Iam so confused

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ronmonkey
ronmonkey Posts: 316
in Health and Weight Loss
I have read so many different threads on mfp and TDEE and I am still confused.

I have been going by my mfp calories for the past 5 days at 1830 which is recommended by mfp,thats without any exercise, i then input my calories i have burnt during exercise manually but today iam now left with 945 calories which is a lot, so ive only consumed 1300 calories today??

My TDEE has come out at 2340 a day with light exercise but when i put into mfp goals manually it states im not going to lose any weight if i consume 2340 calories a day?

Any help please.

Replies

  • Calliope610
    Calliope610 Posts: 3,775 Member
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    Your TDEE of 2340 - have you figured out the deficit in TDEE necessary for weight loss? TDEE is maintenance. If you want to lose weight, you have to eat at deficit (10-25% depending on the amount of weight you have to lose).

    My TDEE has come out at 2340 a day with light exercise but when i put into mfp goals manually it states im not going to lose any weight if i consume 2340 calories a day?

    Reason #1 - you won't lose weight at TDEE - that is maintenance.

    Reason #2 - TDEE-deficit doesn't require you to eat back exercise calories (assuming you select the appropriate activity level), MFP uses the NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis) method to determine your daily caloric needs and expects you to eat your exercise calories.
  • megan020103
    megan020103 Posts: 58
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    It took me awhile to get it too! If your TDEE is 2340 than you subtract 20% from that for a total of 1872. So it looks like the MFP and TDEE method for you are very similar. I now use the TDEE method and don't eat my exercise calories back. You could probably eat some, but not all, and still lose weight.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    TDEE is maintenance (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) .... this number includes exercise. So if you use TDEE method take a % off TDEE (that's your deficit) .... then don't log exercise or use 1 calorie burned.


    MFP is a different method that does not include exercise...... until you log it. With MFP you get a calorie deficit first, if you exercise you increased the deficit. That's why MFP asks you to eat them back, too big a deficit promotes muscle loss..... not just fat.

    Pick one method
  • RoyBeck
    RoyBeck Posts: 947 Member
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    If your TDEE is 2340 eat 1872 per day (TDEE -20) and don't input your exercise calories into MFP. Hope this helps.
  • ronmonkey
    ronmonkey Posts: 316
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    OK guys, i think ive worked this it all wrong, this is what my BMR is,


    Entered information: 37 year old male, 67 inches tall, weighing 190 pounds, BMI of 29.8 (Overweight).

    From the information that you entered, you'd like to weigh 167 lbs.

    Harris-Benedict Formula
    There are a few different methods to calculating yourbasal metabolic rate (BMR). One of the most popular, developed in the early 1900's is called the Harris-Benedict formula. Based on this formula, your current BMR is 1849 calories.

    How Many Calories Should I Eat?

    Based on your goal weight, the following chart was generated. The chart shows the number of calories that you should eat on a daily basis to reach your goal weight. At Fat 2 Fit Radio we advocate eating like the thin, healthy person that you want to become. The calorie levels you see in the chart are not extreme, but they do create that all important caloric deficit that is required to get you to your goal weight in a safe manner. Once you reach your goal weight, you will continue eating the same number of calories for the rest of your life to maintain that weight. You'll never be on a diet again.

    Based on how much activity you do on an average day, the calories in the right column will be the number of calories that you will be able to eat at your goal weight. If you start eating those calories right now (eating like the thinner you), you will eventually become that thinner person. As you get closer to your goal weight, your weight loss will start to slow down. It is OK to eat a few hundred calories less per day (200-300) to speed up your weight loss at this point.

    Activity Level

    Daily Calories

    Sedentary (little or no exercise, desk job)

    2047

    Lightly Active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk)

    2346

    Moderately Active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk)

    2644

    Very Active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk)

    2943

    Extremely Active (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training, i.e marathon, contest etc.)

    3241
  • Calliope610
    Calliope610 Posts: 3,775 Member
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    Ok, now to lose weight, your daily caloric intake should be LESS than TDEE (10-20% less). Pick the appropriate activity level, and eat that less 10-20%.

    OR

    Pick "sedentary", calculate your 10-20% deficit AND eat back your calories. That is how the MFP NEAT method works.
  • ronmonkey
    ronmonkey Posts: 316
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    Thanks so much for this, im feeling a lot better now, i just want to get rid of this excess fat.

    So i should be consuming 1870 like Roybeck said and then leaving out the exercise from mfp. Now i understand.

    Thanks again guys, a big help.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    One question...what are you doing exactly that is burning 945 calories in a workout...that's a **** ton...I train like a mother f'er and don't burn that many calories unless I'm on a very long run or cycle or something...which isn't an every day occurrence?

    If you're really burning that much every day then you're far more than light active with a TDEE calculator. Really, it should come out about 6 of 1 between the methods.

    When I did MFP my calorie goals was 1850 net calories to lose 1 Lb per week...on average I was consuming about 2100-2200 gross calories after estimated exercise burn...so roughly 250 - 350 per workout. When I switched to TDEE, my TDEE is roughly 2,700 calories to maintain...minus 20% gives me 2,160 gross calories to lose about 1 Lb per week.

    See what I mean...my daily intake wasn't substantially different between the two methods...just two different avenues of arriving at the same destination.
  • ronmonkey
    ronmonkey Posts: 316
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    I haven't burnt 945 calories, after the calories i had consumed today plus the exercise i did, i was under my daily calorie intake by 945.
  • ronmonkey
    ronmonkey Posts: 316
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    Ok, now to lose weight, your daily caloric intake should be LESS than TDEE (10-20% less). Pick the appropriate activity level, and eat that less 10-20%.

    OR

    Pick "sedentary", calculate your 10-20% deficit AND eat back your calories. That is how the MFP NEAT method works.

    OK, i have decided for now to pick sedentary at 2047 which at 20% works out at 1638 calories a day, i will then add in my daily exercise manually and then eat back my calories. I am presuming this is correct, this is to lose 1.5lbs a week.
  • RichardFL
    RichardFL Posts: 44
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    OK, i have decided for now to pick sedentary at 2047 which at 20% works out at 1638 calories a day, i will then add in my daily exercise manually and then eat back my calories. I am presuming this is correct, this is to lose 1.5lbs a week.

    From what you said, you'd be losing 403 calories a day or ~0.8 lbs a week. You should either eat less than your exercise calories back or properly calculate TDEE to include your exercise. For 1.5 lbs a week, you need to average a 750 calorie deficit each day.
  • ronmonkey
    ronmonkey Posts: 316
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    But on my fitness goals it states a 750 calorie deficit
  • megsmom2
    megsmom2 Posts: 2,362 Member
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    If you're doing the MFP method...don't worry about BMR/TDEE..
    If you're doing BMR/TDEE method....don't worry about MFP guidelines for eating back your burn.

    Both these methods are legit...but not strictly compatible.
  • ronmonkey
    ronmonkey Posts: 316
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    Ok, got up this morning and now Im worried, im going by mfp and consuming 1610 calories a day but my BMR is 1849, is 1610 dangerous??
  • RichardFL
    RichardFL Posts: 44
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    Ok, got up this morning and now Im worried, im going by mfp and consuming 1610 calories a day but my BMR is 1849, is 1610 dangerous??

    1610 sounds kind of low as a daily goal. If you're not exercising and just doing diet, 1.5 pounds a week is probably too aggressive. If you are exercising, maybe try setting your goal to 1 pound a week and just don't eat your exercise calories back or eat 50% of them back. Just make sure you're not hungry longer than a short transition period. If you are hungry, there's likely something wrong. In that case, I'd recommend opening your food and exercise diaries and starting a thread asking for help figuring out what might be tripping you up.

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