Calculating TDEE

[Hoolahoophop]

I'm trying to figure out an accurate TDEE so that I can use a bit of science to monitor and adjust my calorie intake.

I saw one recommended on the totally fed up on 1000 calories a day thread.

But my question is, how to determine what activity level I fit into.

I work in an office so sit most of the day. So sedentary.

Used to run, but not so much at the moment.

Sometimes I kyack or cycle at the weekend.

But I walk to work and back daily at speed as I am always running late and carrying a backpack filled with toot essentials, often quite heavy. My walk takes around 25 minutes each way. I often then have to collect the kids from clubs on foot, but my daily steps are still only around 10-15k less on the weekend when we are lazy.

Would you put me in as sedentary?

I use a Garmin watch (from when I was running regularly) which adjusts calories for me depending on energy used, but I suspect like most it overestimates and just gives me an excuse to eat more.

I am under 5ft. When I used a TDEE calculator with sedentary it came in at 1236 calories to maintain! Thats soooo low.

Look at Garmin Connect. See how many moderate and vigorous minutes of exercise it says you are doing every day. If normally you're over 30 mins a day, then I think you're doing more than "sedentary"

Remember to use your work breaks to move around, even if that's just strolling to the tea point at back. Anything to break up the sitting.

I also researched this. Exercise is something that elevates your heart rate. So a slow walk doesn’t count even if it’s 10,000 slow steps. That’s activity but it’s not exercise. They are different. So I make sure I always get into my ‘fat burning zone’ for exercise for at least 30 mins at least 3 times a week and walk as much as I can but I still assume I am light exercise for the sake of working this out as I do have an office job and sit for a lot of the day.

Class yourself as sedentary and then if you do something significant ( not a little walking but a day on the hill or a run) then allow yourself a couple hundred more ?

I should do that @midgetastic but the thought of living off 1000 calories a day to get less than a 250cal deficit in order to try to loose slowly just seems too painful to contemplate! Maintenance on 1250 for my remaining years seems quite restrictive. 😥

@AuntieStella I usually complete around 250 active minutes a week when I am running.

I do walk fast on my daily commute, sometimes with a mini jog when I am really running late! But because it is routine and I have been doing it for years now I suspect that it does not elevate my heart. @Menora

Thanks all for your advice.

While checking Garmin I looked at my stats.

Resting heart rate is 58bpm (sadly used to be 52 when I was running regularly)
VO2 Max is 40 apparently the top 20% for my age and gender and I have a fitness age of 23, not far off half my actual age. So I am fit and healthy..............just a bit overweight.

Looks like I have to find some time to get back into a three days a week routine.

Might see if I can find some advice on weight training as well as its an exercise I haven't tried before and sometimes switching it up can help.

you cant calculate your TDEE. You can only calculate the average for you age, weight, exercise, etc. That is likely to be wildly inaccurate for most people. You can only measure your TDEE, and only in a lab. Everything else is just a guess.

So how on earth do you try to figure out how much you should be eating? Just take the average, see how it goes and adjust up and down accordingly? Weight control seems like a full time job.

Are you sure the 1250 isn’t your bmr? That would be what you needed to maintain if youblterally moved not at all during the day.

I would say you are moderately active with what you describe.

You just be quite short though ! In absolute terms it's no worse than a taller person eating 1500 to lose really slowly - it's the same level of hunger

If you want to minimise the time dieting I'd suggest focus on weight training and building muscle

You use an online thing to get an estimate

Then try it and see what happens - if you lose weight too fast eat more, if you don't then eat less

@HaPPy8 your right, I made a mistake. Checked the James Smith Academy calculator suggested on another thread and they say that my maintenance eating should be 1370 but that is with sedentary activity levels. Which with an office job is not far off.

@midgetastic psychologically eating such small portions is painful. I am short, but I am also an adult, but the portions to keep in shape seems very, very miserly compared to the rest of my family.

I am thinking about weight training, I don't have time for the gym though so would need to be at home. I'm not sure where to start really.

I tried doing this thing of making the best of my TDEE by making myself ‘light’ activity and using the TDEE but breaking it up into different calories over the week I think this is zigzag. I can manage to eat 1000 calories 2 days in a week but then this means I get the spread the excess over the other 5 days. So add up your weekly total and split it unevenly

so for me on 1400 a day I might do:

1000
1000
1300
1300
1730
1730
1730

then it doesn’t feel as punishing….
and extra exercise helps me lose weight faster

I like this idea very much.

There are loads of videos on line

Amy body fit is nice

Caroline girvan is tough , although perhaps that's because I really dislike lunges

The simple way is to track your calories for a week and then take 500 off a day to
lpse 1lb a week.

if you wear an Apple Watch it gives you your daily active energy and daily resting energy and it’s pretty accurate (maybe a little overestimated) but if not then religiously track your calories for a week or two and you’ll see what your TDEE is at your current activity levels and you can reduce calories/increase activity accordingly.

Op I'm only a little taller than you, and I got really fed up of online calculators telling me I should eat less calories than a child. It felt so unrealistic and I found it impossible to stick to.

Honestly I think your best bet if you can be patient, is to track your calories for at least two weeks, without consciously changing anything. Work out the average per day. Then take off 300-500 calories if you want to lose weight.

However what id personally recommend is a bit different - work out your average. Don't change anything other than trying to eat more protein and more veg. Strength train. You will increase your TDEE by doing that, and the difference in lifestyle you can have between a body that needs 1800 calories a day and one that only needs 1200 is significant!

My maintenance is around 1800-1900. Before I did weights it was around 1400.

Have a listen to a podcast - why women should bulk, by mindpump. That really helped me get out of the idea of 'dieting' when I got back into the gym!

@Proteinpud thank you, that sounds like a workable plan for me. I will take a listen of the podcast and see if I can work out how, at home I can add a bit of strength training.

Out of interest, how much time do you put into training and what sorts of things are you doing, are we talking hours and huge weights, or half hour a day using bodyweight?

Thanks

@Hoolahoophop I do quite a lot as it's become a lifestyle for me, but if you're just starting out then twice a week for 45mins would be enough to make a difference. However that is with progressive overload - going heavier over time - which whilst possible to do at home, is harder to do at home. Just because it's easier if you've got the equipment! And it's easier to say, add a couple of kg in weights plates than it is to work on progressions for pull ups or press ups.

If you have any option for a gym, I'd try that first. If it's really not doable, then I'd suggest looking at kettlebells and strength training with those, and resistance bands. They're usually the most affordable/adaptable at home.

The key thing to be aware of is strength training isn't cardio with weights. It's about lifting something that feels heavy to you, that you can only lift say 8 times before you need to put it down. Doing exercises with 2kg dumbbells at speed until you get out of breath won't do the same. It'll help your fitness, but it doesn't build muscle/have the same impact on your TDEE

I also do videos at home. There are many free ones on Youtube. I have a LesMills subscription because it’s significantly cheaper than gym membership and has everything: weight training, cardio, lighthearted martial arts, various dance workouts, yoga, meditation, yoga nidra, stretching and some very sensible wellness and nutrition programs. I’ve had them for three years and it’s my most utilised subscription, I cancelled Netflix without a second thought to save money but I’m going to keep my LM up and running unless I’m in a coma.

Many people recommend Caroline Girvan, she has lots of free YT videos. Personally I don’t like her style and I really don’t like how she looks, so I wouldn’t touch her videos with a barge pole. I think it’s an important factor, I noticed that I keep returning to the same LesMills programs because I like particular trainers and if I’m suffering I might as well suffer in a company I enjoy!

Another great exercise that seems to be compatible with your walking everywhere is slow jogging or the so-called niko-niko running. There are very sweet free YT videos in Japanese (with subtitles) that explain the principles and demonstrate the technique. The barriers to entry are non-existent because the pace is extremely slow. I’m new to it and have been experimenting with niko-niko pace for three weeks now. The feeling is absolutely amazing and although my normal running times are now much much slower, I thoroughly enjoy it.

Do the James Smith Academy calculator. It’s free and more sensible than most. Gave me the same as my PT did, and it worked!

I should get back on it , mind 🙈

This is excellent advice and makes weight maintenance much more tolerable. Despite my calculations saying I can eat 1800 calories and lose weight, I find 1500 the sweet spot for consistent weight loss so some days I'll eat 1250 calories and split the remaining among other days so I can have a little of whatever I fancy without going off the rails.

It's not easy but it's easier.