TDEE activity levels and caloric intake
Options
scr183
Posts: 49 Member
Since starting to track intake via MFP at the beginning of February, I'm down at least 12 pounds and thus far am pretty pleased with my progress (I have roughly 50 more to lose, though I've not yet settled on an UGW). Like many newbies to MFP, I initially plugged in two pounds a week, sedentary activity level, and got the magic 1200 cal/day figure. That worked for about a week, but I quickly realized it wasn't sustainable for me, even when eating back exercise calories. For a few weeks, I fiddled around with loss per week figures, lurked in forums regarding exercise calories and MFP's inaccurate burn figures, got a headache, and ultimately decided that TDEE was the way to go for me. I'd rather have a constant number to shoot for (constant aside from adjusting for loss, I mean) and know that for that number to work, I have to stay committed to maintaining my activity level.
Okay, so what's the problem, you ask? I'm a bit fuzzy on how the activity levels break down. I've not yet been evaluated for body comp/BMR, so I know everything is going to be a rough ballpark at this point, but I want to try to get at least close to the foul line, so to speak. So, my stats and routine are as follows:
I'm 32, female, a shade under 5'4", and my last weigh-in had me at 188 pounds. I have a desk job. I practice yoga 20-40 minutes per day, every day, and I take an hour-long class once a week that is sort of a blend of Hatha and Vinyasa, by my best guess (I'm still learning what all that means). In addition, I take an hour-long Zumba class once a week and an hour-long deep-water class twice a week (which has elements of cardio and resistance training in it). When my schedule permits, I work in additional lap swimming where I can. I do not wear a HRM, so my assessment of intensity is based on manually checking my heart rate and how I feel on a scale of 1 to "gonna pass out now." I do my best to keep it as close as I can to the latter without actually falling over.
So, collective wisdom: Lightly active? Moderately active? Somewhere in between? I've been averaging 1700ish calories a day (I look at trends over the course of each week). Based on the TDEE calculators I've played with (Scooby, Fitnessfrog, etc), that's roughly in line with what a "lightly active" level would give me to work with for a 20% deficit. Some days 1700 feels like a lot, others I'm left feeling like I could chew my own arm off, or I don't feel hungry but I might feel a little shaky or just wiped out/lethargic. I'm not making a huge effort at this point to hit specific macros, mostly because I don't really know exactly what I should be aiming for (I've manually adjusted my intake goal in MFP, but not macros). I do know from watching my trends that I tend to be lower (further from what MFP thinks I should be eating) on carbs than anything else, but that's not really intentional.
My concern at this point is not my rate of loss. I'm losing, and at a decent enough clip. What I'm more worried about is whether my sense for my activity level is reasonably accurate and whether I'm getting what I need to support and sustain it, because I know activity is going to be key for me in maintenance. My ultimate goal is really more about fitness than it is weight loss, though I need to get out of these extra pounds first for that to happen. I welcome your thoughts!
Okay, so what's the problem, you ask? I'm a bit fuzzy on how the activity levels break down. I've not yet been evaluated for body comp/BMR, so I know everything is going to be a rough ballpark at this point, but I want to try to get at least close to the foul line, so to speak. So, my stats and routine are as follows:
I'm 32, female, a shade under 5'4", and my last weigh-in had me at 188 pounds. I have a desk job. I practice yoga 20-40 minutes per day, every day, and I take an hour-long class once a week that is sort of a blend of Hatha and Vinyasa, by my best guess (I'm still learning what all that means). In addition, I take an hour-long Zumba class once a week and an hour-long deep-water class twice a week (which has elements of cardio and resistance training in it). When my schedule permits, I work in additional lap swimming where I can. I do not wear a HRM, so my assessment of intensity is based on manually checking my heart rate and how I feel on a scale of 1 to "gonna pass out now." I do my best to keep it as close as I can to the latter without actually falling over.
So, collective wisdom: Lightly active? Moderately active? Somewhere in between? I've been averaging 1700ish calories a day (I look at trends over the course of each week). Based on the TDEE calculators I've played with (Scooby, Fitnessfrog, etc), that's roughly in line with what a "lightly active" level would give me to work with for a 20% deficit. Some days 1700 feels like a lot, others I'm left feeling like I could chew my own arm off, or I don't feel hungry but I might feel a little shaky or just wiped out/lethargic. I'm not making a huge effort at this point to hit specific macros, mostly because I don't really know exactly what I should be aiming for (I've manually adjusted my intake goal in MFP, but not macros). I do know from watching my trends that I tend to be lower (further from what MFP thinks I should be eating) on carbs than anything else, but that's not really intentional.
My concern at this point is not my rate of loss. I'm losing, and at a decent enough clip. What I'm more worried about is whether my sense for my activity level is reasonably accurate and whether I'm getting what I need to support and sustain it, because I know activity is going to be key for me in maintenance. My ultimate goal is really more about fitness than it is weight loss, though I need to get out of these extra pounds first for that to happen. I welcome your thoughts!
0
Replies
-
If you aren't going to follow MFP's method, why mess with the activity levels at all? Just figure out how many calories you want to limit yourself to each day and set that as the goal.0
-
Sorry if I wasn't clear -- I meant when plugging into the TDEE calculator, not MFP's formula.
ETA: I suppose what I should have said was "light exercise" versus "moderate exercise," looking back at what the calculators actually use as their terminology. Oops.0 -
Some of the calculators estimate by hours of exercise per wek or exercise days per week. You might want to try a few of those and then take an average. You will adjust based on results anyway.0
-
OP- I've gone back and forth on this too, so I feel your pain. I would recommend going with the higher calorie number for at least a month or two and reevaluate.
If you're happy with your actual rate of loss, then there you go.
Maybe try looking at your calories as a total over the week, instead of day to day, that way, if you have no appetite or want to gnaw your arm off one day, you can go with that, it can balance out throughout the week.0 -
Advice would be to completely forget about irrelevant activity settings.
You have a goal number and it's working. Adjust that number based on actual results if you need to.
You seem to be having issues with excessive hunger and fatigue so consider slowing down your rate of weight loss by adjusting your goal.
Keep it simple.0 -
Just pick sedentary and exercise, eat at your TDEE, this will make it so whatever fat you're losing comes from exercise. Most people usually burn about 250-500 calories per workout at a light/moderate intensity for about an hour.
Ignore this unless you'd like to lose approximately .2lbs per week.
Activity levels when it comes to TDEE are so frustrating to figure out, OP. Really, it comes down to best guestimate. I like TDEE calculators like this one because they let you break up your typical day more accurately showing how much time you spend doing different activities. Something like that may lend itself better to what you're looking for rather than one generic activity level.0 -
I'm like you; I prefer to use the TDEE method 'cause I like having a constant calorie number to shoot for.
The activity levels are only guides; they're never going to be quite accurate for you, even if you did know your BF%. Because all TDEE calculators are going to be based on formulae and algorithms.
If you're comfortable eating at 1700 and feel you can sustain it, the best thing to do is just to stick with it for a little while and track your actual weight loss. Remember that some of the losses in the first few weeks might be faster than usual due to an initial water weight drop that many people experience at the outset. But after that, you should start to see a pattern that will tell you what your actual TDEE range is. Most people have a range, not a number -- you move a different amount each day, after all -- so don't worry if it fluctuates up and down. Just get a general idea of a range that your TDEE usually falls into, and adjust your calories up or down depending on how fast you lose.
If you want to know the math behind it, it's quite simple:
Observed TDEE = (((Actual Weight Loss x 3500)/# Days) + Average Daily Calories Consumed
Example: Say you lose 5 pounds in 30 days, while eating an average of 1700 calories. Your actual TDEE over that time period would be ((5x3500)/30) + 1700 = 2283. And you'd be eating at a deficit of 583 calories, which is 25%.
Remember to take this measurement over several time periods, as it will fluctuate. But let's say you work out that your TDEE is generally in the 2200-2300 range on most days. Then you could say, fine, I'll eat at a 20% deficit from that, which is around 1800.
Hope this helps!0 -
You could just use MFP set to sedentary for a while and track your exercise. After a few weeks, you can take you average calories burned per day and use that as your TDEE number. That would give you a more realistic number than what you would get from a generic TDEE estimator.0
-
That "health calc" calculator gives me roughly 1,000 more calories a day than any other calculator I've ever used, and i was very conservative when i added in my activity level...0
-
Your body will tell you in no uncertain terms if you're at a sustainable level - you will start struggling to maintain your activity level.
That's another advantage of being physically active and exercising regularly - it's an early warning system for when things start going wrong.
0 -
365andstillalive wrote: »I like TDEE calculators like this one because they let you break up your typical day more accurately showing how much time you spend doing different activities.
That calculator is hopelessly broken for anybody carrying enough fat to be Overweight or more - they're using the wrong equations and will generate grossly inflated numbers the more overweight the person.
0 -
365andstillalive wrote: »I like TDEE calculators like this one because they let you break up your typical day more accurately showing how much time you spend doing different activities.
That calculator is hopelessly broken for anybody carrying enough fat to be Overweight or more - they're using the wrong equations and will generate grossly inflated numbers the more overweight the person.
Sorry team, didn't actually use the calc, just pulled one up in google that showed the point I meant. I was just saying that an option that didn't use one activity level may be a better fit for the OP.0 -
@365andstillalive - No worries; I appreciate the thought (though it did spit out a number that seemed REALLY high to me, too).
@segacs - Oh man, thank you for the math lesson! Seriously. That is hugely helpful and comforting (as strange as that may sound) and definitely gives me somewhere to start, so again, thank you!
And thanks, everyone, for your input. It's great to hear from folks with more experience. I appreciate you all!
0 -
@segacs - Oh man, thank you for the math lesson! Seriously. That is hugely helpful and comforting (as strange as that may sound) and definitely gives me somewhere to start, so again, thank you!
You're welcome. Total math geek here, so I understand. I struggled for years with weight loss, and I wish someone had told me ages ago that it was just a math problem. I like math problems. I would've done this years ago if I'd known!
I have an Excel spreadsheet that I use to track everything. PM me and I'd be happy to share the template with you, if you like.
0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.3K Introduce Yourself
- 43.4K Getting Started
- 259.6K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 387 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.7K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.2K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.2K MyFitnessPal Information
- 22 News and Announcements
- 911 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.3K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions