TDEE not accurate?

Do you calculate using the total number of calories you ate per day (including exercise) or only the actual food calories that you ate?

Think you are confusing the MFP versus TDEE diet methods. This is simply the way to back calculate your TDEE.

Imagine it as a balance:
On one side all the calories you eat or drink. On the other side of the balance your BMR plus non-exercise activity plus your exercise (a.k.a. TDEE, everything that consumes calories).
So because you track your calorie input and you are maintaining your weight you are in balance and the two sides are equal.

Just keep increasing theses calories until you find your sweet spot......

Do you calculate using the total number of calories you ate per day (including exercise) or only the actual food calories that you ate?

Didn't you just say the exact same thing, really?

I know where you are confused, but it's total eaten.

It' merely going back to the basic fact of weight loss, you must eat less than you burn.

Merely re-arranging the formula to arrive at what you burn, based on weight loss amount. Actually, it's assuming you only lost fat weight at 3500 cal per pound.

Do your diet wrong, and that's not a good assumption, nor does the math hold up when you lose muscle mass or LBM, instead of fat mass.

Just had a question for all who has been doing this for a while.

I just started doing TDEE -20% last week. I am wondering how long it will be before I start to see changes in the scale?

I am 34, female, 63 inches, 193 lbs. I work out on an elliptical for about 30-40 minutes 3 - 4 times per week as well as do some kettle bell exercises using a 10 lbs kettle bell.

I have used both Scooby and IIFYM calculators for Mifflin and they are pretty close. my BMR on Scooby is 1547, TDEE is 2128 based on 1-3 hours of exercise per week with mostly a desk job during the day. 20% cut is 1702
IIFYM BMR is 1562. with the same info as above my TDEE is 2148 and 20 % cut is 1718.

I guess I should be expecting a 4-6 week wait to see if this will work?

Unless you've been really low for a while calorie wise you should see something in the next week or 2. What were you "doing" before?

As I neared my goal I've increased calories slightly (from 1300 to 1400) but am now not losing at all even though I'm still eating 250cal a day below what I have worked out as maintenance (1660)

It has only been 3 weeks, which I appreciate is not a plateau yet but I'm no longer convinced that TDEE is right, maybe my maintenance is much lower than expected? Or am I just having a little rut/slow down?

How close are you to maintenance, and were you losing at the rate you expected based on your deficit before? While everything regarding the inaccuracy of estimates, etc, mentioned by the previous posters is true, there is also the possibility that you just haven't waited long enough for your body to adjust to your new intake.

I was originally losing at exactly the rate I should have been based on my deficit from calculated TDEE. Then I raised my calories to a deficit of 250 as I got closer to my original goal, like you did. Had a month with no weight loss. Then without changing anything, suddenly dropped 2 lbs, putting me back at the expected rate of loss. I continued losing at a lb every 2 wks. Now I'm losing about a lb a month, but I've also cut out the regular walking I'd been doing, so that explains that.

Just had a question for all who has been doing this for a while.

I just started doing TDEE -20% last week. I am wondering how long it will be before I start to see changes in the scale?

I am 34, female, 63 inches, 193 lbs. I work out on an elliptical for about 30-40 minutes 3 - 4 times per week as well as do some kettle bell exercises using a 10 lbs kettle bell.

I have used both Scooby and IIFYM calculators for Mifflin and they are pretty close. my BMR on Scooby is 1547, TDEE is 2128 based on 1-3 hours of exercise per week with mostly a desk job during the day. 20% cut is 1702
IIFYM BMR is 1562. with the same info as above my TDEE is 2148 and 20 % cut is 1718.

I guess I should be expecting a 4-6 week wait to see if this will work?

When I switched over I had also started SL 5x5 program...it took 3 weeks for me to see a true loss....

First 2 weeks up 2.5lbs (water) then down that 2.5lbs at the end of those 2 weeks, then wham Tuesday morning down 2lbs...

So what ever cut calorie amount I chose I need to stick it out for at least 3 weeks? I just get nervouse that I have chosen the wrong numbers lol.

One site that I went on actually broke it down into single times so 4 times per week would be BMR x 1.42. that gave me a 20 % cut of 1760, which is the amount I started out with. I am still the same after 1 week. While the other one said 1.375 was for 1-3 hours of exercise, which I don't go over so then my cut would be 1702.

I don't really know which number I should go with?? Just stick to the 1760 that I have been doing for the last week or lower it to 1702?

I'm going to recommend that you really get the scale out of the way and get the tape measure out, because your focus on the scale after just 1 week is going to spell disaster down the road, I can sense it.

And for you, as a woman, you'll need to wait a whole month, because your BMR literally does change through the month.

If you just started a different or new exercise program, your body will also make some improvements that will mask fat loss if only looking at weight loss - hence the tape measure.

Best you can do is confirm valid weigh-in days, log correctly, and go from there.

And remember, are you anywhere near eating ABOVE TDEE such that you would actually gain fat?
No, you still have a deficit.

And look at the numbers you threw out, 58 calorie difference. Hate to tell you, but food labels through a day will throw in more inaccuracy than that.
You eyeballing rather than weighing food will throw out more calories than that.
Shoot, a fast food item where the website says this is the nutrition label for it, but they actually made it bigger will cause more than 58 calorie difference.

Relax, start with best estimates as you can, log as correct as you can, keep the scale as a minor data point and the measuring tape as a better one, but realize clothes and pictures may be best.

After all, do people see the scale, or the fat?

If you have been eating the same amount of calories everyday for 3 weeks and are not gaining or losing weight you have found your maintenance calories no matter what some online calculator says. Any calculator or formula you use to find anything whether it's TDEE, maintenance calories, BMR or whatever is just going to be a starting point. Trial and error is the only way to know exactly what any of these numbers are.

saved for later read!