Help with Calorie Allowances, TDEE and eating back exercise Calories
MrsGraves1987
Posts: 162 Member
I've had a look via 'search' option before creating this thread, apologies if it's something that's been questioned a dozen times, but I couldn't find the answer.
I used to call myself sedentary, because I would drive to work, drive home, and do nothing other than cleaning. I've now joined a gym, and go at least 3 times a week to do things like circuit training, spinning, swimming etc for an hour. I also bought a bike, so I cycle about 3.5 miles at the very least once a week, and my ultimate goal is to incorporate heavy weights - although I must learn how to properly use them.
My TDEE worked out at 1980. Reading the Road Map guide, it says to deduct about 20% from this figure. So I've set MFP to 1580.
Now the (probably) annoying question - but I just can't get my head around it! Do I eat back exercise calories because I have already deducted the 20%, OR do I eat up to 1580 daily and not eat back exercise calories?
Thank you in advance for your help.
I used to call myself sedentary, because I would drive to work, drive home, and do nothing other than cleaning. I've now joined a gym, and go at least 3 times a week to do things like circuit training, spinning, swimming etc for an hour. I also bought a bike, so I cycle about 3.5 miles at the very least once a week, and my ultimate goal is to incorporate heavy weights - although I must learn how to properly use them.
My TDEE worked out at 1980. Reading the Road Map guide, it says to deduct about 20% from this figure. So I've set MFP to 1580.
Now the (probably) annoying question - but I just can't get my head around it! Do I eat back exercise calories because I have already deducted the 20%, OR do I eat up to 1580 daily and not eat back exercise calories?
Thank you in advance for your help.
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If when you worked out your TDEE you included your exercise (so put it at lightly active or moderately active or whatever), you don't eat your exercise calories back because it's included in your activity level. If you put your activity level to whatever it would be without the gym and the cycling, then you eat your exercise calories back.1
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TDEE allready has your activity calculated in it. TDEE is the amount calories your body burns in a 24 hour period, sleeping, working, exercising, playing and even digesting food. So you don't eat them back.
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If you are following TDEE no you DO NOT eat exercise calories back. So you eat 1580 everyday regardless of exercise but...make sure you recalculate your TDEE when you lose weight or find you are losing quickly or too slowly.
TDEE=TOTAL Daily Energy Expenditure....0 -
MFP method - exercise not included in your calculations so you should eat them back.
TDEE method - exercise is is already included in your calculations so you don't eat them back or you would be double counting.
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Do you always need to eat your exercise cals? So I use mfp method and says 1350. I burn 200 cals when exercising 30 mins hiit training 6 days a week but I generally eat about 1400 cals a day. Is that ok?0
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kahmed2014 wrote: »Do you always need to eat your exercise cals? So I use mfp method and says 1350. I burn 200 cals when exercising 30 mins hiit training 6 days a week but I generally eat about 1400 cals a day. Is that ok?
It's fine as long as you feel good physically and not feeling lethargic etc.
It puts you at a net of 1200 calories which is the lowest you should go...why so low would be my question.0 -
kahmed2014 wrote: »Do you always need to eat your exercise cals? So I use mfp method and says 1350. I burn 200 cals when exercising 30 mins hiit training 6 days a week but I generally eat about 1400 cals a day. Is that ok?
It's recommended, but not everyone does. They're meant to keep your body fueled and keep you in a sufficient deficit (you'll see people who eat 1200 and exercise 600-700 without eating them back...that's bad). If you feel good with what you're doing, keep it up, but you shouldn't eat 100% of them back, as calories burned can often be overestimated.0 -
Thank you all.
Ok so with exercise set as lightly active my TDEE is 1980. As I have deducted 20% of this, so set MFP at 1580 - I SHOULD be counting my exercise cals and eating them back (or at least I can if I need to). Just to clarify!0 -
TDEE already includes it. If you're using the MFP method, you would include exercise separately.0
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MrsGraves1987 wrote: »Thank you all.
Ok so with exercise set as lightly active my TDEE is 1980. As I have deducted 20% of this, so set MFP at 1580 - I SHOULD be counting my exercise cals and eating them back (or at least I can if I need to). Just to clarify!
No. If you're following TDEE, you don't eat the calories back.0 -
MrsGraves1987 wrote: »Thank you all.
Ok so with exercise set as lightly active my TDEE is 1980. As I have deducted 20% of this, so set MFP at 1580 - I SHOULD be counting my exercise cals and eating them back (or at least I can if I need to). Just to clarify!
No. If you're following TDEE, you don't eat the calories back.
Oh dear I am confused! I am sorry if I am misunderstanding.
I have already deducted 400 cals a day, as I have put TDEE less 20% as a custom goal into MFP. Do I deduct 20% from my TDEE and not eat back exercise calories?0 -
MrsGraves1987 wrote: »My TDEE worked out at 1980. Reading the Road Map guide, it says to deduct about 20% from this figure. So I've set MFP to 1580.
What's confusing here is that I can't tell where you are getting the TDEE. If from another website that calculates TDEE, then it is going to include an estimate of exercise in the number. I'd check out a few, as they all have slightly different ways of doing it (I like the ones that refer to hours per week, although even then you have a very broad estimate as different forms of exercise burn vastly different calories). In any case, as others have said, if you do the TDEE method you don't eat back exercise. It's maintenance (with exercise) - 20% (or the percent you choose).0 -
Your TDEE already includes exercise. Don't eat back exercise calories if your goal is a deficit based on your TDEE. Eat TDEE - X%.0
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If you TDEE is 1980 and you customized your calorie goal at 1580 no DO NOT EAT THEM BACK.MrsGraves1987 wrote: »MrsGraves1987 wrote: »Thank you all.
Ok so with exercise set as lightly active my TDEE is 1980. As I have deducted 20% of this, so set MFP at 1580 - I SHOULD be counting my exercise cals and eating them back (or at least I can if I need to). Just to clarify!
No. If you're following TDEE, you don't eat the calories back.
Oh dear I am confused! I am sorry if I am misunderstanding.
I have already deducted 400 cals a day, as I have put TDEE less 20% as a custom goal into MFP. Do I deduct 20% from my TDEE and not eat back exercise calories?
You can log the excise just change it to 1 calorie.
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Like everyone else said, you should NOT log or eat back exercise calories if you're using the TDEE method.
Make sure that you recognize that the calculators for TDEE only give you a starting point. Those numbers are based on formulas written for population averages; they may or may not be accurate for your body. It's important to recalculate based on your real-world results after a few weeks or months.
For instance, let's say you're eating at what you believe is a 400-calorie deficit; that *should* give you a rate of loss of 0.8lbs/week. If after a couple of months, you've actually lost an average of 1.5lbs/week, then your true TDEE is probably higher than the calculator number and you may want to increase your calories. Maybe you exercise more than you think you do, or your metabolism is higher or body fat lower than you think it is. If after a couple of months, you've actually lost at a slower rate, then your true TDEE may be lower than you think it is, and you'd want to drop those calories a bit. It's a constant game of adjusting to find your numbers.
Good luck!0 -
Ah ha! Ok, that's great. Thank you all!
I did look at a couple of TDEE calculators online, which asked me to input my weight and height (160lbs 5ft 3), and exercise (Lightly Active). They gave me an average TDEE of 1980 cals. So now I understand that as long as I exercise lightly (which it states as 1-3 times a week which I am pretty sure I cover) I can eat up to 1980 cals and MAINTAIN. Because I wish to lose weight, I have chosen to deduct 20% - so as long as I continue to exercise and do not eat over 1580 I should lose weight.
I'll evaluate the situation in 4 weeks to see whether I have the right cals set or whether I need to increase / decrease.
Thank you all
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MrsGraves1987 wrote: »Ah ha! Ok, that's great. Thank you all!
I did look at a couple of TDEE calculators online, which asked me to input my weight and height (160lbs 5ft 3), and exercise (Lightly Active). It gave me a TDEE of 1980 cals. So now I understand that as long as I exercise lightly (which it states as 1-3 times a week which I am pretty sure I cover) I can eat up to 1980 cals and MAINTAIN. Because I wish to lose weight, I have chosen to deduct 20% - so as long as I continue to exercise and do not eat over 1580 I should lose weight.
I'll evaluate the situation in 4 weeks to see whether I have the right cals set or whether I need to increase / decrease.
Thank you all
Sounds like a great plan. That's pretty much what I do, too. Works well for me.0 -
TDEE you dont eat back period becayse your burns are already included.
Oh and your post at 4;32 is fine. yes you have it. Make sure you are accurate.0 -
DemoraFairy wrote: »If when you worked out your TDEE you included your exercise (so put it at lightly active or moderately active or whatever), you don't eat your exercise calories back because it's included in your activity level. If you put your activity level to whatever it would be without the gym and the cycling, then you eat your exercise calories back.
This^
Method 1 (exclusive of MFP):
TDEE includes exercise....don't eat calories back.
Method 2:
MFP does NOT include exercise.....eat calories back (some of them...estimates are generous).0 -
You got it, OP!0
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So I just want to make sure this is clear - and make sure I'm not confused or my reasoning is off.
I'm not using the MFP method to calculate my numbers. What I did is I calculated a TDEE using an assumption of a sedentary level of activity (e.g., that I don't exercise at all). Yes, my BMR is about 2000 - but I figure I don't use that as my base number because without formal exercise, one is still active (even it if it is sitting on a couch, or at a computer).
So, using the above assumption, my TDEE is about 2400. Therefore, I figure it is appropriate to (if I choose) eat my exercise calories back - which in my case is running 5-6 times per week.
I'm six foot three, 41, weight 225 pounds for anyone who is interested. I set my net daily caloric goal at 1812 (representing a 25% caloric deficit from my TDEE as described above).
Today, I ate 2159, and I burned 753. I have 406 calories remaining, which I have no desire to eat back.
Does my math and reasoning check out?0 -
So I just want to make sure this is clear - and make sure I'm not confused or my reasoning is off.
I'm not using the MFP method to calculate my numbers. What I did is I calculated a TDEE using an assumption of a sedentary level of activity (e.g., that I don't exercise at all). Yes, my BMR is about 2000 - but I figure I don't use that as my base number because without formal exercise, one is still active (even it if it is sitting on a couch, or at a computer).
So, using the above assumption, my TDEE is about 2400. Therefore, I figure it is appropriate to (if I choose) eat my exercise calories back - which in my case is running 5-6 times per week.
I'm six foot three, 41, weight 225 pounds for anyone who is interested. I set my net daily caloric goal at 1812 (representing a 25% caloric deficit from my TDEE as described above).
Today, I ate 2159, and I burned 753. I have 406 calories remaining, which I have no desire to eat back.
Does my math and reasoning check out?
It sounds like you're essentially using the NEAT method, which is what MFP uses. Given that, why not just let MFP calculate it for you? Put in your stats, set your activity level to sedentary, and your weight loss goal to 1lb/week. You should get similar numbers to what you calculated, with the added benefit of MFP doing all the recalculating for you as you lose.
If the numbers are very different, there's probably a calculation error somewhere.
Remember that no calculator on earth can actually accurately guess your exact TDEE. For one thing, TDEE isn't a set number; it's a different number each day because you move a different amount each day. For another, any algorithm or formula is only taking a guess at what your numbers are, based on population statistics.
The only way to know if it's working for you is to try it. If you are losing weight at the expected rate, great. If you are losing too fast or too slow (over, say, 6-8 weeks) then adjust upwards or downwards as necessary.0
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