Bmr or tdee or what?

gdfrew
gdfrew Posts: 45 Member
edited October 2020 in Health and Weight Loss
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I've got a bit of a plateau going I've lost somewhere in the region of 15-18kgs of weight. I forgot where I started unfortunately, somewhere between 92-95kg I'm 6ft 33years old and currently at 76.7kg which for me is probably somewhere in the ideal weight range. However my body composition is terrible and belly and man boob fat is almost too much. So I presume I still need to lose more fat. My goals on the app are set to active. I have a fairly active job accounting up to 10,000-15,000 steps everyday. And when running/walking after work. it ends up at around 22,000+

From the picture I want to ask is the goal a bmr maintenance level or is that a tdee level? If I want to be 500 calories under well I don't know what. I've done a few calculator sites and my bmr is around 1,850 calories and my tdee says around 2,350 calories.

I've very recently started to do some bodyweight and dumbell training. I can see small gains in my arms at least. But I just cant to drop any more in the scales. I know this sometimes is a bad method to go by however I have crohn's disease so using a measuring tape around my navel is sometimes hard to read if I have inflammation or bloating in my stomach which can happen. But for the past month or so the measurement hasn't dropped from 38" around my belly.

I am almost scared of under eating as well as I don't want to lower my metabolism and slow everything down.

Replies

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    With MFP, your goal is a deficit from your NEAT (Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis), which excludes exercise. MFP isn't a TDEE calculator which is why you add in exercise separately. So if you chose 1 Lb per week loss as your target then MFP is assuming your NEAT maintenance is 2,760 which wouldn't be unreasonable given a pretty active job.

    Your calorie goal already includes your deficit.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    BMR is what you would burn at total rest and in a fasted state - unless you are in both those states it clearly isn't your weight maintenance calories. Your daily activity, exercise and even digesting your food all add to your calorie needs.

    TDEE is your weight maintenance number but MyFitnessPal isn't a TDEE calculator, the goal is plus exercise because your purposeful exercise isn't part of the calculation.
    A variable daily goal exactly like your screenshot illustrates.

    Therefore it's not directly comparable with TDEE calculators which add an average of your predicted exercise to give you a same every day goal. Over the course of a week they should be pretty close.

    If you are maintaining weight over an extended period of time then adjust your calorie goal either manually or by changing your goal settings. The extended period of time is important as starting a new exercise routine often leads to inflammation and water retention which stalls the scales but does not stall your fat loss if you really are in a sustained calorie deficit

  • gdfrew
    gdfrew Posts: 45 Member
    So there is a good possibility like yesterday I think I had 1900 calories from food that I am under eating then by possible quite a bit? Maybe even stalling my progress?
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    gdfrew wrote: »
    So there is a good possibility like yesterday I think I had 1900 calories from food that I am under eating then by possible quite a bit? Maybe even stalling my progress?

    Nothing significant happens in a day.

    If you are in a prolonged calorie deficit you must lose body fat to make up that energy shortfall.
    But weight reflected on your scales is not just fat.
  • sal10851
    sal10851 Posts: 171 Member
    You seem to have a lot of cardio activity but resistance training is very important to help your body composition. Most people ignore resistance training and it usually leads losing muscle mass which is the last thing you want if you are trying to improve body composition. If you don't want to grow muscle make an effort to keep the muscle you have. Some people diet down to a very low weight yet the body fat seems to never leave. That's why it's important to keep as much muscle mass as possible when trying to lose weight.
  • dragon_girl26
    dragon_girl26 Posts: 2,187 Member
    edited October 2020
    You said you had a plateau going...how long has this been going on? Keep in mind that stalls are totally normal and weight loss doesn't typically happen weekly like clockwork. A true plateau is about 4 to 6 weeks with no change. If its only been a week or so, its possibly you're just holding onto water weight for now, especially if your weight training began very recently.
  • gdfrew
    gdfrew Posts: 45 Member
    edited October 2020
    Yeah I guess I may have slightly over exaggerated the plateau then it's been around 3 weeks now. I guess it's surprised me as I was almost on a roll. Trust me I'm not trying to ignore resistance training. As I can see small changes in some arm and shoulder muscles. I am trying to up the training. It's very annoying that gyms are not a good place to be right now due to covid restrictions and such as I'd love to get back to using all the machines and try some more free weights.

    Thanks to everyone for their thoughts and advice

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