Help with Daily Calorie Allowance... BMR? TDEE?

LWlosingit
LWlosingit Posts: 2 Member
edited January 29 in Health and Weight Loss
I just recently stopped using Weight Watchers Online and am trying to determine my calorie allowance for MFP. I've seen a million different ways of calculating and I know that ultimately I'll need to determine the number that works best for me through trial and error. Just looking for some advice on where to start.

I'm a 27 year old girl, 5'8" and currently weigh 198.6 lbs. I work at a desk 4 days a week for 8 hours each day. I'm not consistently active, though I'd say I go for long walks (60-75 minutes, fast pace) 1-2 times a week. According to my HRM I burn about 500-700 calories from each walk. I'd like to increase my activity level.

My TDEE for sedentary is 2219, 3x week light exercise is 2543
My BMR is 1711

Where would you start for calories/day if it were you? Should I calculate based on a sedentary lifestyle and then eat back the calories I burn through exercise?

Any help is appreciated!

Replies

  • silmarilliane
    silmarilliane Posts: 133 Member
    when i started on here i was the same age and weight, though i'm slightly shorter. when you set your goals on myfitnesspal it does calculate them via bmr and tdee. it set me on 1200 to lose 1.8 or so pounds a week.
    as long as you add your exercises and eat around the number MFP suggests for the day, you'll be good.

    so, yes, set your lifestyle to sedentary and add the exercises. easier that then setting it to a higher activity level and trying to work backwards on days you aren't able to exercise.

    hope it goes well :)
  • aepdx
    aepdx Posts: 218 Member
    Try eating just 1711 and see how that goes. Eat back your exercise calories if you are hungry, it wouldn’t hurt.
  • MzManiak
    MzManiak Posts: 1,361 Member
    Eat at 2207 (2453 - 10% for weight loss) Try it for a month, see where you are. If you aren't losing a pound per week (approximate, and with getting your exercise in) then lower the amount by 100 calories (or up your exercise) and go from there. If you feel tired a lot, or hungry, grumpy, etc. go ahead and raise it by 100 calories and see if that helps.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    If your workouts are even semi-consistent, then the TDEE deficit method will allow you to better prepare and meet your daily goal of calories.

    Because being underfed for your amount of activity won't help you lose fat either.

    That being said, if you can still plan your days with the fact you will get the exercise in - and not fail to eat back the majority of your exercise, might as well use the MFP method as intended.

    First, your desk job may be sedentary, but the little one in that picture makes you not. Vast majority of folks that got FitBits and BodyMedia devices report their non-exercise desk job days are actually burning at MFP's Lightly Active level.

    I'd change your profile to that Lightly Active, take the 2lb loss weekly until down to 40 lbs to go.
    Don't worry about the exercise goals there, they aren't used in any math for eating goals, and most aren't even aware there are exercise goals to look at.

    Then log all your exercise. But, since you are already accounting for some of those calories being burned daily, take 90 calories off per hour from whatever the HRM tells you.

    And be aware that if that is a cheaper Polar HRM, as you become more fit, it will start underestimating your calorie burns. As you become more fit, your HR doesn't need to beat as fast to supply the oxygen to burn the fuel. But all the cheaper Polar HRM knows is your HR was lower, so it must mean lower calorie burn - wrong! As long as your weight stays the same and pace stays the same - you burned the same amount of calories. Not like you are going to improve your walking efficiency this late in life.
    Now, you lose 5 lbs and don't pick up the pace - yes you burn less.
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