They're both estimations, and +/- 100 cals isn't a huge difference. Start with the higher value, and reduce cals a bit if you're not losing weight.

I'm new! But...... There is only one reason I would say use the lower number and that is because you have a lot of weight to lose like me (in fact we have similar stats). If you are losing too fast (like more than 1.5 a week average over 4 weeks) then up a little bit. At least, that's what I would do! Definitely looks like you've reset

secretlobster: My "TDEE" is basically an average based on my calorie intake, calorie burn (and exercise hours) and weigh-ins/measurements over the last 10 weeks. Maybe not mathematically perfect calculations, but I feel I should trust my own data a bit more than a calculator?
The "high TDEE" was from the calculator, no matter what activity level I used I always got over 3000. I hope I've explained everything

Here's where I am confused... TDEE is a total of "calories out", it shouldn't include any intake. I'm also not sure why (or how) you calculate TDEE based on measurements... Your body measurements really don't have any bearing on the energy you expend during a day. And if your BF% is only speculation, then you should definitely not include it in your calculations.

I think your data may be fine, but using your own calculations increases the possibility for error. I'd go with scooby on this one

I'd have to say I'd try and go for what some of the calculators estimate for your TDEE/BMR unless you can get a fitbit or something like that to actually calculate your TDEE. I've been using the Fat2Fit calculator, which actually has higher numbers than Scooby and I have a significant amount of weight to lost (still 60-70lbs and I'm down 22) and I lose more when I eat more. I'm 5'5", 28yo and currently 205, was 227 when I started. At the beginning, I set my cals to 2500 as I was working out 1-1.5hr/day 6 days/wk. When I switched to the "New Rules" lifting program, and cut a little cardio, I set my cals to 2300, though I will eat up to 2500 on weight days.

Before I started lifting (read building muscle) I lost 17lbs in like 4-5wks, and that was at eating 2500 cals. When I started lifting, I changed my cals a little lower since Scooby and the New Rules book both said lower cal amts. I only changed them to 2150, but I kept bouncing back and forth for awhile, losing basically nothing for the first like 3-4wks of the program. I re-upped my cals again to 2300-2500 (my body tends to adjust very quickly to changes) and the scale moved downward again.

My point with this whole long winded explanation is that maybe you really do need more cals and that's why you're not losing. I know for me if I don't eat enough I don't lose. Strangely enough, if I go over my cals, I'll lose. This last weekend I went 700 cals over one day, part of that came from 4beers, and I dropped 2lbs on Monday, SO I'd try a true TDEE-15% cut based on a calculator for awhile and see how that goes:)

ah I see where we misunderstand each other I didn't mean to include the measurements in the equations. My mistake, sorry! My "TDEE" is based on this: I calculated average calories in, week by week.

Again, TDEE is not calories in. It's not how many calories you eat. TDEE is only the amount of calories you BURN (BMR + activity)

Edit: I'm willing to admit that I completely misunderstand your calculation, this is just how it appears to me...

Well, not in my experience, but ok. Most of the people on this board will say that you need to be consistent. In my personal experience, if I don't eat with consistency, not just in amt of cals but also in how frequently I eat I won't lose. And if you read the post on TDEE and BMR it says to eat the same number of cals every day.

Well, not in my experience, but ok. Most of the people on this board will say that you need to be consistent. In my personal experience, if I don't eat with consistency, not just in amt of cals but also in how frequently I eat I won't lose. And if you read the post on TDEE and BMR it says to eat the same number of cals every day.

Your body isn't chained to a strict daily calorie allowance. If you average the same NET amount of calories, you'll see the same results. Why do you think people zig-zag their diet in order to overcome a plateau? If it helps to be consistent with the number of calories you eat, then it's for the sake of simplicity and I completely understand that. But that's why calculators that estimate your TDEE allow you to set an "activity level" - so you can get a better idea of how many calories you should eat per day, rather than factoring in the exact calories you burn which would cause your calorie allotment to vary quite a bit. Figuring out your exact TDEE every day is unnecessary for most people and kind of a PITA.

But no, your body does not need to eat the same amount of calories consistently.

Well we all know that every body is different, I'm just saying if you're just starting out/changing your diet/trying to eat TDEE or a cut or whatever, that consistency, esp at the beginning, is important. If I ate 1200cals one day and 3000 the next, my body wouldn't know what to do, even though the average of those cals is 2100. For me, personally anyway, I gain weight when I don't eat enough/enough times/consistently throughout the day. Before I started trying to get healthy again, I wouldn't eat until like lunch time, and would probably only eat about 3x/day and those were all after noon. And I'm certain that except at certain times, I never ate more than 2000-2500 cals and I was (am) obese. It wasn't until I started eating consistently that I started losing any weight. So zigzagging or whatever may work for some people, but it wouldn't necessarily work for all, and esp not at the beginning.

I'm not suggesting she zigzag or attempt inconsistency on purpose (that is more like an advanced body-recomposition technique that's kind of unnecessary at this point). She said she is a numbers nerd so she wanted to figure out how to calculate her TDEE. TDEE changes every day and has nothing to do with how many calories you have already consumed - It's only a measure of how many calories you burn, and therefore an estimate of how many you SHOULD eat. I think it's a great idea to measure your "general" TDEE by taking an average, and then eating consistently at TDEE - some cut. It's simpler and easier to do. It doesn't require periodically recalculating the number of calories you need every single day, which is a good thing when you're starting on a new weight loss journey. I'm just saying that if you eat inconsistently, but average the same amount of calories overall, it shouldn't (by itself) cause your body to retain weight. You may have noticed otherwise, I'm not denying that. I just think that there are other factors involved and consistency is more an emotional/motivational aspect than a purely physical one.

Well we all know that every body is different, I'm just saying if you're just starting out/changing your diet/trying to eat TDEE or a cut or whatever, that consistency, esp at the beginning, is important. If I ate 1200cals one day and 3000 the next, my body wouldn't know what to do, even though the average of those cals is 2100. For me, personally anyway, I gain weight when I don't eat enough/enough times/consistently throughout the day. Before I started trying to get healthy again, I wouldn't eat until like lunch time, and would probably only eat about 3x/day and those were all after noon. And I'm certain that except at certain times, I never ate more than 2000-2500 cals and I was (am) obese. It wasn't until I started eating consistently that I started losing any weight. So zigzagging or whatever may work for some people, but it wouldn't necessarily work for all, and esp not at the beginning.

I came in here to reply to this........but try as I might I can't come up with one that will 1) say what I need it to say and 2) not be offensive in any way.

Well we all know that every body is different, I'm just saying if you're just starting out/changing your diet/trying to eat TDEE or a cut or whatever, that consistency, esp at the beginning, is important. If I ate 1200cals one day and 3000 the next, my body wouldn't know what to do, even though the average of those cals is 2100. For me, personally anyway, I gain weight when I don't eat enough/enough times/consistently throughout the day. Before I started trying to get healthy again, I wouldn't eat until like lunch time, and would probably only eat about 3x/day and those were all after noon. And I'm certain that except at certain times, I never ate more than 2000-2500 cals and I was (am) obese. It wasn't until I started eating consistently that I started losing any weight. So zigzagging or whatever may work for some people, but it wouldn't necessarily work for all, and esp not at the beginning.

I came in here to reply to this........but try as I might I can't come up with one that will 1) say what I need it to say and 2) not be offensive in any way.

Say whatever you want, I don't get offended easily, and esp not by people whom I don't know. THIS is what works FOR ME. Always has been, that's why I eat the way that I do.