Calculating TDEE based on daily activity

Barneystinson
Barneystinson Posts: 1,357 Member
edited September 27 in Health and Weight Loss
So, seeing all the "I don't know how much to eat" posts everyday, I found a link in another thread to a calculator that's extremely helpful in determining both BMR and TDEE based on weight and your specific daily activities.

http://www.health-calc.com/diet/energy-expenditure-advanced

BMR - basal metabolic rate - the amount of calories your body requires to perform basic functions - the number of calories you'd burn staying in bed all day.

TDEE - total daily energy expenditure - the amount of calories you require to perform daily activities (keep in mind this is NOT only referring to a planned workout, but everything else you do in a day - sleep, sit, stand, walk, clean, argue on forums, what have you...)

The results from the calculator will give you both numbers.

Eat at your TDEE - maintain weight
Eat at an amount below your TDEE but higher than your BMR (calorie deficit - typ. 500 calories) - lose weight

If you're a very active person, you'll have a higher TDEE. It will vary based on daily activity, but generally you can calculate an appropriate daily intake based on your weight loss goals. The calculator is extremely helpful for those that perform a lot of light activity - standing / light walking work - this work adds up!

For example:

My BMR - 1392
My TDEE (strength day) - 2360
My TDEE (HIIT day) - 2526
My TDEE (Rest day) - 2155

So, on a non-rest day, I should be eating 1800-2000 calories. On a rest day, 1600-1700 calories.

I've been eating an average of 1800 calories / day prior to calculating this, so it confirms I'm on track for my goals.

Try it out!

Replies

  • chasekilgannon
    chasekilgannon Posts: 123
    Nice source! Definitely something I'm bookmarking for when I plateau, or when I've lost a significant amount of weight that I'll need to recalculate my intake.

    Doubt it'll stop the other threads though. :P
  • Barneystinson
    Barneystinson Posts: 1,357 Member
    Nice source! Definitely something I'm bookmarking for when I plateau, or when I've lost a significant amount of weight that I'll need to recalculate my intake.

    Doubt it'll stop the other threads though. :P

    Yeah, they'll keep coming :)
  • Yori1
    Yori1 Posts: 142
    Bump
  • Papillon22
    Papillon22 Posts: 1,160 Member
    This is interesting. I'm gonna check it out.
    Btw, arguing on forums burns calories? how many? I need to start counting them in! :laugh:
  • LickyNees
    LickyNees Posts: 101 Member
    great tks!
  • Yori1
    Yori1 Posts: 142
    bump
  • Snubbleup
    Snubbleup Posts: 66
    bump
  • trysha1231
    trysha1231 Posts: 163 Member
    OK, so if I figured this out right:
    BMR 1419
    TDEE 2584 (this figure includes my work out calories expended)
    To lose weight I would eat under my TDEE, yet never below my BMR?
  • strawberrie_milk
    strawberrie_milk Posts: 381 Member
    Thanks for the link! Really awesome :)
  • lin7604
    lin7604 Posts: 2,951 Member
    wow i got such high numbers.. i don't see how i can loose weight with those numbers?
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    This content has been removed.
  • AnaVerasGettingFit
    AnaVerasGettingFit Posts: 109 Member
    bump
  • courtneybot
    courtneybot Posts: 2 Member
    bump!
  • tina219
    tina219 Posts: 47 Member
    bump
  • billtonkin
    billtonkin Posts: 109
    The thing about TDEE is it's not 100% accurate. Everyone is different and a lot of people over estimate their activity factor. It's a good thing, but you will more than likely need to adjust your calories up or down 100-300 calories to find your perfect maintenance.
  • allynady
    allynady Posts: 59 Member
    bump
  • billtonkin
    billtonkin Posts: 109
    how can it be right, I got 2900kcal TEE and 2138BMR with adding no exercise 5'10 210 lbs...I've been eating 1500 cals and I'm fully satisfied with that amount over a day

    I'd say that as a 20 year old male, only eating 1500 cals at that height and weight, you are probably losing a lot of muscle weight as well as fat.
  • BetterWithAge
    BetterWithAge Posts: 691 Member
    Saving to read later
  • twoscimitars
    twoscimitars Posts: 272 Member
    Wow. It tells me my TDEE is 3500 cals, and my BMR is 1900. And the only activity I added was 2 hours of light exercise and 1 hour of standing. (8 hours of sleep). I would have to say that's WAY high. If I ate 2500 cals a day, I would not be losing weight.

    Right now I'm eating 1600 cals a day, exercising (walking or elliptical) approximately 4 -5 times per week, and losing steadily - about 10 pounds a month.
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
    I believe this is one of the most important numbers for any type of diet.
    It certainly takes the stress out of seeing red!
  • Linda6580
    Linda6580 Posts: 192 Member
    Bump
  • ingfit
    ingfit Posts: 180 Member
    This seems pretty acurate. I'm female, 47, 5'7", and 171 lbs

    It says my BMR: 1506

    My TDEE: 2508 Rest days (8 hrs sleep, 6 hrs standing, 10 hrs sitting)

    My TDEE: 3424 Workout days (30 mins HIIT, 30 mins weights, 8 hrs sleep, 6 hrs standing, 9 hours sitting)

    I ususally eat around 1800 cals every day and have a spike day (3000+ cals) once a week. If I didn't have the spike day, I should probably eat more on my workout days. If anything, I could probably up it to 2000 and still lose weight. When I plateau I will try that.
  • smilebhappy
    smilebhappy Posts: 811 Member
    bump read later
  • Tiggermummy
    Tiggermummy Posts: 312 Member
    The problem I'm finding is getting the numbers to balance.
    I have hit the dreaded plataeu and I am struggling to get off it, and I am almost at the point of giving up.
    I've lost/gained the same 5lbs for the last six months. At first I put it down to the sudden death of my mum but its been a while.
    I got a fitbit ultra and discovered even allowing for a 5-10% error margin I am a lot more active than I gave myself credit for, as my work is so varied on a day to day basis I had always put myself down as sendantary, and then added in exercise - I've power walked a half marathon and do an almost weekly timed 5K, plus I do a short but fast cycle to and from work to collect my child every day.
    I had assumed that as I had over 80lbs to loose when I started that it would be resonable to set my calorie goal at 1200+ exercise cals. I didn't know about BMR back then.
    So having done the research of BMR - I'm 5' 4" 190lb and have a body fat of 37% the averages over three different sites gave me a BMR of 1549. Using that with an activity level of 1.55 gave me an average across the three sites of
    TDEE 2350

    so I need to eat close to 2350 +/- 100-300 cals for maintence. I worked on the 15% cut as a maximum from TDEE to get net cals of 1997 per day. But having been on that for 4 weeks the scale still isn't shifting.
    I have dropped my cals down to 1660 as I dropped my activity level by one.
    my fitbit is giving me an average TDEE of 2716 the only additional exercise I add is the cycling as that I know the fitbit is not accurate on, but i am at a loss as to what to do, I have numbers and calculations coming out of my ears and I don't know what to go with.
    I know if you look at my diary my food choices are not the best in the world, but I want to get the calories right first and then I can look at changing more of the quality of the food I eat, as it isn't just me I have a family to think about and we don't get home
    until 6.30pm so we have 30 minutes to feed the children, do homework etc before they need to be in bed. it will start getting easier to manage as daughter get older and can stay up longer, but as we are up for school between 6-6.30am its a very long day for a 5 year old.

    Thanks for any feedback - espeically if I have got my maths wrong somewhere it isn't my strogest subject!!
  • TiffaniBarrett
    TiffaniBarrett Posts: 369 Member
    great site :-) xx
  • Sunbeam0904
    Sunbeam0904 Posts: 53 Member
    I'm wondering, has anyone used the weight loss calculator tool on that site using their TDEE and intake to estimate how much they'll lose in a month? And if so has it been accurate?

    http://www.health-calc.com/diet/weight-loss-calculator
  • momof2winsplus
    momof2winsplus Posts: 137 Member
    I had been looking for this site for weeks!
  • wowens1
    wowens1 Posts: 19 Member
    bump
This discussion has been closed.

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