Lost on the whole BMR, BMI, TDEE, IIFYM

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CaliforniaBarbie
CaliforniaBarbie Posts: 346 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I understand BMR and BMI, and know what mine are for both but im slightly confused on TDEE, and IIFYM, and how to figure those out..
and how they all effect weight loss

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  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    TDEE is your total daily energy expenditure, in other words how many calories your body burns in a day with your activity. Your BMR is what you would burn in a coma, TDEE is what you really use in a normal day. IIFYM is just eating anything you want as long as it fits in your macro budget for the day. That's something you can decide if it's important to you or not. I don't worry about macros as long as I stay in budget, other people live by them.

    If you Google TDEE you'll get lots of calculators but remember to be honest with your activity level or you'll just be shooting yourself in the foot as far as weight loss. If you choose the TDEE method you don't eat back exercise.
  • PinkFlamingoDork
    PinkFlamingoDork Posts: 6
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    I read an interesting article on BMI recently that made me realize how much more we all have to pay attention to what we're going by. I wish I could help you out on the rest, but wanted, in the least, to share this with you.
    http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106268439
  • CaliforniaBarbie
    CaliforniaBarbie Posts: 346 Member
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    If you Google TDEE you'll get lots of calculators but remember to be honest with your activity level or you'll just be shooting yourself in the foot as far as weight loss. If you choose the TDEE method you don't eat back exercise.

    so when you use BMR you eat back your workout calories, and if you use TDEE you dont?
  • HDStretchman
    HDStretchman Posts: 14
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    BMR - Basal metabolic rate. How many calories you'd burn if you were in a coma.

    TDEE - Total Daily energy expenditure. This takes into account how much your body has actually utilized calorie wise during the day. If you know your TDEE, and everyone is different, you can then tweak your diet to either gain or lose weight by adding back a percentage of that number, or subtracting it. Don't exceed TDEE by more than 20% in either direction. Do not go below your bmr.

    You want a caloric deficit to be somewhere in between your TDEE and your BMR. Your body needs some calories to operate.

    Iifym - iF IT FITS YOUR MACROS. Macros are your proteins, fats, and carbs. These are the things your body burns for fuel.

    Micros are your vitamins and minerals. You actually need macro and micro nutrients for your diet to be a success.

    With better food choices, it's easier to hit your macros. That's why people stress eating healthy, in order to avoid the vicious cycle of dieting. If your food choices are poor, your musculature will suffer, and as you lose fat, you will also lose a disproportionate amount of muscle as the body cannibolizes it for the things you need to live. That's known as skinny fat. You can have a lean body, and have a higher bodyfat level. Then, there's less metabolic porocess, and it's much easier to regain weight. That's why you should think about adding resistance training to your regimen. That will build muscle, which will up your metabolism and help you lose weight faster. Also, since muscle weighs more than fat, it is actually leaner, because of density. So, don't be afraid of adding some muscle, because you'll get skinnier than you would be if you didn't. Besides. muscle is easier to lose than fat. So, you won't get bulky, unless you really really try.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    If you Google TDEE you'll get lots of calculators but remember to be honest with your activity level or you'll just be shooting yourself in the foot as far as weight loss. If you choose the TDEE method you don't eat back exercise.

    so when you use BMR you eat back your workout calories, and if you use TDEE you dont?

    Until you understand how it all works the easiest is to let MFP set your calorie goal for you. You need to eat more than your BMR, it's your very lowest number, the floor. TDEE is your highest number, where you would eat to stay the same, the ceiling. Eat somewhere between the floor and the ceiling.
  • corgicake
    corgicake Posts: 846 Member
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    BMR is calorie use mandatory to remaining warm and breathing. Think bedridden. TDEE is total calorie use in a day including your job, exercise, etc. Weight loss means eating less than said calorie use regardless of how explicit the diet is about this fact. IIFYM is meeting your fat, protein, and/or carb (macros) goal by eating anything that gets the job done and can be applied to any diet that explicitly centers around one or more macros.

    BMI is a formula heavily criticized for being inappropriate for use with athletes. Works well for Joe Average though, and happens to point out that Joe Average isn't in the normal/healthy weight bracket anymore which somehow manages to further damage its credibility.
  • lzvbeantown
    lzvbeantown Posts: 23 Member
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    the only thing I don't understand is - if my BMR is 1488 as the calculations point out, and everyone says I need to eat at least at my BMR then why do MFP puts me at a 1200 calories?

    My TDEE is 1786 (sedentary and then I add manually the exercise I do) so my goal would be 1429 (TDEE - 20%), correct?
  • BoxerLover96
    BoxerLover96 Posts: 82 Member
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    Bump.
  • fatoldladyonamission
    fatoldladyonamission Posts: 572 Member
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    Bump again! I just got my bmr from a web calculator and it's 2095 when MFP sets my calories at 1760, which I've then reduced to 1350! Does that mean I'll end up in starvation mode and nothing will work? Mega confused now :(
  • itsjustdawn
    itsjustdawn Posts: 1,073 Member
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    the only thing I don't understand is - if my BMR is 1488 as the calculations point out, and everyone says I need to eat at least at my BMR then why do MFP puts me at a 1200 calories?

    My TDEE is 1786 (sedentary and then I add manually the exercise I do) so my goal would be 1429 (TDEE - 20%), correct?

    MFP sets your NET calories at 1200 so that you don't net less than 1200. Net is calories consumed minus your exercise calories.

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