Help with TDEE and weight loss

If your BMR is 1306, are you SURE your TDEE is only 1569? Are you very inactive, no exercise during the day? If this is accurate, then eating 1300ish would mean approximately .5 pounds per week weight loss. But accuracy would be very important as any estimation error could eat away at your deficit. And patience. Some days/weeks you'll not lose - or the scale will show a +. But over time, month after month, you should see progress.

Eating under your TDEE leads to weight loss. A small deficit means slow weight loss, but still weight loss. One strategy would be to increase your TDEE. Look for little ways to include more movement in your day. That could mean setting a step goal (and using something basic in the form of a pedometer) to hit X steps per day. Perhaps wear it for 2 weeks, see what your average is, then set a goal to do a little more the next week. Take the stairs whenever possible, instead of elevator/escalator. Park at the back of a lot when its safe to do so, and walk further to get into whatever building you're going to. Set alarms every so often in your day to encourage yourself to get up, stretch or do some form of movement.

If you use the TDEE method you dont usualy eat back cals.

My opinion - and keep in mind there are many opinions - if you have a small deficit then you don't 'need' to eat back exercise calories.

Compare these 2 scenarios:

Person A burns 2500 daily thru lifestyle, eats 1500 calories for a 2 pound weigh loss average. They exercise for 500 calories additional burn per day. If they DON'T eat them, that becomes a deficit of 1500 or average of 3 pounds per week. For most people, a safe weight loss is 1-2 pounds per week. This person should eat them.

Person B burns 1700 daily, and eats 1450. They walk 2-3 miles daily for an additional burn of 250. If they don't eat them back its a deficit of 500. If they do eat them back, its a deficit of 250. Person B can choose either option, because with exercise the deficit of 500 is not extreme. THis person would choose based on how they feel. THey may decide to eat them, or not, or some of them - or even choose differently each day.

Based on your stats, losing .5-1 pounds per week is probably your best objective.

Not all extra burn is based on 'exercise'. If you can find little ways to work in extra activity, it won't really track well but will benefit you in the long run. Stand up some while working if you normally sit. Get up and walk around the office/house at least once per hour if your work is a sit down job. Do things yourself instead of sending the kids to do you a favor. (That last one: personal issue. I've gotten better about it lol.)

PERSONALLY I have MFP set to maintain, I use a Fitbit to track my activity & transmit my calorie burn to MFP. Since MFP thinks I'm maintaining, the 'calories left' on my diary is actually my deficit. I aim for about 400-500 calories left daily. This is my TDEE method, as my deficit is based on total #s.

Ps-as a general rule of thumb eat MORE than 1200 calories total per day. Eating 1000: only if under constant medical supervision.

Some of the app customization can be glitchy. If your goal is set to lose 1 pound per week -try changing it to .5.

IMO if you're eating 1380, burning 1570 thru bmr + basic daily movement and you burn an additional 100 thru exercise you're still eating 1380. The 'net' calories is a MFP tool that is ill-conceived, again in my opinion. The 'net' calories bit is not really an issue for someone who WITH exercise is only burning 1600-2000 calories in a given day. My opinion, based on personal experience, common sense, and lots of ready/studying lol. Not a professional, not a nutritionist/trainer/dietician.

If you focus on your total deficit and it is under 1000 daily AND you're able to eat enough to keep you feeling full & satiated AND you're eating 1200+ daily: good. If any of those situations is not met, then re-evaluate.

I started with a Fitbit One in Dec 2013. By using it, I figured out I was lazy and inactive. And decided I was not going to let that continue. Have changed models over the years and now wear a Versa 3. There are different models, depending on what features you need/want. A good starting point: is to use a device to get an idea of your current movement level. If you wear a tracker for 2 weeks and it shows you take an average of 2500 steps a day, you can use that to then challenge yourself to get at least 3500. And a few weeks later, 4500 and so forth.

I find it accurate for me. Meaning when I accurately & honestly log my calories in, my rate of weight loss is as expected or a little better. Meaning if anything, I might burn a little more than Fitbit reports.

therequiiem wrote: »

I have lost quite a bit of weight over the last year. I am currently at about 137 lbs, I am 5’4”, 34 years old. I’ve been overeating big time lately so I thought I’d revisit calculating my BMR and TDEE. Obviously to lose weight I’d need to eat less than my TDEE (1569 calories) and more than my BMR (1306 calories). I have been eating 1400 for the longest time except for lately when I’ve been overeating. 500 calories less than 1569 would be so low, at 1069 calories a day. Isn’t it bad to have such low calories? Wouldnt I need a deficit of about 500 calories to see a change in weight?

So, when you were most recently losing weight, how fast were you losing per week averaged over a period of a month or so, and at what calorie level (I assume 1400)? That's your best indication of your TDEE. Either MFP or a TDEE calculator just give you a statistical estimate (average for similar demographic people, basically), and even a fitness tracker is just estimating based on similar assumptions (but making a more personalized estimate by measuring imperfect correlates of calorie burn like distance, heart rate, arm movement, etc.).

If your most recent experience at 1400 was giving you a reasonable loss rate, there's no reason to go lower now. (Yes, a lighter body burns fewer calories than a heavier one, but that's accounted for by looking at the last few weeks' experience at that calorie level).

The calculators and trackers are close for most people (people who are close to average!), a bit off (high or low) for some, and way off for a very rare few. If you have data from previous calorie counting, that can be a much more useful guide to what calorie level to eat now, to lose at a moderate rate.

As an aside, at 5'4" and 137, a pound a week may be OK, but it also might be a bit on the aggressive side for best energy level, health support, and sustainability, especially if you have to cut gross intake that low (under 1200) to get there. I'm about your height (5'5") and was at a similar weight (mid/upper 130's) toward the end of last year. I've been losing ultra-slowly (more slowly than any rational person could tolerate, probably! 😆) since then, around a pound a month. While I'm not saying you need to lose *that* slowly 😉, I'd comment that it's been remarkably painless to accomplish. The downside is that it's been very slow to see on the scale, and sometimes looked like I was holding steady or even gaining for a few weeks at a time. (Doesn't bother me, but I know it would bother a lot of people.) Still, I'm around 125 pounds now, and the jeans that were getting a little tight back then are getting a little too loose now.

Like I said, I'm not saying you should lose *that* slowly, but something like half a pound a week (250 daily deficit below TDEE) would be an option.