BMR/TDEE...yet another query :)

jenbear1980
jenbear1980 Posts: 68
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey

I have been having a play around with some figures and wanted peoples' opinions on these please...

For info, I am 5/9, weigh 218 lbs and am a 32 year old female. I have a desk job although I exercise 5/6 times a week, so in the TDEE calculation I put moderately active...I do a kettlecise DVD and 30DS 6 times a week, as well as dog walks.

The figures are:

TDEE = 2746
BMR = 1766

So, I have taken 20% off the TDEE for weightloss, and the figure is 2196 calories a day... this seems WAYYYY to high, although I have checked the Maths and that figure is in between the BMR and TDEE numbers...

My husband does not think I can lose weight by eating this many calories, and it does seem like A LOT!

Does anyone have any advice for me?

I am looking to get down to about 182 lbs

Thanks very much:)

Replies

  • jennyann117
    jennyann117 Posts: 34 Member
    Looks good to me, just don't eat your workout calories back unless you are below your BMR. I was having a hard time at first with TDEE, but if I follow it, I lose. When I don't follow, I don't lose. Good Luck!! :)
  • jenbear1980
    jenbear1980 Posts: 68
    So... on a workout day, my net calories must be more than my BMR and I eat calories back until I net my BMR...?

    Just seems like a lot of calories to be eating - 2196!!
  • jadermary
    jadermary Posts: 105 Member
    Your exercise calories are already calculated into your TDEE so you don't eat them back.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    eat 1800-2000 for a month and see how the weight loss goes, then adjust accordingly.

    You don't know your TDEE to 4 significant figures. How much were you eating to get to 218 lbs ?
  • jenbear1980
    jenbear1980 Posts: 68
    Hey. I was eating a LOT! I used to binge eat you see, hence putting on lots of weight. That's why I fond this site so helpful,I have
    not had a binge eating episode for 3 months now (I got a self help book before I used this site). That's also why I want to get the calories/exercise issue under control
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    Hey. I was eating a LOT! I used to binge eat you see, hence putting on lots of weight. That's why I fond this site so helpful,I have
    not had a binge eating episode for 3 months now

    So how many calories have you been eating and what has the weight done in that period ?
  • jenbear1980
    jenbear1980 Posts: 68
    I have lost 8lbs in 4 weeks - in MFP settings I said I was sedentary as I have a desk job, although I am exercising 6 times a week.

    I set it first of all to lose 1lb a week ,then increased that to 1.5lb a week. When it was set at 1lb a week loss I was on 1700 calories a day. Which with hindsight that was when I lost the most weight (3lb loss in the first week). I also ate back half of my exercise calories in that time.

    I think the more things I read about BMR/TDEE the more confused I get!

    I may reset it to lose 1lb a week and eat back half exercise calories like I originally did.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    I have lost 8lbs in 4 weeks - in MFP settings I said I was sedentary as I have a desk job, although I am exercising 6 times a week.

    This suggests you're eating about 1000 cals a day less than you're using on average. That's ok for starters but a few weeks down the line you might want to up it in steps as you'll have less fat stores to fill the gap.

    In other words your TDEE including exercise is currently about 1000 calories more than your average food intake.
  • jenbear1980
    jenbear1980 Posts: 68
    So what should I do? Excuse my ignorance I think my brain is getting fried by all the sums...!
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    So what should I do? Excuse my ignorance I think my brain is getting fried by all the sums...!

    If you're losing two pounds a week you should continue doing what you're doing, when you get below say 13 stone (maybe less, depends how it's going) you might want to add a couple of hundred calories a day each month to reduce the rate of loss. That's probably 6 months away so no need to stress.

    The sums aren't hard, if you're losing 1 pound a week your deficit is 500 cals a day. You can change the deficit by eating less/more or exercising less/more.
  • ProjectJepo
    ProjectJepo Posts: 19
    Any advice for a 296LB man? :p
  • jenbear1980
    jenbear1980 Posts: 68
    Ok. I am going to just stick to what I have been doing as it clearly worked.

    I set a weight loss of 1lb a week and that gave me 1700 a day calorie goal which was about the right amount for me.

    I will also eat back at least half of my exercise calories, if not all of them.

    Thanks very much for your help. As I say, the more I read re. TDEE etc the more confused I get. Best to keep things simple like I have been doing and not getting bogged down in too many details.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    Good decision.

    I'm a maths geek but as we only know things like BMR to at best +/- 10% (unless tested personally) there's no point in stressing over the theoretical projections when our actual results are a better indicator.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    Any advice for a 296LB man? :p

    a) Start your own thread to make it easier to follow. Tell us more about your goals, height, activity levels etc. You're eating twice as much as me.

    b) Log your food every day and try to take out 150g of carbs per day compared to what you have been logging - that'll be 600 calories less and should start you on a weight loss if you are currently stuck. Lose the pasta, noodles, bread and replace with vegetables.
  • jenbear1980
    jenbear1980 Posts: 68
    Good decision.

    I'm a maths geek but as we only know things like BMR to at best +/- 10% (unless tested personally) there's no point in stressing over the theoretical projections when our actual results are a better indicator.
  • jenbear1980
    jenbear1980 Posts: 68
    Hear hear. Thanks again.
  • ncmedic201
    ncmedic201 Posts: 540 Member
    What do they consider exercising when calculating TDEE? 30 minutes, 60, 90?
  • jenbear1980
    jenbear1980 Posts: 68
    Just the number of times exercise per week. Did not say anything about the duration of the exercise, not in the one I looked anyway. Going to disregard that anyway and stick to original plan.

Categories