLESS of what your level is because it's already set below that amount by taking whatever % off that you need to.
  • pinkraynedropjacki
    pinkraynedropjacki Posts: 3,027 Member

    I set both, MFP and scooby to maintenance. MFP I eat my calories back, scooby's i don't. Funny thing is both of them say "2,500" for maintenance of my current weight. Which is really weird, the harris benedict equation(the one scooby is using) you don't eat calories back. Where does he even say to eat calories back? That's no where to be mentioned. Something really fishy is going on here...

    Well if you eat them back here, and Scoobys has the same amount of calories as MFP for you then why would you not eat them back from there? I got mine set to 5% reduction & eat mine back, even when I was trying to maintain I would eat them back...still lose weight I was but I'd eat them back.

    There is nowhere here that says to eat them back either.

    There is no difference between WHERE you got it from, you eat what you burn off.

    Okay I see the problem now, as I said there was something fishy about it, it wasn't making sense.

    Lets say your Sedentary TDEE is 2,500(that's mine).
    If i pick a different activity level it will still say 2,500, I put it at very active and it still says 2,500 calories.

    MFP Highly active = 2,500
    Scooby's highly active = 3983

    See the problem now? You don't eat calories back on scoobys method. MFP sedentary setting is all messed up, that's the issue. You shouldn't eat back your exercise calories on MFP sedentary setting, you do eat them back though if you're not sedentary.

    I started here on sedentary with MFP settings. I ALWAYS ate my exercise calories back....always. In fact I'd workout more just so I could eat a little more or if I ate over. I lost the weight very easily. Same as others here on sedentary, they all are told to eat it back becuase it's already set at doing nothing..... anything extra & you are burning more than doing nothing.

    MFP highly active & Scooby Highly active are different active totally. I'm highly active in MFP but moderate exercise in Scooby. That's where the only difference lies. You eat your exercise cals back REGARDLESS of what your level is because it's already set below that amount by taking whatever % off that you need to.

    Yes, I am saying that no matter what activity level you pick on MFP it won't increase your calorie count. So you do eat them back. Scoobys, will increase your calorie intake for different activity levels. This is because exercise is factored in to scooby's, it's not for MFP. This is why you're not supposed to eat calories back with methods like scoobys.


    Yeah cause MFP & Scooby factor in EXACTLY how many calories you burn during each exercise every day right? Nope. The factor in that you are not sitting around doing almost nothing, but they have no clue what it is or how much you are burning.... only a rough guess. If you burn more than they think you have (and most likely everyone does) then you get to eat any credit as well.... just like here scooby is the same. It takes into consideration that you are active, but not how much you are burning off calorie wise.
  • 777twist
    777twist Posts: 75 Member
    Personally... unless you have hit some sort of plateau, why calculate your BMR or RMR yourself? Why not just use the system that MFP provides?

    I'm not sure people understand really how to work MFP's system, it's not really that hard though once you get how all the numbers play together.

    When you go to your settings and select "Update Your Diet Profile," you will see various information. The top stuff is your basic info, just enter that correctly and it will give you a BMR number (that it won't show you).

    Next, forget what you think in terms of your activity level, my suggestion is everyone should start either at Lightly Active or Active. Work that for 6 - 8 weeks and see how you are doing, then you can adjust it up or down from there.

    Skip to the bottom and enter your goal, the system kind of boxes you in to no more than 2lbs/week, so if you want to max out, then pick that. That will deduct 1000 calories a day from whatever number was calculated in the top section (age, weight, height, etc...).

    After that, you can enter exercise goals in that "How many times a week do you plan on exercising?" section, but you really don't have to enter anything. Those calories are all BONUS ones that you must earn before they are applied to your daily goal. There no real reason to add those unless you just want an estimation on how many calories you could earn.

    Then it's just a matter of do you chose to eat your exercise BONUS calories or not. Personally, I always eat some back. And if the workout was really hard and intense, I may eat most of them back. FEED THE BEAST!

    But if you hit a plateau, then you can opt not to eat all your exercise calories, that's fine. Most people say you should eat all of your standard goal calories though.

    And, again if you hit a plateau, you can go back to your activity level and change it to a lower setting. Unless you are already in the sedentary level, then you can move down any further. Also, try moving the number up if you hit a plateau, some people don't realize how active they truly are and aren't eating enough to support their system.

    Nothing wrong with calculating your TDEE, and BMR/RMR, etc... on your own and it may help you understand things better. But it's not necessary, in my opinion.

    Hope that helps.