TDEE calculators

0ysterboy
0ysterboy Posts: 192 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
How much credence do you guys put in the online TDEE calculators? When I run my numbers I consistently get ~2300/kcal/day. If I eat that much I will gain weight, I estimate my TDEE to be more in the 1700-1750/day range.

Replies

  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    edited May 2018
    For me, they have always been pretty close. But even so, they are just starting points. You follow the numbers when you are starting out, then adjust as needed when you have your own data to go off of.

    Why do you think your TDEE is 1725ish? If you have your own numbers to support that, then go with it. If not, then what's your reasoning behind that vs 2300?
  • collectingblues
    collectingblues Posts: 2,541 Member
    0ysterboy wrote: »
    How much credence do you guys put in the online TDEE calculators? When I run my numbers I consistently get ~2300/kcal/day. If I eat that much I will gain weight, I estimate my TDEE to be more in the 1700-1750/day range.

    Has that happened in the past?

    Why do you think your TDEE is that low?
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    I’m going to chime in with others and ask why you think you maintain that low?

    I find it hard to believe a guy would maintain on less than myself. Granted possible, but definitely an outlier.
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    I assume you know what TDEE means/stands for?

    I also assume you make that statement based on when you gain/lose weight? That's going to be largely influenced by how accurate your food logging is, too.

    I'm not saying you're right or wrong... Just trying to have a more complete conversation.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Scooby was pretty much bang on for me
  • dondotwinks
    dondotwinks Posts: 93 Member
    Are you getting TDEE mixed up as your BMR? TDEE is with all exercise included, BMR you need to add exercise.
  • 0ysterboy
    0ysterboy Posts: 192 Member
    edited May 2018
    here ya go:
    Sex - M
    Age - 59
    Height -5' 11"
    Weight - 233
    Goal weight - 200
    level of non-exercise activity - Principally, my job is a desk job
    exercise activity - 250-400 cal burn 5-6 times/week (swim, bike run, and weights)
    weight loss goal - isn't that my goal weight?
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,672 Member
    0ysterboy wrote: »
    How much credence do you guys put in the online TDEE calculators? When I run my numbers I consistently get ~2300/kcal/day. If I eat that much I will gain weight, I estimate my TDEE to be more in the 1700-1750/day range.

    They're only supposed to be a starting point, as someone else said. You take a starting point from a calculator - TDEE calculator if you want a consistent calorie goal every day regardless of that day's exercise, NEAT calculator if you plan to account for and eat exercise calories separately. After 4-6 weeks, you adjust based on your personal results.

    The calculator give you a starting point is based on large-group research and statistics: What else are you going to use until you have valid individualized data about yourself? And once you do have valid individualized data about yourself, why does the calculator matter?

    So, I have faith that a calculator will spit out an estimate based on research and statistics, and that that estimate will essentially be a mean value for people with the same gross characteristics as me.

    I don't have faith that I (or any other individual) will fall exactly at the mean. In practice, most of the calculators I've used significantly underestimate my calorie needs - they say about 1500 before exercise, reality is around 2000 before exercise. But now that I know where my reality is, I base future planning off that, and ignore the calculators.
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,997 Member
    edited May 2018
    TDEE calculators and MFP grossly OVER estimate my caloric needs by 500-600 cals/day.

    I currently maintain my weight at about 1650 NET cals/day but the TDEE and MFP estimate is closer to 2200-2300 based on a sedentary activity level.

    I actually eat 2200-2300 cals/day. However, I also burn 550-650 cals/day rowing and lifting resulting in 1650 NET daily cals.

    If I ate the 2200-2300 cals/day without this level of exercise, which would be the case if I were truly "sedentary," I would gain about 1#/week rather than maintain my weight at 155 #/- 2# as I have for the past 6 months.

    So, TDEE calculators are useless to me and only my experience determines what level of caloric intake and exercise is appropriate for me.
  • 0ysterboy
    0ysterboy Posts: 192 Member
    Francl27 wrote: »
    Do you weigh your food? Most people who believe that they have a slow metabolism just underestimate how much they eat.
    I weigh calorie-dense foods but not fruits or vegetables. I feel reasonably confident that when I am tracking faithfully I am within 10-15% of my actual intake. Maybe this is why I have my daily cal intake set at 1700, allows me some sloppiness but confidence that I am in calorie deficit. At these settings I will lose 1-1.5 #/week pretty regularly.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    0ysterboy wrote: »
    Francl27 wrote: »
    Do you weigh your food? Most people who believe that they have a slow metabolism just underestimate how much they eat.
    I weigh calorie-dense foods but not fruits or vegetables. I feel reasonably confident that when I am tracking faithfully I am within 10-15% of my actual intake. Maybe this is why I have my daily cal intake set at 1700, allows me some sloppiness but confidence that I am in calorie deficit. At these settings I will lose 1-1.5 #/week pretty regularly.

    If you're losing 1-1.5 lb a week eating 1700... your TDEE isn't 1700 lol.
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,727 Member
    edited May 2018
    0ysterboy wrote: »
    here ya go:
    Sex - M
    Age - 59
    Height -5' 11"
    Weight - 233
    Goal weight - 200
    level of non-exercise activity - Principally, my job is a desk job
    exercise activity - 250-400 cal burn 5-6 times/week (swim, bike run, and weights)
    weight loss goal - isn't that my goal weight?

    Barring age, my stats are the same as yours, and I consistently lose at 23-2600

    I suspect you're not logging accurately enough.

    FWIW, I'm a sloppy logger. And I started at almost 260. and was losing at 28-3000.
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    edited May 2018
    0ysterboy wrote: »
    Francl27 wrote: »
    Do you weigh your food? Most people who believe that they have a slow metabolism just underestimate how much they eat.
    I weigh calorie-dense foods but not fruits or vegetables. I feel reasonably confident that when I am tracking faithfully I am within 10-15% of my actual intake. Maybe this is why I have my daily cal intake set at 1700, allows me some sloppiness but confidence that I am in calorie deficit. At these settings I will lose 1-1.5 #/week pretty regularly.

    That would put your TDEE between 2200-2450 roughly.
    Losing 1 lb a week = roughly 500 calories under TDEE
    Losing 1.5 lb a week = roughly 750 calories under TDEE

    So the TDEE calculator doesn’t seem to be that far off if it’s saying you would maintain at 2300.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    0ysterboy wrote: »
    Francl27 wrote: »
    Do you weigh your food? Most people who believe that they have a slow metabolism just underestimate how much they eat.
    I weigh calorie-dense foods but not fruits or vegetables. I feel reasonably confident that when I am tracking faithfully I am within 10-15% of my actual intake. Maybe this is why I have my daily cal intake set at 1700, allows me some sloppiness but confidence that I am in calorie deficit. At these settings I will lose 1-1.5 #/week pretty regularly.

    Wat? Why would not weigh your fruits and veggies.

    If you lose 1-1.5 pounds at 1700 then your TDEE is not 1750.
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    Francl27 wrote: »
    0ysterboy wrote: »
    Francl27 wrote: »
    Do you weigh your food? Most people who believe that they have a slow metabolism just underestimate how much they eat.
    I weigh calorie-dense foods but not fruits or vegetables. I feel reasonably confident that when I am tracking faithfully I am within 10-15% of my actual intake. Maybe this is why I have my daily cal intake set at 1700, allows me some sloppiness but confidence that I am in calorie deficit. At these settings I will lose 1-1.5 #/week pretty regularly.

    If you're losing 1-1.5 lb a week eating 1700... your TDEE isn't 1700 lol.

    Exactly.

    You either don't understand what TDEE is, or I'm misunderstanding what you're saying.

    Based on your post/numbers, your TDEE is somewhere around 2250. Which oddly enough, is pretty dang close to what the calculators give you.
  • 0ysterboy
    0ysterboy Posts: 192 Member
    Thanks guys, I think I just didn’t have a good handle on the difference between TDEE and BMR. Trial and error have led me to set my tracker set at 1700 cal/day. I know that, even with a potential 10-15% error rate in tracking, that at that number I can consistently lose IF I faithfully track. Even though I got to that number by empirical means, seems reasonably consistent with the online TDEE calculators
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    0ysterboy wrote: »
    Thanks guys, I think I just didn’t have a good handle on the difference between TDEE and BMR. Trial and error have led me to set my tracker set at 1700 cal/day. I know that, even with a potential 10-15% error rate in tracking, that at that number I can consistently lose IF I faithfully track. Even though I got to that number by empirical means, seems reasonably consistent with the online TDEE calculators

    BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is the amount of calories you would burn if you had nothing but basic bodily functions to sustain, if you were bed ridden/comatose.
    NEAT (Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) is your BMR multiplied times a factor based on activity excluding exercise.
    TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is the sum of all the activity you do in a day including exercise - so all the cals you burn in total.

    To lose weight you need to be in a calorie deficit from your TDEE.

    If you are losing 1-1.5 lb/week eating 1700 then that means your TDEE is 2200-2450 cals. Since you aren’t super accurate with your logging you don’t really know if 1700 is really what you’re eating so your TDEE may be higher.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    0ysterboy wrote: »
    How much credence do you guys put in the online TDEE calculators? When I run my numbers I consistently get ~2300/kcal/day. If I eat that much I will gain weight, I estimate my TDEE to be more in the 1700-1750/day range.

    Its unlikely for a male to have that low a TDEE, the online calculators have always been pretty close for me, well they're close in that they tell me my TDEE is 1800 but in reality its closer to 2000. But that's the beauty about having our own data (i.e when we track our food consistently/use a trending weight app) - over time we know what our average TDEE is, that takes any guesswork out of it :smile: .
  • Davidsdottir
    Davidsdottir Posts: 1,285 Member
    Tdee calculators put me at 2500ish for active. I'm maintaining on 2800 right now and I'm a 5'5" 138 lb, 36yo woman.
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