Confused with MFP BMR & TDEE?

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dansemaillives
dansemaillives Posts: 42 Member
in Getting Started
Hi all getting help with bits and been introduced to BMR and TDEE and discussions on eating my exercise calories etc. But that's has confused now due to results.

Can someone explain why MFP says 1660 Calories a day BMR calculators average 2200 and TDEE Calculator says 3154? I've been told BMR is the minimum we need to live so how come MFP says so much less?????

Thank you

Dan

Replies

  • Redordeadhead
    Redordeadhead Posts: 1,188 Member
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    Did you select the most aggressive weight loss rate (lose 2lbs per week) on MFP? The calories it gives you depends on your current height, weight and chosen rate of loss. You might have chosen a rate that is too high for your current stats.

    In addition, note that MFP's calorie goal is before intentional exercise. The system is designed so that when you exercise, you log it and eat those calories in addition.
    This makes it different from a TDEE calculator which includes exercise in your goal calories.
  • dansemaillives
    dansemaillives Posts: 42 Member
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    Redordeadhead wrote: »
    Did you select the most aggressive weight loss rate (lose 2lbs per week) on MFP? The calories it gives you depends on your current height, weight and chosen rate of loss. You might have chosen a rate that is too high for your current stats.

    In addition, note that MFP's calorie goal is before intentional exercise. The system is designed so that when you exercise, you log it and eat those calories in addition.
    This makes it different from a TDEE calculator which includes exercise in your goal calories.

    Hi thanks for your reply. I am currently 19 stone 10.5 so would like an aggressive 2lb a week loss for a short time then drop it so yes set MFP to 2lb a week. I am doing exercise that MFP logs as just over 700 calories a day, so if I add them in then that would make 2300 so that is where my BMR is! Ok! So as long as I eat my calorie burn I'm pretty much on my BMR?

    If I'm eating my BMR is that me still calorie deficit or do I need to drop some from that?
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,052 Member
    edited March 2021
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    BMR- basal metabolic rate, calories you need being alive in a coma
    NEAT- non exercise activity thermogenesis, calories you need being awake and doing your normal activity not including exercise
    TDEE- total daily energy expenditure, calories you need being awake, doing your normal stuff plus intentional exercise

    As redordeadhead said, MFP uses NEAT which does not include your exercise calories (but does give you more activity calories based on how active you tell it you are apart from exercise, i.e. desk job vs. construction worker). MFP is designed for users to eat more when they exercise more. In any case, you should eat more than BMR.

    You would expect the calories MFP gives you to be appreciably more than BMR but less than TDEE. Roughly,
    MFP calories + exercise - deficit to lose weight = TDEE-deficit to lose weight
    All the calculators are just estimates, so fine tuning is to be expected.
    Good luck to you, OP.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    dansemaillives wrote: »
    Hi all getting help with bits and been introduced to BMR and TDEE and discussions on eating my exercise calories etc. But that's has confused now due to results.

    Can someone explain why MFP says 1660 Calories a day BMR calculators average 2200 and TDEE Calculator says 3154? I've been told BMR is the minimum we need to live so how come MFP says so much less?????

    Thank you

    Dan

    BMR is just the calories you burn existing. There are a couple of different formulas for determining BMR...one uses your total mass and the other uses your lean mass...the lean mass formula is more accurate as you don't really need to fuel your fat. Most men have a BMR in the neighborhood of 1800 calories give or take.

    Your MFP target is below BMR because you've selected aggressive weight loss at 2 Lbs per week. MFP is simply doing the math...a two Lb per week deficit is 1,000 calories per day deficit...that is going to take most people to or below their BMR...which is why it's typically only recommended for people who are significantly overweight/obese/morbidly obese, because they have the fat stores to compensate.

    MFP uses the NEAT method whereby exercise is NOT included in your activity level. You eat back calories after you log purposeful exercise to account for that activity that is otherwise not accounted for. Your TDEE is your total calorie needs to maintain, including all activities. With TDEE you wouldn't log and eat back exercise calories because they're already accounted for upfront in your activity level.

    My BMR is right around 1800 calories...with all of my daily stuff and regular exercise, my TDEE is around 3,000 calories...I lose about 1 Lb per week eating 2300-2500 calories. If I were to choose 2 Lbs per week, I would be very close to my BMR calories...I wouldn't really dip below because I'm active enough that it boosts my TDEE...but if I wasn't active, it would most definitely give me a target below my BMR...because all the calculator is doing is the math.
  • dansemaillives
    dansemaillives Posts: 42 Member
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    Ok I think I'm understanding it at last! I am morbidly obese so happy with the 1660 MFP have set I do not work currently so no general exercise in the day BUT I am doing a bodyweight workout from the plans on here and a 25 aerobic step class 5 days a week which MFP suggests is just over 700 calories.

    I'll go through to Friday and see what my weight loss is, then adjust bit by bit now my understanding is better.

    Once again THANK YOU all most helpful.

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