Confused on TDEE

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mochamommy
mochamommy Posts: 187 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I get between
Calculate TDEE
Your BMR is:
1399
Calories/Day
Your TDEE is:
2045 minus 20% 1636.

and this one
BMR 1382 and TDEE 1967 minus 20 % 1567.

So what is correct..

Replies

  • naurugirl
    naurugirl Posts: 17 Member
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    TDEE is always going to be an estimate -- either number could be "correct" or they could both be wrong. You could split the difference and aim for 1600, see how the fat loss goes for a month or so and adjust your calories accordingly.
  • jess135177
    jess135177 Posts: 186 Member
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    It's just an estimate and really they are only 69 calories apart...that's not a huge difference.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    Probably neither...it's all an estimate. You're talking about a difference of a mere 69 calories.

    Nobody has a TDEE of exactly XXXX calories per one of these calculators...and in fact, nobody has an exact TDEE of XXXX calories in general. In my maintenance I have a general range of calories that work to maintain...basically if I eat between 2700 - 2800 calories I will maintain my weight. And actually I'll maintain going over that so long as I'm not consistently, daily going over 2800 or so.

    Just start somewhere and make adjustments as necessary per real world results. These calculators are only tools and relatively good starting points...they are not the be all end all...ultimately, you have to tweak things based on what is happening real world.
  • stroutman81
    stroutman81 Posts: 2,474 Member
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    Don't sweat starting calorie target. Just pick one and stay consistent. Test it out. If after a couple of weeks it doesn't seem to be working, drop it by 10% or so. Rinse and repeat this cycle until you've reached your target.

    I don't mean to be overly simplistic, but so many people around here are sweating where they should set their calories to start when that's not really that important... what's important is the process you take to stay consistent, track, and adjust accordingly over time.

    Oh, and my suggestion when selecting an intake is to go higher. I know your gut says to go lower to trigger the fastest weight loss possible. But long term that doesn't pan out for most people. I'm a fan, in general, of suggesting eating the most calories possible while still allowing for a reasonable rate of weight loss.

    And by test it out, I DO mean stay consistent. I see a lot of people who choose a calorie intake and after a few weeks they give up on it and try something different. But when you look at their actual diet record, they really didn't test out the intake they had intended. Their calories were all over the place... often times higher. You don't know if a calorie intake is appropriate or not until you give it a fair chance.

    And lastly, by tracking, of course weight is part of that process. But I also suggest making pictures and measurements a part of that process each month too.

    ETA: CWolf beat me to the punch while I was typing... but obviously in agreement.

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