help with TDEE.... seems very high!?

bobbybromley · August 2014

Hi everyone,

just used this site to calculate my TDEE - http://calorieline.com/tools/tdee
All the info I entered was correct... I'm 23, 5ft 8", 158 lbs, and I have quite an active job.... I'm on my feet for around 6-7 hours a day mon-fri and I go to the gym 5 days a week for 1 hour at a time. I do a mixture of weights and cardio but have no idea what i burn as I have been warned not to trust HRM's or cardio machines.
the TDEE it gave me was 2557 to reach my target weight of 140lbs eventually. and if I want to shave off 300 calories to go faster that still leaves me at 2257 which just seems so high! for weight loss anyway?

has anyone thought the same but successfully lost weight with this method?
im not even sure how i would eat that much in a day!

thanks in advance x

WBB55 · August 2014

Why not give 2250 a try? Log as accurately as you can (using a digital scale to weigh what you consume). Be honest about any treats or snacks. And see what happens after a month.

Please note, using this method you eat 2250 every day, and don't eat more on the days you log exercise. Just a total of 2250 every day.

psuLemon · August 2014

Sounds about right to me. Best thing you can do is try it for a month and see what it does. If you log everyday and use a food scale for accuracy then you should be good. But for a frame of reference, most women I know lose between 1700-2100 which many have sedentary jobs.

So why not start at 2200 and give it a go.

fivethreeone · August 2014

Seems too high compared to what?

Real talk: if your TDEE is ~2500, then you were eating a good deal more than that in order to gain weight. I'm sure you'll find a way to eat over 2000 calories a day. After all, one peanut butter sandwich with a glass of milk can easily run over 600 calories

vismal · August 2014

Any and all calculators will only be an estimate. All you can do is use the estimate and change it based on actual results. TDEE calculators usually undershoot my actual TDEE by 3-400 calories. You'll find just as many people saying that calculators overestimate for them. That being said, I'd always advise someone to start on the high end and reduce calories only when necessary. Also make sure you tracking is as accurate as possible. If you think you're eating 2000 calories but are really eating 2500, you are going to think you overestimated your tdee when in reality you simply under estimated your calorie intake.

jimmmer · August 2014

I'm 5'6", weigh 142-5lb's and can maintain on 2350.

So at your weight, height and activity level it seems entirely plausible.

Why don't you run with the numbers for 2-3 weeks and then adjust on the fly as needed? Calculations are best estimates at the end of the day. Nobody lives your life and has your body - only you can tell what you need after running your training/diet one way for 2-3 weeks and casting a critical eye over the data you gather.

bobbybromley · August 2014

thanks everyone!

I'll just give it a go i guess. I'm very OCD when it comes to weighing food and calculating calories properly so hopefully I'll get it right.
I dunno I guess compared to all the calculators that suggest eating 1200-1600 a day plus exercise calories (which never equates to much doing a lot of weights) it just seems very high to what I'm used to being told.
One more question.... when it says "you'll drift towards your goal weight" are we talking months? or years? i don't have a clue how long it would take eating that much.... 18lbs isn't so much.

x

hill8570 · August 2014

2260 isn't all that much if you're eating real food. Hard to hit if you start eating "diet" food (which, IMHO, is a horrible idea -- I'm a huge fan of just eat less of your usual food; this makes the transition to maintenance far easier).

fivethreeone · August 2014

I ran your numbers and came up with about 2550 for TDEE and 2200 for a 15% cut off that to lose the weight.

Weight loss is not linear, so it probably won't be exactly this much each week, but at the end of a month it will average out to about 0.75lb per week. So about 3 lbs per month.

If you do a 20% cut, that'll put you at 2068 calories/day and you'll lose about 4 lbs per month for an average of a pound per week.

You shouldn't aim to lose more than 0.5-1% of your total body weight per week, as your body would be losing lean body mass at that point. Expect about 5 months to lose the weight.

bobbybromley · August 2014

I ran your numbers and came up with about 2550 for TDEE and 2200 for a 15% cut off that to lose the weight.

Weight loss is not linear, so it probably won't be exactly this much each week, but at the end of a month it will average out to about 0.75lb per week. So about 3 lbs per month.

If you do a 20% cut, that'll put you at 2068 calories/day and you'll lose about 4 lbs per month for an average of a pound per week.

You shouldn't aim to lose more than 0.5-1% of your total body weight per week, as your body would be losing lean body mass at that point. Expect about 5 months to lose the weight.

thank you so much

so nice of you... i will certainly give it a good go xx

RHachicho · August 2014

Your TDEE can be surprisingly high if your energy expenditure is high. Based on how fast I lose at my current diet of 2500 my TDEE is probably in the 3500 - 4000 range.

aweigh2go · August 2014

thanks everyone!

I'll just give it a go i guess. I'm very OCD when it comes to weighing food and calculating calories properly so hopefully I'll get it right.
I dunno I guess compared to all the calculators that suggest eating 1200-1600 a day plus exercise calories (which never equates to much doing a lot of weights) it just seems very high to what I'm used to being told.
One more question.... when it says "you'll drift towards your goal weight" are we talking months? or years? i don't have a clue how long it would take eating that much.... 18lbs isn't so much.

x

It's great that you are OCD when it comes to weighing food. Weighing everything is a big part of the battle. I'd suggest eating at that goal for a few weeks, weighing yourself and making the necessary adjustments (eat a little more or eat a little less).

A word of caution though... Don't expect a linear weight loss. You may not lose 1-2 lbs. per week. I went a month or two without losing weight but lost inches. Ultimately, that should be your goal. No one will say, "My, you're 2 lbs lighter" but they will say, "My, you're a couple of inches smaller."

Best wishes!

FIT_Goat · August 2014

I am a shorter man (163 cm / 5'4") with a moderately active lifestyle and a job that keeps me on my feet every day. I average almost 2,200 calories a day and am losing about a pound a week.

There's certainly no reason that the same numbers, or even slightly higher ones, wouldn't be right for you. Give the 2,200-2,500 calories/day range a shot for a few weeks and see how it works.

williams969 · August 2014

Sounds about right, given your stats and activity level. I'm a little shorter, a little lighter, and a lot older (all things that lower my numbers), and my TDEE is close to 2,200 with a similar(ish) activity level.

Yes, when we're "conditioned" to think of weight loss as a "standard" 1200-1500 calorie diet, the numbers that are more realistic and tailored to our needs can sound HUGE. Give it a try at the 2000-2200 calorie goal for several weeks, and adjust as necessary in a month or so.

Remember, a realistic goal is a slow weight loss (when there's only a little to lose) and eating sufficient amounts to fuel your body. You'll feel so much better when you give your body what it needs.

help with TDEE.... seems very high!?

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