How do people eat 1600+ calories and still lose weight?

I thought I understood BMR & TDEE, but can someone just clarify that what I am doing is correct. My BMR us about 1600 and TDEE 1950 - when u did the calculation, I just selected sedentary lifestyle. On this basis, when u exercise. Should I eat back the cals, as they have not already been factored in?

I am trying to net 1600 at the moment & eating back approx 200 cals from exercise on days I work out. So gross I'm eating about 1800.

Just want to check I'm understanding correctly.

TDEE method assumes you have already incorporated exercise into the calculation; the NEAT method used by MFP is where you eat back your exercise calories. So to get your proper TDEE numbers, you would need to select an activity level that includes your exercise.

Thanks for advice - it is appreciated. But now I have conflicting advice - 1 person says eat cals & then you advise not to. I thought TDEE took into account energy used in daily tasks, not exercise. I had an option to see to sedentary, or numerous workouts per week. Because I don't exercise consistently, I set at sedentary (no exercise) so that i could account for exercise as and when I do some. Sorry to keep questioning - but I need to get this right.

I thought I understood BMR & TDEE, but can someone just clarify that what I am doing is correct. My BMR us about 1600 and TDEE 1950 - when u did the calculation, I just selected sedentary lifestyle. On this basis, when u exercise. Should I eat back the cals, as they have not already been factored in?

I am trying to net 1600 at the moment & eating back approx 200 cals from exercise on days I work out. So gross I'm eating about 1800.

Just want to check I'm understanding correctly.

TDEE method assumes you have already incorporated exercise into the calculation; the NEAT method used by MFP is where you eat back your exercise calories. So to get your proper TDEE numbers, you would need to select an activity level that includes your exercise.

Thanks for advice - it is appreciated. But now I have conflicting advice - 1 person says eat cals & then you advise not to. I thought TDEE took into account energy used in daily tasks, not exercise. I had an option to see to sedentary, or numerous workouts per week. Because I don't exercise consistently, I set at sedentary (no exercise) so that i could account for exercise as and when I do some. Sorry to keep questioning - but I need to get this right.

Well by definition what your doing is the NEAT method.

NEAT = Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (BMR + Daily Activity)

TDEE = Total Daily Energy Expediture (BMR + Daily Activity + Exercise)

With TDEE methods, you eat an exact number of calories everyday regardless of whether or not you worked out.
With the NEAT method, your calories will be lower on days you don't work out and higher on days you do.

I'm 5'5 and about 118 pounds and need to eat between 2000 - 2500 calories on average daily if I don't want to weigh 100 pounds. I just run a lot so need it.

I've seen some people say they eat anywhere from 1600-2000 calories a day and still lose 1-2 pounds a week. How do they do that? If their BMR was around 1500 or something, wouldn't they have to burned 100-500 calories every single day just to not gain anything? Am I missing something here?

Exercise

BMR is the number of calories needed if you are in a coma. TDEE is BMR + exercise + all the movements we do in a day. If you eat between your BMR and TDEE , you lose weight

I make sure I eat my BMR of 1680 kcal a day. I think it is far too low, as I'm not in a coma. Therefore, I add an extra 200 kcal on top for good measure. I'm also very active, and can on some days, burn up to 2000 kcal. Now, this is where the confusion starts.
I eat 1800 kcal, and exercise 2000 kcal. That, gives me 2800 kcal. I'm tempted to eat 2800 kcal, but I don't. My body does however, need about 2000 kcal to perform. That leaves me with 800 kcal. I don't know if this is called TDEE

If I may also jump in with a similar question. I have looked at several of the TDEE calculators. They all ask to input your activity level, i.e. sedentary, exercise 1-2-3 days a week, etc. And I get stuck on that simple question! I'm mostly sedentary but I do a bodyweight workout routine 4 days a week for like 20-25 minutes, and occasionally I'll walk 1-2 miles. That's not quite the same as, say, running for an hour. So since the websites don't speciffy how intense or how long the exercise, how can they be accurate? Does that make sense? I usually pick sedentary because I guess I don't want to over-estimate.

But you are clearly not sedentary. Pick lightly active and see how much you lose. If you lose too much, then increase it to moderate..... or eat in between those two numbers.

If I may also jump in with a similar question. I have looked at several of the TDEE calculators. They all ask to input your activity level, i.e. sedentary, exercise 1-2-3 days a week, etc. And I get stuck on that simple question! I'm mostly sedentary but I do a bodyweight workout routine 4 days a week for like 20-25 minutes, and occasionally I'll walk 1-2 miles. That's not quite the same as, say, running for an hour. So since the websites don't speciffy how intense or how long the exercise, how can they be accurate? Does that make sense? I usually pick sedentary because I guess I don't want to over-estimate.

But you are clearly not sedentary. Pick lightly active and see how much you lose. If you lose too much, then increase it to moderate..... or eat in between those two numbers.

I suppose you're right. Some of them say "exercise" with no qualifications like light, moderate, etc. I still feel like a fraud saying something other than sedentary because truly, I'm a couch potato most of the day. Well, except for household chores. Thanks! I will take your advice. What I've been doing has been working thus far (using MFP's recommendation and occasionally getting a few extra calories from my Jawbone UP activity monitor), but I'm always researching to make sure I'm doing it right. :-)

MFP's default is not a TDEE calculator. MFP's default is based on the NEAT concept, and is structured so that you would eat back exercise calories. So, if you have not manually manipulated what they calculated for you (as many of us do) you will want to use an estimation of your every day activity without your exercise involved. If you sit on your booty all day and work at a desk, for example, you want to put sedentary, because then when you do workout, you earn calories for those workouts.

When MFP's program asks if you are sedentary, lightly active, etc, they are asking about your daily life... Usually your job. If you're a stay at home mom, it would be how crazy you are running after the kids. MFP is designed to have the exercise be added on top of the cut they give you initially.

If you want to do a TDEE eating pattern, you will need to manually adjust the calorie goals to match your TDEE goals.

You're confusing BMR and TDEE.

Your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) is the average amount of calories your body burns in a day going about about your normal activities. If you eat your TDEE, you will maintain your weight. Your BMR (basal metabolic rate) is the amount of calories your body requires to maintain optimal functioning of your vital organs and body systems if you were totally inactive or otherwise physically incapacitated. To lose fat while maintaining muscle mass, particularly if you have a small amount of weight to lose, it's generally recommended to eat between your BMR and your TDEE.

Your TDEE is dependent upon a variety of factors, including age, height, gender, current weight, and activity level, so your TDEE may be very different from that of someone else. But as long as you eat fewer calories than your TDEE, you will lose weight. My TDEE is approximately 2100 calories, and my BMR is approximately 1500 calories, so I eat around 1700 calories a day and lose, on average, about a pound a week.

There's a lot of good information here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912920-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013

And here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

^^^^ all of this

Something is off then.
Do you weigh your food? **This is a big one for most people. Measuring cups & spoons are generally only accurate for liquids and loose poweders.**
How are you determining your workout calorie burn?

My workouts: I play r-ball in a league with mostly men once a week for an hour and a half, that, I think is 800cal (conservative); then I play 2 more times a week for another hour and a half (non competitive) each time that is 1200 cal for both and I do 1 sculpting/strength workouts, an hour 250-300 cal (depends on the day). I think I counted my r-ball calories pretty conservative compared to the online numbers.

Food: I cook every meal from raw ingredients and I do not weigh my food all the time (now I do it, but it is on and off, I kind of know when I eat something the size and number of calories) , but every time I keep a log (like now) that is what it comes out to be. Like the day when I play competitive r-ball MSP tells me I had almost 1,000 calories deficit. Granted that is not every day, overall in a week I do have a deficit. The foods that I eat are very healthy and mostly organic. I never touch soda or any fast food...and Never, means NEVER. Even the days when if I eat 1,200 cal/day, I try to make sure I eat enough protein and fiber and the food is nutritious and balanced.