TDEE changes every day!!!

longtimeterp
longtimeterp Posts: 614 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Just because it seems so many people don't quite understand this when it comes to dieting, when you are basing your diet off of TDEE it is your Total Daily Energy Expenditure for that day. It changes every day unless you do the exact same thing all the time. I cannot stress the importance of a device such as the fitbit for dieting using this method.

For example, lets look at the week of May 6-12 for my tdee...

Using the iifym calculator, i get a tdee of 2999 with 192lbs, 6', 17.5% bf, 5x week intense exercise...which would be a total of 20993 cal for the week.

Using my fitbit, i have tdee's of 2556, 2615, 3453, 3546, 3709, 3220, and 4265, which is 23364 for the week.

Thats a 2300cal discrepancy, though for me, as i can be very active, it works out in my favor. However, that discrepancy could just as easily work in reverse.

While not 100% accurate, i feel the fitbit is much better at estimating my tdee, and dieting accordingly, than using an arbitrary number from a calculator that assumes you do the exact same thing every day.

Anyways, i hope this helps a little in explaining why TDEE doesn't always work out how the equations tell you. But it is an effective weight loss method which will hardly ever leave you hungry and produce great results if you are willing to put in the effort

Replies

  • astronomicals
    astronomicals Posts: 1,537 Member
    That 2300 calorie discrepancy equals over 200 calories a day. That would make a difference.

    a relatively consistent schedule and weekly average will lose weight.... If you burn 4000 calories one week and 7500 the next, that would be like another 500 calorie deficit DAILY. itll be a more accurate deficit if you use something like a fitbit... even if your burn isnt dead on it should be consistently off with about the same margin of error... so yes, a fitbit would make things more accurate

    being 20% below TDEE daily seems kinda irrelevant to me... As long as your week is equal to (TDEE*7) *0.80 is should be the same as having your daily consumptions equal TDEE*0.8... Itll be the same result unless your weekly burn varies greatly.
  • PrettyPearl88
    PrettyPearl88 Posts: 368 Member
    Just because it seems so many people don't quite understand this when it comes to dieting, when you are basing your diet off of TDEE it is your Total Daily Energy Expenditure for that day. It changes every day unless you do the exact same thing all the time. I cannot stress the importance of a device such as the fitbit for dieting using this method.

    For example, lets look at the week of May 6-12 for my tdee...

    Using the iifym calculator, i get a tdee of 2999 with 192lbs, 6', 17.5% bf, 5x week intense exercise...which would be a total of 20993 cal for the week.

    Using my fitbit, i have tdee's of 2556, 2615, 3453, 3546, 3709, 3220, and 4265, which is 23364 for the week.

    Thats a 2300cal discrepancy, though for me, as i can be very active, it works out in my favor. However, that discrepancy could just as easily work in reverse.

    While not 100% accurate, i feel the fitbit is much better at estimating my tdee, and dieting accordingly, than using an arbitrary number from a calculator that assumes you do the exact same thing every day.

    Anyways, i hope this helps a little in explaining why TDEE doesn't always work out how the equations tell you. But it is an effective weight loss method which will hardly ever leave you hungry and produce great results if you are willing to put in the effort

    The TDEE system averages out your daily TDEE and for someone who calculates their activity level correctly and keeps a fairly consistent schedule, it can work just fine I think. However, I definitely agree that using a Fitbit or similar device, while not 100% accurate, is definitely more accurate than calculating your daily or average TDEE using a generic method found online because many people probably estimate their activity levels incorrectly.

    I'm a Fitbit user myself and I love my Fitbit! :D
  • justal313
    justal313 Posts: 1,375 Member
    I'm an IT worker so my normal level of activity, not counting exercise is just this side of moss growing on a tree. Thus I have an activity level of Sedentary.

    Then I use a heartrate monitor to gage my exercise calories. Works just fine for me.

    I sometimes wonder if the FITBIT counts up too many calories but I will admit I haven't looked too deeply into how they work. Anyone care to Educate?
  • amyniceneasy
    amyniceneasy Posts: 143 Member
    My Fitbit has been the single most important gift I've ever received. I'm a busy Mom with busy kids and a full time job. My excersize is not consistant so the fitbit helps me to adjust my intake on a daily bais to maintane my small 10 - 15% deficit.

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