TDEE help- explain it to me like I'm five years old?

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meowlymary
meowlymary Posts: 84 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Edited to add: I think I understand now - thanks for the help!

Hey everyone, I'm hoping someone can help me process this TDEE method. I've read a bunch of the threads including IPOARM but I'm having a mental block.

The part that is confusing me is eating back my workout calories/logging my workout. I know that I should be eating back my calories (and do), but from what I've seen the TDEE method doesn't include logging the workouts - just having one daily calorie goal, right? I work out 3-4 times a week, usually cardio, classes, pilates, and weight lifting. So when I did the calculators on fat2fitradio.com the "moderate" activity level said I should be eating 2547 calories every day (this is the IPOARM method where I put my goal weight as my current weight). Is this right, regardless of if I worked out? Or is that what I subtract 20% from and then eat that number daily?

My stats, if that helps: 63 inches, female, 185 lbs, 27.9 BF%. Hoping to lose about 50 pounds.

On a side note, how important are the macros? I can't be the only one freaking out over how on earth I'm going to eat 185 g of protein daily.

Sorry if I'm the 9000th person confused about this stuff. Even if you can link me to something that explains it more I'd be grateful. Thanks!

Replies

  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
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    Subtract 20% from your TDEE, and that is your daily goal. Do not eat back calories. If you want to log your exercise (which of course who doesn't want to see the hard work we do?!), enter it as .1 calorie burned, and MFP will log is as 0. I usually make a note of actual calorie burn either in the exercise description or in the notes at the bottom of the page as well just to keep track.

    That help?
  • bajoyba
    bajoyba Posts: 1,153 Member
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    It sounds like you've almost got it.

    If you work out pretty regularly, you should include that in your activity level, which you've done. Your calculated TDEE is the number of calories you need to eat to maintain your current weight (your 2547). This is where you subtract 20% to lose. You are correct that you don't eat back exercise calories with this method since it already accounts for your activity level.

    As far as macros, sometimes it's easier to work your way into it. I believe the road map suggests 40C/30F/30P, but I've been gradually changing my percentages to get there because I especially struggle to hit the protein as well.
  • graceire
    graceire Posts: 323 Member
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    This post explains it a whole lot better than I could!

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/680246-tdee-bmr-what-they-are-and-what-to-do-with-them

    Good luck! :smile:
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    My stats, if that helps: 63 inches, female, 185 lbs, 27.9 BF%. Hoping to lose about 50 pounds.
    You're probably closer to 40% fat to be honest. That would put you at 18% fat if you lost your 50 pounds and retained your lean mass.

    Eat 1500 for a month and see what your weight does. Adjust and repeat. Trying to follow contradictory methods will break your brain.
  • jay10587
    jay10587 Posts: 57 Member
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    I was going to say, are you sure of your BF%? Because I am 65in, 149lbs and my BF% is 29.6%

    My stats, if that helps: 63 inches, female, 185 lbs, 27.9 BF%. Hoping to lose about 50 pounds.
    You're probably closer to 40% fat to be honest. That would put you at 18% fat if you lost your 50 pounds and retained your lean mass.

    Eat 1500 for a month and see what your weight does. Adjust and repeat. Trying to follow contradictory methods will break your brain.
  • meowlymary
    meowlymary Posts: 84 Member
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    Your calculated TDEE is the number of calories you need to eat to maintain your current weight (your 2547). This is where you subtract 20% to lose.

    You are an ANGEL. I don't know why but it was that fact that was giving me a block - I didn't connect the TDEE with that 2547 number. Grad school is rotting my brain.

    Thanks to Amy, too!

    Ok so I will subtract 20% from that which makes 2037 daily - which is close to what I was logging as my goal, but I never get close to it on the days I work out because I log the exercise calories.
  • meowlymary
    meowlymary Posts: 84 Member
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    My stats, if that helps: 63 inches, female, 185 lbs, 27.9 BF%. Hoping to lose about 50 pounds.
    You're probably closer to 40% fat to be honest. That would put you at 18% fat if you lost your 50 pounds and retained your lean mass.

    Eat 1500 for a month and see what your weight does. Adjust and repeat. Trying to follow contradictory methods will break your brain.

    You're probably right about the BF%. I did the calculators and they all turned up with a similar number and I was surprised.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    TDEE - total daily energy expenditure. This is all of the calories you need in a day to fuel all of your activities. ALL activity. It is the number of calories where you would not lose or gain any weight, also known as "maintenance calories".

    If you eat above this number, you will gain weight. If you eat below this number, you will lose weight.

    You calculate this number INCLUDING exercise, so this is the flat number of calories you would eat every day. It balances out over the week, so some days you might exercise, some days you might not, it is averaged out.

    To lose weight, of course, you would take a deficit off of this TDEE number. How much you should take off depends on how much weight you need to lose. 20% is a typical safe amount. People who are very obese can do 25%. If you have less than 20 pounds to lose then you probably should choose 15%, and then when you are at 10 pounds to lose, make it 10%.

    Macros is Carbs/Protein/Fat, some people do better with different balance of each.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    .
  • wingchungym
    wingchungym Posts: 30
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    I count my exercise calories, WHY!.... weeellllll, my TDEE is 2010 and I burn an average of 400 calories a day, I rarely eat it back but feel it's important to my records and ego to add it (yes we do all have an ego, deal with it), to my mind it's all relevant information that builds my personal picture of what I did and what gave me results. or maybees I'm just a bit OCD :happy:
  • SlytherinPrefect
    SlytherinPrefect Posts: 64 Member
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    Bump because this makes sense now - if I don't exercise, it's still supposed to equal out over the week, and then I should be adjusting as I get fitter. Right? :\
    TDEE - total daily energy expenditure. This is all of the calories you need in a day to fuel all of your activities. ALL activity. It is the number of calories where you would not lose or gain any weight, also known as "maintenance calories".

    If you eat above this number, you will gain weight. If you eat below this number, you will lose weight.

    You calculate this number INCLUDING exercise, so this is the flat number of calories you would eat every day. It balances out over the week, so some days you might exercise, some days you might not, it is averaged out.

    To lose weight, of course, you would take a deficit off of this TDEE number. How much you should take off depends on how much weight you need to lose. 20% is a typical safe amount. People who are very obese can do 25%. If you have less than 20 pounds to lose then you probably should choose 15%, and then when you are at 10 pounds to lose, make it 10%.

    Macros is Carbs/Protein/Fat, some people do better with different balance of each.
  • Hildy_J
    Hildy_J Posts: 1,050 Member
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    The part that is confusing me is eating back my workout calories/logging my workout. I know that I should be eating back my calories (and do), but from what I've seen the TDEE method doesn't include logging the workouts - just having one daily calorie goal, right?

    Yep, that's right.
    On a side note, how important are the macros? I can't be the only one freaking out over how on earth I'm going to eat 185 g of protein daily.

    I have never yet hit my protein macro - I just can't face that amount of meat/eggs.

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