TDEE help?

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livb528
livb528 Posts: 55 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Can someone explain this TDEE to me? I went to a website that had me calculate it and my TDEE was 4643 kcal?? And my BMR is 2213 kcal. And I read I am supposed to eat 500 under my TDEE for weightloss... That's 4000 calories a day. :o MFP has me eating 2200 calories a day and so far I have lost 3 lbs in 12 days. Stats are: 28 yo F, 5'8, SW is 260. I am working out 3-5x a week for 40 minutes. Sorry for the stupid question, I am just really trying to figure out TDEE.

Replies

  • rclarkin
    rclarkin Posts: 27
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    Don't worry about all of that. Eat just enough so you are losing 1-2lbs a week and you are on track. A calculator doesn't know your body. Good for you for making progress and change in your life!
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
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    What are your stats (height/weight/age/activity level)? Are you calculating in kilojoules or calories?

    TDEE is basically the amount of energy that you are estimated to burn every day, doing all the things you do, including just breathing and existing, your basic daily activity, and all of your exercise. The online calculators are designed to estimate it and give you a deficit from it so you can lose weight.

    But if you've just started here at MFP, I agree with ^ not to worry about it too much. Just use the default settings that MFP gives you when you sign up, try that for a while, and see how you go.
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
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    Calculating TDEE is inherently inaccurate because you aren't always going to exercise a different amount than you enter into the tool. 4643 sounds completely off the wall. The number MFP gave you sounds more reasonable. It is similar to mine and you only outweigh me by 20 lbs and you exercise less than I do.
  • cyncmt
    cyncmt Posts: 17 Member
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    each website has different methods of weight loss MFP seams to be the easiest to understand and navigate hence why i use
    just dont burn yourself out on your workouts switch them up at least every few weeks
  • AFitJamie
    AFitJamie Posts: 172 Member
    edited January 2015
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    As mentioned Total Daily Energy Expenditure is an attempt to ESTIMATE the energy you use (usually measured in number of calories) breathing, walking, pumping blood, etc., etc., It is the number that, theoretically, if you eat that in a day, then your calories burned in the day would match your calories taken in and you would stay at the same weight.

    Remember that all of these tools are estimates based on some models and assumptions of how calories burned changes across sexes, age and weight characteristics. Generally it is helpful for many people to understand, but remember it is a guide.

    If you use MFP as it is designed, it sets your calorie goals for you and it ignores your exercise - so it expects you (generally) to achieve your calorie deficit by managing your food intake - If you do work out, MFP gives you the calories burned back to eat because it is trying to keep you at healthy calorie deficit (daily shortfall of calories taken in versus burned)

    My opinion - Do learn, but don't stress too much about it. The MFP tools have worked for many many people and can work for you.

    Also. If you are only 12 days in... your early weight loss may not be the best indicator of progress you can expect... so stick with the basics for another week or two and see how it is going.

    Feel free to add me if you like, or message me and I will see if I can be helpful
  • livb528
    livb528 Posts: 55 Member
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    Thanks guys. I've been reading about TDEE in a ton of posts and was trying to figure out what I was missing as several people had mentioned MFP not being as accurate. I think I'll just keep it simple. :) Thanks again!
  • livb528
    livb528 Posts: 55 Member
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    cyncmt wrote: »
    each website has different methods of weight loss MFP seams to be the easiest to understand and navigate hence why i use
    just dont burn yourself out on your workouts switch them up at least every few weeks

    Thanks for the advice! I will definitely try to keep things switched up!

  • kodiakke
    kodiakke Posts: 379 Member
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    Timely post, and thanks to those who answered! I've just been searching the boards to learn myself.
  • kuranda10
    kuranda10 Posts: 593 Member
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    livb528 wrote: »
    I went to a website that had me calculate it and my TDEE was 4643 kcal??
    And my BMR is 2213 kcal.
    And I read I am supposed to eat 500 under my TDEE for weightloss... That's 4000 calories a day. :o MFP has me eating 2200 calories a day and so far I have lost 3 lbs in 12 days.

    You need to decide if you are using kcal or cal.
    it is 4.2 kcal to 1 cal, so 2000 calories is 8,400 kcal.

  • rhonsal
    rhonsal Posts: 46 Member
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    Try this group - lots of useful info about whether TDEE is right approach for you and how to work out numbers http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/8017-in-place-of-a-road-map
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    rclarkin wrote: »
    Don't worry about all of that. Eat just enough so you are losing 1-2lbs a week and you are on track. A calculator doesn't know your body. Good for you for making progress and change in your life!
    ^This
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    edited January 2015
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    kuranda10 wrote: »
    livb528 wrote: »
    I went to a website that had me calculate it and my TDEE was 4643 kcal??
    And my BMR is 2213 kcal.
    And I read I am supposed to eat 500 under my TDEE for weightloss... That's 4000 calories a day. :o MFP has me eating 2200 calories a day and so far I have lost 3 lbs in 12 days.

    You need to decide if you are using kcal or cal.
    it is 4.2 kcal to 1 cal, so 2000 calories is 8,400 kcal.

    I think you're getting confused between kilojoules and calories there

    eg there are 4.2 kJ to 1kCal
  • mymodernbabylon
    mymodernbabylon Posts: 1,038 Member
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    I went on Scooby Workshop and put in your numbers along with a light workout level and 20% deficit (which is a good deficit to have). It gave me a TDEE of 2707 and deficit to eat of 2165 (this includes your workouts so you eat this amount every single day and don't add exercise calories). I think you must have inputed things incorrectly to get the numbers you got. I would not go lower than this deficit.
  • livb528
    livb528 Posts: 55 Member
    edited January 2015
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    rabbitjb wrote: »
    kuranda10 wrote: »
    livb528 wrote: »
    I went to a website that had me calculate it and my TDEE was 4643 kcal??
    And my BMR is 2213 kcal.
    And I read I am supposed to eat 500 under my TDEE for weightloss... That's 4000 calories a day. :o MFP has me eating 2200 calories a day and so far I have lost 3 lbs in 12 days.

    You need to decide if you are using kcal or cal.
    it is 4.2 kcal to 1 cal, so 2000 calories is 8,400 kcal.

    I think you're getting confused between kilojoules and calories there

    eg there are 4.2 kJ to 1kCal

    Yeah, I think you're right. I saw kcal and assumed it meant calories. Therein explains my confusion, lol.

  • livb528
    livb528 Posts: 55 Member
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    mymodernbabylon wrote: »
    I went on Scooby Workshop and put in your numbers along with a light workout level and 20% deficit (which is a good deficit to have). It gave me a TDEE of 2707 and deficit to eat of 2165 (this includes your workouts so you eat this amount every single day and don't add exercise calories). I think you must have inputed things incorrectly to get the numbers you got. I would not go lower than this deficit.

    That's very similar to what MFP gives me as far as TDEE so that makes sense. Thanks for clearing that up!
  • livb528
    livb528 Posts: 55 Member
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    rhonsal wrote: »
    Try this group - lots of useful info about whether TDEE is right approach for you and how to work out numbers http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/8017-in-place-of-a-road-map

    Thanks for the link! I'll check it out.
  • livb528
    livb528 Posts: 55 Member
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    Liftng4Lis wrote: »
    rclarkin wrote: »
    Don't worry about all of that. Eat just enough so you are losing 1-2lbs a week and you are on track. A calculator doesn't know your body. Good for you for making progress and change in your life!
    ^This

    Thanks for the encouragement guys. Here's to a healthier 2015. :)

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