TDEE / BMR

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PinkyFett
PinkyFett Posts: 842 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've calculated both, but I think I'm having a blonde moment. What do I do now? Lol.

My BMR is 1733
TDEE is 2080

I am currently set to 1400 a day and exercise daily with occasional rest days.

Thanks for any help!
«1

Replies

  • DanaDark
    DanaDark Posts: 2,187 Member
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    You should aim to eat above BMR and below TDEE. So, 1400 a day might be a bit too low.
  • DAM5412
    DAM5412 Posts: 660 Member
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    You should aim to eat above BMR and below TDEE. So, 1400 a day might be a bit too low.

    Can you explain why? Trying go figure out my magic number so appreciate all the help.
  • PinkyFett
    PinkyFett Posts: 842 Member
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    Yeah, that'd be about 1800 and that wouldn't make sense to me. Especially not being 210 lb and 5'2 and female! but this is why I'm asking for help lol
  • dmenchac
    dmenchac Posts: 447 Member
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    Depending on how much weight you have to lose, you either eat 80%, 85%, 90%, or 95% of your TDEE and do not eat back your exercise calories because they are already in your TDEE.
  • DanaDark
    DanaDark Posts: 2,187 Member
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    You should aim to eat above BMR and below TDEE. So, 1400 a day might be a bit too low.

    Can you explain why? Trying go figure out my magic number so appreciate all the help.

    Eating below BMR greatly increases the probability of not getting adequate nutrition. It also will usually result in the body resisting your weight loss efforts sooner and more aggressively. While weight loss is indeed calories in vs calories out, nobody says to simply eat nothing until you've reached your weight loss goal.

    Eating above your TDEE will cause weight gain.
  • PinkyFett
    PinkyFett Posts: 842 Member
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    Depending on how much weight you have to lose, you either eat 80%, 85%, 90%, or 95% of your TDEE and do not eat back your exercise calories because they are already in your TDEE.

    That makes sense! :drinker:

    I didn't add in exercise calories to my TDEE because it differs daily... Soooo this probably wouldn't be the best method then?
  • PinkyFett
    PinkyFett Posts: 842 Member
    Options
    You should aim to eat above BMR and below TDEE. So, 1400 a day might be a bit too low.

    Can you explain why? Trying go figure out my magic number so appreciate all the help.

    Eating below BMR greatly increases the probability of not getting adequate nutrition. It also will usually result in the body resisting your weight loss efforts sooner and more aggressively. While weight loss is indeed calories in vs calories out, nobody says to simply eat nothing until you've reached your weight loss goal.

    Eating above your TDEE will cause weight gain.

    1400 is hardly nothing. I eat healthy foods for the most part and eat back at least half of my exercise calories, if I'm hungry I eat them all, if not, I don't.

    I have almost 100 to lose, have hashimoto's, and I'm very short, so I don't think eating a high number would work, at least not until I'm closer to my goal.
  • DanaDark
    DanaDark Posts: 2,187 Member
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    If you didn't add exercise to your TDEE, then go ahead and eat back about half the calories you burned in the exercise. So, if you burned 500 calories, eat back 250.

    The TDEE - % method is well regarded and widely used. Definitely worth considering using.
  • erinc5
    erinc5 Posts: 329 Member
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    You should aim to eat above BMR and below TDEE. So, 1400 a day might be a bit too low.

    Can you explain why? Trying go figure out my magic number so appreciate all the help.

    Your BMR should be what you burn just laying in bed all day. Your TDEE is what you burn adding in activity.

    If you eat between the 2, you will know you're getting enough to sustain yourself, but also will be eating less than what you expend. I've heard many people try to eat 20% below TDEE. In the case of OP, that would be about 1660 cals a day and a deficit of 420 cals per day, which is pretty good.

    I actually usually eat below my BMR because I don't tend to feel lightheaded, tired, or hungry on that amount of calories. It works for me. However, if I am hungry, I don't feel guilty to go above my BMR as long as I'm below my TDEE. Another reason is because I don't 100% trust those calculators, so I just do what feels right.
  • PinkyFett
    PinkyFett Posts: 842 Member
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    You should aim to eat above BMR and below TDEE. So, 1400 a day might be a bit too low.

    Can you explain why? Trying go figure out my magic number so appreciate all the help.

    Your BMR should be what you burn just laying in bed all day. Your TDEE is what you burn adding in activity.

    If you eat between the 2, you will know you're getting enough to sustain yourself, but also will be eating less than what you expend. I've heard many people try to eat 20% below TDEE. In the case of OP, that would be about 1660 cals a day and a deficit of 420 cals per day, which is pretty good.

    I actually usually eat below my BMR because I don't tend to feel lightheaded, tired, or hungry on that amount of calories. It works for me. However, if I am hungry, I don't feel guilty to go above my BMR as long as I'm below my TDEE. Another reason is because I don't 100% trust those calculators, so I just do what feels right.

    Thank you! I might have calculated BMR wrong since I don't know my body fat percentage, I just guessed =/ 40% would have been what I got, and 50% would be 1401.

    So maybe I should try 1500?
  • rachface1234
    rachface1234 Posts: 227 Member
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    I play around with my numbers a lot too :). I would suggest TDEE - 20% for you, try for a few weeks, see how you do! Or, if you feel like your exercise is too random to use TDEE effectively maybe set your calorie goal at around 100 calories above your BMR and eat back some (50-75%) of your exercise calories. Try out a number for a solid few weeks and see how you feel, if you lose weight on the scale, and if you lose inches. Then re-evaluate :).
  • erinc5
    erinc5 Posts: 329 Member
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    Depending on how much weight you have to lose, you either eat 80%, 85%, 90%, or 95% of your TDEE and do not eat back your exercise calories because they are already in your TDEE.

    That makes sense! :drinker:

    I didn't add in exercise calories to my TDEE because it differs daily... Soooo this probably wouldn't be the best method then?

    The best method for you is probably MFP. Just enter your information as sedentary and no activity or exercise. Then, whenever you work out, log that in MFP and then you can eat back some of those calories. Many people do not recommend eating them all back, as they are usually over estimated. Eat back only one quarter or half, depending on how hard you worked out/how tired hungry you are.
  • laurenawolf
    laurenawolf Posts: 262 Member
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    You should aim to eat above BMR and below TDEE. So, 1400 a day might be a bit too low.

    Can you explain why? Trying go figure out my magic number so appreciate all the help.

    Your BMR should be what you burn just laying in bed all day. Your TDEE is what you burn adding in activity.

    If you eat between the 2, you will know you're getting enough to sustain yourself, but also will be eating less than what you expend. I've heard many people try to eat 20% below TDEE. In the case of OP, that would be about 1660 cals a day and a deficit of 420 cals per day, which is pretty good.

    I actually usually eat below my BMR because I don't tend to feel lightheaded, tired, or hungry on that amount of calories. It works for me. However, if I am hungry, I don't feel guilty to go above my BMR as long as I'm below my TDEE. Another reason is because I don't 100% trust those calculators, so I just do what feels right.

    Thank you! I might have calculated BMR wrong since I don't know my body fat percentage, I just guessed =/ 40% would have been what I got, and 50% would be 1401.

    So maybe I should try 1500?

    I calculated your BMR to be 1641 not including your BF%. Aim for above that.
  • dlionsmane
    dlionsmane Posts: 672 Member
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    Some good threads on this topic

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1058378-oh-noes-i-am-eating-below-my-bmr

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1072049-thoughts-on-tdee-calculators-and-switching-from-mfp-to-tdee



    Basically BMR is Basal Metabolic Rate... this is what your body burns when you do nothing, at all, for 24 hours - it's the calories you need to keep your organs functioning. (If you were in a coma the IV would pump this amount of calories in liquid form to your body.)
    TDEE is you Total daily Expenditure, which is BMR + all the activity you do, meaning getting out of bed, showering, cooking cleaning, sitting up, driving, chasing your kids around, eating, etc, + PURPOSED Exercise

    Which is why you need to be somewhere between the two.
  • DAM5412
    DAM5412 Posts: 660 Member
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    Thanks All. I think I am a little low on my calorie targets, but since my scale is creeping down and I am losing inches, I'll stick with it a bit longer. I let MFP figure my targets based on my goals, so as long as it's working, I recognize that I don't know enough (not yet at least) to try and customize. Appreciate all the info as I go along though. Very informative and helpful.
  • PinkyFett
    PinkyFett Posts: 842 Member
    Options
    Depending on how much weight you have to lose, you either eat 80%, 85%, 90%, or 95% of your TDEE and do not eat back your exercise calories because they are already in your TDEE.

    That makes sense! :drinker:

    I didn't add in exercise calories to my TDEE because it differs daily... Soooo this probably wouldn't be the best method then?

    The best method for you is probably MFP. Just enter your information as sedentary and no activity or exercise. Then, whenever you work out, log that in MFP and then you can eat back some of those calories. Many people do not recommend eating them all back, as they are usually over estimated. Eat back only one quarter or half, depending on how hard you worked out/how tired hungry you are.

    I have a heart rate monitor and generally I do try to eat back half, sometimes more but only if I'm hungry.
  • PinkyFett
    PinkyFett Posts: 842 Member
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    Thanks for all the info guys!! I know stuff like this gets asked and posted all the time, but I couldn't find anything.
  • perseverance14
    perseverance14 Posts: 1,364 Member
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    I've calculated both, but I think I'm having a blonde moment. What do I do now? Lol.

    My BMR is 1733
    TDEE is 2080

    I am currently set to 1400 a day and exercise daily with occasional rest days.

    Thanks for any help!
    For a 20% deficit, subtract 346 which is 1386, so 1400 is about right. Eat that amount and don't eat back any exercise calories, you should have already figured in your activity level when you did your TDEE calculation, make sure you used your actual activity level. You can do a 10 or 15% deficit to lose at a slower pace.
  • dmenchac
    dmenchac Posts: 447 Member
    Options
    I've calculated both, but I think I'm having a blonde moment. What do I do now? Lol.

    My BMR is 1733
    TDEE is 2080

    I am currently set to 1400 a day and exercise daily with occasional rest days.

    Thanks for any help!
    For a 20% deficit, subtract 346 which is 1386, so 1400 is about right. Eat that amount and don't eat back any exercise calories, you should have already figured in your activity level when you did your TDEE calculation, make sure you used your actual activity level. You can do a 10 or 15% deficit to lose at a slower pace.

    Its 20% of her TDEE, not her BMR.

    IF TDEE is 2080, she should be eating 1664......
  • perseverance14
    perseverance14 Posts: 1,364 Member
    Options
    Thanks All. I think I am a little low on my calorie targets, but since my scale is creeping down and I am losing inches, I'll stick with it a bit longer. I let MFP figure my targets based on my goals, so as long as it's working, I recognize that I don't know enough (not yet at least) to try and customize. Appreciate all the info as I go along though. Very informative and helpful.
    Everybody is different, I am doing better using TDEE, I like having the exercise baked in, and I just have to eat my calorie goal. I still look at my macros, I just use a custom goal, and I input my exercise to keep track but I ignore MFP telling me to eat it back.

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