Question about BMR and TDEE

loribethrice
loribethrice Posts: 620 Member
edited February 17 in Health and Weight Loss
So, MFP tells me to eat 1540 calories a day to lose.

I went on the IIFYM and did my TDEE and this is what it says:

Your BMR is:
1613 CALORIES/DAY
Your TDEE is:
1936 CALORIES/DAY

I am confused as to what this means exactly. I am 5'9 and weigh 179lbs. I have a desk job where I do have to get up and walk around, but I am not active outside of that due to my dysautonomia.

Do I need to be eating 1613 calories a day to lose weight? I usually eat around 1350 and not the 1540 that MFP gives me, but am I doing this wrong?

Replies

  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    I went on the IIFYM and did my TDEE and this is what it says:

    Your BMR is:
    1613 CALORIES/DAY
    Your TDEE is:
    1936 CALORIES/DAY

    I am confused as to what this means exactly. I am 5'9 and weigh 179lbs. I have a desk job where I do have to get up and walk around, but I am not active outside of that due to my dysautonomia.

    Do I need to be eating 1613 calories a day to lose weight? I usually eat around 1350 and not the 1540 that MFP gives me, but am I doing this wrong?

    If the TDEE is correct (these things are only estimates, no better than 10% either way) then eating under 1900 calories will mean you lose weight. Your 1350 is a 30% cut from your TDEE which is high but perhaps not excessive to start with. MFP's 1540 is more gentle (ie slower weight loss) at about 20% cut.

    Ignore the BMR when considering how much to eat, BMR is just the largest component of TDEE it has no specific significance in weight loss.
  • loribethrice
    loribethrice Posts: 620 Member
    I went on the IIFYM and did my TDEE and this is what it says:

    Your BMR is:
    1613 CALORIES/DAY
    Your TDEE is:
    1936 CALORIES/DAY

    I am confused as to what this means exactly. I am 5'9 and weigh 179lbs. I have a desk job where I do have to get up and walk around, but I am not active outside of that due to my dysautonomia.

    Do I need to be eating 1613 calories a day to lose weight? I usually eat around 1350 and not the 1540 that MFP gives me, but am I doing this wrong?

    If the TDEE is correct (these things are only estimates, no better than 10% either way) then eating under 1900 calories will mean you lose weight. Your 1350 is a 30% cut from your TDEE which is high but perhaps not excessive to start with. MFP's 1540 is more gentle (ie slower weight loss) at about 20% cut.

    Ignore the BMR when considering how much to eat, BMR is just the largest component of TDEE it has no specific significance in weight loss.

    That is where I get confused. So, if I ignore the BMR then is the TDEE the amount of calories I should be eating? Or should I be eating a % under them?
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    you want to eat a % under your TDEE

    TDEE is the total number of calories you burn in a day. To lose weight, you need to eat less than whatever that number happens to be. In other words:

    TDEE = Maintenance Calories
  • loribethrice
    loribethrice Posts: 620 Member
    you want to eat a % under your TDEE

    TDEE is the total number of calories you burn in a day. To lose weight, you need to eat less than whatever that number happens to be. In other words:

    TDEE = Maintenance Calories

    I definitely eat under...I eat usually around 1350 calories a day even though MFP gives me 1540.
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