Can I *know* my TDEE?
424a57
Posts: 140 Member
With all the talk about TDEE and BMR, I get a bit confused. My understanding is TDEE is all the calories your body burns during the day, and BMR is the calories it burns laying about in bed. If I decrease what I eat to some value between these two values, I will lose weight.
Okay, good.
Most of the posts I've seen point to estimating these values at two sites (iifym.com and scoobysworkshop.com). This, I agree, is a good starting point but is there a way to know what the values are for *me* after a few months of tracking?
My stats: Male, 51 yo, 68", 170 lbs (today, 191 lbs 3 months ago)
During the 3 months from 2013-12-28 to 2014-03-28, I lost 1.6 lbs/week (802 cal deficit)
Calories (170 days):
Total: 373230 (2195 Cal/day)
CHO/FAT/PRO: 52/30/18
Chol: 260mg Sodium: 3485mg Fiber: 34g
Exercise (164 days):
Total Cal: 93963 (572 Cal/day)
Total Min: 11608 (8.1 Cal/min)
Net: (373230-93963)/170 = 1642
Daily - surplus/deficit: 2195-(-802) = 2997
So obviously, this is working for me but that isn't the point. Given these numbers, is 2997 my TDEE? I need to know this because I am trying to plan my shift to maintenance mode and want to know whether the goal MFP comes up with is appropriate.
Okay, good.
Most of the posts I've seen point to estimating these values at two sites (iifym.com and scoobysworkshop.com). This, I agree, is a good starting point but is there a way to know what the values are for *me* after a few months of tracking?
My stats: Male, 51 yo, 68", 170 lbs (today, 191 lbs 3 months ago)
During the 3 months from 2013-12-28 to 2014-03-28, I lost 1.6 lbs/week (802 cal deficit)
Calories (170 days):
Total: 373230 (2195 Cal/day)
CHO/FAT/PRO: 52/30/18
Chol: 260mg Sodium: 3485mg Fiber: 34g
Exercise (164 days):
Total Cal: 93963 (572 Cal/day)
Total Min: 11608 (8.1 Cal/min)
Net: (373230-93963)/170 = 1642
Daily - surplus/deficit: 2195-(-802) = 2997
So obviously, this is working for me but that isn't the point. Given these numbers, is 2997 my TDEE? I need to know this because I am trying to plan my shift to maintenance mode and want to know whether the goal MFP comes up with is appropriate.
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Replies
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this is nice. wish i had kept track of mine. cause i cant figure this out for the life of me.0
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Hi, no your TDEE is 1642+802 = 2444.0
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Hi, no your TDEE is 1642+802 = 2444.
Can you provide a reference? Or, if not, explain how you came up with this answer?0 -
this is nice. wish i had kept track of mine. cause i cant figure this out for the life of me.
You log your food/exrecise in MFP, right? That is where this comes from.0 -
Hi, no your TDEE is 1642+802 = 2444.
Can you provide a reference? Or, if not, explain how you came up with this answer?
whoops, nevermind, I never add my exercise in (b/c it's so random). If you keep at the same exercise level, your correct in your first post.0 -
You can figure it out with math but it's only as good as the accuracy of your tracking.0
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Realistically, a Fitbit will get you closer than trying to calculate BMR and then adding activity on top of it manually.
Then, after a few months of meticulous food logging, you can use math to figure out an average TDEE.0 -
Hi, no your TDEE is 1642+802 = 2444.
Can you provide a reference? Or, if not, explain how you came up with this answer?
I agree with OP, wouldn't you have to include your exercis in your TDEE as part of your activity.0 -
Realistically, a Fitbit will get you closer than trying to calculate BMR and then adding activity on top of it manually.
Then, after a few months of meticulous food logging, you can use math to figure out an average TDEE.
This. There are a lot of activity monitors out there. I use a BodyMedia Link.0 -
i was just about to say that 3K seems high for your weight but then i noticed the almost 600 in exercise calories. seems legit. no one *knows* their exact TDEE but you've got enough data that you're probably right on top of it. the only way to know for sure is to try it out, keep tracking the way you've been doing and then adjust from there when you have enough data.
ETA: disagree with the "getting an activity tracker is better" advice. it makes it easier, but it's not any better. once you have enough data you don't need the device at all.0 -
You can figure it out with math but it's only as good as the accuracy of your tracking.
This...I don't rely on estimates from websites and do the math in an excel spreadsheet...0 -
Thanks for the input. Several have said, "you can use math".
Yes, please provide the formulas.0 -
I believe 2997 is too high. How many times per week are you exercising and how strenuous? For a 51 years-old male, 5'8" and 170 lbs, 2997 is high. Please give a better idea of your weekly and daily work-outs and I can provide a better number for you.
EDIT: Here is a website for the math:
http://www.emma-leigh.com/basics_calorie_needs.html0 -
i feel like i'm missing something here. did not the OP arrive at his numbers via his on experiences and tracking? that's what i got from it. that he has his own data from the last 3 months of logging, not that he got the 2997 number from scooby or some such and is taking the word of an internet estimate as gospel. i'm in a deficit some maybe my carbs are too low and my brain isn't functioning properly right now0
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The only real way is kind of a trial and error process. You track what you eat and if your weight doesn't change over a period of several weeks/months, then you're eating at your TDEE (maintenance) level.
Of course, that's a really simplified way of looking at it, as it doesn't include body comp changes, water retention, etc., but it's basically how you find out.
No internet calculator, MFP included, is going to be able to give you a 100% accurate representation of your actual calorie expenditure.0 -
With all the talk about TDEE and BMR, I get a bit confused. My understanding is TDEE is all the calories your body burns during the day, and BMR is the calories it burns laying about in bed. If I decrease what I eat to some value between these two values, I will lose weight.
Okay, good.
Most of the posts I've seen point to estimating these values at two sites (iifym.com and scoobysworkshop.com). This, I agree, is a good starting point but is there a way to know what the values are for *me* after a few months of tracking?
My stats: Male, 51 yo, 68", 170 lbs (today, 191 lbs 3 months ago)
During the 3 months from 2013-12-28 to 2014-03-28, I lost 1.6 lbs/week (802 cal deficit)
Calories (170 days):
Total: 373230 (2195 Cal/day)
CHO/FAT/PRO: 52/30/18
Chol: 260mg Sodium: 3485mg Fiber: 34g
Exercise (164 days):
Total Cal: 93963 (572 Cal/day)
Total Min: 11608 (8.1 Cal/min)
Net: (373230-93963)/170 = 1642
Daily - surplus/deficit: 2195-(-802) = 2997
So obviously, this is working for me but that isn't the point. Given these numbers, is 2997 my TDEE? I need to know this because I am trying to plan my shift to maintenance mode and want to know whether the goal MFP comes up with is appropriate.
these numbers are just reference.... work your calorie intake up to 2997, dont jump up at that intake, start with slowly adding in calories while tracking your activity level and see how your weight changes, research on reverse dieting to understand more, this should help you understand a little bit of it, please watch
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3gTGLulLnI 0 -
I believe 2997 is too high. How many times per week are you exercising and how strenuous? For a 51 years-old male, 5'8" and 170 lbs, 2997 is high. Please give a better idea of your weekly and daily work-outs and I can provide a better number for you.Exercise (164 days):
Total Cal: 93963 (572 Cal/day)
Total Min: 11608 (8.1 Cal/min)
I exercised 164 days out of past 170 days. How strenuous, 8.1 cal/min = 6.3 METs, so moderate exercise.0 -
Technically, no, both because all your weight measurements contain fluctuations like water weight and because your TDEE is not actually constant in time. For example, your TDEE almost certainly dropped when your weight went down from 191 lbs to 170 lbs, unless you increased your exercise load considerably over that period.
The difficulty in measuring TDEE is that the different techniques to handle these two sources of error are at odds. Using a longer tracking period reduces the impact of the fluctuations, but increases the impact of the change in the true number.0 -
I'm math stupid, but when I figured out my TDEE, it was after eating at maintenance for 6 weeks, so I KNEW that I was maintaining.
The number of calories I consumed that week was my TDEE. Divide that by 7 and you have your daily TDEE.
If you are losing, you'd need to add in your deficit. If you are losing a pound a week, that's roughly 3500 calories in a week.
Weekly consumption + 3500 = weekly TDEE /7 = Daily TDEE
Exercise is accounted for because I wouldn't be at maintenance unless I ate back the calories I burn through exercise.0 -
Thanks for the input. Several have said, "you can use math".
Yes, please provide the formulas.
(calories burned) = (weight lost in pounds) * 3500 + (calories consumed)
TDEE = (calories burned) / (number of days over which you measured)0 -
i feel like i'm missing something here. did not the OP arrive at his numbers via his on experiences and tracking? that's what i got from it. that he has his own data from the last 3 months of logging, not that he got the 2997 number from scooby or some such and is taking the word of an internet estimate as gospel. i'm in a deficit some maybe my carbs are too low and my brain isn't functioning properly right now
I thought the same thing. But his data is for 170 days. Should be pretty good for crunchy numbers.0 -
http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/ has a calibration factor equation, use your numbers for the last 30 days to see if it matches with what Scooby says your intake should be and you should be able to see what your TDEE is0
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:glasses:0
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Thanks for the input. Several have said, "you can use math".
Yes, please provide the formulas.
Sorry I had more but realized I'd typed it wrong, and I had to leave a minute later.
So here's the formula I used:
70 days tracked:
TDEE= total calories consumed + (total pounds lost x 3500) then divide that by 70
or
TDEE = total calories consumed - (total pounds lost x 3500) then divide by 70
Two major assumptions though. The first is that you're tracking accurately. The second is that you're losing fat and not muscle.0 -
(calories burned) = (weight lost in pounds) * 3500 + (calories consumed)
TDEE = (calories burned) / (number of days over which you measured)
So this says that my TDEE = 2627.8, right?
( ( 21 * 3500) + 373230 ) / 170
( 73500 + 373230 ) / 170
( 446730 ) / 1700 -
OP, you got it right in your OP.
Your TDEE is the number of calories you'd need to eat in order to maintain your current weight. If you are looking to maintain now, then start eating at your calculated TDEE now. If you gain weight for several weeks then you are over, so drop it down some at that time.
Also keep in mind that when you go from deficit to maintenance your body will do things like refilling glycogen stores and you are going to gain several pounds at the start no matter how you approach it. That is not indicative of fat gain or that you are overeating or doing something wrong. (Unless it continues, at which point, again, you readjust.)
(If you are unhappy with your maint weight being 3-5 lbs more than you weigh now, then you need to go 3-5 lbs lower before going to maintenance.)0 -
Yes. Your math works out, so theoretically your TDEE is close to 3000. But I agree with the poster that suggested not jumping right up there. I think we sometimes underestimate that adaptive nature of the human body. I would try and ease into your higher calorie goal a few pounds before you hit your goal weight which will slow the weight loss down, but make the transition into maintenance less severe. See how your body responds at half the deficit for a while and make adjustments to your calculations if needed.0
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Nevermind. just read this again:OP, you got it right in your OP.
Your TDEE is the number of calories you'd need to eat in order to maintain your current weight. If you are looking to maintain now, then start eating at your calculated TDEE now. If you gain weight for several weeks then you are over, so drop it down some at that time.
Also keep in mind that when you go from deficit to maintenance your body will do things like refilling glycogen stores and you are going to gain several pounds at the start no matter how you approach it. That is not indicative of fat gain or that you are overeating or doing something wrong. (Unless it continues, at which point, again, you readjust.)
(If you are unhappy with your maint weight being 3-5 lbs more than you weigh now, then you need to go 3-5 lbs lower before going to maintenance.)0 -
(calories burned) = (weight lost in pounds) * 3500 + (calories consumed)
TDEE = (calories burned) / (number of days over which you measured)
So this says that my TDEE = 2627.8, right?
( ( 21 * 3500) + 373230 ) / 170
( 73500 + 373230 ) / 170
( 446730 ) / 170
Yeah, that looks about right.0 -
OP's math seems ok to me.
He ate an avearge of ~2200 calories a day to get an average weight loss of 1.6 lb per week. 1.6 lb/week corresponds to about (3500 * 1.6)/7 = 800 calories per day deficit.
So if he adds what he was eating (2200) to the deficit (800) he comes in around 3,000.
The only caveat I would add is that the above assumes linear weight loss, and no change in BMR/TDEE with weight loss, which may not be true. As you have less weight to shift around (40 lb less now than when you started) your everyday energy expenditure may have gone down. So maybe look at a recent subset of numbers to hone in closer the real TDEE.
And keep tracking as you up the cals, so you know if it is working!0
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