TDEE - have you mastered fat loss using TDEE ??
tj1207
Posts: 4
Help... Please would someone who has mastered this TDEE process take a look at my numbers?? What should be my calorie intake when I exercise and when I don't..I just want to make sure I'm understanding..
My numbers:
47 yrs
63" 5'3"
130 current weight
BMI 23%
BMR at 130lbs lightly active is 1782 and less 20% is 1486
and moderately active is 2009 and less 20% is 1600
OR TDEE is 1999 and I'm suppose to have this calorie intake everyday exercise or not ?
So am I correct on days of less activity for my calorie intake to be 1486
and on days I exercise my calorie intake should be 1600
I've battled this last 15 lbs for a long time. I want this 2 inch layer of fluff off for good!
Thanks in advance for your help
My numbers:
47 yrs
63" 5'3"
130 current weight
BMI 23%
BMR at 130lbs lightly active is 1782 and less 20% is 1486
and moderately active is 2009 and less 20% is 1600
OR TDEE is 1999 and I'm suppose to have this calorie intake everyday exercise or not ?
So am I correct on days of less activity for my calorie intake to be 1486
and on days I exercise my calorie intake should be 1600
I've battled this last 15 lbs for a long time. I want this 2 inch layer of fluff off for good!
Thanks in advance for your help
0
Replies
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TDEE means TOTAL Daily Energy Expenditure. That means moving around, breathing, pumping blood, exercising, sleeping, everything.
So with the TDEE method, you calculate what you use on average every day. You do need to post how often you exercise, because that goes into figuring out what activity level you set.
Your TDEE (not BMR; that would be the amount of energy you'd use if you did nothing but lie in bed all day, and that should be 1289 given the numbers you posted) is somewhere between 1782 and 1999, depending on your activity - note that the equation is just a way to figure out a close number. I would be willing to bet money that the days you expend exactly 1782 calories and no more or less are pretty close to 0. So if you feel your activity level is somewhere in between there, you can say, look, I think it's 1850. Adjust as necessary if you're not getting the results you want.
1850 - (1850*.2) = 1480. So if you're doing TDEE-20%, you would eat 1480 calories every day, exercise or no. If you went out and ran a marathon or climbed a mountain or something, you'd eat more, but as long as you're sticking to your routine you don't change it.
BUT! You're really close to your goal. You probably don't want to do TDEE-20 - it's likely that will be too much of a deficit. You probably want to stick to TDEE-15 or 10.
Your TDEE-15 = 1572
Your TDEE-10 = 1665
And again, these are estimates. Maybe your metabolism is slowed, maybe you underestimate your food or overestimate your activity. You do it for a month, see how your loss tracks with your predicted loss, and then you can use your food and activity log to calculate your TDEE more accurately. (Don't try to do it sooner than that. You won't have the data you need to figure out what's wrong, much less fix it.)0 -
^^ all of the above.
You will need to eat at a small calorie deficit and be patient. Lifting heavy weights helps.0 -
Oh wow THANK YOU so much.. I'm reading over this again. I did eat more calories yesterday and I had more energy. I walk-jogged 3 miles and did limited weights at the gym... meaning as much as I could lift with arm machines and not injuring a neck problem. I've also started a JJ virgin way of eating a couple of months ago which helps with some bloat. So I'm eating clean. Great advise about the 10% ...I never thought eating more could help me lose!! And I won't be hangry any more..:-)
I will keep in touch in a month! :-)0 -
It took me a while to figure out that I was basically starving myself. Once my body accepted that it would be fed on a regular HIGHER basis, the pounds started to melt away. It was amazing!Oh wow THANK YOU so much.. I'm reading over this again. I did eat more calories yesterday and I had more energy. I walk-jogged 3 miles and did limited weights at the gym... meaning as much as I could lift with arm machines and not injuring a neck problem. I've also started a JJ virgin way of eating a couple of months ago which helps with some bloat. So I'm eating clean. Great advise about the 10% ...I never thought eating more could help me lose!! And I won't be hangry any more..:-)
I will keep in touch in a month! :-)0 -
Anyone want to help me figure mine out? I've read the info but I'm still confused! If so, I can supply all my stats.0
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I am a busybody! Post your stats and we'll work through it.
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I am a busybody! Post your stats and we'll work through it.
ok I have a challenge for you lol - just posted this/ so this is a cross post sorry:
Using the IIFYM website:
I don't understand why the numbers don't change if I vary my responses to the questions: I'm 50, Female, 5'5", 305. I have just started doing a little bit of exercise and am not as regular with it as I hope to be soon. So I looked at the numbers if I chose "little or no exercise" vs. "3 times per week" -- the Text book/ 20% the numbers and the aggressive/ 25% numbers all show 2440 for the total calories I should have, regardless of exercise or not, regardless of the 20% or 25%.
How can all the different criteria get the same result?
If 2440 is a min amount, then does that mean I should eat back exercise calories in that case?
Thanks and sorry OP for the hijack
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I am a busybody! Post your stats and we'll work through it.
I'll love you for it!
Ok:
Female
30 years old
5'8"
286 lbs (yikes)
sedentary lifestyle (I work a desk job, do chase 2 kids in the evening but I don't think that's enough to justify anything - I am also trying to do zumba but absolutely cannot dance for the life of me and am still teaching myself the steps! lmao)
Is there anything else you need?0 -
Anyone want to help me figure mine out? I've read the info but I'm still confused! If so, I can supply all my stats.
Me too!
30 yrs Female
180lbs
5'6"
fairly active (I walk about 4 miles per day plus go running or play roller derby occasionally)0 -
Using the IIFYM website:
I don't understand why the numbers don't change if I vary my responses to the questions: I'm 50, Female, 5'5", 305. I have just started doing a little bit of exercise and am not as regular with it as I hope to be soon. So I looked at the numbers if I chose "little or no exercise" vs. "3 times per week" -- the Text book/ 20% the numbers and the aggressive/ 25% numbers all show 2440 for the total calories I should have, regardless of exercise or not, regardless of the 20% or 25%.
How can all the different criteria get the same result?
If 2440 is a min amount, then does that mean I should eat back exercise calories in that case?
Thanks and sorry OP for the hijack
That's interesting, because I put your numbers in and it gave me 2540 for cautious and 2440 for the other two. Clearly it is doing something that is not math; it calculates your BMR as 2173 so it's not doing a "don't go under BMR" thing. I have no clue.
Using the Fitness Frog calculator (which as far as I've seen works well enough), your TDEE comes out to 2816 at the 1-3x/week exercise level. TDEE-20 should be right up your alley, so all you have to do is multiply 2816*.8, which is 2250 after rounding. Given your stats, you could even start with TDEE-25 and see how that works for you; that would be 2816*.75, or 2110. Or anywhere in between those two numbers. (Ok, it's not a huge difference, but some days you just want that second banana, you know?)
So you would just eat that every day, and try to make sure you keep up with exercising 3x/week, and not worry about the exact amount you burn each day.0 -
You can also start the math with a good estimate of body fat%, get best estimate of Katch BMR based on that, better activity calculator than just 5 levels, and deficit goal based on what you actually do and amount to lose, and track your progress.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/717858-spreadsheet-bmr-tdee-and-deficit-calcs-macros-hrm0 -
Ok:
Female
30 years old
5'8"
286 lbs (yikes)
sedentary lifestyle (I work a desk job, do chase 2 kids in the evening but I don't think that's enough to justify anything - I am also trying to do zumba but absolutely cannot dance for the life of me and am still teaching myself the steps! lmao)
Is there anything else you need?
Notes for everyone!
I realized I should post the link to the TDEE calculator I use, too, it's here: http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html
Remember you need to redo the calcuations every 10 lbs or so, because as you lose weight, it takes less energy to move your body around. And as you get closer to your goal, you should make your deficit smaller, because science. (There's a post around somewhere that explains it really well but I can't find it at the moment so just take it on faith until someone does.)
Back to Shimmer!
Ok, so it puts your TDEE at 2487. TDEE-20 would be 1990 and TDEE-25 is 1865. Like jolt28 you're starting out with a little more to lose, so you can pick a number between those two, like maybe a nice round 1900. If it sucks too much, bump up to 1990. And any exercise you can fit in is good exercise - if you get a regular routine going, you get to redo your calculations and eat more food!0 -
Using the IIFYM website:
I don't understand why the numbers don't change if I vary my responses to the questions: I'm 50, Female, 5'5", 305. I have just started doing a little bit of exercise and am not as regular with it as I hope to be soon. So I looked at the numbers if I chose "little or no exercise" vs. "3 times per week" -- the Text book/ 20% the numbers and the aggressive/ 25% numbers all show 2440 for the total calories I should have, regardless of exercise or not, regardless of the 20% or 25%.
How can all the different criteria get the same result?
If 2440 is a min amount, then does that mean I should eat back exercise calories in that case?
Thanks and sorry OP for the hijack
That's interesting, because I put your numbers in and it gave me 2540 for cautious and 2440 for the other two. Clearly it is doing something that is not math; it calculates your BMR as 2173 so it's not doing a "don't go under BMR" thing. I have no clue.
Using the Fitness Frog calculator (which as far as I've seen works well enough), your TDEE comes out to 2816 at the 1-3x/week exercise level. TDEE-20 should be right up your alley, so all you have to do is multiply 2816*.8, which is 2250 after rounding. Given your stats, you could even start with TDEE-25 and see how that works for you; that would be 2816*.75, or 2110. Or anywhere in between those two numbers. (Ok, it's not a huge difference, but some days you just want that second banana, you know?)
So you would just eat that every day, and try to make sure you keep up with exercising 3x/week, and not worry about the exact amount you burn each day.
THANK YOU!! You are wonderful:) I shall go for the 2110 because I've been keeping it more like 1500-1800, rarely going over 2000. so hopefully this will explain why I haven't been losing and change that!! You are a Lifesaver :flowerforyou:0 -
I don't believe this hype.....Mine would calculate out to be 2118 calories needed to lose and I have tried 2,000 cals per day at Dr's request and gained weight.0
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Ok:
Female
30 years old
5'8"
286 lbs (yikes)
sedentary lifestyle (I work a desk job, do chase 2 kids in the evening but I don't think that's enough to justify anything - I am also trying to do zumba but absolutely cannot dance for the life of me and am still teaching myself the steps! lmao)
Is there anything else you need?
Notes for everyone!
I realized I should post the link to the TDEE calculator I use, too, it's here: http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html
Remember you need to redo the calcuations every 10 lbs or so, because as you lose weight, it takes less energy to move your body around. And as you get closer to your goal, you should make your deficit smaller, because science. (There's a post around somewhere that explains it really well but I can't find it at the moment so just take it on faith until someone does.)
Back to Shimmer!
Ok, so it puts your TDEE at 2487. TDEE-20 would be 1990 and TDEE-25 is 1865. Like jolt28 you're starting out with a little more to lose, so you can pick a number between those two, like maybe a nice round 1900. If it sucks too much, bump up to 1990. And any exercise you can fit in is good exercise - if you get a regular routine going, you get to redo your calculations and eat more food!
Well, I have been doing what MFP said for calories and that's a little over 1600, and it hasn't sucked too badly. I've been able to have 3 good meals and a couple of snacks a day with that amount, so I can definitely do 1900! I'm curious if it will make the weight loss slower than if I were eating the 1600 a day? I guess I'll just have to up it and see and play around with it from there.
Thanks for your help!0 -
Unless I am doing it wrong on calculations.....I used Fitness Frog....
Help!!
I am 35, 5.6 1/2 and 210lbs.....today anyway......I am mod active...exercise 3 or more days per week and always burn 150+ calories.......I have gained and lost same 10lbs the last yr! I NEED HELP ON THIS!0 -
I don't believe this hype.....Mine would calculate out to be 2118 calories needed to lose and I have tried 2,000 cals per day at Dr's request and gained weight.
How long did you try it for? If you have eaten low calories for a long time, your metabolism is likely suppressed. (Your energy slows down to match what you are feeding it). You would have to eat higher for perhaps 6 weeks (maybe longer) to start reversing the suppressed metabolism.0 -
I don't believe this hype.....Mine would calculate out to be 2118 calories needed to lose and I have tried 2,000 cals per day at Dr's request and gained weight.
It's not hype, it's science. The TDEE equations give you an estimate of your TDEE, but they're not 100% accurate. If you list your weight, your Body fat percentage and your activity level, I could double check that calculation, or not, its up to you0 -
Unless I am doing it wrong on calculations.....I used Fitness Frog....
Help!!
I am 35, 5.6 1/2 and 210lbs.....today anyway......I am mod active...exercise 3 or more days per week and always burn 150+ calories.......I have gained and lost same 10lbs the last yr! I NEED HELP ON THIS!
Body fat percentage estimate?0 -
I never went and plugged in numbers to figure out TDEE or BMI or any of that stuff. All i did, basically, was start recording what i was eating. I didn't change a thing, i just recorded it all using this as an app just for that purpose. After about a month of doing that, i figured out my maintenance calories. For the past two months i've been at a caloric deficit and losing weight. A LOT of weight, and inches off the waist. Soon i'll be setting it to a caloric surplus and looking to add lean muscle mass, based on what i know about my calorie requirements. I'll find out what works. Sometimes it's best to just play with the numbers. We have plenty of time on this earth, nothing has to happen overnight.0
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Your BMR probably isn't that high, unless you got it tested professionally. If you are basing it off the online calculators, take into account that they are always wrong, sometimes grievously. It tells me that my BMR is 1600 ish and my doctor tested me at the hospital and it is more like 801 - 845.0
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Unless I am doing it wrong on calculations.....I used Fitness Frog....
Help!!
I am 35, 5.6 1/2 and 210lbs.....today anyway......I am mod active...exercise 3 or more days per week and always burn 150+ calories.......I have gained and lost same 10lbs the last yr! I NEED HELP ON THIS!
Body fat percentage estimate?
how do I figure that out?0 -
I never went and plugged in numbers to figure out TDEE or BMI or any of that stuff. All i did, basically, was start recording what i was eating. I didn't change a thing, i just recorded it all using this as an app just for that purpose. After about a month of doing that, i figured out my maintenance calories. For the past two months i've been at a caloric deficit and losing weight. A LOT of weight, and inches off the waist. Soon i'll be setting it to a caloric surplus and looking to add lean muscle mass, based on what i know about my calorie requirements. I'll find out what works. Sometimes it's best to just play with the numbers. We have plenty of time on this earth, nothing has to happen overnight.
This is the best way to do it, the TDEE calculations just give you a good starting point, but you have to eat at that point for a few weeks and track your weight then tweak calories as needed to find your actual TDEE0 -
Also, yes! If you know your BF%, the katch-mcardle formula will be more accurate. If you're averagely muscular, though, you won't get more than a few calories difference, so it's probably not vital until you get pretty close to your goal. And that spreadsheet is really good, so once you get in the swing of things definitely take a look at it.Me too!
30 yrs Female
180lbs
5'6"
fairly active (I walk about 4 miles per day plus go running or play roller derby occasionally)
It does depend on how occasional occasionally is - the walking is kind of already included in the formula for lightly active. Light would give you a TDEE of 2202 and Moderate a TDEE of 2482, so you kind of want to figure out where in there you fit. But we'll say 2350 because that's in the middle-ish; like everyone else, you should adjust after looking at your results.
TDEE-20 would be 1880.0 -
bokodasu, thanks for explaining that. My brain is clearer now!0
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Also, yes! If you know your BF%, the katch-mcardle formula will be more accurate. If you're averagely muscular, though, you won't get more than a few calories difference, so it's probably not vital until you get pretty close to your goal. And that spreadsheet is really good, so once you get in the swing of things definitely take a look at it.Me too!
30 yrs Female
180lbs
5'6"
fairly active (I walk about 4 miles per day plus go running or play roller derby occasionally)
It does depend on how occasional occasionally is - the walking is kind of already included in the formula for lightly active. Light would give you a TDEE of 2202 and Moderate a TDEE of 2482, so you kind of want to figure out where in there you fit. But we'll say 2350 because that's in the middle-ish; like everyone else, you should adjust after looking at your results.
TDEE-20 would be 1880.
Yea, I prefer to use the Katch McArdle formula because the Mifflin-St Jeor formula overestimates TDEE especially for overweight individuals, and the Harris-Benedict formula is a complete joke0 -
Unless I am doing it wrong on calculations.....I used Fitness Frog....
Help!!
I am 35, 5.6 1/2 and 210lbs.....today anyway......I am mod active...exercise 3 or more days per week and always burn 150+ calories.......I have gained and lost same 10lbs the last yr! I NEED HELP ON THIS!
Yeah, the activity settings are pretty misleading, and most people should probably pick the one under the one they think they are, unless they think they're sedentary. The studies they were calculated from were from a time where people just had a lot more activity built into their day. There's another calculator that adjusts for this but I can't ever find it. If you're 210 lbs and burning 150 calories per session 3x/week, that's not more than lightly active. (Sorry! I am just the messenger, please do not shoot!) Also make sure you are accurately logging - weighing/measuring your food, not just guessing at portion sizes, etc.
So it puts your TDEE at 2349; that would put you at 1760 for TDEE-25 and 1880 for TDEE-20.
And if you've been dieting a long time... well, it might help to do a reset before you start. There's a few threads around here on those, too, but basically you'll have to gain a little bit of weight while you're teaching your body that you're not going to starve it. (And then you starve it! MUAH HA HA HA! No, wait, then you just feed it right but a little less than it's used to and you gradually get smaller to match the available food.)
And also yes, if you can accurately log everything, it is MUCH better to calculate your TDEE from your body changes than from a formula, because the formula is just for the average person and there are lots of reasons you might not be that. But if you can't, it's a starting place. (And even if you can - I've done it, and what I get from my data and Katch-McArdle is a whopping 20 calories difference per day, which is basically a rounding error, so it wasn't really necessary to find that out. Still, it's interesting to know for sure.)0 -
Unless I am doing it wrong on calculations.....I used Fitness Frog....
Help!!
I am 35, 5.6 1/2 and 210lbs.....today anyway......I am mod active...exercise 3 or more days per week and always burn 150+ calories.......I have gained and lost same 10lbs the last yr! I NEED HELP ON THIS!
Yeah, the activity settings are pretty misleading, and most people should probably pick the one under the one they think they are, unless they think they're sedentary. The studies they were calculated from were from a time where people just had a lot more activity built into their day. There's another calculator that adjusts for this but I can't ever find it. If you're 210 lbs and burning 150 calories per session 3x/week, that's not more than lightly active. (Sorry! I am just the messenger, please do not shoot!) Also make sure you are accurately logging - weighing/measuring your food, not just guessing at portion sizes, etc.
So it puts your TDEE at 2349; that would put you at 1760 for TDEE-25 and 1880 for TDEE-20.
And if you've been dieting a long time... well, it might help to do a reset before you start. There's a few threads around here on those, too, but basically you'll have to gain a little bit of weight while you're teaching your body that you're not going to starve it. (And then you starve it! MUAH HA HA HA! No, wait, then you just feed it right but a little less than it's used to and you gradually get smaller to match the available food.)
And also yes, if you can accurately log everything, it is MUCH better to calculate your TDEE from your body changes than from a formula, because the formula is just for the average person and there are lots of reasons you might not be that. But if you can't, it's a starting place. (And even if you can - I've done it, and what I get from my data and Katch-McArdle is a whopping 20 calories difference per day, which is basically a rounding error, so it wasn't really necessary to find that out. Still, it's interesting to know for sure.)
I usually burn more than 150 calories hence the "+" after 150 just using that as a low end average....sometimes up to 300...depending on exercise....I have been walking/riding bike rather than doing DVD's (Jillian Michaels, Turbo fire, any Beachbody ones) to see if that changes anything. So I should change my calorie intake to 1760? I think that is what it is set for now.....I am at such a loss. I have altered everything. I measure EVERYTHING out. I think I have f'ed my metabolism big time.0 -
I usually burn more than 150 calories hence the "+" after 150 just using that as a low end average....sometimes up to 300...depending on exercise....I have been walking/riding bike rather than doing DVD's (Jillian Michaels, Turbo fire, any Beachbody ones) to see if that changes anything. So I should change my calorie intake to 1760? I think that is what it is set for now.....I am at such a loss. I have altered everything. I measure EVERYTHING out. I think I have f'ed my metabolism big time.
Relax, deep breath.
And, still, yeah. I spend about 6-8 hours in the gym every week, mostly lifting with a little cardio. I do this because I enjoy it, I don't have any other hobbies, and because I'm lucky to have a family and job that can support that, not because you have to to lose weight or be fit. And my TDEE matches "moderately active" using Katch-McArdle for my BMR.
That said, note the differences between what it gives you for TDEE and what you burn doing "exercise" - it's a pretty small percentage of your daily caloric needs. Most of the calories you take in aren't going to be used up in the gym, they're going to be from just doing daily activity, so even little increases in that can add up. Any exercise you can do is good exercise. When I am cutting, I see a bigger difference when I make myself get up and walk around the office five minutes out of every hour than when I burn an extra 100 calories on the elliptical.
You can try to get your bodyfat tested - those handheld/scale things don't work so great, but they're better than nothing and most gyms have them. Calipers are cheap - I think mine were $8 on Amazon, but you do need to practice with them. And if you have a pile of cash you can get a BodPod or DEXA scan, which are going to be a lot more accurate but aren't cheap. Once you know that, you can calculate your TDEE more accurately. Even better, you can get your RMR tested by a doctor and skip the whole calculation thing, but again, that costs money.
If you have really f'ed your metabolism, there are things you can do. I'm not a fan of low-carb in general, but it can be really helpful if you're insulin-resistant or borderline, so it's worth trying until you get out of that zone. Check out this story: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/919536-get-your-metabolic-rate-tested-my-metabolic-reset-story and the Eat More To Weigh Less group here to see how to do a reset. And give it time; when you change something it takes longer for the change to show up than you think it might, so only change one thing at a time, give it a decent chance to work, and then try something else if you're still not seeing results.
And, you know, for comparison: I took 2 years to lose 55 pounds. I took maintenance breaks, I did refeeds, I ate my birthday cake. As long as you're walking in the right direction, you'll get there eventually.0 -
My weight is down 2 lbs this morning it's moving again... can you see me doing cartwheels!! PLUS I'm eating 300 calories more than before! That's awesome!!0
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