TDEE

clafairy1984
clafairy1984 Posts: 253 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Trying to work out how many daily calories i should be eating. My goal is to burn fat and build some muscle. I weight train 3 times a week, full body workout for an hour a time, and do 3 hour long cardio classes a week. I'm currently eating around 1600 calories spread across 3 meals, 2 snacks and a shake. Each TDEE calculator gives a different result and it's confusing.

Replies

  • karenballen16
    karenballen16 Posts: 3 Member
    I'm also around 1600 calories. I use the guide in my fitness pal & I let them calculate it.
  • Colorscheme
    Colorscheme Posts: 1,179 Member
    Just use a BMR calculator, then track exercise in MFP. Add exericse + BMR to get TDEE. or you can get a fitbit.

    Also, you can't build muscle in a deficit. To gain muscle, you need to eat at a caloie surplus.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    If you're doing recomp then eat at maintenance. I doubt that is 1600 cals with all the exercise.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    @Colorscheme you missed Daily Activity our of your equation.

    MFP calculates NEAT (non exercise activity thermogenesis) That is your BMR (basic metabolic rate- in a coma) plus daily activity. One ads exercise to that.

    Using a BMR calculator and then adding exercise would give one too few calories.

    There are plenty of TDEE on line calculators that one can use if ones exercise is consistent over time.

    Cheers, h.
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
    If you want to use the TDEE method just pick one of the numbers and go with it for 6-8 weeks. If still losing, increase appropriately, if there's a gain, adjust down appropriately. Real world data is the best calculator.

  • Colorscheme
    Colorscheme Posts: 1,179 Member
    edited August 2016
    middlehaitch wrote: »
    @Colorscheme you missed Daily Activity our of your equation.

    MFP calculates NEAT (non exercise activity thermogenesis) That is your BMR (basic metabolic rate- in a coma) plus daily activity. One ads exercise to that.

    Using a BMR calculator and then adding exercise would give one too few calories.

    There are plenty of TDEE on line calculators that one can use if ones exercise is consistent over time.

    Cheers, h.

    I have a Fitbit linked so all I do is go by the TDEE on it at the end of the night on my Fitbit app on the phone, so I don't see how I was still wrong. I only use MFP to log food.
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
    edited August 2016
    .
  • Colorscheme
    Colorscheme Posts: 1,179 Member
    TR0berts wrote: »
    .

    Ok, I guess I was just a bit confused. I go by what my phone says at the end of the night and subtract food to get my deficit.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    Sorry, @Colorscheme.
    All I was saying was
    BMR + exercise does not equal TDEE
    BMR +daily activity+exercise =TDEE

    You had missed daily activity out of what you described prior to you saying 'or you can get a fitbit'.

    No argument, just making sure the daily activity was taken care of.

    Of course if one has a fit bit daily activities and are included.

    Cheers, h.
  • Colorscheme
    Colorscheme Posts: 1,179 Member
    edited August 2016
    middlehaitch wrote: »
    Sorry, @Colorscheme.
    All I was saying was
    BMR + exercise does not equal TDEE
    BMR +daily activity+exercise =TDEE

    You had missed daily activity out of what you described prior to you saying 'or you can get a fitbit'.

    No argument, just making sure the daily activity was taken care of.

    Of course if one has a fit bit daily activities and are included.

    Cheers, h.

    I don't county any activites, all my steps are purposeful, so pretty much everything I do is for exercise purpose which is why I said I add bmr to exercise. Otherwise I'd have a pretty pathetic step count, lol.
  • ryry_
    ryry_ Posts: 4,966 Member
    They all estimates. Pick one, run with it for 3-4 weeks and adjust according to your results. 1600 seems like a fairly reasonable starting point.

    As a reminder, TDEE calculators factor in excercise so you would not be eating back exercise calories in this scenario.
  • clafairy1984
    clafairy1984 Posts: 253 Member
    Colorscheme wrote: »
    Just use a BMR calculator, then track exercise in MFP. Add exericse + BMR to get TDEE. or you can get a fitbit.

    Also, you can't build muscle in a deficit. To gain muscle, you need to eat at a caloie surplus.

    I do have a fitbit, but as estimates based on heart rate it doesn't calculate calories for weight sessions, only steps and cardio. Also works out daily burn, so I end up with allowance of 2000c one day and only 1400 on rest day. Different calories each day mean that I'm stuffed one day and starving another.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Wow people do like to complicate things!

    If you have been logging for a while then you know what results you have been getting as regards weight loss or maintenance at your recent eating level - simply make adjustments from there. Zero point in going back to calculators when you have your own data.

    BTW - you didn't really make it clear if you are aiming to maintain and recomp or want to lose more weight.
    If the latter then you need a tiny deficit (very slow rate of loss) to have a chance of adding muscle.
  • clafairy1984
    clafairy1984 Posts: 253 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    Wow people do like to complicate things!

    If you have been logging for a while then you know what results you have been getting as regards weight loss or maintenance at your recent eating level - simply make adjustments from there. Zero point in going back to calculators when you have your own data.

    BTW - you didn't really make it clear if you are aiming to maintain and recomp or want to lose more weight.
    If the latter then you need a tiny deficit (very slow rate of loss) to have a chance of adding muscle.

    Hi, I'm trying to shed fat , with a longer term goal of building muscle
  • jolive7
    jolive7 Posts: 283 Member
    Colorscheme wrote: »
    Just use a BMR calculator, then track exercise in MFP. Add exericse + BMR to get TDEE. or you can get a fitbit.

    Also, you can't build muscle in a deficit. To gain muscle, you need to eat at a caloie surplus.

    Absolutely can, and it also really depends on the training you are doing. In the past 6 weeks I have lost 2.7% bf and gained 2.9 kg in lean muscle mass. All with about a 300 calorie DEFICIT. I don't know where you get your facts..
  • SusanMFindlay
    SusanMFindlay Posts: 1,804 Member
    clafairy1984 wrote: »
    Colorscheme wrote: »
    Just use a BMR calculator, then track exercise in MFP. Add exericse + BMR to get TDEE. or you can get a fitbit.

    Also, you can't build muscle in a deficit. To gain muscle, you need to eat at a caloie surplus.

    I do have a fitbit, but as estimates based on heart rate it doesn't calculate calories for weight sessions, only steps and cardio. Also works out daily burn, so I end up with allowance of 2000c one day and only 1400 on rest day. Different calories each day mean that I'm stuffed one day and starving another.

    You don't have to eat exactly the "right" number of calories every day - as long as it averages out right over time (e.g. over the week). I, for one, find myself hungry the day after working out not the day I work out. So, I tend to post bigger deficits on workout days and smaller ones the day after.

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