TDEE-BMR-Going from 1200-1400 cals and eating more
Tigg1011
Posts: 146
I just started increasing my calories a little over 2 weeks ago to 1400 cals/day and thats with my TDEE set to sedentary, and i try to eat back my exercise calories when I do work out. I feel like I am eating sooo much more food and that there is no way I am going to lose weight, it makes me nervous. Does anyone else have this issue?? I also have a hard time eating back my exercise calories, so I'll eat maybe 1/2 of them or so.
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Replies
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First of all, just for the sake of clarity so we are all talking about the same thing... there's no such thing as a sedentary TDEE. TDEE, by it's definition, MUST include exercise and all your regular lifestyle activities. If you are calculating at sedentary, you are effectively calculating BMR + NEAT (non-exercise cals).
OK, now to your post...
1400 cals is your goal, which sounds perfectly reasonable. My guess is you've been listening to all the 1200 calorie crap that gets trumpeted from every media outlet possible. Where did you get 1400 from? MFP? Doctor? Online calculator? Thin air?0 -
yea its called calorie fobia. Calories are energy. Your body needs them to function and to blast out amazing workouts. The less you try and eat the harder the workouts (and doing anything in general) will become and performance will suffer and I have learned first hand how going too low in cals eventually leads to a massive binge. My willpower is very strong but the mind can do all sorts of things to make you give in. Stick to the 1400. weigh yourself once a week at the same time each time you do it and guage it from there but honestly the scale can be a huge liar. I find that measurements taken with a myotape can be more honest to your true progression. Too many variables when it comes to scales from the water weight you may be holding, muscle you may have gained minus fat lost etc...0
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Your BMR is what your body burns doing absolutely nothing (breathing,pumping blood,digesting).
If you decide to get out of bed that day, shower, put the dishes away, do laundry, go to work, etc...you burn more. So even if you sit at a computer all day you'll burn an extra 200-300 calories ON TOP of your bmr.
For me my BMR is 1600, my sedentary is about 1990, so I eat just above my BMR. I eat back all of exercise calories to NET just above my BMR.
You should never net below 1200. You could really damage your body ( It won't function properly, you'll be tired, lethargic, weak , and probably constipated )
I know its intimidating upping your calories from 1200, but trust me - you will not regret it. Yes the weight loss may slow down a bit, because you're not at such a large deficit. But you won't plateau, or at least not for much longer than 1200.
You may "gain" when upping your calories a bit, but it's not fat. Don't stress.
( My personal experience / knowledge )
Good luck.0 -
TDEE as mentioned above is your total energy expediture for the day including everything (breathing, digesting, walking, exercise, etc.).
You're not eating too much and I cannot imagine you will gain eating 1400 cals + exercise cals. Don't be nervous. Eat when you're hungry and if that doesnt include all of your exercise calories everyday that's OK but as troy mentioned, you need calories to fuel your body so don't be scared of them
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First of all, just for the sake of clarity so we are all talking about the same thing... there's no such thing as a sedentary TDEE. TDEE, by it's definition, MUST include exercise and all your regular lifestyle activities. If you are calculating at sedentary, you are effectively calculating BMR + NEAT (non-exercise cals).
OK, now to your post...
1400 cals is your goal, which sounds perfectly reasonable. My guess is you've been listening to all the 1200 calorie crap that gets trumpeted from every media outlet possible. Where did you get 1400 from? MFP? Doctor? Online calculator? Thin air?
Ok, maybe I should have been more clear-according to scooby calculations etc. If I set myself to sedentary my TDEE-BMR comes out to 1363. That is where I got my 1400 number from (rounded off) I exercise everyday, but the only reason I set it to sedentary are for days where maybe I can't fit in a workout or something, I dont want to eat more than I am alotted.0 -
Thanks guys, just trying to get used to eating more food, I was eating 1200 forever and was stalled out...so eating more just feels wrong and makes me nervous. I'll try to relax and see what happens!
Oh, and I also have a fitbit which I am still getting used to-I try to eat a deficit of 500 calories thru that- so if I burn 2100, Ill eat 1600 or so. Sound right?0 -
First of all, just for the sake of clarity so we are all talking about the same thing... there's no such thing as a sedentary TDEE. TDEE, by it's definition, MUST include exercise and all your regular lifestyle activities. If you are calculating at sedentary, you are effectively calculating BMR + NEAT (non-exercise cals).
OK, now to your post...
1400 cals is your goal, which sounds perfectly reasonable. My guess is you've been listening to all the 1200 calorie crap that gets trumpeted from every media outlet possible. Where did you get 1400 from? MFP? Doctor? Online calculator? Thin air?
Ok, maybe I should have been more clear-according to scooby calculations etc. If I set myself to sedentary my TDEE-BMR comes out to 1363. That is where I got my 1400 number from (rounded off) I exercise everyday, but the only reason I set it to sedentary are for days where maybe I can't fit in a workout or something, I dont want to eat more than I am alotted.
That's fine. You're calculating your BMR + NEAT, which is how most people use MFP. Eat that number plus any exercise cals.0 -
I am with you on this. Im eating 1500 and exercising 4-5x per week. (spin/bodypump/aerobics/running). I figured this by using the weight loss calculator from the 'In place of a roadmap' TDEE discussion - this gives me 1,977 cals and Im eating just close to 25% under for 4 weeks.
Guess what Ive gained 2kgs!
I can perservere for another week but need to switch something up - start a proper weight lifting program or get back on a RI30 (which firmed me up last time) or cut back carbs.
I think what works for some people doesnt work for others.0 -
Ok, maybe I should have been more clear-according to scooby calculations etc. If I set myself to sedentary my TDEE-BMR comes out to 1363. That is where I got my 1400 number from (rounded off) I exercise everyday, but the only reason I set it to sedentary are for days where maybe I can't fit in a workout or something, I dont want to eat more than I am alotted.
A lot of us use this exact method. We need to name it something. I use it because my workouts vary a lot due to work. I can work out 5 days straight and then not at all for 5 days.
Have some patience, try to get to your 1400 and eat at least half of your exercise calories. I know a LOT of people that this is working for, myself included.0 -
I am with you on this. Im eating 1500 and exercising 4-5x per week. (spin/bodypump/aerobics/running). I figured this by using the weight loss calculator from the 'In place of a roadmap' TDEE discussion - this gives me 1,977 cals and Im eating just close to 25% under for 4 weeks.
Guess what Ive gained 2kgs!
I can perservere for another week but need to switch something up - start a proper weight lifting program or get back on a RI30 (which firmed me up last time) or cut back carbs.
I think what works for some people doesnt work for others.
I'll admit that I have a problem with this statement, so maybe I'm a little overly sensitive, but...
The science applies to EVERYONE, across the board, PERIOD. There are no exceptions. How you apply that science can and does vary. You can't get around total calories. No one can. But how you create your deficit, how you log, etc etc can certainly vary.
If you are gaining, it's not because you are some special case. It's because you aren't in a deficit, which is probably more about how you are estimating/logging than it is about what you are doing for exercise.0 -
I am with you on this. Im eating 1500 and exercising 4-5x per week. (spin/bodypump/aerobics/running). I figured this by using the weight loss calculator from the 'In place of a roadmap' TDEE discussion - this gives me 1,977 cals and Im eating just close to 25% under for 4 weeks.
Guess what Ive gained 2kgs!
I can perservere for another week but need to switch something up - start a proper weight lifting program or get back on a RI30 (which firmed me up last time) or cut back carbs.
I think what works for some people doesnt work for others.
What about measurements? Are you weighing day after high carb where water weight would be present? Just seems like you are doing a ton to even worry about going below 1500. I weigh 152 and have been on a strict eating routine/workout routine. I havent lost anything in a month but my measurements at my naval and waist have dropped over an inch.
Measurements>scales0 -
TDEE and BMR are not the same thing. Like someone said earlier, BMR is the amount of calories your body burns if it's practically comatose. TDEE is more like your natural lifestyle's maintenance calories, where if you eat that amount given your normal activity (which includes exercise), you will neither gain or lose weight. They are not the same number. Is your BMR 1343? What is your TDEE? It will be higher, even based on a sedentary lifestyle, than your BMR.
If you're estimating your TDEE based on a sedentary lifestyle, then you would want to set your goal calories at some deficit off TDEE, like -20% or you could simply subtract 500 cals (assuming you're aiming to lose 1lb/week), and you should probably eat back your exercise calories, since those are not factored into a sedentary TDEE.
There's controversy over whether to eat back your exercise cals, whether to eat below BMR. I won't get into that.0 -
I started measuring about a week into increasing my calroies as well as starting the 30ds. My measurements seem to be the same though unless Im doing it wrong, which is very possible lol. That first week when I weighed myself I was up 3lbs, That could also be due to tom and hormonal changes from a new pill as well, but since then I put the scale away for a bit because I got really discouraged and wanted to give up. Anyway, I feel a ton better and I feel like I look better when I look in the mirror-so Im just gonna keep it up. I also think I may have a harder time losing, because I only have 10 lbs to lose.0
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TDEE and BMR are not the same thing. Like someone said earlier, BMR is the amount of calories your body burns if it's practically comatose. TDEE is more like your natural lifestyle's maintenance calories, where if you eat that amount given your normal activity (which includes exercise), you will neither gain or lose weight. They are not the same number. Is your BMR 1343? What is your TDEE? It will be higher, even based on a sedentary lifestyle, than your BMR.
If you're estimating your TDEE based on a sedentary lifestyle, then you would want to set your goal calories at some deficit off TDEE, like -20% or you could simply subtract 500 cals (assuming you're aiming to lose 1lb/week), and you should probably eat back your exercise calories, since those are not factored into a sedentary TDEE.
There's controversy over whether to eat back your exercise cals, whether to eat below BMR. I won't get into that.
My BMR is 1419, my TDEE is 1703 and so my TDEE- 20% is 1363 (all set to sedentary) so thats the measurement I have been going by. I try to eat most of my exercise calories but find it difficult at times, except for the weekends. The weekends I should work out double really.0 -
I am with you on this. Im eating 1500 and exercising 4-5x per week. (spin/bodypump/aerobics/running). I figured this by using the weight loss calculator from the 'In place of a roadmap' TDEE discussion - this gives me 1,977 cals and Im eating just close to 25% under for 4 weeks.
Guess what Ive gained 2kgs!
I can perservere for another week but need to switch something up - start a proper weight lifting program or get back on a RI30 (which firmed me up last time) or cut back carbs.
I think what works for some people doesnt work for others.
I'll admit that I have a problem with this statement, so maybe I'm a little overly sensitive, but...
The science applies to EVERYONE, across the board, PERIOD. There are no exceptions. How you apply that science can and does vary. You can't get around total calories. No one can. But how you create your deficit, how you log, etc etc can certainly vary.
If you are gaining, it's not because you are some special case. It's because you aren't in a deficit, which is probably more about how you are estimating/logging than it is about what you are doing for exercise.
I don't think she's saying the SCIENCE doesn't apply to her or doesn't work for everyone but that the calculators online, specifically those referenced in the roadmap discussions, don't seem to be working for her and probably aren't accurate for everyone. It's not fair to assume she feels she's a special case. :flowerforyou:0 -
I havent lost any inches either.
I think there are some interesting comments on here and I find it helpful to see how people feel about it.
The best think is to continue to give this appraoch a real chance - continue to log workouts with HRM and be fastidious about food consumption. 0 -
I am with you on this. Im eating 1500 and exercising 4-5x per week. (spin/bodypump/aerobics/running). I figured this by using the weight loss calculator from the 'In place of a roadmap' TDEE discussion - this gives me 1,977 cals and Im eating just close to 25% under for 4 weeks.
Guess what Ive gained 2kgs!
I can perservere for another week but need to switch something up - start a proper weight lifting program or get back on a RI30 (which firmed me up last time) or cut back carbs.
I think what works for some people doesnt work for others.
I'll admit that I have a problem with this statement, so maybe I'm a little overly sensitive, but...
The science applies to EVERYONE, across the board, PERIOD. There are no exceptions. How you apply that science can and does vary. You can't get around total calories. No one can. But how you create your deficit, how you log, etc etc can certainly vary.
If you are gaining, it's not because you are some special case. It's because you aren't in a deficit, which is probably more about how you are estimating/logging than it is about what you are doing for exercise.
I don't think she's saying the SCIENCE doesn't apply to her or doesn't work for everyone but that the calculators online, specifically those referenced in the roadmap discussions, don't seem to be working for her and probably aren't accurate for everyone. It's not fair to assume she feels she's a special case. :flowerforyou:
I'm not assuming anything, I'm saying it's a bad statement to make, regardless of how you mean it because people (especially those new to and/or uneducated about all this) will jump to the conclusion that they are somehow different the first time something doesn't seem to work exactly as advertised. In 99.99% of the cases, the method works, they are just doing it wrong.0 -
TDEE and BMR are not the same thing. Like someone said earlier, BMR is the amount of calories your body burns if it's practically comatose. TDEE is more like your natural lifestyle's maintenance calories, where if you eat that amount given your normal activity (which includes exercise), you will neither gain or lose weight. They are not the same number. Is your BMR 1343? What is your TDEE? It will be higher, even based on a sedentary lifestyle, than your BMR.
If you're estimating your TDEE based on a sedentary lifestyle, then you would want to set your goal calories at some deficit off TDEE, like -20% or you could simply subtract 500 cals (assuming you're aiming to lose 1lb/week), and you should probably eat back your exercise calories, since those are not factored into a sedentary TDEE.
There's controversy over whether to eat back your exercise cals, whether to eat below BMR. I won't get into that.
^^^^^^This^^^^^0 -
Gotcha. You might get folks who strongly recommend against eating below your BMR, even if it's 20% under TDEE. If it's working for you, I say continue. If it's not, perhaps consider trying to at least net your BMR. I know that's a smaller deficit, but sometimes smaller works.My BMR is 1419, my TDEE is 1703 and so my TDEE- 20% is 1363 (all set to sedentary) so thats the measurement I have been going by. I try to eat most of my exercise calories but find it difficult at times, except for the weekends. The weekends I should work out double really.
Altho you did say you're rounding to 1400, which is almost your BMR. If it's not working, try maybe adding 50-100 cals a day for a couple weeks. See how you do. Sometimes, it's trial and error.0 -
Thanks guys, just trying to get used to eating more food, I was eating 1200 forever and was stalled out...so eating more just feels wrong and makes me nervous. I'll try to relax and see what happens!
Oh, and I also have a fitbit which I am still getting used to-I try to eat a deficit of 500 calories thru that- so if I burn 2100, Ill eat 1600 or so. Sound right?
I didn't read all of the responses so this may be answered. FitBit should be pretty accurate so take your cut from that. My Flex tells me that I burn about 2,500 a day and I'm eating about 2200 and the scale is creeping down. Don't be afraid to eat. Use your fitbit as a tool to help get over that fear. You see your burn in black and white. One pound a week goal sounds reasonable (-500 per day) but I didn't see how much you have to lose. I'm set for .5 or less per week because I'm so close to my fat loss goal. Enjoy your food!
BTW, I'm a "roadmapper" and have wicked success with eating high calorie diet with strength training. PM me if you want. The link yo the roadmap is in my profile and you can also check out my pix.0 -
TDEE and BMR are not the same thing. Like someone said earlier, BMR is the amount of calories your body burns if it's practically comatose. TDEE is more like your natural lifestyle's maintenance calories, where if you eat that amount given your normal activity (which includes exercise), you will neither gain or lose weight. They are not the same number. Is your BMR 1343? What is your TDEE? It will be higher, even based on a sedentary lifestyle, than your BMR.
If you're estimating your TDEE based on a sedentary lifestyle, then you would want to set your goal calories at some deficit off TDEE, like -20% or you could simply subtract 500 cals (assuming you're aiming to lose 1lb/week), and you should probably eat back your exercise calories, since those are not factored into a sedentary TDEE.
There's controversy over whether to eat back your exercise cals, whether to eat below BMR. I won't get into that.
My BMR is 1419, my TDEE is 1703 and so my TDEE- 20% is 1363 (all set to sedentary) so thats the measurement I have been going by. I try to eat most of my exercise calories but find it difficult at times, except for the weekends. The weekends I should work out double really.
Again, TDEE can't be sedentary... you're doing it wrong.0 -
TDEE and BMR are not the same thing. Like someone said earlier, BMR is the amount of calories your body burns if it's practically comatose. TDEE is more like your natural lifestyle's maintenance calories, where if you eat that amount given your normal activity (which includes exercise), you will neither gain or lose weight. They are not the same number. Is your BMR 1343? What is your TDEE? It will be higher, even based on a sedentary lifestyle, than your BMR.
If you're estimating your TDEE based on a sedentary lifestyle, then you would want to set your goal calories at some deficit off TDEE, like -20% or you could simply subtract 500 cals (assuming you're aiming to lose 1lb/week), and you should probably eat back your exercise calories, since those are not factored into a sedentary TDEE.
There's controversy over whether to eat back your exercise cals, whether to eat below BMR. I won't get into that.
My BMR is 1419, my TDEE is 1703 and so my TDEE- 20% is 1363 (all set to sedentary) so thats the measurement I have been going by. I try to eat most of my exercise calories but find it difficult at times, except for the weekends. The weekends I should work out double really.
Again, TDEE can't be sedentary... you're doing it wrong.
Ok fine, so u take my info and tell me whats right then please. On http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ I placed my activity level to "desk job with little exercise" that is where my number comes from.0 -
Gotcha. You might get folks who strongly recommend against eating below your BMR, even if it's 20% under TDEE. If it's working for you, I say continue. If it's not, perhaps consider trying to at least net your BMR. I know that's a smaller deficit, but sometimes smaller works.My BMR is 1419, my TDEE is 1703 and so my TDEE- 20% is 1363 (all set to sedentary) so thats the measurement I have been going by. I try to eat most of my exercise calories but find it difficult at times, except for the weekends. The weekends I should work out double really.
Altho you did say you're rounding to 1400, which is almost your BMR. If it's not working, try maybe adding 50-100 cals a day for a couple weeks. See how you do. Sometimes, it's trial and error.
Yes, I round upto 1400 and eat that everyday. Thanks so much for your help!
) 0 -
TDEE and BMR are not the same thing. Like someone said earlier, BMR is the amount of calories your body burns if it's practically comatose. TDEE is more like your natural lifestyle's maintenance calories, where if you eat that amount given your normal activity (which includes exercise), you will neither gain or lose weight. They are not the same number. Is your BMR 1343? What is your TDEE? It will be higher, even based on a sedentary lifestyle, than your BMR.
If you're estimating your TDEE based on a sedentary lifestyle, then you would want to set your goal calories at some deficit off TDEE, like -20% or you could simply subtract 500 cals (assuming you're aiming to lose 1lb/week), and you should probably eat back your exercise calories, since those are not factored into a sedentary TDEE.
There's controversy over whether to eat back your exercise cals, whether to eat below BMR. I won't get into that.
My BMR is 1419, my TDEE is 1703 and so my TDEE- 20% is 1363 (all set to sedentary) so thats the measurement I have been going by. I try to eat most of my exercise calories but find it difficult at times, except for the weekends. The weekends I should work out double really.
Again, TDEE can't be sedentary... you're doing it wrong.
Ok fine, so u take my info and tell me whats right then please. On http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ I placed my activity level to "desk job with little exercise" that is where my number comes from.
Do you want to calculate TDEE (which will include exercise, you won't eat back exercise cals, and as such you'll eat the same number of calories every day regardless), or do you want BMR + NEAT (which will not include exercise, will require you log and eat back exercise cals, and thus will have you eating different amounts every day based on how much you exercise)?0 -
The second option-NEAT. Which is what I thought my 1363 number was? You tell me.0
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The second option-NEAT. Which is what I thought my 1363 number was? You tell me.
Which it was, but you keep calling it TDEE, which is isn't.
1400 for NEAT is perfectly reasonable. Using this approach you'll want to be eating back your exercise cals. So on a rest day, you eat 1400 cals and call it a day. On an exercise day where you burn 300 calories, you'd eat the base 1400 + the 300 exercise cals for 1700 total cals for the day.0 -
Ok, thats what I meant, sorry I suck at correctly wording things. Thank you for your help!0
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Ok, thats what I meant, sorry I suck at correctly wording things. Thank you for your help!
And that's fine. The reason it's important is that if you are actually calculating TDEE (including exercise), then you DON'T eat back exercise cals. If you calculate BMR+NEAT (not including exercise), then you do eat back those cals. This is a huge and fundamental difference between the two approaches, and for some people can easily mean a difference of 1000 cals per day.0 -
Don't worry about it. I say it's all semantics. If you don't exercise, then your TDEE is essentially BMR+NEAT. And most online estimators will have a "sedentary" setting for that. If you want to use that number and then on the days you exercise, eat back your exercise cals, it's fine.Ok, thats what I meant, sorry I suck at correctly wording things. Thank you for your help!0 -
Oh, I know that, don't worry. Thank you again!0
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