TDEE and activity levels

Options
FlittyGetsFit
FlittyGetsFit Posts: 94
in Health and Weight Loss
I exercise around 6 days per week. But for the rest of the time I am extremely sedentary. I'm trying to work out my TDEE. My goal is weight loss. Should I put sedentary and eat back my exercise calories, or choose lightly active?

Replies

  • FlittyGetsFit
    FlittyGetsFit Posts: 94
    Options
    Bump
  • ladyace2078
    ladyace2078 Posts: 460 Member
    Options
    I have a desk job, but I use mass transportation, housework, and walks/shopping with the kids on the weekends. I workout hard 6 days a week. MFP confuses me with their options, so here's what I do:

    Calculate BMR - eat this at a minimum. Calculate TDEE and eat about 10-15% less than this amount. I ignore MFP 'net' calories and I don't eat back exercise calories because it's already calculated in my TDEE.
  • tenpets
    tenpets Posts: 423 Member
    Options
    I factor my 6d/wk of exercise into my TDEE calculation (my job is sedentary, too, so I list 3-5 moderate workouts). Then I subtract 500. This should lead to a 1lb/wk loss. I log my exercise, but put 1 calorie. That way the amount I have to eat in a day is accurate. I also never go below my BMR.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,401 MFP Moderator
    Options
    Just because you are sedentary one day, doesn't mean you are sedentary. I work a desk job and do P90X2 and I am moderately to very active.

    Here is the question, do you wan to eat back exercise calories or eat the same thing every day and not worry about exercise calories?

    My preference as well as those I work with is to include exercise as part of your TDEE and dont' stress exercise calories.
  • mogriff1
    mogriff1 Posts: 325 Member
    Options
    I enter my goal as my TDEE minus 500 (calorie deficit to lose a pound a week). Since this number already has excercise factored in, I dont worry about eating excercise calories. I just try to make sure my Food = my Goal (or comes close to it). (On days I don't excercise, I still aim to eat my goal number, if not, I just make sure to never eat below my BMR.
  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
    Options
    I usually have 5 good workouts per week (40-120 minutes at relatively high intensity) but I put sedentary. I do eat back all my exercise calories though. In reality, I'm not entirely sedentary because I have 5 kids to clean up after, cook for, do laundry for and a big yard to work on. It's all those things that make my calorie deficit mostly.
  • wackyfunster
    wackyfunster Posts: 944 Member
    Options
    Just because you are sedentary one day, doesn't mean you are sedentary. I work a desk job and do P90X2 and I am moderately to very active.

    Here is the question, do you wan to eat back exercise calories or eat the same thing every day and not worry about exercise calories?

    My preference as well as those I work with is to include exercise as part of your TDEE and dont' stress exercise calories.
    I agree. Way easier IMO to just have a pre-set number of calories than to track workout calories, especially given how inaccurate most "calories burned" estimates are.
  • DarcieC2389
    DarcieC2389 Posts: 146
    Options
    I exercise around 6 days per week. But for the rest of the time I am extremely sedentary. I'm trying to work out my TDEE. My goal is weight loss. Should I put sedentary and eat back my exercise calories, or choose lightly active?

    I don't consider it sedentary/inactive if one is exercising nearly every day. I would put lightly active if your exercise is low to moderate intensity or active if your workouts are high intensity.

Categories