So confused about tdee and what MFP suggestions...

stargazgal wrote: »

ugh...please help.
I set MFP to 1.5 lbs per week loss and it has me at about 1550. I try to stay near that unless I exercise I sometimes eat more. I'm doing Strong Curves 3x week ( on beginner week 7) and cardio/core/yoga the other 3 days.... I feel stronger..doubled my weights in most areas...started bench press at 45 now at 75; deadlift 40 now at 90. Etc. My clothes fit slightly better but weight staying same...do I eat less.
When I used the TDEE calculator it had me set at 2305... To eat 1800 for weight loss...I read so much about using tdee...eating at maintenance..using MFP numbers...my head is buzzing.... What should I do???

TDEE takes into consideration your exercise calories. So you just eat 1800 every day.
MFP does not take into consideration your exercise calories, you are supposed to add them on top of your MFP goal and eat them back. So you eat 1550 plus your exercise calories every day.

So they really aren't all that different, maybe off by @ 100 cals.

Regardless what method you use, if you don't lose weight you are eating too much.

I like Cortelli's thought about either tightening your logging or increase your deficit because they both produce the same outcome.

I'd just knock off 100 calories a day for a week and see if you lose. If so, then you have to decide if you need to cut a bit more.

It sounds horrid to think you might have to eat below 1500 but what if you are logging so inaccurately that you really are eating 1800? Its really hard to log everything you eat perfectly, especially with the multiple choice database!

This was sent to me from a good friend, Bluelena. This has been very helpful. You can do TDEE or you can do what MFP tells you. Both are very effective.


So, here it is in laymen's terms. I had to read the IPOARM post one billion times before I took the plunge, but it honestly is the best decision I made since joining MFP. The main thing I love about it is that it is more of a "big picture" approach rather than a daily approach. I do watch my macros and calories daily, of course, but the weekly big picture is something I pay attention to as well.

I love that on rest days, I'm not hungry because I haven't "earned" any calories from exercise. The MFP way, you set your activity level, eat your daily goal, work out, and then eat back those exercise calories. It worked for me for awhile, but then it started to piss me off that I was getting stronger and fitter, yet every time I turned around it was taking calories away from me. I was hangry on rest days because I didn't feel like I was being allowed enough.

This way, you eat the same calorie goal every day, regardless of what you do. Your exercise is built into that, so you don't log your exercise (hence, the 1 calorie workouts). It's much more sustainable for me, and honestly? It's something I can do for the long haul. When I get to my goal, I'll slowly start upping by a hundred calories or so a week until I'm at maintenance. Then, I'll eat maintenance and still work out at the level I'm working out now.

It's taken me awhile to learn and understand all of this, so I like to pass it on when people are interested to save them the trouble of having to learn it in pieces.

TDEE = The number of calories you burn in a day, from when you wake up and pee until you lay down to sleep. If you eat under this number, you lose. Eat over it, you gain. Eat that number, you maintain.

TDEE is based on the usual factors - age, height, weight. PLUS your activity level. I use moderate activity, since I work out 4-5 times a week. If you only work out 1-3 times a week, light activity might be the better activity level to use.

Take that number, and subract 20% - that's the optimal daily calorie goal to eat to lose. 30% for morbidly obese, 15% for when you only have about 10-15 pounds left. There's your deficit.

BMR is the number of calories that they would feed you through a tube if you were in a coma. The baseline, if you will. Eating below this number is a bad thing. Eating only this number is also a bad thing, because you're obviously not in a coma and are moving around, working out, cleaning, shopping, having sex, etc.

So there are three numbers to consider. TDEE at the top, 20% less for your calorie goal, and BMR. Honestly, unless I'm sick as a dog, it's unlikely that I'd eat as low as my BMR. I like food.

A good starter calculator to get you going is here:

http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

I ignore the food part, because all I need it to do is tell me my TDEE, my deficit, and my BMR. For every 5 pounds or so that you lose, you should re-do the numbers, because they will change.

In Place of a Road Map is this approach, written down and explained by HelloitsDan. If you decide that this is for you and you want to try it, I'd suggest friending him. He offers to do custom numbers for people from time to time and is a wealth of information. He knows his *kitten*, much more than I do. Most of what I'm explaining here came from him.

Attached is the IPOARM short and sweet link. The link to the more detailed version is at the top. This post helps explain how this is a FAT loss approach, not a WEIGHT loss approach. Which is why you should measure every month, and not hop on the scale every day. I didn't lose a pound between November and April but lost almost two pants sizes. I'm all about the body recomposition.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/975025-in-place-of-a-road-map-short-n-sweet

I like to run the scooby's calculator as well as the ones that Dan uses, just to see if there's much of a difference. There usually isn't.

Macros - I, like a lot of people, have mine set at 40% carbs, and 30% for fat and protein. This is A LOT more protein that MFP calculates for you. The protein helps you retain lean body mass while you lose fat. And it satiates you. It's possible, but not probable, that you will "gain" muscle while eating at a deficit. At a deficit, you lose water, fat, and muscle. The goal is to lose more fat than muscle. This is why resistance training is so important. It helps you retain your muscle (lean body mass) while you lose fat. When you lose the layer of fat that covers everything is when you start to see definition because the fat isn't there to mask it. Make sense?

If you want to actually "gain muscle", you get to your goal weight and then eat MORE than your TDEE to "bulk", while lifting, so that you actually ADD muscle mass. I, personally, have no intention of ever doing this (a "bulk"). While I think that muscles are beautiful, I don't really have a desire to look "cut". I want definition, which I will gain from resistance and bodyweight training. That definition will show once I lose the fat that I need to lose. Think of fat as a blanket that covers up your muscles. If that blanket slowly deteriorates, you get to see the muscles underneath.

I also have my fiber set at 30g/day. I don't remember where I read that - maybe the eat more to weigh less group?

Speaking of groups: these are both very good resources:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/8017-in-place-of-a-road-map

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/3817-eat-more-to-weigh-less

The major thing that's important is patience. This method works, believe me. But it takes your body some time to adjust to its new feeding program. So, it's suggested that you stick with it for 4-6 weeks and then start tweaking if you don't start seeing results. Don't expect to change the way you do things and expect to lose 1,000 pounds in the first two weeks. It's quite the opposite of starting MFP to begin with, when you lose a bunch at the beginning (which is mostly water). ESPECIALLY if you run your numbers and your daily goal is quite a bit more than what you'd already been eating. Your body needs time to adjust to that.

Also, know that every single one of these numbers is an AVERAGE. As long as they are moving in the right direction, you're doing good. If they're moving in the wrong direction, you need to tweak something.

Dan suggests in IPOARM that you set at body fat goal as well as a scale number goal. I agree. Right now, it's just to get below 30%. Then 25%, then MAYBE 20%, but I don't think I have the desire nor the discipline to go much lower than 22-25.

Body fat is a tricky one to measure, because there are so many variables and calculators. The only way to "truly" know your body fat is an expensive test where they immerse you in water (WTF, I know). I like to take the average from several calculators. As long as the number goes down over time, I know I'm doing things correctly.

To get my average, I use Heybales' spreadsheet. (Not the whole thing. I'm not a numbers girl and it confuses me). But there is a section in the middle where you input all of your measurements and it shows you the results from the different calculators plus an average. I use the average when I track BF%. I only track it when I measure, which is sometimes once a month, sometimes longer. I'm not a stickler for consistency, heh. Most people measure once a month, or once every couple of weeks. The easiest way for me to measure myself, BTW, is the Myotape. That thing is AWESOME.

Link to the spreadsheet, and a link to an explanation of what it does if that's what blows your skirt up.

Spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Amt7QBR9-c6MdGVTbGswLUUzUHNVVUlNSW9wZWloeUE

Explanation: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/813720-spreadsheet-bmr-tdee-deficit-macro-calcs-hrm-zones

So, there it is. I know it's a lot of info. But I'd feel bad if you were eating what MFP told you and weren't logging your exercise. You'd likely be eating under BMR, which is what ends up damaging your metabolism. And I with good conscience can't let that happen to a friend.

(Know that I only share this stuff if people ask for it, or are curious as to what I'm doing. No need to shove anything down anyone's proberbial throat.)

Actually, this is directly copied and pasted from an email sent to me! I've had to read it and reread it many times, and play around with the links. It's great information.

Best of luck!