BMR, TDEE, WTF

soontobesam
soontobesam Posts: 714 Member
edited December 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
I've only been on here since April and I have lost 15lbs but I feel like in the past week+ I have stalled out. Can someone help me set up my profile correctly or tell me if it sounds like I am on the right track.

Height: 5ft5
CW: 185
GW: 150

I work at home in front of a computer all day so I have it set at sedentry for that reason but I walk 2-4 miles 6 days a week and have started doing C25K (so not sure if I should still keep it at sedentry or change it).

My MFP has me at 1200 calories a day + whatever exercise calories I earn. I am typically a 100-300 hundred under that goal unless I went out to eat or had a particularly unhealthy day.

My BMR is 1638.35 according to ://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/
TDEE is 1959 according to http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html

I don't really understand the difference between the two - seems like they both are indicating that this number is what I burn daily just living.

Help me please. :flowerforyou:

Replies

  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
    BMR is what you would burn if you were in a coma.
    TDEE is that, plus what you burn doing the rest of your activities.
  • sleepytexan
    sleepytexan Posts: 3,138 Member
    BMR = basal metabolic rate (eating this amount of calories already provides a deficit, assuming you do not spend your entire day in bed, so you can eat at BMR and expect to lose weight).

    TDEE = total daily energy expenditure ( BMR + normal daily activities + exercise) = MAINTENANCE OF YOUR CURRENT WEIGHT.

    When TDEE is calculated, it already includes your exercise (unless you are sedentary, then it just includes your getting out of bed and living).

    When BMR is calculated, it does NOT include your exercise.

    Eating anywhere between your BMR and TDEE will result in excellent weight loss.

    1200 is often what you get with MFP when you tell it you want to lose 2 lbs/week (not realistic goal unless you are obese, BTW).

    If you would like to customize your MFP daily calories number choose GOALS, CHANGE GOALS, CUSTOMIZE. Then enter in the number your choose. If you use BMR, then make sure to eat your exercise calories in addition. If you use TDEE, remember you already counted your activity level, so don't eat the exercise calories.

    Go.
  • soontobesam
    soontobesam Posts: 714 Member
    BMR = basal metabolic rate (eating this amount of calories already provides a deficit, assuming you do not spend your entire day in bed, so you can eat at BMR and expect to lose weight).

    TDEE = total daily energy expenditure ( BMR + normal daily activities + exercise) = MAINTENANCE OF YOUR CURRENT WEIGHT.

    When TDEE is calculated, it already includes your exercise (unless you are sedentary, then it just includes your getting out of bed and living).

    When BMR is calculated, it does NOT include your exercise.

    Eating anywhere between your BMR and TDEE will result in excellent weight loss.

    1200 is often what you get with MFP when you tell it you want to lose 2 lbs/week (not realistic goal unless you are obese, BTW).

    If you would like to customize your MFP daily calories number choose GOALS, CHANGE GOALS, CUSTOMIZE. Then enter in the number your choose. If you use BMR, then make sure to eat your exercise calories in addition. If you use TDEE, remember you already counted your activity level, so don't eat the exercise calories.

    Go.

    Perfect - thank you!
  • ImRadical4Jesus
    ImRadical4Jesus Posts: 144 Member
    BUMP
  • soontobesam
    soontobesam Posts: 714 Member
    So I guess I should set my goal to 1800, without eating back my exercise galories.

    I figure that is between the BMR and TDEE number.
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/

    This will calculate a cut of your tdee for you. Eat at the activity level you correspond to. If its sedentary, log your exercise as well.

    See my profile for how its worked out for me. I have gotten to goal doing this.
  • ebaymommy
    ebaymommy Posts: 1,067 Member
    So I guess I should set my goal to 1800, without eating back my exercise galories.

    I figure that is between the BMR and TDEE number.

    Or just shoot for a nice range, say 1650-1850. That gives you some wiggle room for hungry & not-so-hungry days all while keeping you at a small deficit. Also if you've been eating around 1200 you might want to take it up gradually....like 1350 for a week, then 1500 next week, then 1650, etc.

    I pretty much did the same thing in January when I started upping my calories. I'm also 5'5" and currently maintaining at 120lbs eating 2300+ a day (I'm very active and in training for a marathon, though).
  • soontobesam
    soontobesam Posts: 714 Member
    Thanks everyone - I appreciate all the information.

    I'll take a look over all the info tomorrow and the link provided and see what I can come up with.

    Wish me luck!!

    :flowerforyou:
  • DrivenDiva
    DrivenDiva Posts: 233 Member
    bump to read later
  • DrivenDiva
    DrivenDiva Posts: 233 Member
    bump to read later
  • hadiolar
    hadiolar Posts: 66 Member
    BMR = basal metabolic rate (eating this amount of calories already provides a deficit, assuming you do not spend your entire day in bed, so you can eat at BMR and expect to lose weight).

    TDEE = total daily energy expenditure ( BMR + normal daily activities + exercise) = MAINTENANCE OF YOUR CURRENT WEIGHT.

    When TDEE is calculated, it already includes your exercise (unless you are sedentary, then it just includes your getting out of bed and living).

    When BMR is calculated, it does NOT include your exercise.

    Eating anywhere between your BMR and TDEE will result in excellent weight loss.

    1200 is often what you get with MFP when you tell it you want to lose 2 lbs/week (not realistic goal unless you are obese, BTW).

    If you would like to customize your MFP daily calories number choose GOALS, CHANGE GOALS, CUSTOMIZE. Then enter in the number your choose. If you use BMR, then make sure to eat your exercise calories in addition. If you use TDEE, remember you already counted your activity level, so don't eat the exercise calories.

    Go.

    tHANK YOU....No wonder I have not been loosing anymore weight in the past one month.....my BMR IS 1545 and my TDEE is 2493 as I am moderately active....so eating anything her will help me loose weight.....tx so much and I am just going to hange my goals manually as MFP s driving me nuts!
  • teamnevergoingback
    teamnevergoingback Posts: 368 Member
    BUMP! Super helpful & I've been seeing many people ask. Thanks!
  • bekahlou75
    bekahlou75 Posts: 304 Member
    Bump. This helped me.
  • BurntCoffee
    BurntCoffee Posts: 234 Member
    Bump. Found this incredibly helpful.
  • duffs007
    duffs007 Posts: 2
    Bump, again, this is incredibly helpful and the thread title is PERFECTION.
  • jkwolly
    jkwolly Posts: 3,049 Member
    So I guess I should set my goal to 1800, without eating back my exercise galories.

    I figure that is between the BMR and TDEE number.
    TDEE minus 20% is usually the most aggressive most people do!

    Good luck!
  • Chevy_Quest
    Chevy_Quest Posts: 2,012 Member
    bump helpful
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Your BMR is what your body burns just being alive. Keep in mind that your actual BMR is likely lower than what has been indicated as most calculators use your total body weight, including fat to determine BMR...it is far more accurate to use a calculator that only uses your lean mass in the equation...fat doesn't need to be fueled, lean mass does.

    When figuring your TDEE, you have to estimate TOTAL expenditure...this includes an estimate of your average exercise as well as your day to day type of stuff. I'm having a really hard time believing your TDEE is really only a couple hundred calories more than your BMR...are you including all activity or just putting it to sedentary? To do it right, you need to include all activity.

    Personally, if you've been having success with MFP, I wouldn't switch methods...if you're doing them correctly and comparing apples to apples loss rate goals, the methods are 6 of 1, half dozen of the other...the only difference between the two methods is where you account for exercise. I would also add that one measly little week without a loss isn't a stall...weight loss isn't a linear function....you're going to have weeks with bigger losses, smaller losses, no losses, and even gains...you need to track the trend, not the actual numbers.
  • 2kellymike
    2kellymike Posts: 75 Member
    Thanks, this thread helped me too!
  • SummerOBX10
    SummerOBX10 Posts: 6
    What I don't understand about TDEE is, your exercise options are number of day's per week to add calories to your BMR.

    It does not differentiate between simply walking 30 mins (like I do) and busting your butt at the gym for 2 hours (like I know other people do).
  • adamitri
    adamitri Posts: 614 Member
    I'm so confused by all this. I set myself to sedatary on MFP because I work a desk job and it says I should eat around 1260 C a day, but based off http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr it says I should eat about 1808 C a day being sedatary and that seems a little high for someone trying to lose weight. It also says my Weight goal is below my BMR... and gives me a warning. Is that a problem?
  • dw4378
    dw4378 Posts: 35
    This is all so confusing to me. But hope I can wrap my head around it and get it to where I am consistently losing.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    You don't need to know your TDEE to lose weight using MFP. :)

    I still don't know mine or even what it is...and I don't care.

    If you want to get into all that, great! If not, unnecessary. :)
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